Auto Dealer Monthly Magazine is the daily operations publication serving the retail automotive industry. This automotive publication serves dealer principals, officers and general managers with the latest best practices.
industry expert / customer relationship management
Ten Must-Haves for a CRM Tool
Greg Wells has spent almost 25 years working in automo- tive retail, with specific expertise in business development centers and Internet sales. His work has been recognized nationally by NADA, and his in-dealership sales training experience has launched many successful selling careers for his students. Greg is a senior partner at Kain Automotive Inc. He can be reached at 859.983.0370.
GWells@AutoDealerMonthly.com C
hoosing a CRM tool can be a tough decision. As my mentor Joe Fowler
used to say, "I've never seen a bad presentation." What he meant is the CRM representa- tive is going to put his or her product in its Sunday best and parade it down the runway for
you. What you don't know is what you don't know.
Choosing a CRM tool is a very important decision. Finding the right fit for your store will improve the probability of employee buy-in and use of the product. Too many
companies grossly underuse their CRM tools and in some cases have no idea of the CRM's capability or limita- tions. Maximizing the power of your CRM improves dealership culture. However, the opposite is true as well. Loose stan- dards of adherence, lip service and failing to integrate the CRM into your processes in both sales and service can add to a negative culture.
One action you should take before choosing a CRM tool is calling some of the company's current customers. During the presentation, take notes and create a list of all the features you are being shown. Add to
that list the questions your team had for the presenter and his or her responses. Ask the presenter for a list of 10 referrals. You probably won't call 10 dealers, but a list of two or three is likely to be clients the presenter knows will give the product a good recommendation.
Calling current customers will tell you the real story. Go through the list of promises made by the CRM representa- tive and verify what you've been told. Getting a true assessment from a handful of users should give you a realistic expectation of the tool. To help you with some of
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