CMC Motorcycles operates six motorcycle dealerships across the Midlands and South Wales, retailing new Yamaha motorcycles and a wide range of used motorcycles from all brands.

The challenge

CMC Motorcycles has enjoyed sustained growth in recent years, enjoying record sales of new and used bikes in 2016. However, the group relied on outdated paper-based sales process – as volumes grew, so too did the level of paperwork required.

Liam Johnson, Group Sales and Finance Manager for CMC, explains how this manual system was holding the sales function back: “When we got an offer out to a customer, we had no dedicated follow-up procedure, so our sales teams were losing leads unless they spent a great deal of time maintaining a manual log of sales opportunities. Our existing sales process meant we had to handwrite all customer details on enquiry capture forms, order forms and invoices. We were also formulating finance offers and proposals on a spreadsheet, which was a totally inefficient way of working.”

The solution

Central to CMC’s strategy to modernise its sales processes has been the adoption of a best-of-breed sales and lead management system. In April 2015, CMC Motorcycles started working with Dealerweb, provider of the UK’s market-leading showroom management system, to automate and improve the efficiency of the group’s new and used motorcycle sales operations.

Using the cloud-based Dealerweb Showroom system, CMC has been able to roll-out a highly-effective standardised sales process across each of its six sites, enabling more efficient data capture, a more robust prospect follow-up system and tighter cash flow and stock management.

Dealerweb Showroom is a flexible sales tool, with an ‘open architecture’ that permits integration with a range of systems and online platforms – including finance software, marketing tools, dealer and manufacturer websites and FCA compliance solutions. CMC Motorcycles initially sought a software solution for its head office in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, but immediately decided to roll out Dealerweb Showroom across the group.

CMC’s tailored solution from Dealerweb has enabled the group to establish a more efficient process for managing customers throughout their journey to purchase a bike.

Johnson explains: “Dealerweb has been key to modernising the way we interact with customers, automating enquiry management and maximising the efficiency of our sales process across all of our sites. We now capture all customer details electronically, and have full visibility on enquiry traffic into each of our businesses. The system makes it far simpler to manage the offers we make to customers on a new or used bike and finance packages, and rework an offer more quickly if a customer needs it changed.”

The Dealerweb system has also enabled the introduction of bespoke reporting function for management teams. Johnson believes these aren’t just important for monitoring enquiry and sales levels, but also improving the way the business is run as a whole. “The automated daily reporting function operates in the background and gives management teams an immediate insight into the performance of individual dealers or sales staff, or details on stock and finance products.

“Every morning, each dealership holds a meeting, which used to be a general ‘gee-up’ for sales teams – now it’s more process-driven, and dealers run through a list of actions each day. Dealerweb provides a schedule of deliveries and appointments happening that day, details on outstanding prospects for sales staff to contact, and the status on finance offers to customers. Each dealership now works to a clear set of priorities every day of the week.”

One example of the way in which the system’s reporting function has helped is managing enquiries. Prior to the introduction of an automated showroom management system, the group had more than 500 overdue prospects with whom to follow-up. CMC’s more robust follow-up procedures now means sales staff across the group have just five-to-10 overdue prospects to contact each day, freeing up time for other tasks.

CMC’s tailored software package includes a marketing module, which enables the group to target specific customers with new marketing campaigns based on electronic data captured on each customer.

CMC also credits Dealerweb with improving stock rotation and cash flow. Johnson says: “We can have up to half a million pounds’ worth of stock on deposit at any given time, which can cut our cash flow during particularly busy periods. Dealerweb created an order delivery reporting system for us, which shows us order and delivery dates on each bike, and how many days there are between deposit and delivery. We can now firm-up delivery dates more quickly, so our customers are happier and more confident in the service we’re offering them.”

Johnson adds: “The system also gives us an overview of the bikes we have available across the group, so we know exactly what new and used bikes we have in stock. We are able to cycle through our stock much more efficiently, and revisit prices on bikes that we have already offered to a customer. We can then go back to a prospect with a more compelling offer, ultimately helping us turn over stock more quickly.”

The outcome

In 2015, the year in which CMC Motorcycles chose to install Dealerweb Showroom, the group sold 3,335 bikes, new and used. Having become accustomed to using its new automated, cloud-based showroom management system, and adding one new site, the group sold a record 5,200 bikes in 2016. Accounting for the additional volumes sold by the new dealership, 2016 saw each of group’s six sites sell around 200 more bikes than the previous year – almost four a week.

“2016 saw us sell more bikes per site than ever before, and this is thanks in large part to the benefits of automated enquiry and sales management,” comments Liam Johnson. “The UK motorcycle market is particularly buoyant right now, which has helped every one of our sites, but with more efficient management of the whole sales process, and improved stock rotation, CMC is in a particularly strong position right now. Dealerweb is categorically a part of that success.”