Automotive News - March 3, 2008 - (Page 40)

40 • MARCH 3, 2008 service & parts GM promotes service, parts leads for dealerships Donna Harris dharris@crain.com Auto dealers long have valued the Internet as a source of vehicle sales leads. Now General Motors is using the Web to drive service and parts business to dealerships. Starting next month, GM’s Service and Parts Operations plans to provide all GM Internet-certified dealerships with a free lead generation service called OneSource Pipe. The company also will link those dealerships’ Web sites directly to GM corporate sites. In addition, GM will feed dealerships service leads from its OnStar telematics subsidiary. OnStar’s onboard diagnostic system automatically alerts owners when their vehicles need service. A user encounters this OneSource home page, called the Leads Dashboard, when entering the system to manage service leads. Action Events are generating RECO dealers across the country. What’s hot right now? ARE YOURS? RD-BREAKING RESULTS for Chevrolet Dealer - Lakeland, FL “Sold 40 cars during the CarFax Clearance, that’s 25 MORE THAN AVERAGE, and the GROSSES WERE HUGE! We’re making this event part of our used car marketing plan for the entire year.” Nissan Dealer - Phoenix, AZ “Not only was this a great sale, we saw the BEST CREDIT SCORES EVER plus we grossed an average of $2000 MORE PER UNIT and we took in better trades.” Dodge Dealer - Oklahoma City, OK “We had HIGHER GROSSES and BETTER QUALITY TRAFFIC with this event.” Bolster sales, too Identifying service prospects online not only will boost dealerships’ service business but also will increase vehicle sales, GM officials say. Satisfied service customers tend to be more loyal to a brand, they say. “Customers are eight times as likely to return for another GM vehicle if they have a good service experience,” says Kris Mayer, director of service development and customer retention for GM Service and Parts Operations. Service providers Searches related to vehicle service and parts are an Internet staple. More than 25% of auto-related searches on Yahoo.com are for parts and service. 51 million Internet users searched for an auto part or service in the past year. 6.5 million Net users bought an auto part online in the past 6 months. 80% of customers who research tires online end up buying the product. Source: Google, Yahoo Online demand Mayer cites research concluding that millions of customers buy auto parts online. One in four auto-related searches on Yahoo.com are for parts and service, he says. The search engine Google reports that auto parts are the most searched-for products online, although consumers often buy the parts at physical locations. Tires, accessories and car care products are the parts that online consumers shop for most often, “ Customers are eight times www.ActionIM.com ACTION INTEGRATED MARKETING PROVIDES FULL-SERVICE & EVENT MARKETING SOLUTIONS FOR DEALERSHIPS NATIONWIDE Get More Information Online At 800.478.8818 EXT. #152 Google says. Diver Chevrolet in Wilmington, Del., is a charter subscriber to the OneSource Pipe lead generator. “We started using it for sales leads but found some of the leads were people looking to schedule an oil change or buy a part,” said Leslie Petrick, the dealership’s Internet manager. Petrick told Automotive News that the service prospects represent a mix of consumers who “stumbled onto the GM Web site” and customers who had bought vehicles from the dealership. as likely to return for another GM vehicle if they have a good service experience. KRIS MAYER General Motors ” Lead rules To receive GM’s service leads, dealerships must: Be Internet-certified. About 90 percent of GM’s roughly 6,800 U.S. dealerships are expected to be certified by April 1. The training and test for certification are offered online. Designate a staff member to field service leads. Subscribe to lead management software, either from GM or from one of 32 GM-approved outside providers. About half of GM dealers use the company’s lead management software, which costs an average of $99 a month. Agree to use OneSource Pipe — which gathers leads from a variety of sources, including the GM Web site, OnStar and lease customers. GM also provides leads through DealerPulse Pro, which monitors customer defections, repeat business and employee follow-up with customers. The software costs $75 to $150 a month, depending on the dealership’s size. GM says it will funnel leads to dealerships from other third-party Internet portals for a “competitive” fee. The service-lead software is paying off for Diver Chevrolet. About 90 percent of the leads the shop gets from GM result in scheduled service appointments, the dealership’s Petrick says, adding, “Internet-savvy people need to make appointments online. There’s definitely demand.” c http://powerpusher.com http://powerpusher.com http://Yahoo.com http://Yahoo.com http://www.ActionIM.com http://www.ActionIM.com http://www.jcowansprotalk.com http://www.jcowansprotalk.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - March 3, 2008

Bob Nardeli's new big-idea guy New Kia boss reaches out to restless dealers Scion hits a wall Lithia losses raise caution flag Detroit 3 shun talk of NAFTA do-over Lincoln names new marketing manager Mercedes to launch hybrid sedan in '09 Mazda has new top marketing exec M-B will hit the road with 50-state diesels Pontiac puts big ad bucks into traditional media for G8 Reynolds, ADP diverge on growth strategies Ford plans to cut fleet sales 10% in 2008 Mazda: New models, styling will boost its loyalty rate Run-up to axle strike adds to supplier woes Webasto's fast heater will debut by 2010 Russian plant wants to be world's biggest A Lancer is hatched Chrysler throws out purchasing rulebook Honda sets lofty hybrid goal, with Civic's help Honda: Use of ethanol limited, must be biomass Honda CEO Fukui: No recession in U.S., despite soft sales in spots 550 hp? 620 hp? Is GM crazy? Doug Fraser was a great leader How ironic: Lyons learns caution Well done, Doug Don't let Calif. impose fuel rules on the nation Blame the dealer, not the brand Cutting weight doesn't cut safety When Lutz dumps on global warming ... JM exec Czubay: A taste for hogs, pierogi Doug Fraser: A good man to have known Fraser led UAW with 'combination of substance, politics and charm' Autonet finds success at NADA with wi-fi for cars GM to sell medium-truck business, keep dealer network Web classified ad firms renew marketing to dealers, buyers Chery designs venture's vehicles China venture eyes 20,000 Fiesta hatchback sales Toyota plans crossovers in China Dongfeng, YuAn plan minicars BMW shakes up global marketing, sales ranks Delphi divestiture boosts forging supplier Is Blackhawk purchase bucking a trend? Repair company grows as Detroit 3 struggle BorgWarner unit expands German automakers seek more parts sourced in North America Hyundai picks ArvinMeritor Japan parts firm to build Miss. plant Nissan to increase spending on IT Purchase keeps Tenn. plant open Automakers hit with apartheid claims Mexico sales flat in January Ford prices '09 Flex atop crossover line Hamp rejoins Visteon board RV deliveries decline 3.4% in December Subaru lowers Forester price Personnel Bright future for LED headlight suppliers? Valeo's Morin to Pardus: Learn before you leap German automakers aren't worried about U.S. recession Porsche's Wiedeking: We must retool VW Europe's loud debate over quieter tires Noise level depends on the tires, the road Auto industry robotics spending jumps 43% in 2007 Electronic brakes struggle to get traction Big Texas dealer returns to some domestic brands AutoNation chief sees tough '08, better '09 In downturn, Sonic looks beyond new cars GM promotes service, parts leads for dealerships 10 cool dealership technologies found at NADA Dealers Kia will build transmissions at Georgia plant Gibson leaves DealerTrack board Akebono closing Kentucky plant Feds issue Ford fire warning Magna net income drops VW to use Siemens' software A tale of 2 exhaust systems EU wants CO2 in ads; battle looms Maize malaise stalls ethanol Tata to siesta during Ford's Fiesta Honda moves its American bike offshore Honda will recycle cycle plant Tom LaSorda's multimillion-dollar smile

Automotive News - March 3, 2008

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