The integration allows Porsche dealers on the ONE-EIGHTY system to accept leads from a number of different sources including Porschedealer.com, Porsche.com and Porsche Canada managed events and have them automatically added to the dealers ONE-EIGHTY site.

Dealers will then be notified of interested prospects as soon as the lead is received and saves time from having to add the customer information to ONE-EIGHTY manually. Individuals that already exist are matched to reduce the number of duplicates in the system.

ONE-EIGHTY then reports back to Porsche Cars Canada Ltd. on those incoming leads based on specific traffic touch points. These include how quickly a lead was followed up and where they are in the selling cycle i.e. an appointment has been scheduled, prospect has had a demo drive or quote created or has purchased.

Both organizations are pleased to begin the pilot phase of this integration and efficiently roll it out nationally to all of ONE-EIGHTY’s Porsche dealers.

ONE-EIGHTY has added additional metrics and reporting functionality to Lease Retention and Lead Conversion statistics.

The Lease Retention reporting gives dealerships insight into the number of customers with lease maturities that  have been resold with increased reporting flexibility.

The Lead Conversion report allows you to see the number of leads that were converted into sales from any and all lead sources together giving a great comparison of lead quantity and their results.

The reports can be run individually or together to give you an overview of all your opportunities at once.  Check them out in the reporting function of My Business⁺.

To learn more about Lease Retention and Lead Conversion reporting please contact our support team at 1-866-803-2003 or liveonline@oneeightycorp.com

Sergio said that customer satisfaction is the key to nurturing a customer relationship that will help dealers distinguish themselves in a transparent world where auto pricing is more available than ever.

He also said he is confident that the auto industry can innovate ways to meet the US green fuel efficient guidelines by 2015. Chrysler is working towards that goal.

In a globally focused address, Sergio encouraged all in the audience to be courageous and to act to make the world a better place for the future for the next generations.

- Centralized Dealer Group Logins: allows dealers to centralize marketing efforts of all stores.
- Ability to centralize BDC follow ups on the sales and service side.
- Query Management section: gives dealers and dealer groups’ better control on queries used to create contact lists. Allows them to quickly edit, rerun or save queries for next campaign.
- Increased campaign size capacity.

To learn more about these and other exciting improvements happening at ONE-EIGHTY, please call us at 1-866-803-2003 or at liveonline@oneeightycorp.com

The Career Fair gives students and employers an opportunity to network and make connections that can lead to a career. ONE-EIGHTY was pleased to meet with a number of students and recent grads from participating schools including University of Guelph, University of Waterloo, Wilfred Laurier University and Conestoga College.

For up-to-date information on open positions at ONE-EIGHTY visit our Careers Page.

A big thanks and congratulations to all of the event’s organizers for making it another memorable year.

(left to right) Kerry Mueller, AJ Mueller, Daniel Plaw & Martin Wolniczek

Many auto manufacturers are optimistic too, forecasting double digit sales growth in 2012. Toyota for instance is targeting a strong comeback with 25% increase in sales to 200,000 units in Canada and 20% growth globally (Keenan, 2012).

On the flip side, the Bank of Canada is predicting a slim 2% growth in Canada in 2012 (Babad, 2012). So how much more room is there in the Canadian car market this year?

The last 5 years have seen tremendous growth for some brands and challenges for others. See the graph below for the % gain or loss in the # of sales VS the volume sold in 2006.

*Source: DesRosier Automotive Consultants

Winners:  The German built luxury brands (Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche) and the Korean built brands (Kia and Hyundai) have increased their sales by a whopping 79% and 95% over their 2006 levels.

Coming back:  In 2012 the Japanese and Domestic brands are keen to ramp up sales now that the worst effects of the Japanese Tsunami and the economic downturn are behind us.

The supply void left by the Japanese Tsunami gave other brands an opportunity to surge up. This year the Japanese brands are keen to take that market share back!

Opportunities and Challenges the Auto Industry will face in 2012 include:

• Low interest rates will be help raise sales. In 2011 Canadian Light Vehicle Sales rebounded to 1,585,519; still 4% lower than the 2007 peak before the global financial crisis according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.
• Manufacturers will have a steady supply of vehicles as they try to push “double digit” higher volumes. The Japanese brands, Audi and M-B to name a few were challenged at times to get enough product to sell last year.
• Consumers who own their cars can sit tight if they want to. In 2009 92.1% of consumers chose to buy rather than lease. This will be the “Year of the Trade Appraisal”if consumers are to be enticed to trade up now.
• The Generation Y consumer is not as car focused as their parents were. Living within walking distance of work is cool.

We see top dealerships taking action to capitalize on their opportunities by:

1. Investing in training their sales staff to help them become even better and to keep them.
2. Investing in systems and equipment to help make high producing sales people super productive.
3. Creating a smooth buying process with as few hurdles and bottlenecks as possible.
4. Putting a sharp sales rep in service to encourage customers to trade up given the right incentives. The dealership wins 2x by gaining a sale and a trade for their lot.
5. Employing cool electronic equipment in the buying process to be engaging and mobile.

2012 should be a great comeback year for the Japanese brands.  The key will be to make the most of it!

Sources:

Antunes, Pedro (2012). Canadian Outline Executive Summary: Winter 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012, from The Conference Board of Canada website: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-Library/abstract.aspx?did=4639

Babad, Michael (2012). Mark Carney sees consumer debt burdens growing even fatter. Retrieved January 23, 2012, from The Globe and Mail website: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/top-business-stories/mark-carney-sees-consumer-debt-burdens-growing-even-fatter/article2305099/

Keenan, Greg (2012). Toyota Canada’s new head lays out a recovery plan. Retrieved January 23, 2012, from The Globe and Mail website: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/toyota-canadas-new-head-lays-out-a-recovery-plan/article2295445/

TNS Canada (2012). Consumer confidence surges with optimism in the new year: Survey. Retrieved January 23, 2012, from the TNS Canada website: http://www.tnscanada.ca/news-knowledge/newsreleases.html

With the widespread use of smartphones and tablets, it’s not just about handing out your business card and asking for a phone number anymore. Customers need to be engaged from wherever the sales process starts whether it’s the showroom, the golf course or at a Car Show.

Software, like ONE-EIGHTY’s My Business⁺, gives you the flexibility to engage customers from your mobile device and puts you that step ahead.

• Add or update customer info
• Review past quotes and deals
• Enter follow up
• Schedule appointments
•  Even search real-time inventory on the spot with your customers wherever you are.

Provide standout service that makes customers keen to deal with you!

Technology is allowing us to have info at our fingertips, so why should your business be any different?

If you’re not already equipped, now is the time to go mobile before you hit the Car Shows.

This Magnet enhancement allows Sales Consultants to better manage their business and customer/prospect database by proactively:

• Going after missed opportunities
• Staying in touch with past customers
• Updating customers on great buying opportunities and events

To learn more about the Magnet, contact our support team at liveonline@oneeightycorp.com or call 1-866-803-2003.