Car Dealers Discover "How To" Use Internet to Build Customer Relationships
6 March 2000
Car Dealers Discover "How To" Use Internet to Build Customer Relationships
METUCHEN, N.J.--March 6, 2000--The nation's franchised car dealers have joined the battle for the hearts, minds, and wallets of automobile shoppers nationwide. The competition? Automakers like Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp, and DaimlerChrysler, and online car brokers and sales referral services like CarsDirect.com, Autobytel.com, and Microsoft's CarPoint. The battleground? The Internet.One of the things the dealers have learned as they develop their own Internet strategies is that the selling cars on the Web is about more than price and convenience. Victory in the battle for automobile customers will go to the companies that use the Internet to add value to the vehicle ownership experience. And that value will take the form of improved customer relationships. That's where dealers already have a head start on the carmakers and brokers. The dealers already have established relationships and detailed information about the customers. What's needed is a way to harness the power of the Internet so that the available information can be used for the benefit of vehicle owners.
That's where Charles Shamblee comes in. Mr. Shamblee is founder and president of DealerKid.com, a provider of Internet-enabled Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions. DealerKid is one of several CRM providers that have sprung into existence recently with programs designed specifically for car dealers. Other CRM providers include ADP's myautogarage.com and Autolink.com, among others. Mr. Shamblee notes, "The automobile retail distribution channel is changing and retailers must step up to meet those changes." Available tools for meeting the challenge include computer software packages for information management of customer profiles; tracking and managing the resolution of customer concerns; sales lead tracking; and automated customer contact techniques.
Mr. Shamblee will tell car dealers "how to" take full advantage of these new CRM technologies when he appears as a featured speaker at Auto Retailing on the Web IV (www.autoretailingontheweb.com), a conference designed for dealers who want to learn proven methods for success on the Internet. AROW IV will include a series of presentations from such notable industry experts as Don Gentry of the National Automobile Dealers Association, Doug Waikem of I-Net Training, Mike McFall from AutoNation, Eustace Mita of CyberCar, and Chris Denove of J.D. Power & Associates. An estimated 450 car dealers, dealership managers, and related industry professionals are expected to attend. AROW IV is scheduled for April 10-12, 2000 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Conference details are available at the AROW IV Web site or by calling 1-800-321-5312.