GSMs and SMs: Are you providing good ROI to your dealership?

So, you think you are a good General Sales Manager?  Numbers are up, you have an excellent sales record and your sales team is great. What else can you do? You may be thinking " what more could your dealership ask for?" Consider what it takes to go from good to greatness in the way of profitable car sales. As a GSM or SM that wants to achieve greatness, you have to embrace new technology and tools that help you do your job better. Here are two examples of a GSM and SM who have done just that and, as a result, increased their ROI to the dealership. Want to do the same? Read further.

Jay Brownrigg, General Sales Manager at Toyota Marin in San Rafael, CA:

According to Dealer Magazine, Toyota Marin is one of the top dealers nationwide in internet car sales. They rank 10^th in their region for new car sales and 44% of their new and used car sales are internet based. As GSM, Jay Brownrigg manages internet sales. A part of Jay’s strategy for success is adopting things like blogs and other forms of social media. Jay knows he doesn’t have the time necessary to invest in social media so he uses Digital Air Strike.

The company manages its online presence through Facebook, DealeRater.com, and other review and social media platforms. For the reviews that require it, Jay will answer them personally. Toyota Marin’s average rating on DealerRater.com is 4.9 with 23 reviews. Another key component to their internet sales success is response time to leads. There is an intense focus on treating an internet lead with the same level of follow-up that another store would treat a walk-in customer. He does this by using a technology called RespnseLogix that sends a custom-tailored price quote within 10 minutes of receiving the lead. Jay’s willingness to adopt social media and lead management technology into their internet sales process has paid off well. Toyota Marin gets about 1200-1300 internet leads a month and closes around 12%.

Jason Graciano, Sales Manager at Paragon Honda in Woodside, NY:

In 2011, Paragon Honda was named the #1 Honda and Acura dealer in the country. When US Honda sales were down 10% Paragon Honda managed to create an opposite trend by being up 9.5%. Jason Graciano became a sales manager at Paragon eight years ago at age 22. He was featured in an Auto Success Magazine article outlining best practices for using the iPad Selling System, a progressive tool that allows Paragon customers to browse their inventory, create a "Garage" of their own vehicles, performs One-Touch Service Scheduling, and call Roadside Assistance all from a mobile or tablet device. Paragon credits innovative buyer programs like this for their sales record. Jason is key in this because he is not just a sales manager he is also the sales consultant trainer. He understands well how tablet technology affects the sales consultant’s proficiency in closing deals. He’s taken that knowledge and passed along those best practices that improve customer-consultant interactions. Jason is also the director of Hispanic Relations at Paragon. He often uses YouTube to reach out to the Hispanic community and create awareness about Paragon Honda.

Here are 2 Other Technology tools you Should Tune Into

1. Insignia Accessories Sales System: Insignia provides one of the most comprehensive automotive accessories e-catalog software for dealerships to manage automotive accessories sales. Check out this comparison between Insignia and a competitor. If you are using iPads we recommend this quick video.

2. Facebook Coupon Tool: Provided by CIMA, the Thrupon tool allows you to offer coupons through your Facebook fan page and garner online reviews that are directly linked to your follower's status so, that all their friends see what they think about your dealership. Check it out!

If your dealership hasn’t invested in social media or just looking for ways to improve, Check out our blog post on using Facebook.