Crestline Auto Group — Strategic Roadmap

Foundation

90–120 Days · Strategy · Systems · Process

Fix what's broken, activate what's already paid for, and build the data foundation that everything else depends on. No new tools until existing tools are working.

Initiative 01

Define and Document the Business Strategy

Facilitate a structured strategy session with the owner to define the customer segment, how-to-win logic, and inventory priorities for the Akron/Canton market. Output: a one-page strategy document that anchors every downstream decision — buying, pricing, marketing, and budget allocation.

Owner

Owner + PDL

Timing

Weeks 1–2

SPDR Systems

S D

Expected Outcome

Clear segment definition. Every major decision has an anchor. Buying criteria shift from instinct to strategy.

Initiative 02

Establish Recon SLA and Internal Handoff Process

Define and document a cycle-time target for the recon vendor based on vehicle segment and strategy. Assign GSM as internal owner. Create a formal handoff process from acquisition to vendor delivery. Set escalation triggers for repeated SLA misses. Track recon cycle time in IDMS from day one.

Owner

GSM + PDL

Timing

Weeks 2–4

SPDR Systems

P R

Expected Outcome

Three-year bottleneck has a system and an owner. Recon delays become manageable rather than chronic. Holding cost begins to decrease per unit.

Initiative 03

Configure IDMS Custom Reporting

Work with the Office Manager to configure IDMS reporting for the metrics that actually matter: days-to-sale by acquisition source and vehicle type, true GPU with holding cost factored in, recon cycle time against SLA target, and a weekly KPI summary for owner and GSM review. Retire Google Sheets workarounds as each report goes live.

Owner

Office Mgr + PDL

Timing

Weeks 3–6

SPDR Systems

D R

Expected Outcome

Owner and GSM have a weekly dashboard that answers the questions they've been digging through spreadsheets to find. Google Sheets retired as an operational tool.

Initiative 04

Activate IDMS CRM — Lead Capture and Pipeline

Activate the IDMS CRM module and configure it for Crestline's sales process. Set up lead sources (phone, web, walk-in, AutoTrader, Facebook). Train sales staff and Lead Coordinator on daily CRM use. Configure pipeline stages and assign ownership. Every lead captured from activation date forward — no exceptions.

Owner

Lead Coord. + PDL

Timing

Weeks 4–10

SPDR Systems

S P D

Expected Outcome

Every lead is captured and tracked. Sales funnel is visible for the first time. Lead Coordinator has a system to manage follow-up instead of relying on memory and Gmail.

Initiative 05

Configure Follow-Up and Post-Sale Workflows

Build automated follow-up sequences in IDMS CRM for unconverted leads — timed outreach at 24 hours, 72 hours, and 7 days. Configure post-sale workflow: satisfaction check at 7 days, review solicitation at 14 days (Google and Facebook), and re-engagement at 6 and 12 months. Establish NPS tracking process.

Owner

Lead Coord. + PDL

Timing

Weeks 8–12

SPDR Systems

P D R

Expected Outcome

No lead goes cold without a structured attempt. Post-sale experience is consistent. Review volume increases. Repeat buyer tracking begins accumulating data.

Initiative 06

Launch AI Thought Partner Pilot

Provide whole-org access to a frontier AI model (ChatGPT Teams or Claude — determined by owner preference and Google Workspace alignment). Deliver basic training on practical use cases relevant to each role. Run a 60-90 day pilot with no mandated use cases — adoption is organic. At the end of the pilot, collect documented use cases from users who found value. Use cases inform Phase 2 AI planning.

Owner

Owner sponsors
Lead Coord. manages

Timing

Weeks 6–16

SPDR Systems

S P R

Expected Outcome

At least 3 team members with documented use cases that save meaningful time or improve decision quality. Owner has used AI as a thought partner on at least one real strategic question.

Amplification

90–180 Days After Phase 1 Stabilizes · AI Layer · Buying Intelligence · Reporting

Phase 2 starts when Phase 1 is stable — not on a fixed calendar date. The data foundation built in Phase 1 makes Phase 2 possible. AI tools built on top of bad data produce bad outputs faster. The sequence is intentional.

Initiative 07

Build the AI Buying Filter

Using 60+ days of live days-to-sale data from Phase 1, build a simple scoring model that evaluates auction acquisition opportunities by projected turn-time and expected GPU by vehicle type and source. Output: a one-page decision rule the owner uses at auction to score opportunities against segment targets. Refined over time as data accumulates.

Owner

Owner + PDL

Timing

Phase 2 · Weeks 1–4

SPDR Systems

S D R

Expected Outcome

Buying decisions informed by turn-time and margin data rather than instinct and price availability. Capital flows toward fastest-turning, highest-margin segments.

Initiative 08

Deploy Lindy Voice Agent

Deploy Lindy to handle inbound calls — qualifying leads, answering inventory questions, and scheduling appointments. Configure outbound follow-up sequences for unconverted leads who haven't responded to CRM workflows. Integrate call records into IDMS CRM. Trigger: confirmed by Phase 1 pilot data that inbound call volume and lead follow-up are the right problems to address with AI — not assumed.

Owner

Lead Coord. + PDL

Timing

Phase 2 · Weeks 4–10

SPDR Systems

P R

Expected Outcome

Inbound leads answered consistently regardless of staff availability. Outbound follow-up throughput increases without additional headcount. Lead Coordinator capacity shifts to higher-value CRM management.

Initiative 09

Evaluate and Activate Looker Studio (If Needed)

Assess whether IDMS custom reporting is meeting the owner and GSM's analytical needs. If reporting gaps exist — particularly around cross-system views combining IDMS and NextGear data — activate Looker Studio connected to IDMS exports and NextGear reconciliation data via Google Sheets bridge. Free tool, low implementation overhead. Only activated if IDMS ceiling is reached.

Owner

Office Mgr + PDL

Timing

Phase 2 · If needed

SPDR Systems

D R

Expected Outcome

Strategic dashboard connecting inventory turn, holding cost, lead conversion, and marketing attribution in a single view. Owner makes resource allocation decisions from one screen.

What Success Looks Like Measured at the end of each phase

Phase 1 · Operations

Recon cycle time reduced by target %

SLA target set in Initiative 02 — measured against baseline established at engagement start.

Phase 1 · Sales

100% of leads captured in IDMS CRM

No lead enters and exits through memory or Gmail. Pipeline visible. Conversion rate tracked by source for the first time.

Phase 1 · AI

3+ documented AI use cases from the team

At least 3 team members identify use cases that save meaningful time or improve a decision. Owner uses AI on at least one real strategic question.

Phase 2 · Buying

Buying decisions scored against data

AI buying filter in use at auction. Capital allocation by vehicle segment is measurable and tied to turn-time and GPU performance.

Phase 2 · Reputation

Review volume and NPS trending up

Post-sale workflow driving consistent review solicitation. Google Business Profile and Facebook ratings growing. Repeat buyer rate tracked in IDMS.

Both Phases · Margin

True GPU visible and improving

Holding cost factored into margin reporting. Recon SLA and buying filter working together to reduce cost per unit and improve per-segment profitability.