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Apple Honda Wins automotive internet sales Dealership of the Month Using DealerSocket CRM

Eric Nichols serves as Internet sales manager for Apple Honda in Long Island, NY. A month before Nichols began his position in April 2011, Apple Honda made the switch to DealerSocket because “…from what I understand, the old CRM (Reynolds & Reynolds Contact Management) was not doing its job. There wasn’t any note-taking capabilities, no accountability.”

When asked how DealerSocket has assisted with Apple Honda’s Internet sales success, Nichols stated, “It not only has to do with the power of the CRM, but also the processes we put into place with our consultants, which the CRM helps us execute.”

Specifically, Nichols attributes Apple Honda’s 52 Internet deals per month with a staff of 2.5 reps to DealerSocket and its integration with VAuto. Sales managers input all trade-ins to VAuto, allowing them to potentially work two deals with one customer. The two-deal-per-one-customer scenario is executed when a trade-in happens to be a vehicle that a different customer or prospect within DealerSocket wants to purchase.

Nichols is not only pleased with DealerSocket’s ability to increase Internet sales, “but sales in all departments, such as lease, unsold prospects, etc…”

Nichols’ Best Practices for Utilizing DealerSocket

“Every prospect is put into DealerSocket by the receptionist, no matter how many times
they have visited the dealership. This has really helped us with our follow-up process. The
Sales Tracking Report is always open on my computer, and it helps monitor what’s going
on. We have implemented an extended follow-up process, where we now follow up with our
lease portfolio for a year and 180 days for all of our Internet leads.”

Eric Nichols also attributes Apple Honda’s success while using DealerSocket to his consultants (Dealer eTraining), who are “always on the phone and always willing to help—great customer service.”

Testimonial: “I have worked with lots of CRMs in my automotive career, and DealerSocket’s
the best I’ve worked with, by far.” -Eric Nichols, Apple Honda