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Watch just about any sitcom and you’ll notice something: when everything goes wrong for the main character, it’s almost always because there’s been a miscommunication. Sometimes aliens or zombies are involved, but usually it’s a standard case of mixed signals between two people.

Miscommunication is a common source of conflict for film and television writers because it’s a common source of conflict in our lives. Look at the many ways interpersonal communication has evolved in recent years. We can get ahold of anyone, anywhere. Yet we still manage to send the wrong signals. When it’s a “What time are we meeting again?” text sent to the wrong friend, you might miss the movie. When it’s a thousand offers emailed to the wrong prospects, you will lose a lot of business.

Dealerships have more opportunities than ever to connect with customers through email thanks to technology like TargetPro, which offers powerful email automation and segmentation tools. But dealers often fall short of making that email connection meaningful. The more you take advantage of those opportunities — and the technology that makes connecting more efficient— the more you’ll stand out from your competitors.

Here are three ways to make sure you never miss the mark in your automated emails:

Prepare to Get Personal
Something we see all the time is dealers resting on their laurels with their email campaigns. They think they have a great offer so they over-use it: Every customer gets the same reminders, the same messaging — but the messages don’t account for the differences in customers’ place in the buying cycle, their preferences or their lifestyle.

Change your mindset from mass email campaigns to segmented email campaigns. Getting something relevant into your customers’ hands once a month is a good goal to start with. It doesn’t have to be a sale or a coupon; it could be information on safety ratings for a new minivan, or tips for how to get better gas mileage during summer road trip season. Just make the connection and make sure it’s relevant to the recipient.

Make New Friends, but Keep the Old
Customer acquisition is historically a top priority for dealers. It’s a big investment of time and money, so you’ve got to do it right. But don’t focus on customer acquisition at the expense of customer retention.

If you’re a newer dealership, you probably don’t have a lot of prospect contact info to work with yet. That’s alright; you can use direct mail, social campaigns or events to start gathering email addresses — but don’t stop there. Look for critical indicators that help you segment new leads accurately. Then focus on building lasting relationships with each segment. Soon, customer retention will help pay for customer acquisition.

If you’re not a new dealership, take a look at your customers marked as one-time sales. If those customers are not hearing from you, they won’t be motivated to spend more money with your dealership.

Test, Tweak, Repeat
Of course, email automation isn’t helpful if your emails aren’t compelling or appealing.

Too often, dealers devalue the message and design of emails, usually because the creative seems like an unnecessary cost. You have to look at email marketing as an investment rather than an expense. When you don’t have expert resources in-house, outsourcing the creative and/or the data analysis is your best option.

Don’t be afraid to test and tweak your emails — just make sure you focus on one thing at a time. If your open rate is low, changing up your subject line might help. If people are opening the email but not clicking through, try a different call to action. If small tweaks don’t make much of a difference, it could be the message that needs a closer look.

Drip campaigns evolve along with your customers, so never go too long without looking in at the results.
 
Here’s the bottom line: Your business is not a sitcom where a new miscommunication every week is something to laugh at. Use the rapidly evolving technology and avenues of communication to make new and lasting connections with customers. 

Download the PCG Research report on TargetPro and learn the benefits of data-backed marketing automation.

Download the Report

It’s time to move beyond email blasts — learn how to deliver timely, relevant messages through the right channel.

Learn to use segmentation and different communication channels to drive customer satisfaction and retention. This webinar will help you engage more effectively with customers post-sale. Move from one-size-fits-none marketing to marketing that stays relevant throughout your customers’ life-cycle.

• Go beyond email: Adapt to evolving technology to reach customers
• Segment your audience: Understand that everyone communicates differently
• Nail down timing: Learn how frequency, day of week and time of day make a difference
• Content Examples: Look at communications your customer could receive during their first year

Fill out the form to learn how to go beyond email blasts

Buying a dealership CRM is a big decision. The CRM plays a more important role in your dealership than ever, and the right CRM can mean the difference between getting results and making excuses. So it is critical that you do your homework.  

This guide helps you make the right choice to build efficiency and drive sales. You’ll learn: 

• Who to involve in the process 
• How to evaluate what best suits your needs 

• What charges might apply to you 
• How to hold staff accountable for their duties 

Get your copy of the CRM guide and start the buying process off right.

Stay on track with your CRM — keep focused on the metrics that matter with this guide.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the all the data available. Learn how to focus on the metrics that measure your dealership’s success. Mark Vickery, master of dealership performance management, outlines the science behind engaging the modern shopper successfully. This infographic will cover:

• Why response time matters
• How to manage overdue tasks
• How service penetration affects long-term success and more!

Download your copy of the infographic and start measuring your dealership’s success with modern customers.

Fill out the form to get on the road to CRM success today

Are you an enforcer? A flip-flopper? An easy-goer?

To find out, evaluate your performance and learn how to build a culture of accountability at your dealership. Making sure your team understands and follows the processes in your CRM is the key to more satisfied employees, more sales opportunities and faster dealership growth. So why not find out how you’re doing?

In this self-assessment, you’ll…

• Answer 5 questions about your dealership
• Score your management style on a scale from 0-10
• Get tips to improve accountability, CSI scores, sales & profit

Fill out the form to start the accountability assessment

Let us give you five ways to improve — this quick assessment makes it easy to find out how well you’re using your CRM and what you can do to improve.

You know your dealership’s CRM is a key part of winning sales — but how well are you using it? This quick assessment makes it easy to find out. All we ask is that you take just five minutes to answer five important questions, and we’ll get right back to you with a letter grade on your CRM utilization. We’ll email your results immediately, along with five concrete steps you can take today to build better customer connections and sell more cars. You’ll find out how you stack up in the following areas:

• Lead time response
• Overdue CRM tasks
• Unanswered emails
• Internet Lead-to-appointment ratio
• CRM campaign management

Complete the form to start the assessment!

It’s time to eliminate double entry — to save time, money and employee morale.

Data entry is a time-consuming process, but it is a critical part of the engine that keeps effective, profitable dealerships running.

Most dealers know a double entry problem exists, but many don’t realize the profound effects entering and reentering the same customer data has across their business. During this webinar, you’ll learn:

• The impact of double entry on workplace culture
• The hidden marketing costs of inaccurate data
• How to identify data entry process gaps & streamline your processes

Fill out the form to watch the webinar & learn how duplicate processes are costing you

Maximize Your CRM — learn how to use your CRM to improve the car buying experience.

Mark Vickery, Senior Director of Performance Management, outlines how to target new and repeat business, personalize the customer experience and close deals more efficiently. By watching this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How customers really feel about car shopping today
• How the CRM can improve customer experience and the quality of communication
• 4 Questions dealers need to ask to personalize and add efficiency to the customer experience
• 5 Common CRM mistakes and how to fix them

Fill out the form to watch the webinar & maximize your CRM