EP 10:04 How to Find the Hidden Money in Your CRM & Maximize Opportunities to Increase Sales


Episode Artwork
1.0x
0% played 00:00 00:00
Feb 04 2025 54 mins  

In this electrifying episode of the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, hosts LA Williams and Sean V. Bradley dive deep into the innovations shaping the automotive CRM landscape with special guests Shane Born and Melissa Sinclair from NCC and ProMax.

"You're investing in one of the most important tools to help run all aspects of your business. You want to make sure that it's set up properly from the very beginning."
- Melissa Sinclair

As the automotive industry faces unprecedented changes, Shane and Melissa discuss how their companies are spearheading the credit-first approach in CRM solutions, creating streamlined and transparent processes for both dealers and consumers. The episode begins with the hosts addressing missed speaking opportunities at an industry event due to unforeseen circumstances and quickly shifts focus to the groundbreaking strategies being implemented by ProMax, setting a new bar for CRM systems integrated with National Credit Center resources.

"Success involves partnering with the right people... ensure your team understands the what, the why, and the how, and then be flexible to pivot if a generational storm hits."
- Shane Born

The conversation is packed with insights into how dealerships can leverage modern CRM systems to improve customer experience, enhance fraud prevention, and streamline sales processes using accurate real-time credit data. Shane Born highlights the unique position of their CRM solution, emphasizing its ability to provide consistent, transparent, and frictionless service to consumers while maintaining a keen adaptability to market changes. Melissa Sinclair adds to this by discussing the newly launched open API, offering seamless integration capabilities with vendor partners to unify dealership operations. This episode is a must-listen for any automotive professional keen on harnessing cutting-edge CRM technologies to propel their business forward.

Key Takeaways:

✅ Credit-First CRM Approach: NCC and ProMax are revolutionizing the CRM space with a credit-first methodology, enhancing the buying process through accurate financing options and fraud prevention features.

✅ User Interface and Experience: The newly redesigned UI/UX of ProMax's CRM offers a modern, intuitive interface that simplifies processes for salespeople and management, improving efficiency and usability.

✅ Service and Sales Integration: By integrating service customer data with CRM strategies, dealerships can unlock unprecedented sales opportunities, targeting both existing and untapped customer bases.

✅ Open API for Seamless Integration: The introduction of the open API, Dex, allows for effortless connection with various dealership software, ensuring all operations are synchronized and efficient.

✅ Robust OEM Partnerships: ProMax's CRM is approved by most OEMs, including 100% co-op with General Motors, showcasing the platform's comprehensive capabilities and industry trust.

About Shane Born

Shane Born is a prominent figure in the automotive industry, holding a significant position at NCC (National Credit Center) and ProMax. With over two decades of experience, Shane has been instrumental in driving technological advancements and fostering customer relations in the automotive sector. His focus lies in integrating credit solutions with CRM systems to enhance dealership efficiencies!

About Melissa Sinclair

Melissa Sinclair at NCC and ProMax, bringing extensive experience and deep knowledge about CRM solutions. Melissa has contributed substantially to the development of innovative customer relationship management tools and has played a key role in ensuring that these tools meet the needs of modern dealerships. She is particularly focused on enhancing user experience and fostering partnerships within the automotive industry.

Unleashing the Power of CRM in Automotive Sales

Key Takeaways

  • The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast dives into how CRM technology is revolutionizing the automotive industry, focusing on NCC's ProMax and its unique offerings.
  • The discussion emphasizes the shift towards credit-first processes, enhancing both dealer and consumer experiences by leveraging advanced data management.
  • An insider perspective on NADA reveals valuable insights into networking strategies and industry trends despite unexpected challenges.

CRM Innovations in the Automotive Industry

The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, hosted by LA Williams and Sean V. Bradley, recently featured Shane Born and Melissa Sinclair from NCC and ProMax, who discussed groundbreaking innovations in CRM technology, specifically tailored for the automotive industry. As the podcast episodes unravel, they explore how these technologies redefine dealer-consumer interactions and internal processes within dealerships.

According to Shane Born, NCC is leveraging its dual expertise as both a data and software-as-a-service company: "We are both a DAS company and a SaaS company," he notes. Their end-to-end platform ensures a streamlined, credit-first approach that not only enhances dealer efficiency but also significantly improves the customer's buying journey. This dual focus allows NCC to provide a seamless workflow tied to a single database, an advantage that sets it apart from competitors relying on multiple integrations. From quote to contract, the process is designed to eliminate friction and bolster customer satisfaction by providing accurate financing solutions quickly.

Melissa Sinclair elaborates on the customized experience ProMax delivers: "Any role in the dealership can benefit as the platform was designed specifically with them in mind." The conversations with dealers led to UI and UX improvements, focusing on easy navigation and relevant data presentation, ensuring that even complex tools are intuitive for users across all roles within the dealership.

Strategies from the NADA Conference

One of the intriguing segments of the podcast episode involved understanding the dynamics of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) conference. Despite logistical hurdles due to inclement weather, vendors and attendees alike made the most of the opportunity to connect and explore industry advancements.

Shane Born emphasized that despite a "50% pre-registration count," those who made it to the event were laser-focused on solving pertinent challenges, leading to higher closing rates on new dealer group deals. NADA's decision to open its welcome party to all attendees, not just paid registrants, was a strategic move to enhance networking despite lower turnout numbers. "It allows us to really have meaningful conversations about what's happening and where the industry is heading," Born shared, highlighting how such interactions lead to long-lasting partnerships and industry insights.

This part of the podcast underscores the importance of adaptability and creativity in fostering networking opportunities, even in unforeseen circumstances. NADA highlighted industry trends, such as AI integration and credit-first approaches, showcased by innovative solutions like NCC's ProMax.


Maximizing CRM for Dealer Success

In detailing the capabilities of NCC's complete CRM, the podcast dives into how dealerships can maximize the tool for their success. At its core, ProMax's CRM offers a robust framework for both reactive and proactive dealership strategies—a point emphasized repeatedly throughout the discussion.

"Any user can go in and build a custom list," explained Melissa Sinclair, illustrating the CRM's adaptability in creating targeted customer lists based on various criteria, such as unsold showroom traffic or service appointments. The system's Opportunities Dashboard is a game changer, automatically collating potential purchase opportunities, ensuring that even if a salesperson overlooks a prospect, the CRM does not.

Sean V. Bradley highlighted common dealer pitfalls, such as under-utilizing CRM capabilities, which often leads to unnecessary marketing expenditures. "Why are they spending $65,000 in advertising per month when they could invest $5,000 to $10,000 in CRM?" he questioned, advocating for a full-time CRM manager to ensure optimal use of the system. Reflecting on trends discussed at the podcast, it’s evident that leveraging comprehensive CRM tools like NCC's ProMax could save money and increase sales, making it essential for dealerships to embrace such technologies fully.

Reflections on the Automotive Horizon

As the podcast episode closes, the hosts and guests reflect on how the innovations discussed are reshaping the automotive sales landscape. The evolution of CRM technology, spearheaded by companies like NCC and solutions such as ProMax, shows an industry leaning heavily into data-driven, customer-centric approaches.

The recurring theme remains clear: the automotive industry is poised for growth through technology adaptation and strategic partnerships. As Shane Born perfectly encapsulates, success in this field "comes down to consistent execution of your strategic vision," underscoring the importance of aligning technology with well-defined dealership goals. With ProMax’s open API and partnership with AI leaders like Impel, NCC ensures they are not just evolving alongside industry changes, but leading the charge toward a more integrated and customer-focused sales experience.

In the ever-evolving automotive market, insights from such discussions are invaluable, paving the way for dealerships to not only keep pace but thrive in an exciting era of digital transformation.

Resources:

Podium: Discover how Podium's innovative AI technology can unlock unparalleled efficiency and drive your dealership’s sales to new heights. Visit www.podium.com/mcs to learn more!

NCC: Credit-Driven Retailing - NCC delivers industry-best credit-driven retailing for auto dealerships, combining a powerful credit and compliance engine and fully integrated CRM/Desking platform for maximum profitability.

Complete CRM: Complete CRM is a streamlined, all-in-one system that simplifies your dealership software and processes so you can manage every aspect of your operation with ease; from tracking and following up on leads, desking deals, managing inventory, marketing to your customers, and more.

Dealer Synergy & Bradley On Demand: The automotive industry’s #1 training, tracking, testing, and certification platform and consulting & accountability firm.

The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group: Join the #1 Mastermind Group in the Automotive Industry! With over 28,000 members, gain access to successful automotive mentors & managers, the best industry practices, & collaborate with automotive professionals from around the WORLD! Join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today!

Win the Game of Googleopoly: Unlocking the secret strategy of search engines.

The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast is Proudly Sponsored By:

Podium: Elevating Dealership Excellence with Intelligent Customer Engagement Solutions. Unlock unparalleled efficiency and drive sales with Podium's innovative AI technology, featured proudly on the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast. Visit www.podium.com/mcs to learn more!

NCC: Powered by proprietary solutions such as Intelligent Credit Engine™ and LenderSelect™, NCC transforms the car-buying experience for dealers and their customers. From compliance and lender selection to CRM and desking, to marketing and data mining—NCC integrates them all in a single, seamless platform to deliver better customer experiences, maximum efficiency and maximum profit.

Complete CRM: As an innovative leader in the industry for the last 30 years, Complete CRM is designed to give your dealership the competitive edge in a demanding marketplace. Powered by Complete Credit™ and award-winning desking, Complete CRM™ is the industry’s only credit and compliance-enabled CRM that lets dealers achieve maximum profitability on every deal. Built on modern technology, Complete CRM seamlessly integrates credit, compliance, inventory, data mining, lead generation, enterprise functionality, and customized reporting in one tool with a single login.

Dealer Synergy: The #1 Automotive Sales Training, Consulting, and Accountability Firm in the industry! With over two decades of experience in building Internet Departments and BDCs, we have developed the most effective automotive Internet Sales, BDC, and CRM solutions. Our expertise in creating phone scripts, rebuttals, CRM action plans, strategies, and templates ensures that your dealership's tools and personnel reach their full potential.

Bradley On Demand: The automotive sales industry’s top Interactive Training, Tracking, Testing, and Certification Platform. Featuring LIVE Classes and over 9,000 training modules, our platform equips your dealership with everything needed to sell more cars, more often, and more profitably!