Deal Finder Announces New Showroom WatchDog Software

HOUSTON--Dec. 26, 2013: Auto dealers don't make a sale every time they speak with a customer; this is no big surprise to anyone who works in the industry. But being able to follow up with a contact who didn't purchase a car might mean making a conversion down the road. With full use of CAR-Research XRM's call center, auto dealers can now follow up with clients that did not buy a vehicle from them. Branded as "XRM, Extreme CRM," CAR-Research XRM, Inc., also known as Deal Finder and specializing in customer relationship management in the automotive industry, unveiled a service called Showroom WatchDog.

Showroom WatchDog enables next-day phone calls that gather three types of information from guests to the showroom who didn't make a purchase. First, with this service, auto dealers aim to find out why customers didn't make a purchase. Reasons could include price or an objection to the payment schedule presented, trade value, personality of the attending salesperson, or any number of others. Second, the calls try to determine if the salesperson completely followed the "Road to the Sale" (RTS) process, which includes greeting, product presentation, and test drive. Finally, the calls can track down the specific ad source that led the customers to the dealership. Using this information, auto dealers can address the unsold customers' concerns and strive to get them in for a purchase.

Deal Finder estimates that the average dealership close rate is somewhere around 20 percent, meaning that the other 80 percent comprises the "unsold customer" category. With Showroom Watchdog providing vital RTS metrics, auto dealership owners can be more confident that a good portion of that 80 percent will return to the dealership with proper follow-up.

Dealers themselves don't necessarily have the time to makes calls like these, and the customer may even be upset by such a call and not want to talk to them. However, those customers may decide to talk to an independent research firm like Deal Finder. Showroom WatchDog gets all the data for the dealership, enabling them to close these previously unsold customers.