Automotive marketing consultant and former group marketing, database & CRM director at Cambria Automobiles Ian Godbold has joined forces with automotive platform provider Autofinity.
Working alongside Autofinity as an associate consultant, Godbold brings 12-months’ experience as an independent consultant working for franchised and independent dealers to accelerate sales and profits. Godbold launched transformation consultancy IGC Digital after 14 years at Cambria where he led the group’s digital and ecommerce development.
Godbold’s Velocity Used Car Strategy empowers retailers to maximise ROI on marketing and ad spend and boost the profitability of people and physical space at retail sites. By combining advanced digital strategies with operational functionality, such as reducing days in stock and understanding profit per square foot and per employee, dealers can optimise everything from marketing spend to dealership space to boost profitability.
To achieve the holy grail of a harmonious operational and marketing strategy, Godbold utilises sophisticated digital tools such as Velocity Plus which tracks advanced Vehicle Detail Page (VDP). In turn, VDP, adopted from the US car market, increases share of web shopper traffic by providing enhanced information for each used car. Other focuses include ensuring vehicles are priced to market and continually reviewing third party marketing channel performance.
Godbold said: “My focus is all about bridging the digital divide between operational and marketing teams so both work in synergy to achieve the best results – selling more cars. For many dealers, this can involve a cultural shift but when in place, everyone is pulling in the same direction which leads to higher levels of profitability.
“Such results are enhanced even further when dealers have the best systems in place to enable staff to work even more efficiently and effectively. Working with technology suppliers in this space such as Autofinity means I can help clients implement the best systems to enable them to maximise results.”
Andy Whitehair, Autofinity CEO, said: “Our companies have the same goal – to enable dealers to sell more vehicles and increase profits. Our platform provides the oversight, vehicle inventory management and vehicle data pooling needed for dealers to maximise their used car strategy. By creating one vehicle data source or a single view of the truth, integrating otherwise disconnected systems and then feeding online marketing channels, our ViHUB platform overcomes many of the challenges Ian is helping his dealer clients tackle.
“ViHUB manages the practicalities and oversight from sourcing a vehicle through to its eventual sale whilst ensuring marketing platforms receive accurate and continually updated information from ensuring vehicle imagery is in place to automatically uploading new vehicle prices to marketing sites simultaneously and, in many cases, instantaneously. PiHUB helps retailers boost accessory sales by integrating and enhancing accessory data with Ecommerce websites such as Shopify and marketplaces like eBay. This results in increased sales, site visits, dwell time and store size. Working with Ian means we can help his dealers accelerate his velocity sales strategy. It is a perfect partnership and we are looking forward to working together and enabling forward-thinking dealers realise a new competitive edge.”