Dealers often get stuck in a few areas that eat up time without showing clear progress on sales or lead generation.
In this article, we’ll discuss where a dealer’s time is getting wasted and how they can achieve higher productivity.
Let’s get started.
Where Do Dealers Usually End up Spending a Lot of Their Time Without Gaining Any Measurable Results?
The first step in solving a problem is knowing that it exists.
Following are some of the common culprits that take up a dealer’s time.
- Unproductive prospecting: This could involve cold-calling contacts who are unlikely to be interested, attending trade shows that don’t attract the right audience, or spending excessive time on social media without a targeted strategy.
- Inconsistent follow-ups: Not following up consistently with potential customers or letting leads go cold can waste the initial effort put into generating them.
- Grunt work: Spending too much time on manual data entry, scheduling meetings, or administrative tasks can take away from actual selling activities.
- Focusing on wrong metrics: Tracking vanity metrics like the number of calls made or emails sent doesn’t necessarily translate to sales. Chasing the wrong data points can lead to a lot of activity with no real results.
- Lacking clarity in sales: Without a defined sales process, dealers might be jumping from tactic to tactic without a clear path to closing deals.
Now that we know what to improve let’s look at the proven ways to achieve higher dealer productivity.
10 Ways to Increase the Productivity of Your Dealers
Dealers wear many hats, and streamlining workflows is crucial for maximizing their selling time. Here’s a breakdown of 10 strategies to boost dealer productivity, highlighting automation opportunities, potential gains, and helpful tools.
1. Automate repetitive tasks
Some of the tasks eat up a lot of the dealers’ time without them realizing that. What would normally take weeks could be achieved in hours through automation.
- Data Entry: Automatically capture lead data from website forms, phone calls, and other sources.
- Appointment Scheduling: Allow customers to schedule appointments online, eliminating back-and-forth emails.
- Follow-Up Emails: Set up automated email sequences to nurture leads and keep your dealership top-of-mind.
To automate these tasks, CRM software is your secret weapon.
Software like LeadSquared allows you to capture leads from various digital sources in real-time, automates task creation and reminders, and supports lead nurturing with segmented lists.
2. Generate qualified leads online
Attract qualified leads who are already interested in your products.
You can try social media ads or Google Ads depending on your product category or industry and the platform where your target audience is most active.
Inbound lead generation channels are 62% cheaper, and more importantly, dealers will not have to spend time searching for prospective buyers.
3. Invest in sales training
Equip your team with the skills to close deals efficiently. Consider:
- Consistent training on core sales techniques and product knowledge.
- Realistic sales scenarios for dealers to practice their skills without real-world consequences.
Investing in a well-trained sales team can lead to up to 50% higher net sales per rep.
4. Automate reporting
Preparing daily, monthly, and quarterly reports is another area where dealers end up spending a lot of their time.
You can create a visual dashboard that tracks key metrics like lead conversion rates and sales pipeline progress. Automated reports that identify trends and highlight areas for improvement are also of great help.
Almost 25% of the reporting, analytics, and administrative tasks can be automated, freeing up dealer’s time for customer-centric work.
CRM software with strong analytical capabilities is recommended here.
LeadSquared comes with a reporting powerhouse—SIERA—that lets you select metrics, apply filters, and build custom reports as per your business process and needs.
5. Define the selling process
To avoid the blame game and name-shame, a well-defined sales process is important. Tools that can help here are:
- Sales Playbooks: Create a digital playbook outlining each step of the sales process, readily accessible to all dealers.
- Workflow Automation: Automate tasks within the sales process based on specific triggers, like sending a follow-up email after a test drive.
According to HBR, a defined sales process can help grow revenue 9% faster.
6. Prioritize whom to follow up first
The reality is that not every prospect is likely to convert. And neither can a dealer convert every opportunity along the way. So, putting your best efforts into the best prospects first is best.
Scoring mechanisms come in handy here. You can define the attributes that have the potential to convert and assign certain scores to them.
CRMs like LeadSquared offer automated lead scoring mechanisms based on predetermined attributes and their respective scores. Further, it shows the prospects in the order in which they should be followed up first.
7. Meet online, if possible
Instead of traveling, you can meet your prospective buyers online as well. It is especially beneficial with geographically distant customers.
All you need is a video conferencing platform that offers high-quality video and screen sharing for seamless remote interaction.
8. Offer financing options
Instead of back-and-forth communication regarding finance and approvals, simplify the buying process by providing online financing applications and tools.
- Tie-up with institutions to allow customers to avail pre-approved financing.
- Provide online tools for customers to estimate monthly payments and compare financing options.
This strategy is likely to reduce the sales cycle, allowing your dealers to focus on acquiring more customers.
9. Consolidate dealership functions
Consolidate various dealership functions using a dealership management system.
A DMS can:
- Track vehicle inventory in real-time, eliminating the need for manual updates.
- Monitor the sales pipeline and track the progress of individual deals.
- Allow customers to schedule service appointments online and manage their service history.
10. Foster a collaborative work environment
Encourage teamwork and knowledge sharing. It will help boost team morale and, in turn, keep dealers more engaged and focused on work.
For this,
- Utilize platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams to facilitate communication and collaboration among dealers.
- Create a central repository for best practices, product information, and sales resources.
Dealer productivity is the engine that drives dealership success. By focusing on streamlining workflows and leveraging technology, dealerships can achieve their sales goals, deliver exceptional customer service, and thrive in the competitive market.
LeadSquared: Done Deal for Dealers
Stuck drowning in paperwork and follow-ups? LeadSquared’s CRM streamlines everything for dealers. Imagine:
- Automated tasks: No more data entry or scheduling headaches. LeadSquared captures leads, books appointments, and even sends follow-up emails on autopilot.
- 20-30% more sales time: Focus on closing deals, not busy work. Our CRM frees up your time to connect with customers and convert leads into sales.
- See what’s working: Gain insights with sales analytics. Track progress, identify roadblocks, and optimize your sales strategy for maximum impact.
LeadSquared – Get more deals done in less time. Let’s chat!
