Newbie ISM Needs Some Advice

[ChrisB]

Hello All

I am seeking some advice. I recently took a position as ISM for a new Ford Dealership that will be opening up in the next 120 days. I have not worked as an ISM before, however I have a strong background in marketing, social media and web design and development. I was also a product manager for an automotive retail marketing company for a couple of years and have done product development for online automotive marketing applications.

Since this is a new dealership I have the opportunity to structure the department from scratch. So I came here to get some advice and guidance from my peers and others within the industry.

First I would like to see if there are other resources, sites, books etc that I could purchase related to being an ISM that would be helpful.

Next I would like to get some idea of the which CRM/ILM's I should be considering and why. Which work best for the Ford Environment.

Finally if there is any other pearls of wisdom you all would like to share with me I would greatly appreciate it.

I am excited about the position and feel that my background fits well into this position.

I look forward to reading what advice and help you all have to offer. Thanks for taking the time to reply to this post.

 

[Christopher Hawley]

Chris,

Congrats on the new position! I will try to help you, but many of these questions are subjective and depend on a variety of external factors.

First I would like to see if there are other resources, sites, books etc that I could purchase related to being an ISM that would be helpful.

Websites like this one have a ton of great content that if read thoroughly would give you a variety of different perspectives, statistics and best practices.

Next I would like to get some idea of the which CRM/ILM's I should be considering and why. Which work best for the Ford Environment.

Alex (here on this site) just wrote a very detailed post about choosing the right CRM. Additionally, this also depends on existing CRM (probably under contract), DMS, process and flow. CRM can affect all areas of the dealership in addition to help you manage your new department. Before shopping, make sure you understand current state and have the blessings of the keepers of the checkbook and the amount allowed to make it happen.

Finally if there is any other pearls of wisdom you all would like to share with me I would greatly appreciate it.

1. Define, define, define. You and your employer need to define your position, responsibilities and desired/expected results. Eliminate as many gray areas as possible.
   
2. You have a marketing background, so you can relate to the fact that having a shiny new web presence, taking good photos and pricing all the vehicles does not automatically make it a productive Internet department. Make sure pricing and inventory mix is competitive (use market pricing tools) and the website(s) have some call to action.
   
3. Never assume all your leads or inventory are being imported or exported properly! Inspect everything frequently while measuring. Measure current state to determine opportunities.
   
4. Personal preference: Get your house in order before trying to add on. In my opinion you need foundational core processes and procedures that are tested before trying to add a bunch of third party vendors. Like CRMs; garbage in, garbage out. Crawl before you walk and tweak continually. IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE PERFECT, but operating efficiently and producing results that are commensurate to the amount of opportunities.

I am excited about the position and feel that my background fits well into this position.

I look forward to reading what advice and help you all have to offer. Thanks for taking the time to reply to this post.[/QUOTE]

Good luck Chris!