R2D2 is Calling

One of the keys to building a strong first impression with your Internet Guests will be timely contacting of that guest. It is true that the Internet Buyer is usually earlier in the shopping process than the walk-in guest, and will therefore take a little longer to make a buying decision. However, by contacting that guest quickly, their perception of the quality of the service you offer and your desire to earn their business is greatly enhanced. We emphatically encourage you to contact your Internet leads as quickly as is humanly possible by e-mail and then to follow up with a telephone call.

We are regularly asked about auto-responders from your Internet Lead Management System (ILMS). Typically we recommend that you NOT use one during business hours, however, due to reductions in many sales forces and the tremendous number leads and other responsibilities that our Internet Sellers are receiving, perhaps an auto-responder can make sense.
One of the major reasons that we want to make this change is that we believe that most dealerships are currently selling about twice as many cars through the Internet than they are getting credit for.

The reason that we say this is the tremendous number of people who buy from you, that you don’t get credit for. These are those who submit a lead and come in to buy a car, but neglect to ask for the Internet Specialist when they do. We find this to be very common and it’s costing you both money and credibility. We recommend that you initiate the automated response to help you get your name (and a reason to ask for you) in front of the client one more time in order to help them remember to ask for you.

Please don’t use this automated response as an excuse not to follow up with the lead. Automated responses are a very poor substitute for personal contact, mostly because the client knows that it’s an automated response. In fact, this new service may add pressure for timely follow up rather than remove it because now the client has a name of the person who they should be talking to.

Also, please remember, machines can do a lot to make our jobs and lives easier, however when dealing with human beings, especially in a selling environment, personal contact is not only appreciated but is essential to your ultimate success. The quality and timeliness of your e-mails and phone contacts will make the difference between a sale for you or a sale for someone else.