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| Despite what most customers say, the dealership and internet department that has a solid, consistent follow-up process is the one that converts the most leads into sales. People don’t like to get “bugged” but they tend to buy from the dealership that stays in contact with them. |
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| Most internet sales professionals instinctively shy away from constant follow-up. It is at that point that the process should take over. |
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| When a lead comes in, email and call immediately. First contact will give the internet representative much of the information they need to set up a follow-up schedule for their customers. Are they expecting a call later that day? An email with an invoice the next morning? A trade evaluation within an hour? Work with the customer’s schedule, be prompt, and fulfill all promises. If you say you can get them a list of 5 similar cars within the hour, get it done in 30 minutes. |
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| Most internet representatives handle these contact “hot leads” well. Where the ball gets dropped is on the emailed/left a message customers. Too often, an internet rep will send an email, leave a message on voice-mail, and wait. |
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| Dealerships vary in size and resources and need to handle their leads differently than others, but at a minimum a lead should be emailed and called daily for a solid week until contact is made. After the initial week, resources should determine how much follow-up is done. For the next 3 weeks, contact should alternate, email one day, calls the next. |
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| Email contact should continue 1-5 times a month through bulk mails and the occasional personalized email until the customer responds or opts out of the email. |
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| Most people buy within 72 hours of submitting a lead. Beyond that, the next breaking point is 3 weeks and then 3 months. Being diligent is the way to minimize the lost opportunities. Use Lead Management Software to help keep everything running smoothly and as automated as possible. |
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| If there are issues or concerns from the internet team regarding a persistent contact attitude, remind them that each lead actively requested information. They are not being harassed. On the contrary, anything short of regular and consistent contact attempts is poor customer service. |
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| One final note: everyone should have an alternate email address that they can use to contact customers. Bulk and spam filters make it difficult to know for sure if someone is receiving emails from certain servers. The first contact and one contact a week should be double sent from the primary and secondary email addresses. |
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