Every dealer knows it costs hundreds of dollars just to make the phone ring, but integrating a CRM to your sales calls can help your dealerships capitalize on those selling opportunities in a more efficient way. Joining CBT’s Jim Fitzpatrick is Mike Haeg, Vice President of Automotive at Car Wars, to discuss polishing up your CRM etiquette.
“It’s simple for us,” says Mike, “we’re big believers that dealerships can be doing more with what they already have.” While spending lots of money on good quality marketing drives better leads to the dealership, there is so much untapped sales potential in regards to phone sales.
Incorporating a CRM into your phone process can help you really get back to simple blocking and tackling in your sales department. CRMs provide accountability to the sales and management staff by documenting the data of phone calls.
When a customer calls the dealership, they’re no longer casually browsing. They are a full-fledged buyer potentially even more valuable than a walk-in. That lead is expensive and valuable and without that accountability, sales agents will float away from success. If you move away from the basics, phone leads will inevitably go somewhere else.
If you’re simply overwhelmed by the data a CRM provides, and you’d like to know how to filter leads, simple is usually best.
- First, make sure the data is actually in your CRM if it’s not, then it didn’t happen. Logging this data gives a truer picture of what is happening on the phones in the day-to-day
- Also, consider using a phone bridge or an IVR. These platforms have been known to give customers a better experience, and you can sort the calls once they are in CRM. This allows you to direct leads to the appropriate salesperson.
In addition, CRMs allow your team to focus their sales funnel by following up on calls that maybe didn’t end in an appointment. They’ll have a platform to tackle outstanding leads, thus making more sales.
CRMs also have a daily check out function for each salesperson to review. If management is interacting and maintaining their system properly then they can conference with each salesperson to hone in on their strengths and weaknesses.
Using these approaches really get back to the fundamentals of sales and will undoubtedly lead to more appointments and more sales.
Mike sums it up for us nicely by saying, “When a lot of dealerships start to realize that, a light bulb comes on, and the get excited about capitalizing on opportunities they’ve already paid for.”
