Inside a Dealership Software Company: A Monday in Detroit

• Mike Crothers spent a Monday in the Detroit area meeting with Shift Digital, several OEMs, and a big dealer group MOTO(acquire) works with.

• Russ joined the trip to present to the Shift Digital team on the importance of social media and to talk about MOTO(acquire).

• Mike says watching Russ present gets him excited about social, and that is what spurred him to start making these videos.

• For dealers, the takeaway is practical: MOTO(acquire) helps stores buy more cars at service, convert more website visitors, and send value tracking emails.

Most dealers only see their software vendors in two places: the demo and the support ticket. This is a look inside a dealership software company on a day that had nothing to do with either. Mike Crothers, CEO of MOTO(acquire), spent a Monday in the Detroit area meeting with Shift Digital, several OEMs, and a big dealer group MOTO(acquire) works with.

In Mike's words: "Not a typical Monday for us, but we're really happy to be here and talk with all these folks and show them what we're doing."

What does a day inside a dealership software company look like?

On this trip, the day was built around meetings. OEMs on one side, a large dealer group on the other, and the Shift Digital team in the middle. Each of those groups looks at used vehicle acquisition from a different angle, and the job is to show each of them how the product fits.

Russ came along to present to the Shift Digital people "on the importance of social media and lots of other cool things," and to talk about MOTO(acquire). Mike brought printouts explaining exactly what MOTO(acquire) is. His description of the stack of paper: "just gold on paper."

That is the unglamorous side of working at an automotive software startup. You get on a plane, you get in the room, and you put the product in front of the people who shape how dealers sell. Printouts and all.

Why a dealership software company keeps talking about social

Mike was direct about why Russ was on the trip: "He's an amazing presenter. Every time I watch him, I get excited about social." He went one step further and said watching Russ is "actually what spurred me into making these videos."

That says something about automotive SaaS team culture at MOTO(acquire). The CEO is filming videos from a hallway in Michigan because a teammate's presentation fired him up. Nobody scripted it. It is the same energy you want on a sales floor: one person gets excited, and it spreads.

For a dealer, the social point is practical. Your salespeople are already posting. The real question is whether those posts bring in buyers and sellers, and whether you can tell which person and which post the lead came from. That is the conversation Russ was there to have.

Where MOTO(acquire) fits in your store

Mike closed the video with a short, plain pitch. If you are a dealer who wants to buy more cars at service, convert more of your website visitors, or send value tracking emails, MOTO(acquire) is built for that. Here is how those pieces map to the products:

• Buy more cars at service: MOTO(drive) handles service drive acquisition using DMS data and automated texts, pushes VIN and miles to inventory tools, and alerts the sales team when a customer is ready. MOTO(drive) stores consistently buy about 1% of their repair orders without dedicated service acquisition hires.

• Convert more website visitors: MOTO(convert) is a website trade tool with instant valuations, firm offer requests, and monthly value tracking. It includes the free buying power tool.

• Send value tracking emails: MOTO(retain) sends past sales and service customers their vehicle's value every month. Those emails have a 36% open rate and 99.5% deliverability.

• Social: MOTO(social) gives each person posting on social their own link, with leads attributed in the CRM.

MOTO(acquire) integrates with all major DMS platforms and many others, including Tekion, Dealertrack, CDK, Reynolds, and Auto/Mate. If your DMS is not one MOTO(acquire) integrates with yet, the team will build the integration.

If you want to see what this looks like on your own website and service drive, book a demo of MOTO(acquire). And if you want more behind-the-scenes looks at the team, the travel, and the people building the product, browse more videos in Inside MOTO(acquire).