Alex Knight Internet account manager Progress DMS 
'Use your own DMS database for better responses.'

We encourage our clients to make the best use of their DMS databases - after all, these are people who have either bought or been interested in products and services from you before.
Our experience in email and SMS marketing is that response levels to marketing campaigns have been typically three to four times better when using your own DMS database, as opposed to bought-in marketing lists. 

The most effective use of a DMS in maximising sales is to ensure that prospecting is watertight.
Ensure all of your web leads, phone enquiries and walk-ins are entered on the system quickly and accurately, and you’ll soon find your marketing database growing with usable information on prospective vehicle buyers.

You can then extract the information and send attractive, relevant car offers, in the knowledge that the recipient has been interested in your products in the past and is more likely to go on and buy.
 

Jon Byles Sales manager Dealer Management Services – supplier of Navigator
'DMS system is key to maximising sales opportunities.'

Vehicle sales can be maximised by using a DMS system both to record enquiries and generate potential prospects. These can be regularly monitored and discussed by sales management.
The key to maximising sales is to both maximise the opportunity, by ensuring that all potential leads are followed through, and generate leads internally.

The marketing system should be used to feed leads to sales staff (eg select all customers whose manufacturer warranty is due to expire) – these should be automatically fed by the DMS to the sales staff for follow-up.

The DMS should allow enquiry levels, conversion levels and profit per unit by sales staff to be reported and used to incentivise sales staff to continuously increase these key KPIs.

Historical lost sales should be re-followed up at regular intervals. There is always the potential of a future sale. The DMS system should be able to feed leads from historical lost opportunities back to sales staff to recontact at a later date.
 

Martin Hill Managing director Eight Technology
'Find state-of-the-art features on Dealerweb.'

Dealerweb is an enquiry and sales management system featuring a state-of-the-art profit optimiser and vehicle configurator. Our objective is to support the dealer in selling more cars, more profitably and with exceptional customer satisfaction. 

Simplicity and single-click functionality complement and support your sales process by ensuring user buy-in and rapid, reliable response. Our format allows bespoke solutions for single-site independent dealers to national multi-franchise groups. 

Dealerweb features links with third parties such as DMS systems, manufacturers, HPI, Experian, CAP and more, making it a fully integrated solution. 

A full suite of management reports help you identify improvement opportunities and through identification of your KPIs you can improve every aspect of your sales team’s performance.
Dealerweb’s marketing module also allows the fast and easy creation of campaigns, with communication by letter, email or SMS text.

Howard Barnett Marketing manager Kalamazoo-Reynolds
'DMS can help dealerships to maximise vehicle sales.'

A well designed DMS will offer an array of tools with which the dealership can maximise vehicle sales. Begin by using it to manage vehicle stock, and check if certain vehicles, with specific options, are currently in stock or on order. Use its capacity to retain, retrieve and utilise prospect records in relevant marketing campaigns. 

Kalamazoo-Reynolds’ POWER DMS contains these important elements and provides dealers with the tools to closely manage sales activity, track prospects and staff activity throughout the sales process and intervene if necessary. 

POWER’s Internet Lead Upload takes enquiries from the dealership’s website and feeds them
automatically into sales staffs’ online daily prospecting plans. In this way no lead can be missed or ignored. 

Use the DMS to automate these tasks and to establish a consistent and structured approach to sales while also reducing the amount of manual intervention needed by staff to stay in contact with prospects and generate sales. 
 

Carl Roberts Sales director Gemini Systems
'A dealer management system is just a tool.'

There are many ways in which a dealer can maximise use of their DMS to achieve maximum vehicle sales. All of these nvolve the two Ps – people and process. 

A dealer should know his product, his target audience and the staff capabilities. The DMS should contain all of the tools necessary to design an ideal process that fits the dealership and its customer base.
 
A good DMS should contain a showroom system that incorporates all of the elements of the sale of a vehicle: Customer relationship management (CRM); salesmen’s diaries; deal optimiser (such as Track from Qbit); part-exchange appraisal; online marketing tools (vehicle stock broadcast); automated marketing (follow-ups such as email, text, letters and call management).

Each element should have a written process designed by the dealership to maximise customer penetration and retention. Staff need to be trained in these processes. Ongoing redesign and training are essential.