Database Marketing Crosstalk

Comment

Comment by David Ruggles on February 19, 2009 at 8:41pm

Thanks for weighing in Curtis. You know a lot more about this than I do. I'd like to learn more.

I haven't seen evidence that a lot of dealerships, by policy, ask consumers for an email address in sales OR service. I'm sure a prospective car buyer would give up an email address more readily than a telephone number. Some imaginative Internet managers will develop sites of special interest that require a participant to provide an email address with user name and pass code. They will gather email addresses and develop newsletters and other communications. I've been developing a database of contacts that I use in certain Constant Contact distributions. I have to constantly work the list to keep it purified and up to date. Who does this in a dealership? The returns of good email marketing are huge. I'm surprised more dealerships don't take full advantage.

Comment by Curtis A. DeGroote on February 19, 2009 at 6:14pm

David's right.
Most dealerships dont realize that in most Reynolds and ADP, there are defaults that begin to automatically purge the customer information at a certain time. Typically 24-36 months since last purchase. Historical modeling helps us determine how to relevantly target those customers as they come into a viable trade cycle opportunity yet the data is literally being thrown away to save $$$ for capacity contracts. a Heritage problem really.

However there are some files such as the customer name file that will always be there. But the other deal and service attributes are so useful to advanced contact management in an AUTOMATED way, to David's point.

I have attached an audio interview with Ad Agency Online's Phil Zelinger and I where we reviewed the unique way my company leverages this database information to drive repeated performance each month at the dealership. show_413751.mp3

Comment by David Ruggles on February 19, 2009 at 5:15pm

OK, I'll start. As I travel to dealerships across the nation, and in Japan, I see a huge deficiency in the way dealerships develop and manage their database of contacts. Without this most basic element, how can one engage in effective database marketing and/or customer contact initiatives. I am sure there are turn key solutions out there, but it still requires a lot of "hands on" time spent to purify, de-dupe, add names, etc. In addition, there needs to be imaginative ways to adopt consumers and to gain their contact information.


The biggest issue I see is that dealerships either leave these things up to individual sales people, or to an Internet manager. History says these people have a very short life expectancy as employees. A dealer's database of contact information is a valuable company asset. Those contacts could be equally valuable to a competitor. What are the current "best practices" in the area of database development and marketing?

Comment by Gayle P. on February 19, 2009 at 10:04am

What is this group all about?

Comment by Curtis A. DeGroote on February 12, 2009 at 1:49am

Thanks for the invitation Greg.

Curtis

Comment by Greg Goebel on February 12, 2009 at 12:56am

Curtis, I am happy to see you start this group. I was hoping someone would. I look forward to the discussion.