If your dealership’s response time is slower than your competitors, you are losing sales.
New and used vehicle shoppers are more web and tech savvy than ever before. They want information about vehicle(s) of interest prior to making the decision to visit your showroom. Usually, the dealership that gets back to the consumer first, with the best information, has the best chance of turning that shopper into an appointment, which leads to a vehicle purchase.
Quick response time to every shopper with QUALITY INFORMATION is key to a dealership impressing potential customers. Quick response time without quality information is useless and counter-productive.
Keep in mind that the email lead is a consumer communicating with the dealership DIGITALLY, not TELEPHONICALLY, to start. Therefore, it’s advisable for the dealer to initially communicate back using the same method that the consumer did. Some dealerships’ response process dictates that the first contact should be a phone call if a number was provided. I feel that it’s better etiquette to email these folks back first, and then follow up that email with a phone call, rather than simply picking up the phone without first sending an email that sets up the call.
The best dealerships in the industry maintain an average response time of under 30 minutes, 24/7, consistently, every month.
- How long does it take your dealership’s Internet Sales team or BDC to email a customized new or used vehicle quote to a prospect?
- Consumers’ primary question, most often, is “what’s the lowest possible price you are willing to sell me the vehicle for?” But it’s far from the only question. Customers also have questions about trade-in values, finance rates and lease programs, credit, maintenance schedules and cost, gas mileage, and warranty info.
- Does the email you’re sending contain additional information, or a link to view this information?
- What happens if the customer does not like the price on the vehicle they received, or the quote wasn’t for the specific vehicle they were really looking for? Does your customized new or used vehicle quote you’re sending include alternate vehicle information? Giving customers choices keeps them engaged.
- Does your current new or used vehicle quote contain pictures of the vehicle and the alternate vehicles?
- Quality photos help dealers sell more cars online.
- Does your current new or used vehicle quote enable the prospect to add or change options real-time, updating the selling price as they do?
- Give the customer more of what they are looking for, and they will come back and tell their friends.
- Does your current new or used vehicle quote include technical specs and standard features?
- Just in case they want to know the horsepower or gas mileage, that info is helpful if it’s automatically included.
- Does your current new or used vehicle quote include a multitude of links back to your website and social media sites?
- People need to be led to the next step in the process.
