Challenge
Casa Toyota had a mission: to find a complete online and in-store digital retail solution that would standardize the sales process across all its four dealerships. Previously, the dealer group had different digital retailing tools across its rooftops, leading to inconsistent sales processes and customer experiences.
Solution
Needing to unify its management and sales processes, Casa Toyota explored various options, ultimately leading them to Upstart Auto Retail — a connected platform offering online, in-store and desking capabilities.
The Casa Toyota leadership team evaluated various vendors in the market, and Upstart emerged as the clear frontrunner due to its end-to-end workflow — “Upstart can go from A to Z when customers want to purchase a vehicle,” said Martin Cabrera, Business Development Coordinator at Casa Toyota. Cabrera also emphasized that Upstart’s desking capabilities were more accurate and advanced than other options in the market.
Key decision makers included Cabrera, as well as Casa Toyota’s General Manager and VP, who shared that another benefit of Upstart was its ability to draw customers from a vast geographical range, spanning the 150 miles around the dealership. Additionally, Upstart’s seamless integration with Dealertrack and its CRM, VINsolutions, was a standout feature.
Results
200% increase in sales volume¹
45 mins to 1 hour saved¹
Down from 3-4 hours
Increase in quality leads and repeat customers
The training process for Casa Toyota on the Upstart Auto Retail platform was streamlined by its existing iPad infrastructure, which the sales team used to scan licenses, and simply required the team to download the Upstart application. From there, Casa Toyota’s dedicated Upstart Dealer Success Manager trained the team onsite in a matter of days.
We’re seeing more quality versus quantity with Upstart. Quantity wastes the salespeople’s time — now we’re getting leads that have a higher likelihood to sell,
Increase in sales volume
Since implementing Upstart, Casa Toyota has increased its amount of vehicles sold by over 200 percent. Previously, the group sold between 15-70 vehicles per month, and after implementing Upstart, the group was able to significantly improve its sales figures to 221 vehicles per month.
Brandon Burling, Sales Director at Casa Toyota, added that with Upstart’s in-store tool, sales representatives no longer have to go back and forth between the customer and the tower. This has contributed significantly to their increased close rate since customers feel the process is more transparent, leading them to accept offers faster.
Time saved due to quality leads
Cabrera attributes the improved sales volume to higher quality leads gained with Upstart’s online experience. With the sales team dedicating their attention to customers with a higher likelihood of making a purchase, Casa Toyota has been able to save an average of 45–60 minutes for its customers.
Burling added that prior to Upstart, deals could take three to four hours from beginning to end. With Upstart’s connected online and in-store experience, sales representatives can send deals to customers for review before they arrive at the dealership — that way, customers can simply come in to confirm the deal and move to finance.
Increase in repeat customers
The user-friendly nature of Casa Toyota’s online experience powered by Upstart also played a pivotal role in increasing the number of repeat customers for the dealership. With a significant portion of the customer base conducting transactions online, Cabrera credited this success to the smoother online workflow.
Looking ahead
Casa Toyota is eager to explore Upstart’s AI-powered financing capabilities. Upstart loans present a new opportunity for the dealership to present additional financing offers to customers, especially during periods when its other bank partners reach their funding limits.
In the meantime, by embracing Upstart’s online and in-store solutions, Casa Toyota has achieved significant improvements in sales volume and lead quality while establishing consistency in its sales process across its four rooftops.
1. Findings are based on information collected by Upstart between 3/1/23-7/28/23.
Source: https://www.acura.com/cars/tlx
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