Autobytel Inc., an Internet automotive marketing services company, says it is reshaping how automotive retailers manage sales by teaching dealers to incorporate Internet sales, marketing, management, and customer service techniques throughout the entire dealership. According to the company, the program is customized to work within the framework of each dealership's overall sales organization and is designed to help all sales and finance teams sell more effectively to customers who have first visited the Internet – customers who now represent nearly two out of three of all new car buyers.
"In the words of dealers we have trained, we are 'taking the mystery out of' the Internet customer", said Autobytel Director of Training Dennis Colome, a veteran dealer sales performance consultant and one of the program's architects. "By teaching the sales team to profit from the fact that most customers who walk into their showrooms have already been online -- and that it is no longer possible to separate the 'Internet' customer from a 'traditional' customer – dealerships are seeing increases in closing ratios, sales and market share."
According to Colome, Autobytel's flexible approach to training better prepares managers and sales staff throughout the dealership to work with savvy, Internet-informed car buyers and can provide the entire sales team with the resources and skills they need to build successful customer relationships.
Unlike one-size-fits-all seminars, the company says its program is customized to meet the specific goals of management and to complement how a dealership manages customers. (For example, some dealerships have separate Internet departments, while others ask the entire sales force to work with all customers, including online buyers.) In an effort to boost long-term retention, the eight-day program is spread out over several months. During the sessions, all conducted at the dealership, the sales teams focus on winning customers and boosting customer retention (for service, as well as sales) with targeted email marketing and follow-up campaigns provided by Autobytel.
Phil Fusz, General Manager at the Fusz Automotive Network in St. Louis, MO notes that, "If you tried to sell cars today like we did 10 years ago you'd probably be in big trouble. After Autobytel's process training at our dealerships, closing ratios have increased three-fold."
"Dealers are used to a trainer coming in for a few days, laying down the law, and taking off," adds Colome. "We obviously have a different philosophy: We listen. We solicit feedback. We drill. We follow-up. In short, we work to be the catalyst for positive, long-term change."
About Autobytel Inc.
Autobytel Inc., an Internet automotive marketing services company, helps retailers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through marketing, advertising and CRM (customer relationship management) programs. The company owns and operates the automotive websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com and popular automotive research center, AutoSite.com, as well as AIC (Automotive Information Center), a provider of automotive marketing data and technology.
