How can I get more (real) phone numbers in my leads?

[Elise Kephart]

But Sean, sales is about making sales. I contend that in the internet age, we need to throw out some old strategies and tactics and embrace some new ones. Instead of controlling the customer down a predetermined path to a sale, you might very well find that you can sell more by letting them choose their own path (with your guidance) - Think HELP instead of CONTROL

There needs to be the perfect balance of control and helping the customer. The customer does not want to be pushed or forced into a sale-it is our job to give the perception to the customer that THEY are the ones in control-we do this by creating value in our process.

 

[Elise Kephart]

It's not hard to find time to make videos. It is hard though to make 1st response videos catered to each lead. My reps are busy enough as it is, having them make 1st response videos for each lead that I can put together and email out in less than 15 minutes is really not a feasible option. We get 500-700 web leads a month. I don't see any real way to get this done. Maybe once in a while but for every lead, or even most leads, I don't see how I would ever do that.

Consistency is key. McDonalds is so successful because they found a succesful receipe and keep it THE SAME no matter what McDonalds you go to. Anywhere you go worldwide, a cheeseburger is a cheeseburger- on the same bun, with the same ingredients.

With a large amount of leads, that is still not an excuse to handle each lead with the correct process. If your store gets 600 leads a month and is sending out autoresponders, or words/text (lowest form of personalization) in an email to the same customer who is receiving a video of some type from the store who only receives 100-120 leads per month: FROM a CUSTOMERS PERCEPTION, would you feel most personal and wanting to buy from the sales rep with a video email or just another autoresponse?

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

Ryan, I am not trying to beat you up here, I am just trying to give you some suggestions to help sell more cars.

 

[john.quinn]

Because this is sales.

Hey Sean -- you seem quite intent on being a Salmon here: gonna swim up-stream no matter what.

Remember -- you are the one who asked the question. No one's fault but your own that you don't like the answers.

 

[ddavis]

I have to agree with John. Nothing happens until the sale is made. You have to engage the customer to get them in. You can't sell a car over the phone. You can still make gross by under allowance, switching to a lease and setting up the backend. We know more ways to sell cars than the customers know how to buy them. The more cars we sell, the more this works in our favor.

With the internet, average gross profit is an illusion. Departmental net profit is key. Ring the cash register, often. Control your three largest variable expenses: Saleman's Compensation and incentives, Interest Floor Plan and Advertising. If your payplans require that your salespeople sell volume, you are turning your inventory quickly and your focus is on the internet, with it's low relative cost, everything is going to be merveilleux.

 

[joe.pistell]

I know this will sound plumb crazy but... why not let the customer tell you how they would like to be contacted? Get rid of all the 'required' fields on the contact form and let the customer decide what they want to reveal. Yes you will get fewer phone numbers - but they will all be real.

I know we have all been taught to stay in control but why not let the customer have some of that control - they might reward you with their business.

Marketing guy piping in here... Sean's reply "Because this is sales" is completely puzzling.

You can't strong arm a shopper when the seller has no leverage.

Having a website is all about opening paths to your store. Adding options for a shopper to choose their preferred method of contact is opening up more paths to your store. This is why chat works! IMO, Ed's completely nailed it, why not add reply via FB or twitter too?

 

[john.quinn]

I have to agree with John. Nothing happens until the sale is made. You have to engage the customer to get them in. You can't sell a car over the phone. You can still make gross by under allowance, switching to a lease and setting up the backend. We know more ways to sell cars than the customers know how to buy them. The more cars we sell, the more this works in our favor.

With the internet, average gross profit is an illusion. Departmental net profit is key. Ring the cash register, often. Control your three largest variable expenses: Saleman's Compensation and incentives, Interest Floor Plan and Advertising. If your payplans require that your salespeople sell volume, you are turning your inventory quickly and your focus is on the internet, with it's low relative cost, everything is going to be merveilleux.

Where is Doug Davis and how have you hijacked his DR account??? The Doug Davis I know is not capable of this level of lucidity...

I guess even a blind squirrel gets an acorn every now and then.... tehe...

 

[SMStan]

Spoken just like vendor selling a text service.

Several publications in 2011 reported that around 30% of US adults prefer to be contacted via text message when someone needs to reach them. 53% said they preferred a voice call to a text message.

That's a strong statement with little to back it up, other than your agenda of course.

I'm not sure what you mean by "little to back it up". I started with statistics to back it up including a study of 30,000 leads from three dealerships. I'll add that Ford Motor reports an 18% close rates on leads generated from national TV spots (Text FOCUS to 63611) - by far the highest close rate they have ever experienced.

The 88% prefer text figure is for adults 45 and under and comes from Potratz Partners Agency in 2011. I don't think it can be overstated that there are too many dealerships stuck in the paradigm that they only way to sell is by getting someone on the phone - call, call, call, call, call - while the next generation of car buyers are changing and calling increasingly has the opposite effect - you are driving away a prospect. There are a number of other voices in this thread that agree that the old ways of call first have to be reevaluated and changed.

Capturing a mobile phone number and opting-in a prospect to text messaging doesn't preclude calling them at some point but by texting with them first, building a relationship on their terms and then asking for permission to call (if necessary) dealers are going to find a lot more success in selling to the under 45 demographic. And to the point of the thread - capture valid phone numbers.

Jeff, while I appreciate that you acknowledge success with using text messaging and that it certainly has a role in dealer communications I was disappointed by the twice dismissive tone of your response - as if just because I come from a text messaging background nothing that I write about SMS could be valid. As a moderator of these discussions I would think you should be encouraging industry experts to weigh in on their area of expertise, not bullying them, and very often these industry experts are the vendors (which make up ~50% of the posters here).

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Jeff, while I appreciate that you acknowledge success with using text messaging and that it certainly has a role in dealer communications I was disappointed by the twice dismissive tone of your response - as if just because I come from a text messaging background nothing that I write about SMS could be valid. As a moderator of these discussions I would think you should be encouraging industry experts to weigh in on their area of expertise, not bullying them, and very often these industry experts are the vendors (which make up ~50% of the posters here).

Stan,

Nice poke - but we've always encouraged industry experts to participate here on DealerRefresh. We even host articles by industry experts on the vendor side. And while we encourage them to participate, we also encourage them to tread lightly when commenting. Offer great advise and feedback without pushing an agenda (unless asked to do so by a dealer).

I'm sure most will agree that your post came across as if you had nothing more than an agenda. Your post seemed out of context and as a moderator it's my job to recognize, call it out and/or moderate.

You should really re-read my post before being so disappointed.

Lets not derail this GREAT thread. If you have anymore to say that's not direct contribution to this thread, please contact me DM. Thanks.

 

[ddavis]

Where is Doug Davis and how have you hijacked his DR account??? The Doug Davis I know is not capable of this level of lucidity...

I guess even a blind squirrel gets an acorn every now and then.... tehe...

Somebody contact Wild Kingdom. Have Jim Perkins get out his dart gun. Quinn is off his meds, again.

Alex, isn't somebody watching him?