Latest thoughts on CRM vendors

[Mid-Grade Ford]

Anyone tried SalesForce? I'm dying to do a demo with them. So sick of the archaic UI of dealersocket/elead. Elead doesn't even have a freaking way to track link CTR in the email (despite the fact that they convert all your links to some janky dealerinfo.com url.

I'm praying FordDirect starts offering alternate CRM products soon.

 

[ChrisR]

Anyone tried SalesForce? I'm dying to do a demo with them. So sick of the archaic UI of dealersocket/elead. Elead doesn't even have a freaking way to track link CTR in the email (despite the fact that they convert all your links to some janky dealerinfo.com url.

I'm praying FordDirect starts offering alternate CRM products soon.

When I was in Arizona, we got a quote of something like $1,200 per year, per user. We were fortunate that one of our IT people was SalesForce Dev certified, so we could have set it up how we wanted, without a huge additional expense.

The problem was the number of users needed priced it out of the market for us, plus the amount of customization that would have been needed to make it functional for dealership use was a bit much.

 

[Mid-Grade Ford]

When I was in Arizona, we got a quote of something like $1,200 per year, per user. We were fortunate that one of our IT people was SalesForce Dev certified, so we could have set it up how we wanted, without a huge additional expense.

The problem was the number of users needed priced it out of the market for us, plus the amount of customization that would have been needed to make it functional for dealership use was a bit much.

Oh dang, we only have like 15 users so at that price I think it would be even cheaper than the bargain bin, trash bag FordDirect CRM we currently use.

 

[Alex Snyder]

Anyone tried SalesForce? I'm dying to do a demo with them. So sick of the archaic UI of dealersocket/elead. Elead doesn't even have a freaking way to track link CTR in the email (despite the fact that they convert all your links to some janky dealerinfo.com url.

I'm praying FordDirect starts offering alternate CRM products soon.

Yes. Many times. All bad.

First off, SalesForce requires a TON of effort and an outside consultant to make work. Second, it isn't built for a car dealer. You're going to be missing a lot of functionality your team has probably grown accustomed to in automotive-focused systems.

And lastly, it ain't cheap! When you get into the database sizes dealers have, begin adding on the marketing components, the plug-ins, and the MASSIVE costs (usually 5 figures) for the outside consultant to set things up correctly those $2,000 to $4,000 VinSolutions, Dealer Sockets, eLeads, DriveCentrics don't look so bad.

Don't get lost on the marketing spiel that you're only going to pay for users.

 

[ChrisR]

Oh dang, we only have like 15 users so at that price I think it would be even cheaper than the bargain bin, trash bag FordDirect CRM we currently use.

Check out XRM if you haven't seen it, it is one of my preferred options, pricing should be pretty reasonable, too.

 

[ChrisR]

Yes. Many times. All bad.

First off, SalesForce requires a TON of effort and an outside consultant to make work. Second, it isn't built for a car dealer. You're going to be missing a lot of functionality your team has probably grown accustomed to in automotive-focused systems.

And lastly, it ain't cheap! When you get into the database sizes dealers have, begin adding on the marketing components, the plug-ins, and the MASSIVE costs (usually 5 figures) for the outside consultant to set things up correctly those $2,000 to $4,000 VinSolutions, Dealer Sockets, eLeads, DriveCentrics don't look so bad.

Don't get lost on the marketing spiel that you're only going to pay for users.

Exactly! That's where having an in-house dev can make or break the SF option, which we did not go with.

 

[Mid-Grade Ford]

Yes. Many times. All bad.

First off, SalesForce requires a TON of effort and an outside consultant to make work. Second, it isn't built for a car dealer. You're going to be missing a lot of functionality your team has probably grown accustomed to in automotive-focused systems.

And lastly, it ain't cheap! When you get into the database sizes dealers have, begin adding on the marketing components, the plug-ins, and the MASSIVE costs (usually 5 figures) for the outside consultant to set things up correctly those $2,000 to $4,000 VinSolutions, Dealer Sockets, eLeads, DriveCentrics don't look so bad.

Don't get lost on the marketing spiel that you're only going to pay for users.

Dang, well I am an in house developer so the idea of a product that I can modify to do exactly what I want actually sounds amazing. Works with plugins? Dang that's more than I can say for any dealer-centric CRM I've ever used.

Also, last time I talked to SalesForce, they said they had a new version of the CRM that was designed for dealers. Not sure if it has all the same features, but I imagine it at least has a modern user interface.

 

[Alex Snyder]

Also, last time I talked to SalesForce, they said they had a new version of the CRM that was designed for dealers. Not sure if it has all the same features, but I imagine it at least has a modern user interface.

When your adoption plateaus the only thing you have to sell is empty promises.

 

[ChrisR]

When your adoption plateaus the only thing you have to sell is empty promises.

Is SalesForce running for office next?

 

[Dan Sayer]

Dang, well I am an in house developer so the idea of a product that I can modify to do exactly what I want actually sounds amazing. Works with plugins? Dang that's more than I can say for any dealer-centric CRM I've ever used.

Also, last time I talked to SalesForce, they said they had a new version of the CRM that was designed for dealers. Not sure if it has all the same features, but I imagine it at least has a modern user interface.

I went through the sales demo process with SaleForce 3rd QTR last year. By the time I made it through all conversations, with the right people at SalesForce, they were very clear they had no interest in working on a solution for the franchise auto retail industry. Initially they couldn't grasp the B2C aspect and they kept sending me examples of auto manufacturers or auto suppliers and their use of SalesForce. Their understanding of "dealers", and they told me the same thing initially of "yes we work with dealers" was a B2B model of how a manufacturer worked with dealers and not dealers to end users. They literally couldn't produce a single example of a retail dealer using SalesForce. The funny part is the industry CRM providers, and most other vendors, use SaleForce to manage their relationships with dealers... We did talk to a couple SalesForce developers and by the time they saw DealerTrack DMS, an inventory file, and some of the other industry required aspects, they backed out.