All dealerships agree on the importance of follow-up, so why isn’t it being done?
Have you ever considered how much your business would benefit if your sales reps regularly followed up with their (your) customers? They’re the ones who should do it, too. They spent more time with your customers, and their relationship with them was powerful enough to get a “yes” and make a sale. Unfortunately, even though they are the obvious choice to do it and stand to gain the most from it, few reps regularly follow up, the majority don’t. But, while they may be ambivalent about follow-up, can you afford to lose the advantages of those relationships simply because of indifference or neglect? After all, they’ve already proven to be the strongest, most profitable relationships your dealership has with your customers. Rather than leave them to chance, wouldn’t it be better to maintain and enhance them?
Follow up more effectively, more consistently and easier than you’ve ever imagined.
Looking at the follow-up of your reps who may actually do it, is it a well-planned, positive message that presents your dealership and your rep in the best light? Will it be perceived as an authentic, sincere contact from your rep (or you) expressing the admiration and reassurance that encourages your customers to trust you more? Is it delivered in the most effective and meaningful manner? Archer-Profit’s RCM for Auto Dealerships delivers on all of these, benefiting you with continuously improving customer retention, referral generation, profit opportunities and customer satisfaction ratings.
Personal follow-up works best only when it is convincingly personal.
Archer-Profit Associates (APA) was conceived in 1992 by a top performing sales rep who specialized in high return follow-up procedures. After appearances on Lexus Training TV discussing his methods, his employer asked him to build and implement programs specifically designed for their sales staff and their dealership management. Knowing personal follow-up works best only when it is convincingly personal, and that it demands handwork-intensive production for true authenticity, APA moved ahead perfecting these core beliefs with the principles of RCM. They now have over 20 years of experience delivering relationship-building letter and card contacts with content that will please and impress your customers and sales staff alike. Done to the highest standards, with literally zero dependency on price discounting or profit reduction, it’s marketing you’ll actually be proud of.
The MicroMarketing Program (MMP)
Individualized for the rep and based on the most successful letters from Archer-Profit’s massive program letters library, MMP letters blend actual relatable events in the rep’s life, dealership news and product updates, ghostwritten in their own words and style, with a just-right mix of admiration and reassurance. They begin with a quick and concise one-on-one telephone interview with the rep, followed by interview-based composition, proofing and production, culminating in a set of friendship-inspired letters on individually designed rep/dealership stationery, hand-signed and ready for mailing.
The three to four MMP contacts per year (including a Holiday and/or Birthday card) RCM requires, not only insures your reps have ongoing contact with their customers, they enhance the credibility of all of your other customer contacts. From sales event and product update emails and phone calls, to database mining (e.g., AutoAlert, Xtream, Dominion Dealer Solutions, etc.), to service department promotions, your reps’ RCM will “set the stage” for more trusting acceptance and improved responses to all of your customer contacts.
The Ownership Enhancement Program (OEP)
The immediately-after-purchase OEP thoughtfully substantiates your gratitude and your dedication to your customer’s continued satisfaction. From a fine quality multi-signature “Thank you” card, a highly personalized General Manager or Owner letter your customers will read as being written expressly to them, a customer relations letter with a return mail “In their own words” testimonial and proven referral gathering questionnaire, each contact dovetails into the theme that you are more involved and committed to your customers, and more worthy of their business than any other dealership they’d shop.
APA will build your OEP to your specifications including all necessary handwork, with “turnkey” operation to your preferred scheduling. It will be crafted to assure your customers they made the right decision to do business with you, as well as maximize their advocacy for your dealership and their referral generation during that important time after delivery when their news to their friends is their new vehicle.
The Greeting Card Programs (GCP)
Nothing creates a more customer-accepted phone call than if it quickly follows (within 24 to 48 hours) a smartly designed dealership/product-based postal mailed Birthday card hand-signed by their rep with a brief handwritten personal message. Even if a call isn’t made, the card will stand alone as a positive expression of the rep’s and the dealership’s regard for the customer. Holiday cards offer a similar opportunity to call customers and wish them the best of the season. And, if they’re cleverly designed, they’ll often be on display throughout the Holidays.
As with all of their program contacts, the cards are mailing ready, with Birthday cards sequentially packed to insure arrival one day before, or on the customer’s birthday. To support those calls you do want made, every GCP includes a “What to say to maximize goodwill and business” call guide and a comprehensive follow-up list for each of its participating reps.
You already know that keeping your reps on a first name basis with their customers is important for customer retention. And, by sending their customers well-planned, non-intrusive messages of respect, admiration and concern about their satisfaction, your reps will be considerably more memorable. You will be, too. The stronger you build your bond with your customers, the more they’ll champion your dealership and the less important price will be when they’re buying.
Making our clients’ ideas come to life.
Since Archer-Profit began, they have fulfilled countless requests for special mailings, one-of-a-kind programs and dealership-specific systems. If you want consistently higher CSI ratings, we know how to build it into your OEP. If you are unsatisfied with your reps’ after-delivery follow-up, we have a system that seamlessly integrates into your delivery process that is simple, economical, time-tested, and has an excellent record of being well-liked and successfully utilized by sales reps. Have you ever wondered what you could give that husband or wife, who won’t be the one driving their new vehicle the day after delivery, that would help them tell their friends and family about it? We have the answer, and it puts your rep and dealership “up front” in their vehicle “story” and costs less than $1 after a nominal onetime set-up charge.
Smooth integration, rock solid consistency and simple instructions
APA understands the intensity of the car business and its demands on your time, and they’re well experienced doing their work with minimal dealership involvement.
- APA’s “turnkey” services eliminate the confusion, aggravation and inconsistency caused by good sales reps having to do something they’re not that proficient at, or interested in, or comfortable doing. But, with Archer-Profit working for you, your reps and your dealership will receive 100% of the benefits that impeccably produced and consistently delivered follow-up creates.
- All APA programs include ongoing consultation, easy-to-understand instructions and one-page guides to optimize each program’s performance.
- Every letter and card will be indistinguishable from how it would look and read if it came directly from the “sender.” APA knows their presence must be “invisible” to all but the dealership staff. They are masters at their own transparency.
- The contacts they produce are ready for mailing, complete with signatures and specified notes handwritten in the style of the “senders.” Your and/or your reps’ handwriting will be carefully duplicated by hand from the sample signature sheets APA provides you. Sooner or later technology will be able to duplicate a hastily written signature with just the right amount of indent from a ballpoint pen, but for now, only a human hand (that’s experienced and dedicated) can do it right.
To see it work for you, try a “No contract” MMP for two or three of your reps.
The easiest way to discover how Archer-Profit’s RCM will work for you is to select two or three of your established reps for MMPs. Then, estimate their customer counts, but no farther back than six years, and complete the form below including the number of reps you selected and their totaled customer counts. That’s it. We’ll contact you for a convenient time to call so we can present you with a quote that, we think, will be surprisingly more enticing than you’ll expect, and also answer the questions you’re sure to have.
When their MMP letters arrive at your dealership, your reps will be genuinely excited to get them into the hands of their customers. It’s an excellent first step to see for yourself the power of RCM. You’ll also enjoy the comfortable assurance your follow-up is much better planned and organized to be dramatically more effective than the informal follow-up at most dealerships. And finally, you’ll know for certain the real advantages consistent high-quality follow-up can give your business.
To receive a sample MMP letter or a GCP greeting card, just make your selection.
Receive a sample MMP letter or GCP greeting card when you complete the form below and make your selection. We’ll promptly mail an actual production sample so you can see how product- and/or dealership-specific we design our clients’ RCM contacts.
