Vendor Support When issues arise, the vendor will be prompt in their responses. More than likely, they’ll go beyond the basics to address your problem and compensate you for your trouble. Customization As your vendor begins to understand your business, they can provide you with unique and customized products that can create a competitive advantage over other businesses in the marketplace. Customer Satisfaction A strong relationship with your vendor can also impact other relationships, that of your customers and your company. When you deliver goods and services on time and free from issues, your customer relationships will become stronger. This can foster loyalty and trust as they will feel that their money is well-spent. There is more to consider. Recent trends in the auto industry are affecting dealerships, and dealers will have to adapt. What are some of those changes? You already know about an increase in EV sales, but specifics are harder to find. How many will be built, and where will they be distributed? When will the national charging infrastructure become a reality? Additionally, What are the next steps in putting digital technology into ever-more-connected cars? How will tech partnerships with auto manufacturers affect product offerings and sales strategies, including the market for accessories? Also, what progress is being made on autonomous cars? Will interest rates continue to rise? How will that affect the drop in used car prices as market conditions stabilize and supply chains return to normal? What about the regulatory environment? Major changes in finance, insurance and lending have all taken place. How will dealers create a consistent sales experience for customers? Will they refine multi-channel coordinated marketing? Will they go to Gen Z’s current search engine favorite, TikTok? As the market changes, finding low-hanging fruit may be more difficult. Establishing and maintaining solid vendor relationships is vital. Now is the right time to return to selling basics — focusing on customer service while maintaining cost efficiency, quality and developing your market are key. That means using your DMS to give you the information about customers you need. NADA keeps statistics about many aspects of the auto business, but one of those statistics has to do with inventory. About 2% of the people in a dealer database return to the market every month, but that doesn’t mean they return to the dealership where they bought their last car. Very few customers are loyal to a specific dealer, but a good DMS can help you to identify helpful information about customers: When was the last time they did business, did they buy or lease? Pay cash? Buy insurance? What was their payment range? How do you track your customers who aren’t coming back to your dealership? The technology is now there to know when customers visit other dealers. Dealers can use that information to determine why their customers are going elsewhere and possibly find ways to bring them back. Google Analytics (GA3) is making way for a unified GA4 specification written by the Automotive Standards Council, due in November 2023. Also, you can look forward to tracking across all vendors and outcome-oriented conversion signals that replace clicks. With the pandemic over and concerns about disease fading, how is shared mobility developing? We know fewer people are currently buying new automobiles. Of those who do, they don’t often have much equity in their old one. Will younger people continue to avoid buying or driving cars, or will they finally decide that getting a license and having a car is worth the time and money? What will happen to the subscription-based services manufacturers are experimenting with? Some people are coming in to return leased vehicles and walking out with a substantial check instead of another leased vehicle. If fewer people are buying automobiles, that also means there are fewer used automobiles. Optimizing revenue streams has become critical to staying in business. Dealers and vendor partners both benefit from communicating ideas and solutions for the problems they see. It’s easy to spend time on administrative tasks instead of building relationships and talking with business partners is as important as any other task. Maximizing your vendor relationships will increase your return on your technology investments and keep your dealership ahead of the curve. Finding a balance is key. « Listen to our VUE Points podcast to stay up to date with news and current events related to the automotive software and retail industry. https://www.dominiondms.com/podcasts/ Sharon Kitzman leads the launch and long-term growth of Dominion DMS. Previously, she managed the strategic direction and product development for Reynolds & Reynolds and Dealertrack. Her experience spans every area of dealership software development, including sales, marketing, product lifecycle management, process re-engineering, OEM management, professional services, and customer services. Kitzman is a recognized leader in the automotive industry for her expertise in DMS technology. She received numerous accolades for her leadership, including Automotive News Top 100 Leading Women 2015 and 2020, Auto Remarketing Women in Retail 2021, and AutoSuccess Women at the Wheel 2021. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio State University. CATA UP TO SPEED 19
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