Chasing leads can feel like an endless task where you search for any way to add opportunities that turn a potential customer into a sale. But, instead of buying more car leads, is it possible to turn your current methods of email and phone contacts into even more sales using the paths you’re comfortable with? Growing dealerships and veterans alike can benefit from prioritizing their existing customers in innovative, consumer-friendly ways.
We at Strolid have a saying that we live by when it comes to leads for car sales. If you want to grow your dealership:
You Don't Need More Leads — You Need To Close More of the Leads You Have
What do we mean by that? Theoretically, if you get dozens of leads per agent, there is a higher and higher chance that at least one of those opportunities ends on a sale, right?
From our experience, no. A longer list of names could allow for more conversions, but in most cases, it typically results in a lower overall sales rate. Meanwhile, customers who might have made a purchase could slip through the cracks. Why is that?
Too Many Channels
If your lead specialists are responsible for email, phone, text, and paid marketing, training them to message, track inboxes, and manage automation properly isn’t easy.
Overwhelmed Staff
Lead chasers with a lot of names on their list are incentivized to work faster, potentially not following up with everyone they can. It’s essential to follow up early, and that may not be possible if you prioritize gathering too many names.
Bookkeeping
With a focus on quantity of leads rather than quality, your staff needs to spend more time marking follow-ups and documenting their process. That can take time away from research or calls that could cement a purchase – especially since some leads can take hundreds of days to close.
PROVEN TRACK RECORD, EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS
Maximizing Conversions From Current Leads
It’s natural to want as many leads as you can find. But the upsides of taking it slow and chasing leads that are solidly within your grasp can pay dividends. For example:
Chance to Build Personal Connection
If not rushed, your lead-gathering staff members can go one-on-one with a potential customer and build a human connection, transferring that to a purchase much more easily than less customized responses
Faster Response
Times
With a shorter queue, your lead specialists can get in contact with new leads more quickly. Studies show that customers reached within five minutes are usually 21 times more likely to convert into new owners.
Persistent
Follow-Ups
Prioritizing quality leads can allow for not just one but several follow-ups. At times, it can be just one final text, call, or email away — something made much harder to achieve if the list is full of low-chance opportunities.
Lead Research
In some cases, it can be useful to take the time to browse through your opportunities and select the ones that are likely to take hold. Especially for newer agents, a focus on quality leads can be better for training and efficiency. For tips on how to get a more focused list, check out our guide on identifying when a lead is a lead.
There are even more benefits to be gained from taking the time and chasing leads that are worth your staff’s time. For instance, in most cases, pursuing quality leads can improve profits and lead to more positive word-of-mouth. Most customers list a personal touch as one of the best parts of a dealership experience.
How To Tighten Response Times and Inconsistent Outreach
As mentioned before, a lead is more than 21 times more likely to convert if contacted within five minutes. So, how can you achieve this rapid rate of response?
If you have dedicated agents handling leads, it becomes much easier to reach this threshold, resulting in bringing customers back into your doors and trying out your vehicles.
Gauge Best Methods of Outreach
Ask the customer what method of reaching them works best. Younger clients may prefer text over calls, making it more likely you get a response back. You should also clarify which number will be used to reach out, reducing the chance of being cast off as spam.
Engage With Multiple Social Media Channels:
Staying on top of your customer’s preferred methods of communication is critical in this day and age. Get your staff acquainted with Facebook Messenger, X, or any other required applications so they can deliver information to your leads as quickly as possible.
Closing Techniques:
Car Sales Over the Phone or Email
So, you’ve narrowed down your opportunities to the most high-value, most likely ones, and you’re looking to seal the deal. Here are a few tips you can share with your staff to help them wrap up a lead.
Whether it’s financial or about features, many car owners have valid concerns about their upcoming purchases. By emphasizing that you understand their worries and offering comprehensive solutions from the outset, you calm them down and support their decision to make a purchase.
Help Narrow Their Preferences:
Ask simple, pointed questions about what the customer expects. That way, you can showcase your extensive knowledge about their shopping experience. Maybe more importantly, you show that you’re on their side.
Keep an Eye Out for Specials
In a lot of cases, customers who don’t follow through on a deal want a better price point. If you think you have one of these leads, take notes and follow up if you find a match for them in the future. This shows that you’re mindful and solution-oriented.
Try to Lead Them Toward the Dealership
While phone and email messaging can be convenient, it’s more challenging to impress a client with the variety of comfort, safety, and dimension specs without the car in front of them. Guide them to your store through a test, tour, or budgeting appointment so you can continue the sale in person.
By taking these steps, you’re more likely to ease the lead into the range where they’re most likely to commit to a purchase: at your dealership. Seeing their body language in real-time can also help you go for the close or showcase a new vehicle to the prospective shopper.
Dealership Lead Management Best Practices
How can management help turn these theoretical benefits into reality? A well-organized backend can help you reach that critical response threshold through automated programs, while a hint of customization goes a long way to ensure your leads don’t feel like numbers in your system.
Times are changing, and dealerships can often find themselves stuck in the past with aging methods of documentation. Invest in updated data tracking systems, like CRMs, to keep your agents focused on the upcoming sale.
Keep Track of Follow-Ups
Establish a consistent schedule of messaging for your clientele. You don’t want to come across as spam, but you also don’t want the timing of your messages to feel inconsistent or robotic
Marketing-to-Sales-to-Marketing:
Once your lead goes to sales, it shouldn’t be leaving your backend. If the customer decides not to buy at your dealership, your data tracking system needs to take note so you can try to nurture that deal again.
Consult Ad Experts:
If you find yourself asking, Why aren’t my internet leads converting? be sure to keep good documentation of your social advertisements and analytics. Show them to a trusted professional to get the ball rolling.
How Strolid Helps in Closing Car Sales
This amount of extra work can seem stressful or overwhelming, which is where we come in. Strolid is an Auto BDC company designed to capture leads through phone, email, text, social media, and so much more. As an outsourced company, you won't need to worry about hiring and training dozens of lead experts.
Improved Closing Ratios
According to partners we've worked with over the last 20 years, we've improved closing ratios by an average of 31%.
Easy Integration
We work to seamlessly integrate our services with your dealer's operations and are here to give you insight on how to improve your strategies to suit your goals.
Customer Retention Services
Why settle for converting a lead once? Our outbound strategy reduces costs by 80% through maximizing customer retention.
Customer Retention Services
Why settle for converting a lead once? Our outbound strategy reduces costs by 80% through maximizing customer retention.
Improve Car Sales Lead Conversion With Strolid
Chasing leads can be beneficial, but only with the proper training, dedicated service, and updated infrastructure to make sure none of your quality leads slip through the cracks. With Strolid, you can guarantee a higher rate of return, alongside updated information – like the status of the new FCC lead generation ruling – that keeps your plans up to date.
Handling The HEAT Since 1987
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How does an automotive BDC comply with data privacy regulations?
Automotive BDC security providers like Strolid must comply with data privacy regulations and follow the FTC Safeguards Rule that protects customers, demands meticulous standards, and follows BDC compliance guidelines. Strolid also provides industry-leading sales and service BDC solutions that are AI-driven yet human-powered to ensure the most comprehensive protections. Our signature systems also integrate with your existing CMS for a seamless transition.
How is customer information protected by an automotive BDC?
Automotive BDC compliance guidelines and the FTC Safeguards Rule require stringent BDC data security best practices and BDC customer information protection procedures. Automotive BDC providers must have a well-defined incident response plan to address potential security breaches or incidents and implement strict access controls to ensure data protection for automotive communications. Learn more about how Strolid maintains automotive BDC data security with a free consultation today.
What should customers expect regarding their data security when interacting with an automotive BDC?
Customers should expect their automotive BDC security partner to follow all customer information protection best practices and compliance guidelines. BDC partners should also provide transparent service that allows you to see, read, and listen to customers and Strolid employees. Request information about data encryption protocols and regular security audits to make sure client data will be protected and that all regulatory compliance rules are followed, including the FTC Safeguards Rule