YIPPEEE

The best news today was regarding SFE Training Requirements for 2009.
Divisional Chevrolet dealerships will no longer have to complete Chevy Truck Specialists!
Divisional BPG dealerships will no longer have to complete Retail Professionals!
Woo-hoo!
Stay tuned for more news and ideas...

Day 3

All the divisions (Chevrolet, Cadillac, BPG, Saturn, Hummer, Saab) spoke today and the clear focus from now through 2009 is in two areas: Digital Selling and Customer Retention.

Here's the background rationale:

Digital Selling

· 2007 national average response time was 52 hours, now we are under 12 hours

· 95/5 – 95% of leads responded to within 5 hours or less

· Close rate improved as response time reduced; stall in closing rate indicates need to improve on quality of response

· Customers don't need information, they need a counselor to help make a buy decision

Customer Retention

· Think DEALERSHIP retention

· Retention is a by-product of creating great customer experiences

· More service visits = more re-purchase

· Higher satisfaction = higher profit on repurchase

· Service customers are 12 times more likely to come back for customer pay

· Service customers are 3 times more likely to repurchase the same make vehicle

· Right now we retain 3 of 10 customers; 1 more of 10 would mean 360,000 more vehicle sales and $150,000 per dealer in profits

SSS Question 7: Reasons to Keep the Customer Informed

badger

Day 2 from Big D

The July dealer survey was compared to the results from the survey conducted in 2006. You were surveyed on the components of SFE in regard to your Satisfaction of the components, the Value they provide, and the Importance to your business. Additionally, you were asked to rate the components on their Impact on your Business and the Likelihood of you Recommending SFE to a non-SFE dealer (who is not a direct competitor).

Your Facilitator, the Bonus, and Research are consistently on top. 76% - 83% (differences by division) of you would recommend SFE to another dealer because of its increase in your customers' satisfaction, increase in employee awareness, improvement in employee capabilities (training), increase in sales, and business efficiencies.

The 5525 SFE dealers outperform all other GM dealers in:

· PDS/SSS scores

· Retail sales index

· Return on assets (not including SFE performance bonus)

· % customers "extremely likely to recommend" sales & service

Performance of SFE dealers in 2008 YTD:

Deliveries	-14.9%
Earned bonus Q2	25%
Earned back enrollment fee	65% - Chevrolet 83% - BPG
CSI increase (SFE vs. non-SFE)	12 – 13 points for all divisions

Data, data, data… you know I love the data. What surfaces with all of this is after all the point though, and that is what GM knows, which is that SFE is a vital component in the business strategy. SFE works to build your business and not only to survive, but to be stronger and better individual businesses.

Dallas Day One

I am at the national SFE Facilitator Learning Event this week. Try to picture a hotel swarming with me times 350... yes, it's a glorious site. It's as much fun as you imagine the political conventions were last month for the R and D delegates. The bourbon and smoke-filled rooms are only in your imagination, at least the smoke-filled rooms are. Anyway, there's business housekeeping and expectation setting and chest-beating and PowerPoint-gone mad, but for you I'm delighted to edit out the "noise"... here is a peak at SFE 2009.
What's the SAME:

• Sales Objective - Excellence is one better than prior year
  
• 2nd chance for bonus using Region Index continues
  
• Bonus categories/Payout amounts
• Year End Sweep at 100%
  
• CSI: Top Box or Index
• Enrollment Fee

What's DIFFERENT:

• 035 deliveries will be posted without delay just like all others
  
• Certified Internet Manager will be a required training component (4-part course each quarter)
• Preferred Loyalty Program free for all SFE dealers for 12 months