“All I Ever Wanted In Business Was An Unfair Advantage!”
By Lance McGinnis
Every sales organization harbors the desire for that all-elusive unfair advantage. Since competition among vendors is usually based on comparable product qualities, to find an unfair advantage, you have to look outside the box.
In the manufactured housing market, there are only a few areas where dealers actually compete. One is quality. Two is price. Three is service and reputation. And Four is made up of variables such as sales/marketing skills, organization, time management and cost control.
An Unlimited Source of Unfair Advantages
The manufactured home industry is so comparable right now with regards
to quality and price that it leaves dealers with very little room to compete.
Those that are winning and enjoying unfair advantages are the ones who
are making the absolute most of the variables: improving sales/marketing
skills, organization, time management and cost control. They’re
managing their dealerships more effectively and giving their sales personnel
the tools they need to make more sales. They’ve become better organized
and they’re maximizing their selling time with their prospects.
They’re controlling costs and measuring productivity in their marketing,
sales and service departments. And they’re doing all of this by
using simple, yet sophisticated software tools designed solely for this
purpose. In short, they’re taking control of their time and resources
and managing them to create more sales and increased profits.
Industry-specific dealer software leverages your
resources in two significant ways:
1. It gives your sales personnel greater control over the sales process.
2. It gives you a greater level of accountability with everyone you come
into contact with, from your advertisers, to your prospects, the manufacturers
you deal with, your customers and even your sales staff.
Take Control of the Sales Process Through Better
Organization and Time Management
Dealerships that are increasing their sales are using software because
it helps them:
· Keep better track of their prospects
· Not lose prospects due to disorganization and salesperson turnover
· Manage their time better
· Not let prospects that are rightfully theirs slip away to the
competition
Professional sales and prospecting software gets you organized and maximizes your selling strategies. It frees up time by making your daily tasks faster and easier. It allows you to spend more time with your prospects, and develop relationships that later become sales. With a complete database of information on each of your prospects, and a wealth of tools at your disposal, you can bring more prospects to closing. You can quickly access information at each stage of the sales process, from looking up a phone number, to a letter-writing campaign, to running reports that tell you who’s hot, who needs to be contacted and when. It provides a structure and a framework to keep your sales efforts focused in the right direction.
Managing and Controlling Costs
Managers need to know when something they’re doing is hurting their
bottom-line. They need to know they’re not wasting their advertising
dollars on marketing methods that don’t work. They need to know
the number of turns by model and if a particular home has come up for
curtailment and needs to be moved. A good software system provides this
information so you can make critical management decisions to further the
profitability of your dealership. For example, you want to be able to
quickly get answers to questions like:
· Why aren’t certain sales personnel performing
well? How many prospects have they worked this month? How many resulted
in sales?
· Which marketing method brought in the most prospects last month?
Was it the newspaper ad or radio spot? How many leads did we get from
the last mailing?
· Which claims haven’t been paid by the manufacturer? Who
needs to be re-invoiced?
· Which claims are outstanding in your service department? Why?
Is it because of a delayed shipment on parts from the manufacturer?
· Which models sold the best last month? Which models are coming
up for curtailment and need to be moved?
With instant access to volumes of information about each prospect, sales person, or even department, you have more accountability and can take appropriate, cost-saving measures before it impacts your bottom-line.
Simply put, technology gives you the ability to manage costs and people more profitably. It leverages the only variables you can truly control: sales/marketing skills, organization, time management and cost. With the right system, you gain the unfair advantages you’ve always wanted.
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contact Alpha Data Systems.
