Dealerships in 2012: It’s Never Too Late to Set Goals

by | Jan 5, 2012

The end of the year and the beginning of a new one are upon us, and there’s no question time seems to pass a little more quickly than we’d like. When you’re in charge of a dealership’s marketing, you likely have some sort of promotional schedule set up for 2012. For those who didn’t adequately prepare yet to start 2012, there’s still time – don’t let the beginning of another marketing year for your company pass you by without solid goals for your dealership.

Setting up Goals

Many businesses – dealerships included – are still going into their marketing years with a plan of execution, but without solid sales goals. It isn’t just up to your sales people to meet sales goals throughout the year. It should be part of the effort of the entire sales team to create and achieve goals that benefit the entire company.

Don’t just think of your goals in terms of your overall sales plan – consider some actual sales figures you would like to achieve based on the success of your automotive direct mailers. Though your sales people may close the deal, the sales funnel you create through the use of great automotive direct mail pieces allows your salespeople to close the deal.

The Top of the Funnel

Mail and other promotions generate interest, and get customers into your funnel. You must develop an understanding of how clients enter your funnel, move through it, and eventually become a sale. Existing clients can move through your funnel more than once if they’re given good service and quality follow-up packages.

When you create your automotive direct mailers, are you also making customers aware of promotions such as free oil changes, and maintenance or accessory packages that will get them into your funnel? These are some of the best tactics dealerships can use, and many aren’t even advertising them on their mailers.

The goals you set for your dealership in 2012 don’t have to be set in stone – you can modify them throughout January, or add to them by considering the way customers move through your business’ marketing funnel. Not all dealerships are the same size or have the same offering, so you need to create a funnel, marketing processes, goals and ways to report to the team on goals in a way that reflects the unique offering of your business.

It’s never too late in the year to consider your present marketing goals and execution.