I am searching for ideas to get non-responsive customers to actually respond. After the lead I send out an email with the information requested, it includes price, rebates (new), special Internet price, a copy of the window sticker (new) and I usually do this for three vehicles that are relevant to the lead. I then call with in a few minutes of that email. I then follow that up with several emails and phone calls if they have not responded. Most of these emails are templets as I find it difficult to keep coming up with new information for someone whom I have no information on yet other than year, make and model. Any ideas, how can I get better.
Non-responsive customers
- Thread starter inskeepford
- Start date
- Apr 28, 2009
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- First Name
- Jerry
Yoda,
I have some really great news for you, please call me when you have a moment. I can be reached at 585-749-2015.
I have some really great news for you, please call me when you have a moment. I can be reached at 585-749-2015.
- Apr 28, 2009
- 1,163
- 363
- First Name
- Jerry
So when you saw the above message did you think, "I should give Jerry a call?"
You need to create curiosity and try to get the customer to call you. Paint a really nice mental picture for them, let their imagination take over. Once you give them all the information, they really have no need for you. It's very difficult to build a relationship through an e-mail. With an e-mail all you have is “words.†You get somebody on the phone and it becomes more personal. Now you can use “words†& “tones†to build rapport and trust. This of course gives you the opportunity to ask for and schedule an appointment. Once in the showroom you now have the ability to use all your behavioral cues: body language, posture, facial expressions, words & tones. So I hope you see the advantage to progressing somebody from the Internet, to the phone and ultimately to the dealership. This is why I am so passionate about the phone and the role it plays in how we interact with the customers. Often you’ll only get one chance to speak with the customer on the phone. If you don’t have the right phone skills, you’re going to face plenty of rejection.
]So how do we get them on the phone? I'll try calling at different times of the day. I leave a voice mail similar to my previous posting. I'll call from my cell phone and dealership phone. Sometimes I'll even block my number by dialing *67 first. Most dealers try once and then schedule the call on the next day at exactly the same time. Then after several days with no contact they say to themselves “must have been a kid playing on the Internet†and give up forever.
The number one way to get a customer on the phone is to call them as soon as the lead arrives. If you can catch them at their computer still doing research, you'll have a better chance of speaking with them. I once ran a report from the previous CRM vendor I used to work for and you would be amazed at the average response times when looking at all the dealerships as a whole. It was like 4 plus hours. And I considered most of these clients to be advanced when it came to handling Internet customers. So you can imagine there's a lot of room for improvement when it comes to response times.
What happens to an Internet lead at your dealership when you're working with a customer? That's why you might want to consider taking the advice Alex gave you and just focus on making appointments and taking half deals. This way you can respond to an Internet lead right when it comes in.
Now I know there are people out there that believe giving out the price is the right way to go, but to me that's not selling. Don't get me wrong, I'll give out a price when I have to, but it's only after I've used all the other tools at my disposal.
I hope that helps.
You need to create curiosity and try to get the customer to call you. Paint a really nice mental picture for them, let their imagination take over. Once you give them all the information, they really have no need for you. It's very difficult to build a relationship through an e-mail. With an e-mail all you have is “words.†You get somebody on the phone and it becomes more personal. Now you can use “words†& “tones†to build rapport and trust. This of course gives you the opportunity to ask for and schedule an appointment. Once in the showroom you now have the ability to use all your behavioral cues: body language, posture, facial expressions, words & tones. So I hope you see the advantage to progressing somebody from the Internet, to the phone and ultimately to the dealership. This is why I am so passionate about the phone and the role it plays in how we interact with the customers. Often you’ll only get one chance to speak with the customer on the phone. If you don’t have the right phone skills, you’re going to face plenty of rejection.
]So how do we get them on the phone? I'll try calling at different times of the day. I leave a voice mail similar to my previous posting. I'll call from my cell phone and dealership phone. Sometimes I'll even block my number by dialing *67 first. Most dealers try once and then schedule the call on the next day at exactly the same time. Then after several days with no contact they say to themselves “must have been a kid playing on the Internet†and give up forever.
The number one way to get a customer on the phone is to call them as soon as the lead arrives. If you can catch them at their computer still doing research, you'll have a better chance of speaking with them. I once ran a report from the previous CRM vendor I used to work for and you would be amazed at the average response times when looking at all the dealerships as a whole. It was like 4 plus hours. And I considered most of these clients to be advanced when it came to handling Internet customers. So you can imagine there's a lot of room for improvement when it comes to response times.
What happens to an Internet lead at your dealership when you're working with a customer? That's why you might want to consider taking the advice Alex gave you and just focus on making appointments and taking half deals. This way you can respond to an Internet lead right when it comes in.
Now I know there are people out there that believe giving out the price is the right way to go, but to me that's not selling. Don't get me wrong, I'll give out a price when I have to, but it's only after I've used all the other tools at my disposal.
I hope that helps.
I agree with what you are saying, however most everyone else tells me that you have to give out a price and all the information the client has asked for or you are dead in the water. That being said I would like some other examples of how to handle a lead without giving out price.
Most of the leads I get come in over night, and a lot are coming in when Im home in bed, so response times are hard in that situation. I would like to work 24 hours but I have sleep and my family would not be happy. I answer with a phone call and an email because I have to shut off the clock with Ford, and with Ford we have to follow their best practices to show that we are doing what we are supposed to, things like response with a price quote, this drives me nuts. I love the help, please keep it coming.
Most of the leads I get come in over night, and a lot are coming in when Im home in bed, so response times are hard in that situation. I would like to work 24 hours but I have sleep and my family would not be happy. I answer with a phone call and an email because I have to shut off the clock with Ford, and with Ford we have to follow their best practices to show that we are doing what we are supposed to, things like response with a price quote, this drives me nuts. I love the help, please keep it coming.
- May 1, 2006
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- Alex
80% of people do not buy the car they originally set out to buy. With this knowledge in hand you should expect that you're quoting a price on the WRONG car! The trick is to find the right car, and you can't do this through email or over the phone. So, you have to find a way to make the emails extremely short to push someone to a phone call and the phone calls are designed to take control for an appointment. A person needs to touch and see a car before knowing it is the right one.
Being quick on the response is a big step, but it is impossible to do it all the time - you've got to sleep. On top of that, there are times when a lead was submitted hours/days/months before you ever see it......don't trust all the leads your manufacturer sends came in right that second.
So, don't send out price quotes immediately - find a different method on that first email. Push for a phone call in all your emails (unless the customer says he/she cannot speak over the phone - rare!), and be capable of taking control of the phone call when it happens.....Jerry can help more with that.
Being quick on the response is a big step, but it is impossible to do it all the time - you've got to sleep. On top of that, there are times when a lead was submitted hours/days/months before you ever see it......don't trust all the leads your manufacturer sends came in right that second.
So, don't send out price quotes immediately - find a different method on that first email. Push for a phone call in all your emails (unless the customer says he/she cannot speak over the phone - rare!), and be capable of taking control of the phone call when it happens.....Jerry can help more with that.
I don't know about the "80% of people do not buy the car they originally set out to buy" part, Alex. I don't believe that has been my experience. But if you change that to say "80% of the people who send you a e-lead have no idea what they want or how to go about getting it" then I would wholeheartedly agree to that.
Let's filter this too and say that New Cars leads and Used Cars leads can be completely different. I agree that you need to get the used car prospect on the phone ASAP - that car is a one-of-a-kind and so time is of the essence. But new cars are plentiful and another can always be gotten - or so the prospect believes.
I did a mystery shop recently - I hit all of my fellow VW dealers in the DFW area using a bogus prospect name and email address. I went to the Volkswagen of America site and asked to "Find a Dealer." It hooked me up with all the local dealers and then immediately offered to help me "Get a Quote" so I clicked on that too. I imagine 80% of the new car leads we get originate the same way; customers sees an invitation to "Get a Quote" and thinks "Sure. Why not?" and clicks on it. The manufacturers set us up for it.
In this case I think you need to email the customer a "quote" of some kind right away. After all, that is what he/she asked for. Nevermind that this prospect may have no intention of buying a car anytime soon and/or would not know what to do with this quote if one did come back to them. They asked for a quote, they should get a quote. Or so methinks.
Where you go from here is the challenge...especially with the prospect who does not provide a phone number.
Let's filter this too and say that New Cars leads and Used Cars leads can be completely different. I agree that you need to get the used car prospect on the phone ASAP - that car is a one-of-a-kind and so time is of the essence. But new cars are plentiful and another can always be gotten - or so the prospect believes.
I did a mystery shop recently - I hit all of my fellow VW dealers in the DFW area using a bogus prospect name and email address. I went to the Volkswagen of America site and asked to "Find a Dealer." It hooked me up with all the local dealers and then immediately offered to help me "Get a Quote" so I clicked on that too. I imagine 80% of the new car leads we get originate the same way; customers sees an invitation to "Get a Quote" and thinks "Sure. Why not?" and clicks on it. The manufacturers set us up for it.
In this case I think you need to email the customer a "quote" of some kind right away. After all, that is what he/she asked for. Nevermind that this prospect may have no intention of buying a car anytime soon and/or would not know what to do with this quote if one did come back to them. They asked for a quote, they should get a quote. Or so methinks.
Where you go from here is the challenge...especially with the prospect who does not provide a phone number.
Thanks again, I guess its obvious that my efforts to get to that phone call do not always work, so any examples for me on how to get them to that phone call with an email. Anything would help.
- May 1, 2006
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I heard that number a while ago from a CRM company, and it seems to hold true at Checkered Flag. It even applies to my own car-shopping! If I was solely looking at this from my VW store and not pushing the SEO envelope as hard as we are, then this number would probably be much lower. Most dealerships don't hear from customers until they've already done their research and have weeded-out a few cars.
It is because each dealership draws a different customer in the buying funnel that we will all have different perspectives on how and when a quote should be given. After reading Tordiway's post I'm thinking the first step is to truly understand your customers before knowing which approach you should take. I've been at Checkered Flag since 1989 and no other dealership, so my perspective on this might be a little narrow.
- May 1, 2006
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Here are some oldies I used to use at Honda. Some people will say just email me, but they're the minority, and at least you know they're getting your email.
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I'm sure I don't have all the equipment and options you selected when you asked for a price - what number can I reach you on to discuss?
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Subject: 757-555-1122 << the customer's phone number
Body: Is that the right number to call you on? There is just too much to put in an email!
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The real trick is keep things very short and always finish things with a question. Think of ways to create a response.
Great gawd almighty you just nailed it. That is exactly what it's all about.
However, the prospect doesn't help us when they send in a blind quote request and do not include a phone number. How are we supposed to "read" this customer and respond in a way that will catch their interest?
Common sense would say that the best way to know 1). who your e-prospect is, and 2). what your e-prospect wants, is to set out some bait and see what comes in. I mean, if you want to catch a squirrel you gotta bait a trap with squirrel food, right? Put out squirrel bait and you greatly improve your chances of getting a squirrel.
I think the "bait" in this example is a metaphor for the dealership's website(s). You want qualified new car e-prospects? Build a dealership site that will attract qualified new car e-prospects. It's not rocket science.
And yet, most dealership websites I see (and I'm not talking about manufacturer mandated sites) seem far more interested in attracting the approval and delight of the dealership's principles than that of qualified customers. Most sites don't do a very good job of putting out attractive, easy to see squirrel bait IMHO.
