Pub. 4 2014 Issue 3

15 buyers (survey results) cited the Internet as a source of influence three-and-a-half times more than what the CRM data showed. Granted, the variety of CRM tools may limit complete reporting, but for the most part the study indicated that CRM tools were vastly under- or incorrectly used. In short, garbage in/garbage out can derail even the most intelligent marketing strategy. Next Steps: Put Sourcing to Work for You Sourcing traffic on the showroom floor is as easy as a script for salespeople and/or the receptionist, or designating someone to be responsible for sourcing. No matter who the point person is they need to be trained to ensure that the highest level of accuracy goes into your CRM tool each and every time there’s contact with a customer. If he or she complains about the limitations of the tool, consider upgrading. Remember, you’re using your CRM tool to guide marketing decisions and expenditures; its value cannot be underestimated. Simple sourcing questions: • Ask a shopper what brought him into the dealership today — a referral, the Internet (OEM, dealer website, third-party site, display ad) an ad, direct mail, drive-by or previous experience with the dealership. • Ask a shopper if she’s got an appointment or had contacted the dealership beforehand. If so, did she phone, email, chat or text? • Ask a shopper if he did some research online before coming in. Once you’ve developed and implemented processes to source shoppers, you’ll be able to develop a more complete view of how effective your advertising is. You also need to factor in your on- line traffic, too, including examining reports from your online advertising partners for insight into the metrics and to gain a deeper analysis into understanding where online shoppers are coming from. Keep in mind that not all online activity is necessarily track- able through click-throughs and key buying activities. For exam- ple, traditional media could be driving traffic to both your website and your store. Even if a shopper was driven to your website by a billboard, it doesn’t necessarily mean she’s going to perform a key buying activity such as chatting. So, it’s important to keep in mind that while online display advertising may not be driving traffic directly to your site via click-throughs, it’s still building brand awareness and leading more than half of all your custom- ers to your doorstep.  1 Source: AutoTrader.com Site Data, 2014 Monthly Average 2 Source: 2014 NADA Data Annual Financial Profile of America’s Franchised New-Car Dealerships 3 Source: The CRMParadox, AutoTrader.comwhite paper, January 2013