Printable dealership worksheet

Dealership software demo scorecard

Dealership software demo scorecard: Run every provider through the same dealer-controlled workflows and record the evidence behind each score. It has 7 sections and 38 scored items to run against every provider. Start with the section on before the demo, then work down the list in order and write each answer on the sheet.

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Direct answer

What this worksheet is for

Run every provider through the same dealer-controlled workflows and record the evidence behind each score. It carries 7 sections: before the demo, during the demo, after the demo, what no product record can tell you, information to collect before scoring, five decisive tests, reading a comparison or alternatives page: totalling 38 scored items, printable or usable on screen, and it is meant to be run identically against every provider you are considering rather than filled in from memory after a demo. Its longest section, information to collect before scoring, carries 10 of them; the worksheet is a structure for recording evidence, not a certification.

Dealership software demo scorecard at a glance
Sections	7
Scored items	38
Format	Printable worksheet

Before the demo

□Provide the same dealership context and requirementsNotes:□Identify mandatory pass/fail gatesNotes:□Weight evaluation areas before presentationsNotes:□Send representative workflows and exception casesNotes:

During the demo

□Record native, configured, partner and roadmap capabilities separatelyNotes:□Require the presenter to complete each workflow liveNotes:□Capture source, destination and write-back for every integrationNotes:□Record unresolved questions and named follow-up ownerNotes:

After the demo

□Score only demonstrated or documented capabilityNotes:□Normalize commercial assumptionsNotes:□Resolve contradictions in writingNotes:□Re-score after references, security and contract reviewNotes:

What no product record can tell you

□Edition and modules: product-family names routinely cover materially different editions, so ask which edition, modules, quantities and usage limits appear on the order form, and what is excludedNotes:□Market and OEM eligibility: confirm the product is sold, supported and contracted in your country and state, and that it is eligible under every OEM program you operateNotes:□Integration behavior: ask for direction, data objects, refresh interval, the party that owns the connection, the party that supports it when it breaks, and the fee, for your DMS and version, in writingNotes:□Implementation and migration: establish who performs the work, what your team must supply, what the acceptance test is, how long a parallel period runs, and what happens if acceptance failsNotes:□Total cost across the term: price implementation, hardware, usage, media, data, integrations, the annual increase, the renewal mechanic and offboarding assistance across three yearsNotes:□Exit: agree the export format, the timing, the cost and the deletion proof before signatureNotes:

Information to collect before scoring

□Exact edition, modules and usage limitsNotes:□Three-year total cost and renewal increasesNotes:□Named OEM and system certificationsNotes:□Field-level integrations and write-backNotes:□Data export, retention and deletionNotes:□Implementation owners and milestonesNotes:□Role-based training and adoption planNotes:□Security controls and incident processNotes:□Support severity and response termsNotes:□Offboarding and transition assistanceNotes:

Five decisive tests

□Complete one real workflow end to end, including an exceptionNotes:□Trace one record through every integration in both directionsNotes:□Export a usable sample dataset and open it without the vendorNotes:□Force a support escalation and time the responseNotes:□Price implementation through termination, including renewal increasesNotes:

Reading a comparison or alternatives page

□A shared category means comparable purpose, not comparable capabilityNotes:□Ask which named lines are prerequisites and which are bundled today but priced separately at renewalNotes:□Where a market or segment differs between two records, ask each provider for a reference at your rooftop count and franchise mixNotes:□Where one company sits inside a larger group, ask what is bundled, what is licensed separately and how renewal is quoted across the groupNotes:□Where data moves between systems, get direction, objects, refresh interval, fee and support owner in writing from both sidesNotes:

Using it

How to use the dealership software demo scorecard

A demo is a performance, and the scorecard exists so you can compare performances. Print one copy per vendor and fill it in during the demo, not afterward.

After three demos memory favors the last presenter, and the scorecard corrects for that. Before the first one, write the three workflows that matter most to your store, such as a lead arriving after hours, a repair order from check-in to payment or a deal from desking to funding, and ask every vendor to run those exact scenarios with your sample data.

Score what you see, not what you hear. For each capability, mark whether it was shown live, shown on a recording, described aloud or promised for later, and write the difference down.

Note which parts are native to the product, which are configured for you, which come from a partner and which are on a roadmap, because that distinction decides who supports the feature when it breaks. Mark every point where the presenter changed the subject or said they would follow up.

Bring the people who will use the tool. A service advisor scores a scheduler differently from a general manager, and a controller notices things neither will.

Ask each person to score their own section and sign it. When the demos are done, add the scores, then read the notes, since a high score with a long list of promised follow-ups is weaker than a modest score with everything shown.

Keep the completed scorecards in the decision file so that a later dispute about what was promised has a record. Score it live.

Before the demo: 4 scored items
During the demo: 4 scored items
After the demo: 4 scored items
What no product record can tell you: 6 scored items
Information to collect before scoring: 10 scored items
Five decisive tests: 5 scored items
Reading a comparison or alternatives page: 5 scored items

How to run it

Getting a comparable result

A worksheet only works if every candidate meets the same one.

Running the Dealership software demo scorecard
Use the same worksheet for every candidate	Run all 7 sections against every provider: before the demo, during the demo, after the demo, what no product record can tell you, information to collect before scoring, five decisive tests and reading a comparison or alternatives page. Keep the order and the people in the room the same. A shortlist scored on different questions is not a comparison.
Score during, not after	38 items run from "provide the same dealership context and requirements" to "where data moves between systems, get direction, objects, refresh interval, fee and support owner in writing from both sides". Mark each one while the provider is still in front of you. Memory after three demos favors the most recent presenter.
Record the evidence, not the impression	Information to collect before scoring is the longest section, with 10 items. Against each one, write down what you were shown. Skip how it felt. "Demonstrated on our data" and "described verbally" are different findings.
Separate native, configured, partner and roadmap	For every capability, note which of those four it is. Demos blend them together. The difference decides who supports the feature when it breaks.
Bring the departments that will use it	Before the demo and Reading a comparison or alternatives page touch different people. Ask the ones who will live with each section to score it. A worksheet filled in only by management measures management's priorities.
Keep the completed copy	A finished copy of the dealership software demo scorecard records what was promised during selection. Reach for it when the result does not match the demo.

Use boundary

Operational diligence is all this worksheet organizes. No provider gets certified by it, and it replaces no dealer-specific legal, security, accounting, compliance or technical review.

Dealership software demo scorecard

What this worksheet is for

Before the demo

During the demo

After the demo

What no product record can tell you

Information to collect before scoring

Five decisive tests

Reading a comparison or alternatives page

How to use the dealership software demo scorecard

Getting a comparable result

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