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

# Summary A dealer reports severe email deliverability issues with Reynolds & Reynolds Contact Management, experiencing 30% bounce-back rates and 20% undeliverable mail, with Reynolds support shifting responsibility to the client to report blacklisted ISPs rather than fixing the systemic problem themselves. Community members debate whether the root cause is Reynolds' infrastructure (4 IP addresses for 750,000 monthly emails) or poor list management practices, but consensus emerges that Reynolds' vendor response is inadequate and the contract should potentially be challenged or cancelled based on performance failure. A Reynolds VP responds by offering consultant support, though skepticism remains about whether this resolves the underlying deliverability issues.

An Internet Manager at a small Wisconsin Chevy dealership seeks recommendations for choosing a CRM to replace their outdated GM OneSource system, citing the need for strong templating capabilities and lead management. Community members emphasize that CRM selection requires careful evaluation across all dealership roles and should prioritize finding a consultative partner rather than just a vendor, with DealerSocket receiving positive mention for its reporting and campaign functionality. The key insight is that CRM implementation is a major undertaking requiring patience and proper change management, and no single solution will be perfect for everyone—success depends on understanding your specific business needs and evaluating how each platform supports your unique processes.

# Summary A dealership considering upgrading to ADP's integrated VOIP phone system and CRM seeks community feedback on bundling these tools together. Respondents confirm that ADP CRM is functional once users learn it properly and that integration between ADP's phone and CRM systems provides valuable efficiency benefits (auto-populating customer info, call recording), though the VOIP phone system carries significant upfront costs ($100K+) and the integration appears limited to ADP's own CRM platform.

A dealer inquires about CONNEX CRM, prompting community members to investigate and discover it's a rebranded Sugar CRM add-on built for Microsoft Dynamics that appears geared toward the hotel industry rather than automotive dealerships. The consensus among experienced professionals is that it lacks the automotive-specific features needed for dealership operations and is not a true CRM solution, with one expert noting that non-industry-focused tools typically underperform at dealerships. The thread concludes when the original poster reveals CONNEX is simply Sugar CRM rebranded, validating the community's skepticism about its automotive viability.

The thread discusses which CRMs work effectively on iPads for automotive sales processes, with particular focus on printing capabilities via Safari. Multiple vendors and users weigh in on platforms like ADP (heavily criticized for poor mobile compatibility), ReyRey, eLead, DealerSocket, and Dealer.com, with the consensus being that true native iPad apps outperform web-based solutions in speed and offline functionality. The key insight is that while several CRMs claim iPad compatibility, most fall short of full salesfloor utility—eLead and upcoming native apps like DealerSocket's appear to be the most viable options, though printing remains a secondary feature.

DrewAment requests shared examples of Reynolds & Reynolds CRM prospect schedules and processes, hoping to benefit from real-world dealer implementations rather than reinvent strategies from scratch. While LarryBruce points to pre-built templates available from support and joe.pistell expresses interest in the topic, Alex Snyder reveals the core issue: successful dealers treat their refined CRM processes as competitive trade secrets and refuse to share them publicly, even on industry forums. The thread ultimately exposes a fundamental tension in the dealer community between collaborative spirit and competitive self-interest.

Jerry Thibeau shares a clever Audi advertisement featuring a chess reference with the tagline "Your Move BMW," sparking brief discussion about the ad's competitive positioning. The thread generates minimal substantive conversation, with replies mostly consisting of casual remarks about playing chess and wordplay on the concept of being "lawyered" (beaten in an argument). The thread serves as a simple example-sharing post rather than a deep discussion about advertising strategy.

Multiple ReyRey Contact Management users reported experiencing significant performance issues starting in mid-December 2010, including slow page loads and intermittent connectivity problems, while ReyRey support initially denied any systemic issues despite evidence suggesting otherwise. Users documented various troubleshooting steps (network infrastructure replacement, traceroute analysis, removing bandwidth-heavy traffic) without resolution, and discovered that ReyRey support was dismissing complaints by claiming no other customers had reported similar problems—a claim contradicted by multiple forum users. The thread reveals frustration with ReyRey's lack of accountability and suggests the performance issues may have been server-side or routing-related rather than customer-side, though no definitive resolution is reached.

Joe Pistell undertakes a major contact management cleanup project in ReyRey CRM and solicits help from the community, eventually discovering that CRM success fundamentally depends on creating a sales-rep-friendly system—if reps find the interface unintuitive, data quality suffers and the entire system breaks down (garbage in, garbage out). While praising ReyRey's support team for their responsiveness, he also criticizes the platform's poor UI and counterintuitive restrictions like blocking copy-paste functionality. The thread emphasizes that effective CRM architecture must be built from the sales rep's perspective outward, as they are the primary users entering and interacting with the data.

A dealer inquires about using getautoappraise.com and Autobytel as lead sources and seeks feedback from other dealers on their ROI. Derek Bess cautions against relying on aggregator platforms, criticizing them as "bottom feeders" that merely resell dealer inventory without adding value, though he acknowledges dealers must test them individually to determine ROI. The thread offers limited practical recommendations beyond the suggestion to evaluate these services based on their actual performance for each dealership.

A dealership using ReyRey Contact Management discovered that a prospect record with associated notes mysteriously disappeared from one salesman's account after another salesman closed a deal with the same customer, raising concerns about potential intentional deletion to hide the lead source. While initial attempts to recover the data failed, experienced users clarified that CRM systems maintain detailed user logs with timestamps that can be retrieved from the provider to identify who deleted records and when, and suggested implementing admin-only deletion permissions as a safeguard.

# Summary Automotive dealers debate whether to use standardized email templates or allow Internet Sales Managers (ISMs) to write personalized emails when following up with leads. While some argue personalized emails feel less generic and perform better, others defend templates as necessary for consistency, faster response times, and avoiding common mistakes like poor grammar, irrelevant subject lines, and missing calls-to-action—with the consensus suggesting a middle ground: using template frameworks or playbooks with customizable elements that include personalization, short length, engaging questions, and clear value propositions rather than one-size-fits-all templates.

# Summary Dealers debate whether all leads have equal value or if lead quality metrics matter more than quantity, with the original poster questioning whether low-conversion leads justify their cost even with ample resources. Respondents argue that "a lead is a lead" only as a baseline—the real factors are lead velocity, gross profit per sale, conversion rates, and alignment with target market demographics. A key concern emerges around third-party lead provider transparency and the practice of selling the same leads to multiple competitors, raising questions about lead quality and accountability.

A guest asks about the necessity of link building for websites, and Derek Bess responds that while links do provide credibility to search engines, link building is overrated and often poorly executed by SEO vendors who exploit dealers' lack of knowledge. The key insight is that quality, unique content should be a dealer's primary SEO focus rather than link building schemes, as the SEO industry is saturated with ineffective and questionable practices.

# Summary The thread discusses CallRevu, a call monitoring service that alerts dealers to missed sales opportunities and tracks phone performance across their dealership. Users report the product is effective, with testimonials praising its real-time alerts and ability to recover lost sales—though the key value proposition depends on dealers having the training and processes in place to act on the alerts CallRevu identifies.

A Honda dealer reflects on 2011's challenges for the manufacturer following Japan's earthquake and tsunami, then outlines optimism for 2012 based on new product launches including the redesigned CR-V with enhanced technology, a new Accord, and an EV Fit model. The dealer predicts conditions cannot worsen for Honda and anticipates a strong year ahead, with another commenter expressing similar optimism about dealer prospects in 2012.

# Summary A Reynolds ERA user asks the community what desking/proposal tools other dealers use since Reynolds' native CRM lacks a functional proposal feature for printing. The user currently relies on a custom Excel spreadsheet for purchase vs. lease comparisons but notes it has workflow limitations—proposals can't be saved for handoffs between managers or retrieved during follow-up calls. The thread seeks recommendations for desking tools that integrate with Reynolds to solve these operational gaps.

GM dealers dealing with three different lease providers (Ally, GM Financial, US Bank) seek a solution to quickly compare which lender offers the lowest payment, rather than running each lease quote separately. Responses suggest both paid software options like MarketScan and free DIY alternatives using customized Excel spreadsheets, with one dealer offering to share their in-house desking tool despite its limitation of not allowing mid-deal handoffs between managers.

Dealers stuck with long-term ReyRey CRM contracts share practical workarounds to maximize the platform's utility, including leveraging the CallBright phone integration, customizing email signatures with sales photos, building targeted follow-up schedules, and using floor traffic tracking to identify service opportunities. The discussion demonstrates that ReyRey's advanced features—like the ability to create highly specific automated campaigns for trade-in prospects or fleet maintenance reminders—often go underutilized simply because they aren't actively promoted by the vendor. The key insight is that ReyRey users can significantly improve their workflow efficiency by exploring less obvious built-in features and investing time in template creation and schedule automation.

# Summary Automotive professionals debate whether modern CRM systems have improved customer follow-up compared to old paper-based tracking methods, with consensus that technology is only as effective as the accountability measures and management discipline behind it. The thread highlights that despite sophisticated tools available today, many dealerships still fall short on consistent, genuine follow-up—and that simple practices like handwritten notes, detailed call logs, and personal outreach often outperform systems that salespeople can easily game or bypass. The key insight is that dealer success depends less on having the right software and more on having managers who actively enforce follow-up processes and hold their teams accountable to actually executing them.

# Summary Automotive dealers and industry professionals debate the merits of ADP's CRM system, with the original poster planning to migrate from Reynolds & Reynolds and seeking honest feedback about functionality, support quality, and integration capabilities. Responses are predominantly negative, with users citing poor design choices, inadequate support, and lack of modern features like mobile access and remote login, though one long-term user (since 2006) defends it as largely operator error while acknowledging ADP's tendency to force predetermined workflows. The emerging consensus is that ADP's CRM struggles to compete with alternatives and that dissatisfaction often stems from both product limitations and the difficulty of switching systems mid-contract.

# Summary Multiple dealers across Honda, Toyota, and Nissan brands report that new car sales for November 2011 are significantly underperforming (down 40%+ at Honda and Toyota stores), while used car sales are unexpectedly strong, suggesting customers are shifting to the used market rather than brand loyalty being the issue. The thread pivots from discussing the sales slump into a lighthearted debate about effective sales techniques, with one dealer advocating for consultative phone/email approaches that focus on test drive commitments rather than price haggling. The broader insight is that dealers need to adapt their sales pitch beyond relying on brand reputation, as market competition is forcing a shift in how they engage customers during this weak period.