Jeff Wilcox at George’s Marine & Sport has created an extremely successful leads management program at his dealership and is very glad that he took the gamble!  Jeff took the time to chat with me about this and will be on hand at the Boating Ontario Conference on December 5th to introduce Dr. John Mlinarcik from PCS-Global, the man who helped him set up his CRM (Customer Relationships Management) Department.

Jeff is always on the lookout for opportunities and practices in other industries that are successful.  He was intrigued when he heard how the automotive industry was using Leads Management and decided to fly down to Boston to visit Village Cadillac, North America’s largest Cadillac dealership, to visit their CRM Department. Jeff was blown away by what they were able to do!  He discovered that 12% of their sales could be directly credited back to their CRM department.

The next step for Jeff was to figure out how to incorporate it into his dealership and how to do it right.  Dr. John Mlinarcik from PCS-Global was highly recommended to help George’s Marine & Sport create a CRM Department.  PCS-Global helped him through the entire process– from interviewing and hiring the staff to scripting, training, handling leads and making appointments.

The CRM Department‘s assignment is strictly to receive leads from the internet and telephone and convert them into appointments.  Most people will research on the internet before even inquiring at a dealership.  “The internet is so much a part of our lives but we still need them to come into the dealership so we can help them find the product that is right for them.” explained Jeff, “People will often send out five emails to different dealership to inquire about boats.  We make sure that we are the first to respond and set up an appointment for them to visit the showroom.”

Jeff admitted that setting up a CRM Department is not a cheap investment.  When you factor in the consultation fees, CRM staff and computer system it may seem overwhelming.  It is also hard when the CRM department sees no immediate return – especially compared to the obvious return on sales, parts and service.  “The return is definitely there though – we can directly attribute 4% of our sales to the CRM system.”  George’s Marine & Sports plans on hiring another CRM staff member this winter to help manage both the internet and telephone leads.

Jeff summed up his interview with the statement: “Our industry has to improve the way we deal with customers.  Dealers who do so are going to be the ones who move forward.”  Come to the Boating Ontario Conference on December 4 – 6, 2011 at Deerhurst Resort to hear Dr. John Mlinarcik from PCS-Global explain how to convert leads into appointments that show and buy.

For more information and to register for the Boating Ontario Conference & Trade Show visit their web site http://conference.boatingontario.ca or call Jackie Crawford Wink at 705.826.2148.