GM Internet Lead Response Time - OFFICIAL thread

[JCollins]

Rather than commenting on the posts on this thread. I would like to lend a hand to those that are struggling with GM's new standard on response times. We finished with a 23 minute response time at the end of Q1
easily reaching GM's $10k payout. We ended the quarter with just over 500 leads responding to 98.9% within the 1st hour. Currently we have raised the bar for Q2 with a 8 minute response time. So, how is this possible? It's magic!! iMagicLab that is. Based on the posts thus far you guys are far more talented than I will ever be. But, my race car just has the ability to take turn 1 better than yours. Yes, I am the driver and my role is critical, but it sounds as though most have entered a go-kart into a Formula One race. Well gotta go just rec'vd another lead.

 

[ghen]

Rather than commenting on the posts on this thread. I would like to lend a hand to those that are struggling with GM's new standard on response times. We finished with a 23 minute response time at the end of Q1
easily reaching GM's $10k payout. We ended the quarter with just over 500 leads responding to 98.9% within the 1st hour. Currently we have raised the bar for Q2 with a 8 minute response time. So, how is this possible? It's magic!! iMagicLab that is. Based on the posts thus far you guys are far more talented than I will ever be. But, my race car just has the ability to take turn 1 better than yours. Yes, I am the driver and my role is critical, but it sounds as though most have entered a go-kart into a Formula One race. Well gotta go just rec'vd another lead.

Unless imagiclabs is doing something like creating an autoresponder for off hours leads (which is against the rules according to GM) it still comes down to a physical person responding using an approved product. There's nothing special about your product that a different one can't do in that respect. If you're maintaining those numbers by yourself then I bow down to you, that takes so much effort!

 

[Alex Snyder]

Rather than commenting on the posts on this thread. I would like to lend a hand to those that are struggling with GM's new standard on response times. We finished with a 23 minute response time at the end of Q1 easily reaching GM's $10k payout. We ended the quarter with just over 500 leads responding to 98.9% within the 1st hour. Currently we have raised the bar for Q2 with a 8 minute response time. So, how is this possible? It's magic!! iMagicLab that is. Based on the posts thus far you guys are far more talented than I will ever be. But, my race car just has the ability to take turn 1 better than yours. Yes, I am the driver and my role is critical, but it sounds as though most have entered a go-kart into a Formula One race. Well gotta go just rec'vd another lead.

That's great news J :thumbup:

I'd love to hear how iMagicLab is making the difference for you. I'm not a GM Dealer, but I am on iMagicLab and would love to get our response time lower.

 

[JCollins]

Unless imagiclabs is doing something like creating an autoresponder for off hours leads (which is against the rules according to GM) it still comes down to a physical person responding using an approved product. There's nothing special about your product that a different one can't do in that respect. If you're maintaining those numbers by yourself then I bow down to you, that takes so much effort!

ghen-
I too am playing the SFE game with GM. As stated earlier, my "GM response time" is currently 8min for Q2. I do hope that you aware that you can stop the clock in GM's eyes with a phone call. The frustration in this forum seems to be centered around firing off a email to stop the clock. The terrific element that imagic brings to the table are the alerts I can set-up whether it be text message or email to my iphone when a new GM lead is received(or any lead for that matter) If your current tool is not enabling you to execute a phone call from such alerts then my tool is special. I have the ability to execute a call straight from the alert and stop the clock. But what's really great is getting feedback from my ISM's about said calls after hours and how easy it was to set the appointment. Isn't that what it's really about...doing business!! Perhaps we should get back to responding quickly and with relevance versus trying to kink the program in order to capture the 10 grand. Don't get me wrong I'm not insinuating that you're trying to kink anything but there are some posts from others that are suspect. If more insight is needed feel free to email your phone number to me and will gladly call and discuss.
[email protected]

 

[JCollins]

That's great news J :thumbup:

I'd love to hear how iMagicLab is making the difference for you. I'm not a GM Dealer, but I am on iMagicLab and would love to get our response time lower.

Alex-

iMagic has had such an impact in my daily operations and it really boils down to knowing the system. It's really is that simple. I've been a user going on 5 yrs now. My belief in the product is so strong that I left the retail side as a GM over 5 highline franchises and fell prey to Latman's silver tongue and joined their staff back in 2007. Just to be clear, my love affair with iMagic is not because it's the only CRM I have been exposed to. Quite the opposite. DealerSocket(formerly FireSocket) HigherGear, Autobase, CarResearch, ContactManagement etc.etc. have been in place in stores that I have either managed or consulted. I have given all products the opporunity and each have a place in the market but at the end of the day it's iMagic who is the clear choice for me. The answer to your question is as follows.
When you tie together the activity alerts in your action plan coupled with a bulldog staff of ISM's and my working knowledge of the system it's poetry in motion. The little redheaded pitbull that asks "Are you sure?" has been instrumental as well.(T.H) iMagic's interface and ease of use made buy-in from the staff seamless but really it's the people using the system that dictate the low response time.

 

[Blake Arbogast]

JCollins,

We are not looking for a pitch man for iMagic, just a solution...

 

[ghen]

The thing that is hurting me the most I think, is that when a previous customer of a current employee not on my internet team gets a lead from GM it sits there longer than if my internet team had taken the lead. This happens so often because most of my salesmen have been here a long time and have a lot of customers.

So I've taken drastic measures.. Anything that comes in I'm forcing to my internet team. GM is actually hurting my business by forcing a new salesman on a customer with this program now. (Just started today, I might have to revert if its TOO bad of a change)

 

[Bruce Novicky]

The thing that is hurting me the most I think, is that when a previous customer of a current employee not on my internet team gets a lead from GM it sits there longer than if my internet team had taken the lead. This happens so often because most of my salesmen have been here a long time and have a lot of customers.

So I've taken drastic measures.. Anything that comes in I'm forcing to my internet team. GM is actually hurting my business by forcing a new salesman on a customer with this program now. (Just started today, I might have to revert if its TOO bad of a change)

Similar problem here...

It has really hurt the overall setup of our ILM/CRM tool by forcing me to feed everything through one small pipeline before being able to spread it out.

When I worked at a Hyundai store I remember the system being that if a dealer did not respond to their lead with XX amount of time it became available first come first serve to all other dealers within a radius.

I like this solution much better, rather than forcing dealers who do not care about internet customers to answer them. Let dealers who have invested their time and money into the internet take these customers.

 

[Blake Arbogast]

Similar problem here...

It has really hurt the overall setup of our ILM/CRM tool by forcing me to feed everything through one small pipeline before being able to spread it out.

When I worked at a Hyundai store I remember the system being that if a dealer did not respond to their lead with XX amount of time it became available first come first serve to all other dealers within a radius.

I like this solution much better, rather than forcing dealers who do not care about internet customers to answer them. Let dealers who have invested their time and money into the internet take these customers.

 

[mvwolf]

My problem is not with response time, but with lead-to-sales ratio of >1.0.

I work for a good-sized dealer in a small DMA that sells an outsized number of vehicles for our small DMA. We have two websites, one that we manage on our own and one Cobalt site.

Since most of our leads come from the site we focus on and not the Cobalt site, I'm not getting enough leads through our Cobalt website to meet the new Q2 SFE requirements of lead-to-sale ratio of >1.0.

The numbers: we sell 100-150 SFE eligible deliveries per month. I average 50-70 SFE eligible (GM counted) leads per month. That's enough to meet Q1 requirements, but not Q2. We already participate in the GM 3rd Party Lead program and the iMR Digital Advertising packages. Outside of abandoning my other website, are there any methods by which I might have GM count more of the leads that I am already getting?

My thought is that perhaps there is a GM OneSource address that I could route the leads through to put them on GM's radar and still feed those directly into our CRM? Is there a way I can route my AutoTrader, Cars.com, my own website, CarsDirect, etc. leads through GM in order to meet this requirement?

If so, problem solved, as we generate 380+ total leads per month and growing. If not, it's as if GM is eliminating our ability to use any website vendor other than Cobalt, which doesn't seem right.

I welcome any assistance and ideas available!

P.S. If anybody happens to be interested in a new or used vehicle, please check out my Cobalt website at Young Chevrolet Cadillac Owosso, MI | Ann Arbor Chevrolet - Ann Arbor Cadillac and submit an inquiry.