Dozens of rooftops. Over 50 franchises. Thousands of customers. And millions of data points.
As one of the biggest family-owned dealership groups in the nation and the biggest in Michigan, LaFontaine Automotive Group knew that messy data at one location can easily turn into chaos at several.
Before unifying its data, LaFontaine was dealing with the same issues most groups are used to accepting as unavoidable:
Our
recent case study looked at how LaFontaine put their data into action using Curator, the automotive industry’s first Unified Intelligence Engine.
First-party data is one of your biggest assets, but to truly take advantage of it, you need to clean, enrich, and unify it. Here are three of the biggest takeaways from LaFontaine’s story.
1. Dirty data is Expensive
Bad data doesn’t just slow you down, it can also cost you lots of money.
When your customer records are duplicated, incomplete, and disconnected, everything else suffers:
-
Your marketing misses the target
-
Your sales conversations are ineffective
-
Your reporting can’t be trusted
Curator helped LaFontaine create countless opportunities by enriching the data.
-
30% of vehicle records updated
-
35% of phone numbers corrected
-
39% of addresses standardized
-
Over 5% of client records safely deleted after consolidation
With clean data, your team can trust the data they’re working with. No more wasting money marketing to the wrong customers, and no more time wasting time trying to verify information across multiple systems.
“Dirty data at one store becomes chaos across dozens. Everything is wasted if you have bad info.” -Carlito Mojica, Retail Development Senior Manager, LaFontaine Automotive Group.
2. Unified Data Means Actionable Data
What stands out with Curator isn’t just the Unified Customer Profile, giving you a complete 360 degree view of your shoppers...
It’s that it lives directly inside the CRM, the place where your staff is already comfortable working in. No new tools or extra steps, it’s all injected directly into their workflow.
Immediate access to:
-
Customer browsing history on the dealership website
-
Every communication and service visit
-
Summaries and templates generated in real-time to meet them where they are
Picture this: your salesperson has a phone call scheduled. In the moments leading up to the call, they have all the relevant details at their fingertips, a personalized talk track should they need it, and everything is easily accessible from the customer record they were going to open anyways.
When you take out the guess-work, you’re empowering your team, and in return, you’re getting:
“We’ve been able to utilize data and create audience market to those people. The biggest benefit that I see with this is we’re able to actually track the customer journey.” - Stephanie Skinner, Corporate Marketing Director, LaFontaine Automotive Group
3. Prioritize Retention
This might be the most important takeaway, and one that is often overlooked.
LaFontaine looked at the numbers, and knew exactly where to shift their focus. First-party data is more valuable than anything you can buy, and if you prioritize building a lasting relationship with your customers, retention and reactivation is your most profitable path to success.
The goal? Cut ad spend by 20%. Curator’s marketing campaigns and audience builder helps make that possible by:
-
Activating existing customers
-
Automating retention campaigns
-
Re-engaging dormant buyers
“We’re activating our first-party data instead of buying third-party audiences. When you get a repeat customer, you get better referrals, better gross, and a better reputation.” - Carlito Mojica, Retail Development Senior Manager, LaFontaine Automotive Group.
Final Thoughts
LaFontaine Automotive Group’s story is a preview of where the industry is going.
The gap isn’t between dealers who have data and those who don’t, it’s about how well dealers can put their data in action. Smarter campaigns, more personalized interactions, and keeping your most valuable customers loyal.
Most dealerships already have the data, they just need a tool like Curator that can help them finally use that data.