eNewsletter Category
Our recommendation:
LoyaltyDriver - www.imnloyaltydriver.com
Reasons to like:
When I was at the dealership we created a newsletter to mail to our customers to stimulate them to feel like they were "one of the family". I think this worked but we did not receive much feedback. With an eNewsletter like those offered by IMNinc.com and their loyaltybuilder product you receive immediate feedback from your customers.
You can tell who reads the newsletter and what articles they enjoyed reading the most. Consider one for your business. I can attest to the fact that it works because I use it myself. You will love the reports available because they tell you what your customers want to see.
Cool Product Category
CoVideo - www.customervideo.com
Our recommendation:
Reasons to like:
If you are looking for a way to really connect with your customer and be unique in your market then this product is a great tool. They use server based video emails that let you talk direct to the customer and personalize your message. Imagine an auto response from your dealership with a message from the dealer or dealership spokesperson thanking the customer for submitting the lead or a follow-up email with a video where the Internet sales specialist can speak specifically to the customer about their request. "Mr. Jones I like your choice in vehicles - my name is David Kain and I wanted to let you know we have 4 in stock".... The feature I like most of all is that you are alerted when someone watches the video, even if they watch it several times. This notifies you and we recommend calling or emailing quickly since you are now Top of Mind. The company is lead by Ed Mugg and Jason Price who put their energy into customer service and development of solutions that work. We will be providing this product to dealers through our company so if you are interested please contact Laura Wells at laura@kainautomotive.com or by phone at 1-866-546-3428.
Dealership Website Appraisal Tools Category
BlackBookOnline - www.blackbookonline.com
Reasons to like:
If you have an option on which trade appraisal tool to use on your website I would recommend the evaluation tool that your used vehicle manager can feel good about- BlackBookOnline. This tool allows your dealership to present a range for the customers trade in exchange for their contact information. Dealerships who use this tool are able to establish fair trade values that customers can feel good about, keep peace with their used vehicle managers and allow your online experience to match your offline experience. This service allows you to keep your website in balance with a trade appraisal tool that fits your operational style and is a great lead generator for a cost per lead of half the industry standard. In addition to being available on individual dealership websites you'll see this service branded under intelliprice on the General Motors and Ford websites as well as some others because it generates so many high quality leads.
CRM/Lead Management Tool Category - JUST ADDED TWO NEW RECOMMENDATIONS
DealerPeak - www.dealerpeak.com
Reasons to like:
The DealerPeak CRM and Lead Management tool is unique in that it actually alerts you if your team is not following the prescribed lead handling process. They have designed an exception report that alerts managers without them having to sample several leads to see if their team is following the path to success. In addition, their AutoPilots are relatively easy to set up and if you have your website with them you benefit from a direct tie in to the CRM tool. What is especially nice for our clients is that they add our process into their system along with our recommended emails and scripts so it is easy to get rolling.
AimData - www.aimdatabase.com
Reasons to like:
The AimData 1SourceCRM is a comprehensive tool that does a lot of the thinking for you which should really bring comfort to dealership management. I think the reason this tool works so well is that Larry Bruce the owner of the company is a dealer himself and has designed the system with his practical experience along with listening to the input from his successful dealer clients. With the 1SourceCRM system their clients can scale the hardware in their dealership to meet their needs and grow with the dealership without having to change processes or CRM systems. 1SourceCRM can work in the smallest dealership with a single data entry point and a printer to a multi-dealership, multi-state group centralizing all BDC functions into one location for redundancy and economies of scale.
iMagicLabs - www.imagiclabs.com
Reasons to like:
The iMagicLabs product is by far and away the easiest Internet lead management tool available in the market today. The interface is intuitive and easy for the most novice Internet sales team member to use. The ability to send high quality dealer branded emails is simple and the reports will help you to determine what is working and where you need improvement.
Owner Loyalty Boosters Category
MyCarPage - www.mycarpage.com
Our recommendation:
Reasons to like:
This unique service truly allows you to take ownership of customers and has a proven track record of increasing retention and sales & service revenue. A low fixed monthly fee supports an unlimited number of customers (with no individual transaction costs) making this service tremendously cost-effective.
MyCarPage “parks” your customers’ vehicles on your website by building a personal web page for each current (and past) customer. Customers have access to their vehicle history, gas prices, traffic reports and other valuable consumer benefits on their personal web page, while automatic service reminders and other targeted email communications are sent touching the customers at key points in their vehicle ownership lifecycle. Also, they are great at collecting customers’ email addresses, including lost customers!
