Why DealerSocket is Ideal for the Automotive Industry

 

DealerSocket is uniquely tailored to meet the needs of the automotive industry by offering solutions that emphasize retail over wholesale. This makes it ideal for dealerships that prioritize maximizing profit margins, focusing on personalized vehicle marketing, and optimizing inventory turnover without sacrificing profitability. DealerSocket’s suite of tools, like Inventory+ and TrueTarget, empower dealerships to make data-driven decisions, ensuring they remain competitive while maintaining value on each vehicle sold.

JT Curry, General Manager of Motors Northwest in Tacoma, Washington, is less concerned about the brand of his dealership software and more focused on the results those tools deliver for his team. Having used Inventory+ for years, JT once explored other options, only to quickly realize the value of DealerSocket’s platform.

“I cheated on DealerSocket and tried out a competitor because they had one feature that I thought was cool,” JT explained. “But we learned pretty quickly that the product was inferior to Inventory+. It just is.”

In the automotive world, sometimes you don’t know the value of a tool until you try something else. Fortunately, JT was able to return to Inventory+ and experience the difference again.

Retail vs. Wholesale

One major reason JT and Motors Northwest returned to Inventory+ was its ability to support the dealership’s retailing process, particularly when it came to describing and marketing their vehicles.

“We write a description for every one of our cars,” JT said. “We send our cars out to a reconditioning place to get photos taken and then write custom descriptions for every single car in inventory.”

The competitor’s tool didn’t allow Motors Northwest the flexibility to manage their inventory and market vehicles the way they wanted, leading to frustration.

“Maybe you have to lean one way or the other,” JT added, “but I would tell you the competitor’s solution leans into the wholesale side of things. Inventory+ leans toward the retail side—marketing and selling the car, which is what we need.”

Focus on Profit with TrueTarget

The biggest flaw JT found with the wholesale-oriented approach was that it prioritizes turning over inventory quickly at the expense of profitability.

“The competitor turns everything into a race to the bottom. All they want to do is tell you how to be the cheapest and sell fast,” JT said. “That’s not how we do business.”

To avoid this, Motors Northwest uses DealerSocket’s TrueTarget feature to make informed pricing decisions that protect their margins from the start.

“It’s crucial to know how I perform with a Ford Mustang, but also how the local market does with it,” JT explained. “TrueTarget helps me maximize profit on each car.”

Beyond appraisals, Motors Northwest even uses TrueTarget reports during negotiations with customers to reinforce the value of their vehicles.

“We do it all the time when we’re in the middle of a sale,” JT said. “We’ll print it out, hand it to the salesperson, and have them show the customer. It’s like Zillow for cars, and that helps.”

Inventory+ and Engine 6: A Seamless Integration

Another key piece in Motors Northwest’s retail strategy is pairing Inventory+ with DealerFire’s Engine 6 website platform. The integration ensures that all inventory changes are instantly reflected on their website, streamlining their digital showroom and enabling the team to focus on sales.

JT also takes advantage of DealerFire’s creative department for custom website events.

“They’re great at bringing events to life on our homepage,” JT noted. “I’ll sketch something, take a picture, and email it over. They make it happen.”

Friendly Advice to Fellow Dealers

“If you want a race to the bottom and want to sell your car super quick and super cheap, the competition can do that,” JT said. “They’re about giving up profit. Inventory+ is about holding profit. I want to build value in my cars, and that’s why I use the hell out of Inventory+.”