Feature guide
Dealer CRM: managing customers and enquiries
A dealer CRM captures every enquiry, matches it to a vehicle, and keeps salespeople following up. Learn what a good CRM does for an independent dealership.
TL;DR
A dealer CRM is a customer relationship management system built for car sales. It captures enquiries from every channel, links them to the vehicle a buyer is interested in, and reminds the team to follow up until the deal is won or lost.
What a dealer CRM is
A dealer CRM is customer relationship management software built specifically for car sales. It captures every enquiry from every channel, keeps each conversation attached to the vehicle a buyer is interested in, and reminds the team to follow up until the deal is won or lost.
Why lead management wins deals
Independent dealers rarely lose enquiries because the car was wrong. They lose them because nobody replied fast enough, or because the second follow-up never happened.
- Speed to first response is the single biggest predictor of a sale.
- Most deals need three to five touches.
- Enquiries lost through the cracks are pure margin left on the table.
How Lotra's CRM works
Every enquiry that comes in — via AutoTrader, Facebook, your website or a phone call — lands in a shared inbox. Lotra links the enquiry to the vehicle mentioned, assigns it to a salesperson, and starts the follow-up clock.
The customer record shows every touchpoint, the vehicles they have viewed, any part-exchange details, and the current stage of the deal.
A simple follow-up playbook
- Reply within 15 minutes with the vehicle details and next-step options.
- If no response in 24 hours, send a short SMS with photos.
- Day 3: call the customer directly.
- Day 7: offer alternatives if the original car is unavailable.
- Day 30: re-engage with any new similar stock.
Frequently asked questions
What is a dealer CRM?
A dealer CRM is software that tracks every customer and enquiry a dealership handles, from first contact to sale, and links each conversation to the vehicles a buyer is interested in.
How is it different from a generic CRM?
A dealer CRM understands vehicles: it links enquiries to stock, tracks part-exchanges, and reports on lead-to-sale conversion by source, salesperson and vehicle type.
Where do enquiries come from?
Typical sources are AutoTrader, Facebook Marketplace, your own website, phone calls, and walk-ins. A good CRM captures them all in one inbox.
What does good follow-up look like?
Most sales close on the second, third or fourth contact. The CRM should schedule reminders automatically and log every call, text or email against the lead.
Can Lotra send messages to customers?
Yes — you can email or SMS from the customer record, and the message thread stays attached to that lead forever.
Related guides
What is a Dealership Management System (DMS)?
The foundational guide to DMS software, its core modules, and why independent dealers need one.
Switching from spreadsheets to a DMS
A step-by-step migration plan for dealers moving from Excel and Google Sheets to Lotra.
Vehicle inventory management for car dealers
How modern inventory management works — from auction purchase to sold, without spreadsheets.
See it inside Lotra
Lotra is the operating system for independent dealerships. Inventory, CRM, finance, listings and AI insights in one workspace.