GNYADA November 2015 Newsletter

DMV-DIRECT Celebrates 20 Years

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Developed in order to help dealers expedite registrations and titling quickly and efficiently, GNYADA’s DMV-DIRECT service recently cele- brated an important anniversary — twenty years of collaboration with the New York State DMV. Since its inception in 1995, DMV-DIRECT has grown to become the DMV’s largest private sector part- ner. “The goal was to improve dealer- ship functions, by combining dealer operations with state operations,” said Donna Mause, who served as DMV-DIRECT’s Director for its first seven years. “We built a great rapport with deal- ers, resolving issues and getting their work done quickly,” Mause contin- ued. “They no longer had their tem-

dealership’s name in the consumers’ newsfeed. (And consider building a presence on platforms that skew younger, like Tumblr or Instagram .) Feature millennials in your ads Not just as the children of customers, but as the customers themselves. This may seem like a low-priority prob- lem, but if all the models in your ads have salt-and-pepper hair, you’re increasing the risk of millennials ignoring them. An aspirational shot of a smiling young consumer in a stylish new car can go a long way. Maximize mobile technology The average millennial spends a whopping four hours a day on their smartphone, so assuring your ads are mobile-friendly is critical. You should also invest in mobile technol- porary registrations expiring because of the time lag that it sometimes took in Albany. We eliminated time and made the process simple.” The initiative between GNYADA and the Department of Motor Vehicles boasts a near-perfect error rate, allows dealers to provide customers with faster delivery of registration documents, and saves New York State the costs of performing this work at State DMV locations. “Twenty years is a tremendous mile- stone for a private/public venture such as this,” said GNYADA presi- dent Mark Schienberg. “The longevi- ty of the arrangement is reflective of our determination to monitor and evaluate every transaction and to give dealers impeccable service.

.01% error rate Serving over 250 GNYADA dealers Helps NYS dealers process transactions for Connecticut customers Saves dealers time, money and inconvenience

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ogy at your dealership. Mobile CRM software, which allows things like driver’s license and VIN scanning, streamlines the data process and makes transactions more efficient. These apps can even remind you about your customers’ birthdays, boosting the all-important personal touch. Consult millennials you have on staff This is a great, low-cost way to iden- tify barriers to millennial engagement with your dealership as well as possi- ble holes in your advertising plan. Simply ask them, “Would you shop here?” The ensuing conversation may reveal strategic moves you never thought of. DMV-DIRECT is a cost-savings to New York State, while allowing deal- ers to serve their customers better.” Based in the Association offices in Whitestone, Queens, DMV-DIRECT presently employs 12 full-time staff and collects more than $10 million in annual revenue for the state. Said Schienberg, “DMV-DIRECT is the perfect example of business and gov- ernment working together and achieving enormous successes.”

Appealing to Millennials: Four Key Tips

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If your current advertising strategy doesn’t include active outreach to millennials, you’re not just ignoring a key business driver — you could also be indirectly lowering your relevancy among the dominant car buyers of the future.

Here are some key steps for market- ing your dealership to millennials:

Have a strong social media strategy Not only is this essentially free advertising, it also reaches socially active customers wherever they hap- pen to be. Publish posts / tweets / updates daily. Talk about upcoming sales or events your dealership is involved in, link back to your web- site, and know that the more active you can be, the better. Keep your

Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association • www.gnyada.com

The Newsletter • November 2015

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