Today's automobile shopper has access to an incredible amount of information including detailed vehicle specs, inventories, invoice pricing, incentives, etc. On-line shoppers are engaged in the data collection phase of the purchase process and do not want to be pressured by an aggressive salesperson. Unfortunately, most dealers continue to apply traditional “hard sell” techniques which simply do not work on today’s customer.

Successful dealers have recognized this and have set up websites which are an extension of their dealership including detailed product information, inventory, pricing, etc. They have also revised their communication process to focus on informing and educating customers as opposed to strong arm selling.

To effectively manage and control the process requires a CRM or lead management system. Unfortunately, most traditional automotive CRM systems are expensive, complicated, and ineffective. Alternatively, there are a wide variety of web-based CRM systems which are cost-effective and powerful, however most of these systems are not tailored for the automobile industry.

Leads PDQ highlights: