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

Julie asks for VIN decoder recommendations after her dealership plans to change photo vendors. Responses suggest that standalone VIN decoders are increasingly rare, with most professionals recommending integrated solutions that combine VIN decoding with inventory management and photo hosting platforms—HomeNet and eBizAutos emerge as top recommendations, though VINpower by ESP Data Solutions and DataOne Software are also mentioned as viable options.

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# Summary Dealers debate whether maintaining separate ILM (Internet Lead Management) and CRM tools is still necessary in modern dealership operations. While some dealers are forced to use OEM-mandated ILM systems (particularly Mitsubishi's AVV Webcontrol), the consensus leans toward CRM-only solutions being the future, with participants arguing that robust modern CRMs should handle lead management without requiring dual systems. The thread reveals fragmentation across OEMs regarding lead delivery requirements, though some CRM providers claim they can now receive leads from all major manufacturers directly.

# Summary Dealers discuss the problem of fake or placeholder email addresses (like "DoesNotGive@aol.com") polluting their CRM databases, which damages email deliverability rates and inflates contact counts. The conversation centers on practical solutions already in use—such as validation formulas to identify invalid email formats and CRM notifications for undeliverable addresses—with a key recommendation that CRM systems should build in functionality to automatically block or flag known fake domains and prefixes before data import.

A dealer seeks API access to ADP's CRM to directly import internet leads from their website rather than using email and ADF format, but struggles to get support from ADP despite their advertised Third-Party Access Program. The thread reveals that API access for automotive CRMs is largely limited to vendor-to-vendor integrations rather than direct dealer use, and that ADF/STAR formats remain the industry standard for lead integration, with the key contact for ADP's third-party program being Janet Sitler at Digital Motorworks.

# Summary A dealership manager questions whether Autotrader's $800-900 cost-per-sale justifies its 1/3 of their e-commerce budget, prompting debate about the platform's true value versus alternatives like Cars.com. Responses are mixed: some dealers have abandoned Autotrader entirely, others defend it as part of a multi-touch customer journey that isn't fully captured in trackable metrics, and several suggest the platform's actual ROI depends on proper inventory management, pricing strategy, and accurate lead-source attribution. The key insight is that **attributing sales to a single source is misleading**—customers typically interact with multiple platforms before purchasing, making it difficult to calculate true ROI on any single channel, and dealers should implement better tracking methods (like F&I and post-delivery interviews) rather than relying solely on CRM data.

Dealers share their 2010 closing percentage targets across different lead sources, with third-party leads (Autotrader, Cars.com) typically ranging from 6-20% and direct website leads expected to close at 20-25%. A key insight emerges that while third-party sources may show acceptable close rates, their ROI is often poor compared to investing in driving traffic directly to dealership websites, where closing percentages and profitability are both higher.

Dealers shared mixed October 2011 sales results, with most reporting tracking ahead of the previous year despite broader industry challenges. While some markets benefited from strong weekends and beat targets (particularly used vehicle dealers), others faced significant headwinds from external factors like sports events and Honda production slowdowns caused by the Thailand flooding. The consensus suggested October was shaping up better than initially expected, though results varied considerably by dealership and geography.

SlickRick asks peers to share their dealership's closing and delivery metrics, noting his own dealership achieves a 27% closing rate on the floor with 70% of those sales resulting in actual delivery. The post seeks benchmarking data to identify performance improvement opportunities and invites other dealers to compare their walk-in conversion and delivery completion rates.

A Chevrolet/GMC/Buick/Cadillac dealer in Indiana seeks strategies for using their DealerPeak CRM to identify customers likely to be in the market soon, wanting to avoid indiscriminate email blasts. The primary recommendation offered is to implement a "Buy Back" campaign targeting customers by purchase type and lease/loan term, using equity positioning and merge fields to create personalized outreach that appeals to customers ready for their next vehicle purchase.

# Summary A Honda dealer shares how the print screen feature helps demonstrate vehicle details and color options to customers skeptical about incoming inventory, prompting colleagues to recommend more advanced screenshot tools like Windows 7's Snipping Tool, Gadwin Print Screen, Jing, and Skitch for Mac. The thread evolves into a practical toolkit discussion where automotive professionals exchange their preferred screen capture solutions, with most tools offering advantages like direct email integration, selective area capture, and time savings over traditional print screen and cut-paste methods.

A DealerSocket user sought a workaround to respond to dealership emails from his iPhone during off-hours without logging into a laptop or creating customer confusion from multiple email accounts. With help from a DealerSocket representative, he implemented a solution involving changing his outbound email address and adding the account to DealerSocket, though he encountered issues with emails being deleted from the server and had to refine the approach. The thread demonstrates DealerSocket's responsive customer service and provides partial guidance for dealers facing similar email management challenges across devices.

A Honda dealer asks how to competitively offer 0% financing when Honda's captive finance doesn't provide that rate, noting competitors are buying down rates from 1.9% or 0.9% to reach 0%. The discussion explores whether this strategy is as simple as raising vehicle prices to cover the interest cost or if dealers should establish separate funds. A respondent offers direct consultation on implementing this tactic, suggesting there are proven methods available for Honda dealers to adopt this approach.

# Summary A dealer manager seeking to establish a dedicated BDC team solicits organizational structure advice from the community, proposing 3 receptionists, 3 appointment setters, a photographer, and a post-sale coordinator. Responders emphasize that consolidating scattered internet departments into a centralized office dramatically improves results, but several dealers highlight critical success factors: hiring quality coordinators with adequate budget, providing proper training, and avoiding the common pitfall of assigning leads to floor consultants when lead volume doesn't support dedicated staff. The key insight is that BDC success depends less on the org structure itself and more on having the right people, proper training, and sufficient lead volume to justify the role.

# Summary Dealers discussing iMotors as a lead source report mixed results: it's characterized as a cheap, high-volume program that may deliver quantity but often requires significant work for limited returns, though results vary by market. Key practical advice includes tightening geographic radius settings (7-10 miles) to control lead volume and ensuring proper bad-lead rejection settings to avoid duplication with other paid sources. The consensus suggests iMotors may work in some markets but dealers should question whether third-party leads represent their best marketing spend and carefully monitor ROI over time.

# Summary Edzo seeks advice on implementing an effective referral ("bird dog") program at his dealership, struggling with inconsistent adoption among his sales team despite offering $100 per referral. Through discussion, contributors identify that the core issue isn't the incentive amount or timing, but rather lack of consistent asking—recommending instead a multi-touch "carpet bomb" approach that repeatedly promotes referrals across all customer touchpoints (delivery, email, service, signage, anniversary messages) rather than relying on a single moment in the sales process. The key insight is that word-of-mouth referrals require persistent, strategically-timed requests across multiple channels to be effective, combined with creative tactics like "reverse referrals" to neighbors announcing new vehicle purchases.

A dealership using ADP CRM reports that emails sent through the system consistently go to spam or fail to deliver, while emails from the same domain sent via Outlook arrive normally. After discussion, the root cause is identified as ADP's email infrastructure using a different sending domain (@webcrmmail.adpcrm.net instead of the dealership's own domain), which lacks the sender reputation of their primary email provider, and the solution requires working directly with ADP to resolve the deliverability issue.

JakeLib seeks recommendations for a new CRM/ILM system to replace LMCC, comparing options including Car-Research XRM, Autobase, Rey Rey, and VINsolutions. Responses reveal mixed opinions on Autobase (one enthusiastic endorsement, one strong warning to avoid it), with William Bryant recommending eLead as the most comprehensive solution based on extensive experience. The thread underscores that CRM selection is highly subjective and dealership-specific, with no clear consensus winner among the options discussed.

A vendor seeks a solution for uploading GM manifest lists to an ILM/CRM system, as his current provider (iMagicLab) cannot accommodate the data format and charges per import. eLEAD emerges as a viable alternative, offering free GM manifest list uploads through its campaign manager feature, with at least one user confirming successful use of eLEAD's import capabilities for similar campaign tracking.

Juls inquires about HubSpot's suitability for their dealership, seeking community input on the platform. A respondent asks a clarifying question about Juls's specific use case and goals before providing recommendations. The thread appears to be in early stages with no definitive conclusion or detailed product feedback yet provided.

A dealer asks whether GM Lead Management Tool supports read receipts for emails sent to leads; replies explain that read receipts are unreliable (customers can opt out, preview pane opens don't trigger them) and that alternative tracking methods like blank GIFs exist but are impractical without built-in CRM support. The consensus recommendation is to skip read receipt tracking and instead focus on consistent follow-up phone calls with all leads regardless of email open status.

A dealer asks how to import Craigslist leads (coming through carsforsale.com) into their contact management system in organized lead form. A respondent suggests contacting carsforsale.com directly to request ADF (Automotive Data Format) email integration and routing to their ReyRey CRM system, citing their own successful experience using eBizAutos with similar setup.

A dealer is seeking to consolidate multiple software systems (CRM, DMS, payments, GPS tracking, and accounting) and is evaluating DealerPack as a potential all-in-one solution while retaining iMagicLab for ILM. The post asks for community feedback on DealerPack's capabilities and requests recommendations for comparable consolidation software options.