I was in the internet trenches for years and handled thousands of autobytel & truecar/zag leads. Autobytel would have a 3% to 5% closing average. TrueCar or Zag had 14% to 18%.
No Comparison.
No Comparison.
Feedback from dealers using TRUECar
- Thread starter Walt Kustra
- Start date
Dan, I got the same results from Autobytel. In Dallas, I was running nearly 20% without buying leads from any source including the manufacturers third party leads. It has been a couple of years and I'm sure it is more competitive but I refuse to pay those blood suckers $300/car.
- Dec 30, 2009
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- Yago
We all have a choice. I volunteered.
Not being able to chase hippy chicks may have been the best thing for you or there could have been dozens of little Dougs running around.
- Dec 30, 2009
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- Yago
So there is a correlation here:
Autobytel = cheaper leads = lower closing ratio
TC = expensive leads = higher closing ratio
As long as they require access to the store's DMS I would never have them in my store. Their model will always have a race to the bottom.
@ Yago, there was a lot more to it than Scott Painter's poor judgement. Read some out his articles before this all came down. This man has disdain for dealers. This PR move to "wag the dog" rings completely hollow to me. This man found god when he got his ass handed to him.
@ Yago, there was a lot more to it than Scott Painter's poor judgement. Read some out his articles before this all came down. This man has disdain for dealers. This PR move to "wag the dog" rings completely hollow to me. This man found god when he got his ass handed to him.
I've had TrueCar for about 6 months now and almost immediately regretted signing up. 99% of the leads are for vehicles we don't have and almost without exception the customers didn't want to be contacted when I reach out to them. I'm thinking that they've changed something up in the past few months because the quality of leads has really fallen in my opinion.<style id="_clearly_component__css" type="text/css">#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } </style>
You pay them $300/unit to use your data against you. That's like your Mom telling you to go cut a switch.
- Dec 2, 2009
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- John
Hi Walt -- in my opinion, hard to beat "new" anything. New store opens-up, new gadget, etc. However -- "new" wears-off pretty quick.
Consumers are always looking for that "angle," that edge to try to get on the control end of negotiations with car dealers.
Remember when everyone started showing-up at the dealership with KBB then Edmunds values? Crazy-high trade numbers -- everyone's car was in EXCELLENT condition. That phenomena became a great training opportunity, and eventually everyone knew how to deal with it. Now, it's no big deal to see that stuff.
Same with Truecar -- it's NEW, and that's about it. It will wear-off and blend-in with the Zag's and and other crap promising that "inside edge" they can't deliver.
One important thing to keep in-mind: if they are at your store with a car and a quote from another dealer, 99% of the time it's because they COULDN'T GET WHAT THEY WANTED at that dealer
(Mega-addendum labels, anyone?)There are a lot of dealers, in this market, that advertise their new cars at $1000 back of invoice with $2500 addendums.
- May 1, 2005
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- Jeff
Many times our "belief" in the performance of a paticular lead provider can sway the actual performance.
