Here’s a great post I came across, by Marc Mcgurren that I thought I should share:
A little over two years ago I wrote an article entitled, “The CRM Evolution is Coming…” highlighting how many of the CRM’s out there are still stuck in the technology of yesteryear, and if they do no evolve, they will in fact be the automotive equivalent of Blockbuster, Radio Shack, Sears, and Toys ‘R Us.
They will think back in the years to come on why they didn’t pivot, innovate, and keep up with the demands of their customers. They will wonder why they rested on their laurels, why they did not spend the money to update their once great technology, and why they chose to be satisfied with their monthly revenue and customer retention.
The CRM Evolution did not come as fast I once thought, but trust me, it is still coming. In my article I highlighted three CRM companies that I thought would shake up the industry, Drive360 CRM out of Texas, Avendas by NCC, and DriveCentric out of Indianapolis.
At this moment in time, there is only one of those CRM’s still standing, DriveCentric, and they are picking off the big guys one dealership at a time with their current suite of products. Creating a CRM, building a business, and then having the capital and patience to do what they are doing is not for the faint of heart.
That is why I am still extremely excited to see where Drive will be in next few years. Not only am I excited about what I am seeing with DriveCentric, I am just as excited to see how Dominion’s Vision CRM will shake out into the market. I have had first hand experience at looking and seeing both of these CRM’s out in the market, and I will be honest, not one other single CRM holds a candle to what these two CRM’s can do in functionality, speed, UI, customization, reporting, and list goes on.
Yes, some of the legacy CRM’s have tweaked and updated what they can do, but they are still built on technology and coding from 10 years ago or more. Think about that, do you want to be using the original iPhone (which was changed the way we literally live, as many of these CRM’s changed how we follow up with customers), or do you want the brand new iPhone XS Max that is bigger, faster, stronger, and better in every way? I know my answer.
For me, I loved my original iPhone, but I would never want to go back to it. I appreciated the technology it put in my hands 10 years ago, but in today’s age, I want the speed along with the latest features and technology that is available today.
The same could be said the companies I mentioned above. Blockbuster, Radio Shack, Sears, and Toys ‘R Us were my once go to places for my Friday night video rental, anything electronics, my one stop shop department store, and the best place to buy toys and games. But guess what, none of those companies adapted, innovated, and kept up with what their respective industry demanded from them. They were disrupted, yet, they still chose to not adapt.
I hope nothing but the best of any company in my beloved industry, but I am afraid if they do not keep up with what DriveCentric and Dominion’s Vision are doing, they will be saying farewell, just at Geoffrey the Giraffe did just a few short months ago.
Sorry to see you go Geoffery…
