CRM, ILM, Chat, Desking, Emails, Phone, SMS

Alex Snyder from Dealer.com teases an unreleased product to be showcased at the NADA show, enlisting fellow DealerRefresh community members to help promote a private preview at their booth. Joe Pistell confirms he served on the dealer council for this "giant new project" and vouches it's "bad ass," while the thread devolves into friendly banter about attendees' appearances and John Quinn's mysterious original job title. The key takeaway is that Dealer.com has a significant new product in development with input from respected industry figures, but details remain under wraps until the show.

Jason Walter shares a positive experience implementing Vin Solutions CRM after migrating 180,000 customer records, praising both the product and the vendor's customer support—a stark contrast to negative reputation he'd heard beforehand. Vin Solutions representatives confirm they've recently restructured their support operations with new teams and processes to improve service quality, while other users validate the product's effectiveness in consolidating multiple systems. The thread reveals how thorough preparation and genuine partnership between dealer and vendor can result in smooth CRM transitions, with the key insight that implementation success depends heavily on upfront planning and collaborative effort rather than just choosing the right software.

Ruben introduces dieselCRM, a new cross-platform automotive CRM he's launching with an emphasis on low cost, month-to-month billing without cancellation fees, and white-label options. Forum members ask pointed questions about specific features and competitive advantages, with experienced responses highlighting that CRM implementation success depends heavily on vendor support and early dealer feedback rather than technical specifications. The key insight is that Ruben's primary differentiators are pricing and flexibility rather than feature-richness, and he acknowledges the need to focus on customer acquisition and support to succeed in a competitive market.

A dealer questions whether VinSolutions' customer idea portal actually influences product development, noting that highly-voted ideas are rejected while lower-voted ones are marked "coming soon," suggesting arbitrary decision-making. A VinSolutions CTO responds to clarify the company's inventory strategy (confirming they'll use their own system, not HomeNet) but provides an incomplete response to the core concern. The thread ultimately shifts to dealers seeking recommendations for integrated CRM/Inventory/ILM solutions that actually work reliably with their DMS.

An interim ISD (Internet Sales Director) at a dealership seeks advice on how to stop response time clocks in ADP CRM when staff are away from the dealership, a feature that was simple in their previous NetTrack system but lacks a mobile solution in ADP without VPN access. The thread explores whether auto-responders can satisfy response time requirements, but the original poster clarifies that generic auto-responders don't count as personal responses and wouldn't solve the problem. The thread appears unresolved, with no clear workaround identified beyond waiting for VPN implementation.

Jerry Thibeau promotes a free webinar scheduled for Monday, May 14th at 2PM EST featuring interviews with 8 industry experts discussing competitive strategies and techniques for automotive professionals. Due to high demand, the webinar is being run a second time, with a reminder posted on the day of the event and assurance that the content will be practical market-focused material with no sales pitch. The key takeaway is an educational opportunity designed to provide dealership professionals with actionable insights to gain competitive advantages in their markets.

# Summary Dealership professionals discuss which automotive CRMs offer email open rate and click-through rate (CTR) tracking, plus inventory alert features that notify salespeople when new vehicles match customer interests. Multiple vendors respond confirming their products have these capabilities: DealerSocket, ELEAD CRM, iMagicLab, and AutoBase are all mentioned as options that track email metrics and provide inventory matching alerts. The thread concludes with the original poster expressing interest but noting uncertainty about whether their GM would be willing to switch from their current ADP CRM system.

# Summary A Toyota dealership owner posts their conversion metrics (16% internet leads-to-show, 35% show-to-sold, and 40% phone leads-to-show, 31% show-to-sold) seeking comparison to national benchmarks and feedback. Respondents identify the core problem: while the appointment-setting metrics are strong, the handoff from appointment setters to salespeople is failing, resulting in poor show-to-sold conversion rates (35% internet, 31% phone) that should be closer to 50-60%, with suggestions to assign top performers to appointments, improve manager involvement, and implement better follow-up systems like a mini-BDC. The dealership owner acknowledges the weak link is lack of salesman follow-up and accountability after CRM ownership transfers, and shares that they're testing this solution at their Honda location.

Jerry Thibeau's team created a video series on personal branding for YouTube, with Elise Kephart producing instructional content on the topic. Discussion touched on practical concerns like overcoming camera anxiety for those uncomfortable on video, diversifying on-camera talent, and importantly, legal compliance—YouTube advertising must include state-required disclaimers and each video can be considered a separate violation if improperly formatted. The key takeaway is that dealer-created YouTube content requires the same legal rigor as traditional advertising to avoid penalties from state attorneys general.

Jerry Thibeau is promoting a webinar scheduled for May 3rd titled "9 Secrets to Dominate Your Market," where he will interview seven industry experts on topics relevant to automotive dealerships. The post encourages forum members to register immediately, emphasizing that space is limited. The thread is essentially a promotional announcement for the webinar with registration details.

# Summary A dealer asks how to compete when internet leads are sold to 5+ competing dealerships all calling simultaneously, noting that price alone becomes a race to the bottom. Experienced dealers respond that differentiation through rich media content (photos, videos, walkarounds), personalized follow-up, and being first to respond with competitive pricing can increase closing ratios and shift focus away from pure price competition toward the actual product and dealership value.

# Summary NTIV10 launches a frustrated critique of DealerSocket's lack of Mac support and non-Internet Explorer browser compatibility (Firefox, Safari), detailing specific functionality failures that force him to use workarounds like VMware Fusion. Other users share mixed experiences—some report Safari works adequately with minor issues while others confirm widespread problems—and the thread identifies a broader industry problem of CRM vendors limiting themselves to IE/Windows. A DealerSocket representative (Shellie Pierce) ultimately responds offering direct support contact, though the core issue of multi-platform/browser compatibility remains unresolved in the discussion.

Jerry Thibeau promoted his Boot Camp Vegas session by sharing a mystery shop call recording that showcased shockingly poor customer service at a dealership, prompting heated reactions from forum members. The thread devolved into complaints about dealership management incompetence, with participants arguing that weak leadership can only persist because franchise agreements protect dealers from market consequences. The underlying consensus is that ego-driven, inexperienced management undermines what should be profitable dealerships.

A dealer inquires about partnering with Navy Federal Credit Union through an ambassador program, but receives limited responses. The discussion reveals that while NFCU cannot book contracts directly with dealers and their rates are often competitive elsewhere, the real issue appears to be with the quality of NFCU leads they generate—with one dealer strongly cautioning against them based on poor conversion rates.

# Summary Automotive professionals share examples of "wow factor" initiatives at their dealerships to differentiate customer experience, ranging from food offerings (continental breakfast, pizza, cafeteria) and promotional games (prize drawings for discounts/electronics) to service amenities like free car washes and shuttle services. The most compelling insight comes from Craig at Acton Toyota, who argues that the true "wow" factors are actually fundamental business practices—delivering on promises, transparent pricing, proper product training, and professional customer treatment—combined with tangible amenities like an on-site cafeteria that serve both customers and employees. The thread suggests that exceptional online ratings and customer loyalty stem less from gimmicks and more from consistently executing basic best practices while adding thoughtful convenience features.

# Summary Brian Marchini seeks recommendations for outbound phone training programs, particularly for handling internet-sourced leads where caller information is already known. Multiple replies recommend Jerry Thibeau's Phone Up Ninjas coaching service, which specializes in outbound training and uses call recording for coaching (with legal considerations for two-party consent states). The thread highlights that effective outbound training requires analyzing actual call recordings to identify performance gaps beyond the typical 20% conversion rate most dealerships achieve.

# Summary Dealership professionals debate whether showing a flat discount on used car pricing (e.g., "$500 off") influences customer perception and purchasing decisions. While some argue discounts create psychological value, the consensus leans toward pricing aggressively from the start rather than inflating initial prices to allow for discounts later, as the latter approach results in excessive days-in-stock and lower overall gross profit despite occasional big deals.

# Summary Automotive dealers discuss their March 2012 sales performance, with most reporting slower early-month sales but expecting typical month-end pushes. A key insight emerges around Craigslist traffic: while some dealers notice declining referrals from CL, others using new tracking software report increased traffic, suggesting that improved tracking tools may reveal discrepancies between perceived and actual performance. Used car sales are notably strong across dealers reporting in, with VDPs and SRPs up despite softer new car demand.

# Summary A dealer seeking to replace Reynolds Contact Management with Autobase asks for advice on recreating Autobase's "Save-a-deal" feature—which provides accountability and early warning of potential lost sales—within their current Reynolds system while locked into a long-term contract. The original post suggests restricting salespeople's ability to change prospect status as a workaround but cuts off before presenting a complete solution or receiving responses.

A candidate with SEO and minimal auto sales experience interviews for a BDC role, then gets offered a sales position instead, and asks what questions to vet the opportunity and what skills to develop. The key insight from the experienced response is that auto sales success depends on soft skills like resilience, listening ability, and work ethic rather than industry experience or existing contacts—with the implication that SEO sales skills could transfer if the candidate approaches it seriously.

# Summary Users discuss their experiences with eLead's ILM (Inbox Lead Management) and BDC services, with mixed results: one salesperson praises eLead ILM as superior to competitors like Reynolds and ADP for its manual follow-up scheduling flexibility, while another dealer reports problems with lead quality, pushy call center tactics, and frequent technical support issues. A key takeaway is that eLead's ILM platform itself functions well operationally, but the call center's lead generation and appointment-setting practices are questionable, and users should consider configuring custom email domains rather than using the default @eleadtrack.net address.

A dealer asks for affordable ILM (Internet Lead Management) recommendations as an alternative to eLead, with responses suggesting several budget-friendly options including DealerSocket, Dealer.com's Lead Machine, AVV Webcontrol, and VIN Solutions—most priced under $400/month. The thread emphasizes caution about cutting costs on lead management tools, as they're critical infrastructure for internet departments. No clear winner emerges, but multiple established vendors are positioned as viable alternatives for dealers seeking to reduce expenses while maintaining functionality.