for POWER Customers - Reynolds and Reynolds

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Inside this issue:
Announcements | NADA | Upcoming Events | Stay Connected | Putting the Web to Work | Brockman On the Record | Learn More! | Increasing Service Revenue
Announcements
Reynolds’ Stand-Out
Customers at NADA
Convention
Stop by the Reynolds and Reynolds
booth #4641 this year at NADA to hear
how dealers like you have found success
combining efficient processes with industryleading solutions. In this special series, you’ll
learn best practices and get expert advice
from peers who are conquering the market,
even in a tough economy. For a schedule
of speakers and topics, or to watch their
videos, visit www.reyrey.com beginning
January 23rd.
POWER Release 25.00
Now Available
Discover new and exciting system
enhancements with the POWER 25.00
release.Your business is our priority, and
your ongoing feedback has led to new
enhancements that make business better
in all areas of your dealership. Updates
include enhancements to Service
Pricing Guide and the availability of
CreditMaster Integration.
Service Pricing Guide Now
Utilizes Reynolds Data
Service Pricing Guide now utilizes the
same high-quality Reynolds data that has
previously been used with other Reynolds
products. New control screens to handle
labor and parts pricing exceptions have
been added to better maintain your pricing
information for manufacturer carline,
model, and other variations. Labor kicker
tables can now be created to handle
exceptions and update multiple records
all at once. Also, the Market Labor Time
option, which provides industry standard
Motor data, is now available for all
supported manufacturers.
CreditMaster Integration
Now Available for POWER
Customers
Obtain Equifax, Experian, and/or
TransUnion credit reports quickly
and conveniently in a single account.
CreditMaster provides the simplicity of
one bill from one source with consistent
pricing and no membership dues, monthly
fees, or minimum charges.
• Choose from multiple score models
available with each report—all FICO®
versions, auto industry-specific, and
bankruptcy risk.
• Take advantage of free setup, training,
and support by certified Fair Credit
Reporting Act specialists.
• Get complete, fast, and easy analysis
with user-friendly formats and
summaries.
• See a comprehensive picture of creditchallenged or out-of-area consumers
with an optional merged report.
• Rest easy with free consumer dispute
resolution service.
2009 Financial Statements
2009 manufacturer financial statements
will be automatically uploaded to
supported POWER DMS systems in
January. Financial statement instruction
CDs will be mailed in mid-January.To
change which statements you receive,
fill out the Financial Statement Request
Form at https://support.reyrey.
com or contact your POWER Software
Consultant for assistance. If you have
customized financial statements, please
provide advance notice to POWER
Software Support to have changes made to
your 2009 statement.
Volume 1 2009 | U.S.A.
Learn from Dealers
at NADA
Today’s market is challenging. No one is
better equipped to help you overcome the
challenges than dealers who are doing it
every day in their own dealerships.We’ve
invited some stand-out dealers to share
with you how they are making business
better. Presented live at our NADA booth,
this unique series will feature dealer-led
workshops on timely topics like building
service profitability,Web marketing,
customer service and retention, and
improving operational efficiencies. I
encourage you to visit www.reyrey.com
for a schedule of topics and speakers. And,
check back beginning January 23rd to see
videos of each presentation, so you can
catch the ones you missed live, or share
them with others in your dealership.
In addition to our workshops at NADA,
we will showcase our latest solutions and
enhancements. See what’s new at Reynolds
and talk to our experts about our improved
Service Pricing Guide system included in
your POWER 25.00 release, and Search
Engine Ad Management, an exciting new
solution from Reynolds Web Solutions.
Reynolds will be centrally located at this
year’s convention in booth #4641.We
look forward to seeing you.
Trey Hiers
Vice President, Corporate Marketing
Reynolds and Reynolds
For more information about Reynolds’ NADA
Booth visit www.reyrey.com.
Upcoming Events
• AFSA Vehicle Finance
Conference
January 21-23, 2009
Sheraton New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
• Sunoco Business Meeting
& Expo
February 9-11, 2009
Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel
Orlando, FL
• NADA Convention and Expo
January 24-27, 2009
New Orleans Morial
Convention Center
New Orleans, LA
• DAADA (Dayton Area Auto
Dealers Assoc.) Winter Meeting
February 11, 2009
Dayton, OH
• Harley-Davidson Winter
Dealer Meeting
January 26-27, 2009
Gaylord National Resort &
Convention Center
National Harbor, MD
• Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance
Convention
March 4-8, 2009
Gaylord Opry Hotel
Nashville,TN
Stay Connected
Ramsay Gillman
Chairman of the Board and Owner
Gillman Auto Group
Houston,Texas
We all know running a successful
dealership is a very difficult task.
From selling to servicing, financing to
customer retention, my job is to bring
all the components together to grow
profit. I value any tool that gives me an
edge in making the entire process easier
and more efficient. Over my many years
as a dealer, I’ve learned that one of our
most basic tools is also one of the most
valuable. My dealership couldn’t do what
we do without the integration of our
phone system with our DMS.
Beyond just receiving calls and setting
appointments, our phone integration
software helps us:
• Stay in close, continual contact with
customers.
• Keep my staff accountable.
• Control costs.
Phone calls are probably the easiest
way to keep customer relationships
strong. Whether those calls are to
prospective buyers, recent buyers, or
service customers, it’s imperative to
maintain strong lines of communication.
A continual dialogue shows that we
are serious about taking care of them,
which leads to increased customer
satisfaction, greater retention rates,
and more business. Our integrated
telephone system is the perfect tool for
that purpose.
Attaching incentives to phone activities
helps boost utilization among employees.
We implement “the 72 hour rule” at our
dealership. If a salesperson has been in
telephone contact with a customer 72
hours prior to a sale, credit is awarded to
that salesperson. Not only does this help
make sure everyone gets credit for a job
well done, but it is a powerful incentive
tool for my entire sales team.
My telephone control system also
helps me maintain accountability. By
monitoring the calls made by each
salesperson, we can ensure we’re doing
what we need to do for consistent
customer contact. It’s a great way to keep
the sales team focused on maintaining
the strong customer relationships we
work so hard to develop. Relying on the
phone integration software makes it easy
to be sure everyone is doing the right
thing when it comes to follow-up and
customer service.
While a telephone system can be a
powerful tool for maintaining customer
relationships, it can also prove to be
costly if left unchecked. We monitor how
the phones are being used, who is calling
whom, and if any abuse is happening on
our lines. As a result, we save money
on unnecessary long distance and
unproductive employee time.
I can’t imagine how much more difficult
it would be to operate my dealership
without the command over my telephone
system. Establishing strong customer
relationships, maintaining accountability,
and controlling cost is all part of what
I do to strengthen my dealership. With
tools that are seamlessly integrated into
my dealership management system and
Reynolds as my technology and business
partner, I’ve been able to do just that.
Since 1938,The Gillman Companies
have been a chain of family-owned and
operated automobile dealerships based in
Houston,Texas. Gillman currently operates
18 dealerships across Texas, representing 9
franchises.
Gillman Honda uses POWER’s Telephone
Cost Control application to help make
business better.
Putting the Web
to Work
The New Reynolds
Web Solutions
Do you know where your customers are?
You may be spending the most money on
advertising methods that reach the fewest
customers. Consider this:
• 1 out of 10 customers use the
radio and/or television before they
buy a vehicle, yet radio/television
advertising makes up 37% of the
average dealer’s budget.
• 2 out of 10 customers use a
newspaper before they buy, but
newspaper advertising is 33% of the
average dealer’s budget.
• 9 out of 10 customers use the
Internet before purchasing, and just
10% of the average dealer’s budget is
allocated to Internet marketing.
Your customers are on the Internet, doing
vehicle research, planning their next
purchase, and sizing up the competition.
Do your customers think of you first
when they’re looking for vehicles online?
With the new Reynolds Web Solutions,
we’re giving you the tools and
information you need to be first – first in
brand experience, first in convenience,
and first in the minds of your customers.
We help you easily reach your customers
where they are, through Web sites that
are easy to navigate, full of the right
information, and accurately reflect your
unique brand.
interactive experience. It’s all designed
to keep visitors on your site longer,
because the longer they stay, the more
leads you get.
In fact, dealerships have experienced a
41% increase in lead submissions after
switching to Reynolds Web Solutions
from another site provider.
Reynolds Web Solutions is unlike anything
you’ve seen before with new strategies
for your Web business, new site design
options, and incredible new products.
Visit www.reynoldswebsolutions.
com and see what we can do to set you
apart. It’s time to be first.
Today’s car buyers are not only going first
to the Web, but primarily looking for two
things once they get there – inventory
and specials. So our site design makes
sure they can find what they want quickly
and easily. And vehicle test drive videos
engage them in a whole new kind of
What’s New from Reynolds Web Solutions:
Search Engine Ad Management
Use the power of paid search to produce more leads, higher conversion rates, and an increase in interested
site traffic. The secret is Reynolds’ blend of the most sophisticated technology available and extensively trained
Search Ad Specialists. This combination puts your information in the right place, at the right time with complete
transparency, so you always know where your dollars are being spent.
Consumer Interactive Themes
Give consumers a completely unique experience and stay a step above the competition. Consumer Interactive
themes make it possible for consumers to customize your Web site to their preferences, easily creating a site that is
personal, functional, and extremely memorable.
Drive for POWER Customers | Volume 1 2009 | U.S.A.
for dealers to take the next step in realizing
the goal of true CRM, by implementing
Customer Lifecycle Marketing programs.
Why? Because as we all know, it’s more
cost-effective to market to a current
customer than to prospect for a new one.
Brockman
On the Record
Marketing is one of the biggest
opportunities you have to differentiate
your brand, to create loyal customers,
and to “economy-proof ” your business. In
a relatively short time, successful dealers
have made the leap from traditional
advertising (TV, radio, and newspaper),
to leveraging the Internet as a source of
leads, to adopting customer relationship
management (CRM) tools.
Especially now, when consumers are more
conservative with their spending, it’s time
You can start a relationship at any point
of sale in your dealership – in your
sales, service or parts departments. But
to take care of that relationship – to
capture the full lifetime profit potential
of that customer – you need continuous,
targeted communications.You need
to repeatedly market through the full
customer lifecycle – from the customer’s
first purchase through your maturing
relationship with them that keeps them
dealership-brand loyal.
The concept is much simpler than
managing an effective program. Once
you establish your strategy, you need
technology, processes, creativity, and the
right people managing the programs to
be successful. Start with leveraging the
customer data within your DMS, then
adopt the technology and processes to
sustain your continuous Marketing efforts.
When you consider how broad your CRM
strategy can be, effective management can
be simplified when your applications are
integrated.
I’m very passionate about the
opportunities dealers have to integrate
Web Marketing (including Search Engine
Marketing and Optimization), lead and
contact management, call management,
in-store (point-of-sale) marketing, direct
marketing (online, e-mail, print, and
voice), event marketing, sales and service
follow-up, and traditional advertising.
We plan to talk about what we call
Managed Marketing Solutions at NADA
this year, throughout the upcoming year,
and beyond. I hope Customer Lifecycle
Marketing can help your business, and look
forward to sharing more with you.
Bob Brockman
Chairman/CEO
Reynolds and Reynolds
Learn More!
POWER Session of the Month
January’s Session of the Month will
focus on POWER Accounts Receivable.
This month’s class is designed for office
managers and other personnel involved
with accounting. Topics will include:
• Management Accounting system
overview and integration.
• Two-open-posting-months feature.
• Management Accounting drop.
• Accounts Receivable detail.
• Accounts Receivable credit history.
• Accounts Receivable past due.
• Accounts Receivable end-of-month
statements.
January’s class will be held on the 13th at
2:30 CST. More information is available
at https://support.reyrey.com
under “Training.” To be notified directly
of upcoming Session of the Month topics,
send an e-mail to [email protected].
Upcoming Dealer
Overview Classes
POWER Dealer Overview helps you lead
your dealership to greater success. Learn
how to get the best return on your DMS
investment using reports, controls, and
Software Education
Courses
other system features to increase sales,
control costs, and grow a loyal customer
base. Dealer Overview is limited to
dealers and dealership general managers.
Number
of Days
Course
Code
Dealer Overview – Houston
2
DLR
Dealer Overview – Dayton
2
DLRRU
Classroom Training
February
March
16-17
26-27
For more information on how you can learn more about our solutions or how to use
them, e-mail us at [email protected].
Increasing
Service Revenue
New Issue
Paper Available
How much of your dealership profit
comes from your service department?
With vehicle sales lagging and an
increase in independent shops opening,
more and more focus is being placed
on Fixed Operations. Find out how to
achieve profit growth through Fixed
Operations by reading our issue paper,
“Profitable Service. World-Class Service
Advisors: New Drivers of Profitability,”
by Jon Strawsburg, Reynolds’ Vice
President for Product Planning, on
www.reyrey.com/IssuePapers.
Here’s a sneak peek:
“Vehicle sales are down across the
country. And as the price of gas
continues to rise, consumers are
driving less and looking for smaller,
more gas efficient vehicles.
Consequently, many dealers are looking
at Fixed Operations to maintain overall
profitability, and to be an integral part
of their growth strategy.
Your Service Department can generate
as much profit as your vehicle sales
staff. Since Service Advisors are
responsible for selling the technicians’
time, they have a strong impact on
your bottom line and on customer
loyalty. Think about it. When a
customer comes in for service, the
Service Advisor is the face of your
dealership. The customer’s service
experience – from how much they
spend to how likely they are to return
– is largely in the Advisor’s hands.
Service Advisors play a critical role in
your Service Department’s profitability.”
For more on how to increase service revenue,
visit www.reyrey.com/IssuePapers.
NADA 2009
Visit us at
Booth #4641
New Orleans
January 24-27
Your Reservation is Confirmed.
© 2009 The Reynolds and Reynolds Company. All rights reserved.
Printed in U.S.A. 1135461 1/09