How do I market my dealership if I sell collision parts online?
Your first step is to reach out to your local shops and let them know that your dealership is now selling parts online. You can do this many different (and effective) ways, such as via phone, letter, or distributing a flyer. Your online parts solution should provide you with the most effective way to reach your customers. If you use CollisionLink, you will be provided with marketing tools, along with stickers to add to your mailings. If you have your customers’ email addresses, why not send them an email?
How can I compete with a local large wholesaler?
Most dealers have at least a few shops that they regularly transact with, despite being close to a large wholesaler. As you know, customer service is the key to keeping business relationships. And if you choose a solution like CollisionLink, you receive pricing through Manufacturer-sponsored parts discount programs giving dealers the most out of every transaction.
Is it important to have Quantity On Hand (QOH) in real-time?
Of course it is! Any online solution should offer this — and be able to update frequently (and automatically). With CollisionLink it’s actually very easy. Just add DMS Connect for real-time inventory updates. Otherwise, inventory is updated twice daily and shops can contact you directly for a real-time quantity update.
How do I ensure I make a certain profit margin on non-OE parts?
Understanding where you make your profits is critical, and any solution you use should be able to give you that. For example, CollisionLink allows you to set up an “Upsell Part Markup Goal” that alerts you when a part’s profit margin is less than a specified amount so you can make necessary changes or opt not to sell that part at that price.
Collision margins are shrinking, why would I want to pay to sell parts online?
The obvious reason: increase your profits and sell more parts. The easiest way to do this is to sell more parts to the shops you are already working with, while gaining new customers along the way.
So how do you increase your profits? When a shop puts an estimate together, they are reviewing the cost of all types of parts (Manufacturer, aftermarket, recycled, etc.) and make purchase decisions based on this. With CollisionLink, shops submit the estimate to dealers, so dealers can see the entire request, offering the most opportunities to identify additional parts sales.
