Regarding dealer communications and follow up on email, many dealers do not follow up well at all. In addition, the majority of dealers say "bring it on" when we first meet to discuss websites and related Internet/traditional promotion with them. On the other side of the coin, we have a major success story with one dealer doing 3/4 of car sales through the Internet.
We've needed to throttle back the lead faucet many times until the dealer was truly ready to properly handle the email that a well built and promoted site could bring.
In one extreme case, we went from about 100 to 1200 leads per month in a one month period, thus overwhelming the dealerships involved despite their aggressive approach to handling Internet ups. Although this occurred several years ago, when lead management tools were scarce, the dealer felt they were ready to accept as much as the Internet could bring. Lesson learned.
Whatever software/process you buy into, just make sure you will have time to use it, and that it is simple to use as well. Training is also a HUGE part of this. Make sure that training is involved, and that there is some committment for ongoing support for the product/service you buy.
Good luck, and let me know if I can be of any help.
-Michael
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