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SALES

Don’t Neglect the Relationship Part of Your

Dealership CRM

Every action taken with the CRM should have the goal of relationship and

retention behind it, even when updating customer records

By Brendan Hurley

Do you remember what your CRM does?

If you say it’s for tracking ups, leads, sales,
and customers, of course you’re right, but
we sometimes forget the meat-and-potatoes
purpose for this wonderful technology.

So, my question is: Are you neglecting
the “R” in CRM? Some forget that the “R”
refers to relationship: building, nurturing,
and retaining customers to your brand,
your store, and your parts and service
departments.

I’m a technology developer and a car dealer,
and my stores use a CRM, as many of you
do. I know how easy it can be to look at
the CRM tool just as a details tracker and
an accountability tool—both of which it
should be designed to deliver.
than as lifelong relationships that businesses to become a part of your staff’s everyday
But when we take our eye off the lifeblood must nurture,” notes the online magazine. routine, and not burden them to the
of a car dealership—our treasury of active point where they can’t deal with everyday
customers and prospects—all parties lose. The right CRM process makes relationship business tasks.
We can’t afford to lose a single customer and retention activities easier by instantly
these days. providing your employees with essential It is imperative for the CRM to have a high
information to assist the customer, and level of automation to execute a matrix
Another reason a particular CRM may not by simplifying data entry. A cumbersome of dealer-designed, preordained contact
be right for you is because it’s too much tool is an impediment to the process that actions specific to individual customers
CRM. For instance, your CRM may have too diminishes the effectiveness of your staff, and their status.
many “sparkly things,” i.e., too many bells diverting attention away from the goal of
and whistles, that draw users into exploring doing business. Advanced technology makes most of
and using functions and keystrokes that the available, essential CRM tools more
take them further away from the “R” that A good CRM enforces its use by seamlessly affordable, so consider a CRM designed
drives retention. partnering with employees every step of for smaller dealers that is able to help the
the way, capturing essential information to dealership drive four key outcomes:
Citing the research company Forrester, assist in developing enhanced relationships. • Relationship/retention
destinationCRM.com notes that although • Lead conversion
84% of firms aspire to improve customers’ It also provides consolidated feedback to • Declined-service capture
experience by using CRM tools, only your employees from all sources, including • Continuity marketing
20% deliver a good or great customer your DMS, to keep them apprised of
experience. customer activities and service needs. Let’s consider each.

“CRM still treats customers as mere line- Customer contact through a CRM must be Relationship/retention
item sales prospects in a database, rather easy to do, or it will never happen. It has Every action taken with the CRM should have
8 | GIADA Independent Auto Dealer FEBRUARY 2018