A CDJR Dealer Launches Service Drive Acquisition Today Along With the Rest of the Dealer Group

• A dealer group with a Chrysler store and Ford stores is launching service drive acquisition across all five stores on the same day.

• The group is excited because it can buy cars out of service without hiring a bunch of new people to do it.

• Dealers already have what they need: salespeople, sales managers, and service customers coming through the drive every day.

• Launch comes down to training the existing staff, turning on the DMS data flow, and letting service customers say they're interested in trading or selling.

• Stores that already have dedicated service acquisition people can use the same tool to help them mine the drive.

Every dealer knows the service drive is full of cars they would love to own. The real question is: how do you launch service drive acquisition at a dealership without building a whole new department to run it? Most stores assume the answer is hiring dedicated service buyers. Mike Crothers, CEO of MOTO(acquire), says it doesn't have to be.

In this video, Mike is heading into the office to personally launch a dealer group on MOTO(drive). It's a Chrysler store and a couple of Ford stores, five stores in total, all going live together. They had their settings call on Monday, and launch is today at 11 a.m.

Why this dealer group is excited: no new hires

Mike put it simply. They're excited because they're going to be able to buy cars out of service, and they don't have to go and hire a bunch of people to do it.

The group already has the staff it needs. They have salespeople. They have sales managers. And they have service customers coming through the drive every day. The missing piece was never headcount. It was a way to find out which of those service customers want to trade or sell.

That's the shift. Instead of staffing up a separate acquisition team, the store lets the service customer raise their hand, and the people already on the sales floor take it from there.

How do you launch service drive acquisition at a dealership?

Based on what Mike describes for this group, launch is not a long project. After a settings call to configure the stores, launch day comes down to a short list:

1. Train the staff. Get salespeople and sales managers trained up on how service leads come in and what to do with them.

2. Turn on the data flow. Connect the DMS so service customer data starts moving into the tool.

3. Let customers tell you. Service customers start telling the store, in Mike's words, "hey, I am interested in trading or selling my car."

For a dealer group, rolling out every store at once keeps things simple. Everyone gets trained together, and every rooftop starts working from the same process on the same day.

What about DMS data?

Service drive acquisition runs on data already sitting in your DMS. MOTO(acquire) integrates with all major DMS platforms and many others, including Tekion, Dealertrack, CDK, Reynolds, and Auto/Mate. If your DMS isn't one of those, we will build the integration.

Already have service acquisition people? It still fits

Not every store is starting from zero. Some dealers already have dedicated service acquisition staff working the drive. Mike was clear that this works for them too: "This tool was built for them to use and help them mine the drive as well."

So whether your plan is to buy cars from service with the existing staff you have, or to give your service buyers a better tool, the approach is the same. Use your DMS data to find the customers who are ready, then get the right person in front of them.

Where MOTO(drive) fits

MOTO(drive) is the MOTO(acquire) service drive acquisition tool. It uses DMS data and automated texts to reach service customers, pushes VIN and miles to your 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.

To see how another group approaches it, watch how a dealer group profits from service acquisition, or browse more videos on service drive acquisition.

If you want to buy cars out of service without hiring a bunch of extra people, Mike's offer is straightforward: shoot him a message or go to motoacquire.com and book some time. As he put it, "We'll be happy to help you."