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Dec 23, 2009

Hi Jerry -- thanks for the effort. I put my money where my mouth was, and lost my money!

We are a BDC -- dedicated team of responders -- and I agree -- if we can't do better, then we need to nix the responder.

When it rains, it pours. The gal you spoke with actually put you on hold because the school was calling her back to tell her that she does indeed need to pick-up her little boy and take him to the ER for x-rays on his (apparently) busted arm. But we are a NO-EXCUSE organization. Why this lead wasn't handled by the morning shift before Gina arrived at 11:30 is a serious issue.

Again, thank you for your efforts!

Dec 23, 2009

That's not a chink in the armor is it John? Just kidding! Actually I did already mystery shop you and will be putting the data together after lunch.

Let's get back to the auto responder. I saw yours and it was one of the better ones I've seen. My only question; if in the auto responder you make a statement saying you're going to call in a few minutes, what happens if the person does not call in a few minutes? This could potentially happen if somebody was out sick with the swine flu or perhaps they were just busy with something else. So in my opinion I would not want to send that auto responder out unless I was absolutely certain I could make that phone call. For a dealer using an Internet BDC, that would be easier to accomplish, but for a dealership using sales people off the showroom floor, you're opening yourself up for some disappointed customers when you don't call them as per the expectation.

If the dedicated BDC department is handling the lead right as it comes in, why not just manually send that e-mail. This way you're assured the person sending it will in fact follow-up with the customer. I did get one of these auto responders from your Toyota BDC rep, but no phone call has arrived and it's been an hour.

Please don't go alert your BDC, let's see what transpires. I am going to give it another hour before I start compiling the mystery shop report. As I finished writing this she just called.

It’s good that she called, but her original e-mail said a few minutes. Hopefully you can now understand where I am coming from with my comments in the original article.

As always, I welcome your feedback.

Dec 23, 2009

OOoofff... hope you didn't shop us this morning!! haha... Swine Flu killing us (not literally, thank goodness!). Between call-offs and CRM issues, when it rains, it pours! But that's all part of it, right? Have a great process, do the best you can, always look for improvement, and take it one lead at a time

Dec 22, 2009

No preference, Jerry. Always looking to learn new things, and I don't pretend to have all the answers. I would ask that after the shop you reveal yourself, as our follow-up process is lengthy (so we can invalidate the lead). I would probably prefer to keep our actual responses private -- I don't want to make it too easy for others to copy our stuff

Dec 22, 2009

John,

Would you like it to be a public or privately viewed mystery shop?

Dec 22, 2009

Please feel free: www.motorworldgroup.com

I don't know of any OEM's that require or score on an auto-responder, but several score on content.

Dec 22, 2009

John,

Would you mind if I mystery shopped your dealership before I continue this conversation?

You can e-mail me at [email protected] if you don't want to post what dealer you work for.

Does your OEM require an auto responder? If so, I would probably comply with the requirement.

Dec 22, 2009

Hi Jerry! I would never look crossly on an intelligent discussion! I certainly hope you won't either.

There's nothing you mention with which I completely disagree. Honestly, you sound like most of the vendors and most of the OEM's. Practicality, on the other hand, is often lacking in typical vendor-speak. And I'm sure you'll agree that there's not ONE overall best anything.

Speed is important, yes. No doubt. But believe me, when the balance of content/speed is optimized, you win (no one said anything about typing -- all templates, of course. But adding-in the personal touch and appropriate content is key). ESPECIALLY when compared to the guy who just called to set an appointment -- I love when that happens: "You just spoke to someone from ABC? Did you get my email? You mean he didn't send you something like this? Hmmm.... well how does this look?) You can set all the appointments you want -- they'll show here. My WOW is going to be better than your WOW. Again, 5-6 years ago, first won, yes. Not now. Best wins now. You need balance.

Here's another real-world situation in which you'll score poorly (and this sucks, but it is a fact of Dealer Life). We are tested by the OEM's. Several of our franchises, like Lexus, tie-in ILM scores to prestigious awards, i.e., Elite of Lexus. And guess what they score? The first email! You can be the best Ninja there is, but if your email doesn't contain everything they want, you don't score well. Rediculous? Yes. Fact of life? Yes.

Lastly, I'll submit to you that you can't do what you really need to do in 5 minutes. I'll further submit that 5 minutes is too long -- as I mentioned before, customers want the INSTANT verification that their message, newly sent to cyberspace was received.

Dec 22, 2009

John,

I knew when I wrote this article I would get some people who would not agree with what I wrote. With the auto responders I have seen, and I have seen a lot of them, I am not impressed. Some of them go on and on and on. To me there really is no reason why anyone should not be able to respond to a customer and give them a "quality response" in a short time frame. I would also challenge you on the "SPEED" aspect. I saw an article on one of the automotive sites that mentioned salespeople who contact customers within five minutes will increase their contact rate by 800%. I would believe that statement. Not to mention that first rep to make contact has a pretty good chance of building rapport with the customer. So while you're busy typing out your fancy e-mail, I'll have already called the customer and made an appointment with them. Don't get me wrong, I like quality, but as long as it doesn't prevent me from accomplishing my mission.

You're only going to face so many different situations. Why not build a variation of templates for each situation and then you can easily customize them as needed. I could give you a quality reply in less than five minutes using my CRM of choice.

Also, don't forget that if there's a phone number, I am not even going to bother writing the template. If I get the customer on the phone, it's a phone-up. After the call I'll then send them an e-mail based on my conversation or voice mail. Hopefully that e-mail is to give them directions for the appointment I set.

Please don't take my comments in the wrong way, I welcome the debate. Prove me wrong and I'll gladly re-evaluate my position.

Dec 22, 2009

Hi Jerry,

I disagree that on-hours should not get a response. Customers are now conditioned to get an "instant" response. If you order something at Target.com, and hit "submit," within seconds you receive a confirmation that your order was received. Similarly, automotive clients want to know that their "order has been received."

The auto-response can also help you "buy" a little time. Because quite honestly, if you think it's still all about SPEED, then you're still 5-6 years ago. I would rather send a Quality, Custom-Worked, Option-Filled Personal response in 20-25 minutes than the usual hum-drum canned "why buy here" and "same price I just saw on your website" email in 10-15 minutes.

Whatever the message, set-up your next step and therefore expectations, and you're benefiting both the client and yourself.

Now if my friggin CRM system would work all the time... hahaha...

Dec 21, 2009

Good thought John!

I know that some CRM vendors have a feature that will allow you to replace an absent auto-fill with a word or phrase of your choice. In this case I would use: "vehicle you selected." This is done when setting up the auto action.

Some of the more sophisticated CRM vendors will also allow you to send different templates based on where the leads came from.

These are features that should be available to you in your CRM tool.

JohnMarzy · Dec 21, 2009

Hello Jerry,

My first question would be "Is the model field required to be filled in when a request is made from your website or from a 3rd party lead provider?" If you read your email without that information being filled in, I don't believe the customer would think "I just happened to be checking my email.."

I would substitute Make for Model and just hard code it into the template if I was a single store or reword it differently for multiple stores.

Dec 21, 2009

Trace,

Why can't somebody else in your dealership respond when that happens? If you're the only person responding to leads in your dealership, there's no way for you to become ubiquitous. If that lead comes in with a phone number and somebody calls that customer right away, they may just catch them while they are still doing research on the computer. Plus I wouldn't want to be the last person making contact. Look at the latest mystery shop I did http://jerrys.phoneupninjas.com Look at the Hyundai.com mystery shop. I got the auto responder and then another from the sales rep a few minutes later. Was that auto responder really necessary?

Tordiway · Dec 21, 2009

In my experience, there are times that I truly cannot personally respond to a lead in a timely manner. (Example; a lead comes in during the middle of a busy Saturday afternoon, I am outside with my Saturday appointment customers and do not get back to my PC until an hour or more has passed since the lead came in). During times like these I would appreciate it if a well worded auto-response email went out to the prospect.

However, the content of this auto-response email should be short and sweet:
1). I received your lead.
2). I will be getting back to you as quickly as possible with the info you requested.
3). Here is my name, phone and email so you can know who will be replying.

No more, and no less.

Dec 21, 2009

Very good article. I'll be asking this of my CRM immediately. Your off hour template looks great.

Dec 20, 2009

After having spent the last week mystery shopping dealers, I am going to go on record and say that the auto responders currently being sent are a complete waste of the customers’ time. I have yet to see one that really impressed me.

Generally there are two scenarios one would send an auto responder; the “on-hour” and the “off hour” auto responder. If your CRM is incapable of differentiating between the two, then I would demand this feature from your CRM vendor, or consider finding a new CRM vendor.

Let’s start with the “on-hour” responder. Is there really any need to send one of these? Your sales team or Internet rep should be able to respond to a lead in a timely manner, thus who needs the auto responder. That first real message from the salesperson is the auto responder. For those of you saying “what if we can’t get to them right away?” well I would say that’s hogwash. There is no reason why a dealership shouldn’t be able to respond to an Internet lead within 15 minutes. If you can’t, then some process is broken in your dealership. This is a customer visiting your dealership in the form of an electronic transmission. Would you let somebody stand out on your lot for 30 minutes before going out to help them? Then why should an Internet lead be any different.

I personally believe it’s every person’s responsibility in the dealership to make sure Internet leads are handled in a timely fashion. Everyone from the Dealer Principal down should be watching response times and making sure customers are handled promptly and professionally. Most CRM tools now have the ability to notify a person on their cell phone when the lead has arrived. Not to mention, managers can normally see on a dashboard which leads have been handled and those that have not. It’s about execution folks! If you’re not executing then somebody needs to visit the process and put one in place that’s going to give you the best possibility to execute in a timely manner.

Now let’s talk about the “off-hour” Internet lead. This is one case where I think we should send an auto responder. The one’s I’ve seen lately are not exactly thrilling me. So let’s think about what we would like to accomplish with the “off-hour” responder. For me it would be about setting up a phone conversation with the customer once the dealership has opened. With that in mind, here’s an auto responder that I would personally be using:
(Customer first name),

I just happened to be checking my e-mail and I noticed your request for information on the (model). Our dealership is currently closed, but I will be contacting you in the morning when we open. Would you prefer an early or late morning call? Also, which number would be best for me to reach you?

I look forward to helping you with the (model) and thanks for choosing (dealership name).

Sincerely,

Jerry Thibeau
ABC Motors
595-749-2015

That auto responder should not be sent 1 minute after. I would say 10-15 minutes would seem more realistic that it came from a real person. Hopefully when I arrive in the morning there’s an e-mail waiting for me with the details. If I am a customer who is up at 2:00AM submitting leads, this is going to make me think…”I don’t want to be getting no phone calls at 9:00AM when they open, maybe I better respond to this.” So wouldn’t it be nice if we had a reply from the customer telling us exactly when to call them. One would think this would increase our contact ratio when attempting to call Internet customers. You get that Internet customer on the phone, it now becomes a phone-up and you’re one step closer to making that appointment. There is also something else you can put in that template which will help your cause, but unfortunately I have to leave some things in the bag of tricks for dealerships currently paying for my services.
About the Author: Jerry Thibeau is a sales trainer and the President of Phone-up Ninjas. His company focuses on helping dealerships around the world increase sales by teaching automotive professionals the proper techniques for scheduling more appointments with phone and Internet customers.

bpulseadmin · Dec 19, 2009

DealerRefresh Welcomes a new sponsor – Dealix

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Faster Lead Delivery: Nearly 90% of Dealix leads reach our customers in fewer than 30 seconds, enabling them to respond to consumers' requests for information without delay, which provides a better overall consumer experience and leads to faster sales.
Reduction in Delivery of Duplicate Leads: Platform enhancements include additional processes to recognize customers requesting more than one auto quote, and to ensure that dealers are not served duplicates.
Quality Controls: The Dealix Lead Platform incorporates TARGUSinfo On-Demand Lead Verification ServicesTM to confirm the consumer's name, address, and phone number contained in all leads.

The Dealix Quality Pledge™

Dealix has one goal: to connect dealers with serious, motivated car buyers in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. The Dealix Quality Pledge™ is a promise that we'll only charge for a lead that has the opportunity to be turned into a sale. (Please see "Quality Pledge Criteria" below.) And we back this Pledge with Hassle Free Lead Return™ - our commitment to review questionable leads and remove them from a customer's bill if they don't meet our quality criteria.

To read more about Dealix lead services and their Quality Pledge, click here.

Please Note: Our sponsors are important to us, and we hope to advertise products and services that we feel would be relevant to the community, however sponsors are not "endorsements" of dealerrefresh. As with any purchase, always do your research and comparisons. Find out if Advertising on DealerRefresh.com works for your company.

bpulseadmin · Dec 19, 2009

Autotrader.com cross-shopping data shows BMW top cross-shopped vehicle among Saab shoppers.

ATLANTA – December 18, 2009 – With the announcement today that GM will shutter its Saab division, BMW may be a winner, according to cross-shopping data from AutoTrader.com, the ultimate automotive marketplace. Thirty-three percent of Saab shoppers also looked at BMW vehicles while researching and comparing new and used vehicles on AutoTrader.com, a larger percentage than looked at any other brand.

Audi, another German manufacturer, may also see some new customers, as 31% of Saab shoppers also looked at Audi models listed for sale on AutoTrader.com.

“The top four brands Saab shoppers also looked at while on our site were all European, showing some preference for European styling and handling among Saab shoppers,” said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry. “As the Saab brand is shut down, it is likely many of those buyers will gravitate to those other European brands, although our shopper activity on AutoTrader.com shows Saab buyers are also interested in some American and Japanese brands.”

The top 10 brands that Saab shoppers also looked at on AutoTrader.com during 2009 and the percentage of Saab shoppers that also looked at those brands are:

BMW – 33%
Audi – 31%
Volvo – 29%
Volkswagen – 27%
Toyota – 27%
Nissan – 26%
Honda – 24%
Mercedes-Benz – 24%
Ford – 23%
Chevrolet – 22%

About AutoTrader.com
AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private owners. The site attracts about 15 million unique monthly visitors. Through innovative merchandising functionality such as multiple photos, videos, detailed descriptions and comprehensive research and compare tools, AutoTrader.com unites new and used car buyers and sellers online to improving the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

Sep 7, 2010

Nice increase in the unique visitors. I feel the only option to increase the sales is to be reflected among the 20 rankings on the search engines. This will definitely help to boost our sales.

May 3, 2010

I would not list Drivetime in any reviews. They are a subprime preditory lender. Keith Sachett is the Regional Manager who doesn't know the first thing about true auto sales and finance.

Dec 21, 2009

Brian's absolutely right about Google Maps. However, Google Maps is actually an aggregate and most sites like DealerRater.com are certified to be included in that feed. Thus, there's typically no need to directly post to Google Maps, as most customers will only post in one place it may be more beneficial to have it posted on a third party site which will then also feed to Google Maps.

talvarez · Dec 17, 2009

Consumers state that online reviews are becoming MORE influential than online advertising. Especially to the Gen Y consumer

Over half of all U.S. consumers and 69 percent of Millenials believe that online customer reviews and ratings influence their buying decisions more than any other type of online advertising, and 51 percent have purchased products based on an online recommendation. In fact, 24 percent of U.S. consumers would like to have an online service that recommends a product based on other consumers’ preferences.
Neil Patel's Digital Marketing Blog

Deloitte Study: http://www.deloitte.com/us/mediademocracy

Dec 17, 2009

The hardest part that we find is actually getting the dealers involved.

We attempt to actively notify every dealer when a review is written and provide a free signup for them to respond (on site and in private) to the reviewer in order to rectify any problems.

Even with all that, very few dealers ever sign up or respond.

Dennis
Car Dealer Check

talvarez · Dec 17, 2009

With Google now launching real-time search results, Online reputation management will be a big deal going forward in 2010

Neil Patel's Digital Marketing Blog

Your #1 resource for digital marketing tips, trends, and strategy to help you build a successful online business.

www.marketingpilgrim.com

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Dec 16, 2009

I agree with Brian also in the encouragement for dealers to check into the Car Dealer Reviews. This is huge for the Online Automotive world. Make sure your on top of them and find out what is said.

One thing I do see a lot is the dealers do not try to rectify the issues from dealer reviews. Getting a negative response from a consumer & the dealer not taking the time to rectify the issue the consumer had during their visit. Regardless if it is a service visit, purchasing a new or used vehicle. You will see that once you work with the consumer that had the negative experience encourage them to go back on the reviews and post a positive one. It will show the next viewer you and your dealership taken the time to make it right!

Having the negative reviews turn to positive reviews will greatly impact your dealership business & reputation.

Just my 2 cents.....

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