Calling All Customers
Customer-relationship management CRM is gaining fierce attention as anyone who plays today's tough competitive version of car wars knows.
Customer-relationship management — CRM — is gaining fierce attention as anyone who plays today's tough competitive version of car wars knows.
Dealers are fighting for sales and service profits, one customer at a time. Solid CRM efforts maintain and track customer contacts to reap and keep customers.
Many large-volume dealers go outside to a mushrooming CRM vendor industry for leads, referrals, direct mailings, appointments and follow-ups.
Major dealership CRM providers now number about 20, but there are thousands springing up, all vowing to deliver customers and sales to dealers.
Internet customer leads can be expensive. Third-party lead referral fees average $20 per lead, good or bad, according to Jeff Kershner, Internet sales director, Mercedes-Benz of Hagerstown, MD. Kershner also manages DealerRefresh.com, a blog that covers news and products for Internet managers.
Some dealers, like Connecticut and New York-based Harte Auto Group, think they're better off handling customer processes internally as part of its business development center.
Harte set up a centralized, high-tech BDC system three years ago.
It takes all sales calls; follows up with unsold showroom visitors; handles Internet leads; maintains lease and retail portfolios; sets all service appointments; and follows up on customer satisfaction calls.
All seven Harte deealerships are served by the BDC housed in the Harte Chevrolet store in Meriden, CT.
Original owner George Harte Sr. started Harte Chevrolet in Meriden in 1951. His son George Jr., and grandsons, Gregory and Thomas, still operate the multi-line dealership chain.
It consists of two Infiniti and three Nissan stores; plus the Chevrolet store and a new world-class Subaru franchise. There also are three separate used-car facilities.