Turning In-Store Competition into Cooperation, Driving Retention

Marketing to customers that already know and trust you is much easier and more cost-effective than engaging in regional blanket marketing campaigns sent off to the general masses. While it doesn't completely replace campaigns targeted toward new customers, it certainly produces a much higher ROI. This begs the question: if retention is so important, why do so many dealerships have disjointed departments that aren't effectively working together as a whole toward that goal?

One of the major reasons is that employees are hired to do a specific job within a dedicated department. They don't necessarily have clear sight of the big picture: all their time is spent training and learning their specific role within the dealership without learning how their job impacts the business as a whole. Because of this, animosity can develop between departments. The service manager may get frustrated with the sales department because they over-promised on what could realistically be delivered. Conversely, the sales department may get frustrated with service because they feel like they never want to help them out; they may feel like all they get from the service department is a lot of attitude.

Corey M. Smith

National Fixed Operations Training Manager