dealership spotlight / crm
VanMeter. Ghazal believed that VanMeter's approach to handling leads "will help make the BDC far more than a call center for the company." He explained, "Sales[people] will continue to work most leads initially, but as we move leads from active to ongoing, they'll shift over to the BDC. The BDC will also handle online chat and initial follow-up with our low-balance [client] list."
In the meantime, he said, "Our focus now is on referrals and repeats, as well as generating new leads from our own website, then following up effectively with a plan that is specifically tailored for each lead type. We believe that the ability to track effectiveness and monitor contacts effec- tively is what will push us to the next level."
Although the dealership is working to automate follow-up
and email blasts are an impor- tant component of their sold customer follow-up, Ghazal emphasized that it is also important to not spam the customer in order to maintain a relationship based on mutual trust and respect.
"In the same way we want to nurture certain leads from prospect to buyer, we also nurture customer relation- ships," he explained. "It's also about maintaining professionalism in all our contacts with customers, not forgetting how important they are, and treating them with respect. We don't spam them, so they don't automatically tune us out."
This helps when it comes to collections and repossessions. Ghazal said Express Auto has never used collection devices like starter interrupts or even GPS trackers. "We've never
used them or have had a need to use them," he stated. "We feel that we can do without them in small communities like ours." He said that he has nothing against the use of such devices but felt his dealership could get by without them "by having good underwriting and good follow-up with the customer before, during and after the sale." He added, "We have a relationship with them and there is mutual trust."
That mutual trust goes so far, in fact, that when a customer cannot keep up with pay- ments, it is not uncommon for the customer to agree to a voluntary repo and turn the car back in to the dealership. "We'll hold onto the car for 30 or 60 days until they get back on track and we'll give them the car back," he explained.
He said their customers trust
them to hold onto their vehicles until they can get back on their feet, and the dealer- ship trusts the customers to get current on their payments as soon as they are able. It is something that has worked well for all parties. "Our goal is to keep them in the car, not take it away from them. We win when the customer wins … We have a vested interest in making sure that they succeed in their loan, and if we have to work with them a little bit to get them back on track, we're willing to do that."
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