A few weeks ago, I discussed a new “breed” of tech provider that’s been, very quickly, becoming a major part of many dealership’s strategies: automotive partnerships. Although there are, arguably, far more pros than cons  when it comes to automotive partnerships, some people will leverage them; and some folks will choose to stick with their month-to-month arrangement — and that’s perfectly okay. 

Of course, if you’re one of the many dealerships who have chosen to commit to an semi-annual or annual automotive partnership, you likely want to know how you can go about making the most use of it. After all, with a partnership, you work closely with account reps who know these products/services like the back of their hand. Not only do you have plenty of time to explore & experiment all of your partner’s product/services, but your account rep can help with you any hiccups along the way. Here’s 3 great ways that you can make the most of your automotive partnership: 

Developing a Strategy with Your Account Rep

Although month-to-month arrangements can be quite useful (for some), their sole purpose is to supply dealerships with software that they can use as they please. Sure, internet managers (on a month-to-month arrangement) can troubleshoot some issues with a customer service representative; but chances are incredibly slim that they’ll be assigned an actual client success manager or account representative who can help them with, well…. pretty much everything! 

One of the first things you can (and should) do to get the most from your annual partnership is develop a strategy with your account representative. Whether your goal is acquire more leads at your dealership, or simply optimize your dealership website to boost engagement, your account rep will speak with you one-on-one to determine the best type of strategy to suit your specific goals. The reason for this is because your account rep understands the product and service's full capabilities, and has been trained to understand every single aspect of their product. Your account rep is, arguably, your most important resource going forward. The better the communication is between you and your account rep, the more solid your strategy will be.

Sharing Data Back & Fourth

As I mentioned a second ago, the better, and more open communication is between you and your account representative, the better your overall strategy will be. One of the best ways to enhance both your communication and your overall strategy is by sharing your data with one another. The past data your dealership pulls during the initial kick-off meeting can help your account rep think up ways that their product/service can overcome certain hurdles.

Additionally, the data (or results) that your account rep pulls as your campaigns progress will let you know if your efforts are even worth it; and give you ideas on how to change your strategy using the product. Sharing data back and fourth helps keep all parties in the loop, and helps all parties involved understand why certain changes are being made. Often times, certain parties will have their own reasons for making strategy alterations; and many folks might feel like they’re having their toes stepped on…. which won’t likely be the case with an annual partnership. 

Now I know some of you may be thinking this is a bad idea. Your dealerships data is valuable, private and must kept secure. But I’m not talking DMS exports. I’m talking general read-only access to Google analytics and share lead/sale reports. Customer data doesn’t have to be included and if you don’t trust your provider that much, then you may be working with the wrong folks anway.

Realizing Failures & Making Appropriate Changes

Face it: failure is a part of life, and there’s no getting around it. Period. However, failure isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I’d go as far as saying it’s a completely necessary aspect of developing viable marketing and sales strategies for your dealership. With annual partnerships, you have a great opportunity to take all of those past failures and turn them into big successes. 

As your dealership’s campaigns progress, you’ll very likely encounter some failures and fumbles. For example: people might not be completing a online trade-in experience all the way through. Or, you might discover that not enough buyers are visiting your dealership’s website. Regardless of what those failures are, you have an opportunity work closely with your account rep to come up with a solution. Your account rep might have some ideas that you hadn’t initially thought of — or, you might have some solutions that you don’t quite know how to implement. By working together, you can come up with ways to overcome certain hurdles and continue on the path to success. 

Again, month-to-month arrangements are a great way to kickstart some of your marketing efforts. I’m not saying that they’re bad, by any means. However, there’s little to no denying how significant the opportunities are for dealers who leverage annual partnerships. Providing internet managers and sales managers with the opportunity to work alongside software experts helps dealerships attain consistent results.

Are you currently in an annual partnership? What have your experiences been like?