A Great CRM is Like My Wife

(This blog was originally written for and published by DealerRefresh, but given the fact that I just celebrated my 11th anniversary to my beautiful wife, I felt it was worthy to post on DealerKnows)

When dealer clients asks me what CRM vendor I prefer, I first ask them what is it about their current CRM they’re married to that they don’t like.
Why isn’t that relationship working out?
Could it be they don’t value it enough?
Is it possible they don’t invest as much time and energy into it as they should?

Sometimes, though, the technology is not doing the job that it should. It breaks down too often, won’t communicate with every other software, or do the little things in the relationship that a CRM should.

In a way, a great CRM is like my wife. Simply put, they keep your house in order. They track EVERYTHING. They remember EVERYTHING (often to the dismay of others). They communicate with all the different parties and keep the relationships you have with others open and honest. They alert you by the minute, by the hour, and by the day as to what you should be doing with your time. They are a living, walking, breathing To-Do List.

If you want to know when someone’s birthday is, they know. Do you want to remember what you said to someone three weeks ago? Somehow they remember. How do you know that person? They can tell you. When you have to call someone, write someone, email someone… they remind you to do it.

Let’s face it, a dealer without a great CRM (much like me without my wife), will naturally forget everything that needs to be done. All of the tasks to be completed will never be without that guardian angel in your corner (and in your ear). They’ll clean up after you. They’ll do chores for you. Save you time. Send out communication on your behalf. Sign your name on the letters. They’re your trusted calendars. All the information you have ever shared with it, it has stored. Forever. Somehow miraculously, it can recall every detail you’ve given it (and even some you didn’t give it.)

A great CRM (like my wife is to me) truly makes you a better (sales)person. If you have that type of CRM in your store, hang onto it. Treat it right. Pay attention to it. If you don’t have a CRM that does the little things to make your life exponentially easier, maybe it is time to take a close look at your relationship with that vendor and cut the ties.

While everyone tells you about the horrors of trying to find that perfect someCRM, when you find the right fit (as I have), they make everything you do that much easier. You’ll try so much harder to give it what it needs as well. You’ll support it and pay attention to it. You’ll go above and beyond at every instance to involve it in every deal at every point. It is a partnership. They make you a more successful you. In a simple-to-understand, yet overused term, they complete you.