Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 27

WITH DAVID BOICE
Marketing exec says dealers are
missing a golden opportunity

Q: WHY DO YOU THINK
DEALERSHIPS SHOULD USE
CUSTOMERS' DATA TO SERVE
THEM ONLINE?
A: There are probably at least 50 very
relevant pieces of data on you and your car
that the dealership you do business with
already knows. Every other company you
do business with, you have a relationship
with them online. They all know a massive
amount about you because you are already
their customer. Therefore, they treat you
differently and personally online.

Q: WHAT DATA DO MOST DEALERSHIPS HAVE THAT THEY AREN'T
USING ?
A: These are very common data points that

avid Boice, CEO of marketing
firm Team Velocity, says dealers
are failing to tap a potentially rich
source of business - and it's
right at their fingertips.
"A dealership is sitting on a gold mine
of data," Boice says. Speaking last month
at a Shift conference in Las Vegas, he
said customers already in the database
don't want to be treated like new leads
when they visit dealerships' websites.
Instead, he says, they should be able to
log in, just as they do on Amazon.
In an interview with reporter Sarah
Kominek, Boice said dealerships' returning customers should have online experiences that are relevant to their personal
details and the cars they're driving. Here
are edited excerpts.

every franchised dealership has securely
stored in their accounting systems: The
customer's name, address, phone number
and email. Their vehicle's year, make,
model, trim, VIN and estimated mileage.
Its service history, any recalls, services
due, last service and recommended
services. The customer's sales info -
the payment type, down payment, term,
payoff, trade value, equity, likely upgrade
options, next service visit, preferences and
their shopping history. These data points
are easily accessible to create a personal
online experience for their customers.

Q: HOW SHOULD DEALERSHIPS
USE THIS DATA WHEN A
CUSTOMER GOES TO THE
WEBSITE?
A: People want personalized service
coupons that need to be specific to the

car they're driving. People really like to
know their service history: Does the
dealership have all the services that have
been performed on record and are they
accurate? People also expect you to give
them a warning if their vehicle just went
under recall. Without filling out any forms,
they want to be able to schedule service
and incorporate the coupons they're
entitled to. You know my name, you know
my car and its VIN. I'm not going to fill out a
form with the 14 pieces of information you
normally ask me for, because I've signed
in and I expect you to make scheduling a
service appointment easy.

Q: WHAT WOULD THE
EXPERIENCE BE LIKE FOR A
RETURNING CUSTOMER LOOKING
TO PURCHASE OR LEASE
ANOTHER VEHICLE?
A: Now the customer has pretty high
expectations because they have an
expiration date. They're going to ask,
What upgrade options do I have? What
would my payment be? What are the
rebates and incentives that are currently
available on the vehicle models I'm
interested in buying? When you give a
customer a personalized experience,
people are naturally more comfortable
because the service makes it easier
for them to do what they need to do.
What is best for the dealer's customer
is also best for the dealership. You
have a five times' greater chance of
them completing the task if you treat
customers with some relevancy, in a
private and secure way. ■
february 2020 * shift

Shift Magazine - February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Shift Magazine - February 2020