This post is brought to you by a guest contributor Susan Gaytan, Director of Dealer Engagement and Training  with Alan Ram's Proactive Training Solutions. Susan brings over twenty years of automotive experience and dealership management expertise.  She is responsible for integrating training solutions and helping dealerships maximize the effectiveness of training.  You can learn more about Alan Ram's Proactive Training Solutions here.

Would you believe me if I told you that one of themost powerful ways to market your dealership is through automotive text messaging? It’s true! If you want your valuable information to not only be seen, but be seen in a timely manner, then start texting leads.

An astounding 98% of text messages are opened, where only a mere 20% of emails are read. On average it only takes 90 seconds for a mobile phone user to respond to a text message, creating a higher probability that customers can be reached in real-time.

In the automotive industry, there's a giant ticking clock that OEMs use to rate every  dealership. This clock starts the moment a customer indicates interest or asks for assistance. OEMs are looking for their dealerships to act on that interest as quickly as possible The phrase "time is of the essence" rings true here. 

To accelerate your sales and achieve remarkable success, you need two crucial elements: speed and information. A faster response time, coupled with the right information and the best responses, improves your chances of converting leads into loyal customers. 

We’re so proud to share that Calldrip was awarded the winner of the AWA Award for the Sales Process category! The AWA Awards are one of the leading honors in the automotive space. Brian Pasch, author and industry leader in automotive marketing strategies, online dealer education, marketing analytics, and digital retailing, created the AWA Awards in 2008 to recognize the best vendors in automotive digital marketing. 

Get ready for the 2023 NADA Show, the auto industry event of the year! From January 26-29, 2023, some of the best automotive industry professionals will come together in Dallas, TX for the conference of the year.

The phone is an auto dealer's most essential sales tool. According to a study by Google, 70% of mobile phone users said they would call a company if making a high-value purchase like a car. 

It’s been a challenging 18 months for the auto industry. Inventory shortages, rising prices, and higher interest rates are having a dampening effect on sales. Economists expect annual sales for 2022 to be 4.5% below 2021 levels, which were also down because of the pandemic. Sales are expected to bounce back in 2023 by nearly 5% year-on-year, and in 2024, sales should increase by almost 4%. So, it will be a slow progression back to pre-pandemic levels for the industry. 

The NADA Show is back for 2022 and it looks like it’s going to be better than ever! After years of social distancing, we’re excited for the opportunity to gather in person and put names to faces.

The ongoing chip shortage is causing severe auto inventory constraints. This extremely limited supply is costing the industry millions in lost unit sales and billions in lost profits. However, automotive dealers are adept at managing adversity. Dealerships have done it in the past: remember the 2009 crash followed by cash for clunkers?