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Are you doing everything you can to turn internet leads into sales?
How exactly are you supposed to respond to internet car leads? If your business is like most, there are several different lead response best practices you could be using to help generate more revenue. The good news? Some of this stuff is simple low-hanging fruit, ready for you to pick.
For example, did you know if you respond to a lead within an hour, you’re 7-times more likely to connect with that person – that’s 60-times more likely than the competition that’s waiting 24 hours. Responding to a customer right away is just one of the best practice tips for beating out your competition.
Top 10 Lead Response Best Practices:
1. Respond quickly and professionally. You’re on the clock!
Studies show internet shoppers who receive a response within 10 minutes, are 3x’s more likely to visit the dealership. What this means is you need to contact your potential customers right away, which is when they are most interested in your product. Response times should be in minutes – not hours! Be sure to respond to every lead…don’t judge! Making assumptions may lead to handing the sale over to a competitor, and you don’t want that! The only time you should not respond to a lead is when you are absolutely 100% sure that the lead is not qualified. A professional response makes a huge difference.
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2. Give Your Customers Choices!
Did you know…
• 53% of auto dealers respond without a price or any vehicle information
• 21% of auto dealers respond with price and info on only one vehicle
• Only 3% of auto dealers respond with a multi-vehicle quote with prices
Here are a few ways to offer choices for your customers:
• Offer new & used options
• Offer multiple trim levels – good, better, best
• Often the initial vehicle quoted is not the vehicle ultimately purchased
• 42% of customers who inquire about a new vehicle buy a used one
3. Don’t Alienate Your Shoppers! Give them what they ask for.
• Analyze the lead and answer shoppers’ questions. If you use a standard response template, edit it to answer specific questions. Don’t forget to proofread!
• Most customers are asking for a price on the vehicle they are researching. Give them what they want.
• Give payment options – a majority of buyers are PAYMENT buyers!
• Read the comments so a customer knows you are “listening”…
4. Personalize Your Responses
Always include:
• Your dealership’s name, logos, and taglines
• Salesperson’s name and photo and direct phone number
• Link(s) to your website
• Video that’s under 60 seconds long
• A Strong call to action – tell them what to do next!
5. Target your competitor’s customers with geo-based pricing
• Don’t count a prospect out because they don’t live in your primary market area
• Use zip code and city based pricing to target your competition’s primary market area
• A prospect will travel for a better deal and work with someone they like and trust
6. Have an After-Hours Game Plan!
• Did you know that 30% to 40% of your leads come after hours?
• Make sure they are promptly and professionally handled
7. Have an Offline Game Plan!
Offer walk-in and call-in customers the same professional quotes that are available online. Have one approach!
8. Continue to Nurture Leads and Make it Simple for Them to Re-engage
• Have a long-tail follow-up plan at least 90 days – better if up to 6 months or beyond
• Ask relevant questions and offer useful data to re-engage prospects
• Use automation with your workflow so your team can focus on the phones
9. Track Your Progress
You can’t manage what you don’t measure! You need to track:
• The number of leads you receive
• The number of responses you send
• The number of customers who reactivate from follow-up
• Know your closing ratio for each lead source
• Know your cost for each lead provider. If you are not making money at 90 days & your sales velocity has not increased, it may be time to make a change.
10. Get Social Media Involved in Your Strategy
Facebook Ads + Lead Response = Higher Conversion
Ready to elevate your digital strategy to the next level? Fill out the form below or request a Mystery Shop to get started.
