Your Lead Management Efforts with Footsteps^TM - The McDonald's Approach
By Bob McCann, Director of Client Education - Channel Blade

Inspired by the assembly line of Henry Ford, Mac and Dick McDonald pioneered the "Speedee Service System," the revolutionizing concept of a quick-service, limited-menu restaurant which became the model for McDonald's and the entire fast food industry.

In addition to consistent quality and cleanliness, one of the key principles of this continuous mass production system was that the food was prepared in advance and efficiently organized for rapid cooking in order to accelerate delivery to customers.

This system was simple yet driven by a brutally relentless focus on efficiency and speed, and that's exactly how your leads should be managed using Footsteps. Do in advance what you know in advance. You know that you're going to receive requests for brochures, quotes, and information, so get organized in advance by preparing email templates scheduled to go out as soon as an inquiry comes in.

You should have two dealership-branded templates in place, one for inquiries that include a prospect's phone number and one for those that don't. Your email is an "electronic handshake" so it should be simple, short and to the point:

1. Thank prospects for their inquiry.
   
   
2. Answer questions briefly and directly.
   
   
3. Set the stage for a phone call to get prospects in the showroom for a scheduled appointment.
   
   
   • If you receive a lead with a phone number, mention that you intend to call them to answer any questions they may have and specify a general time of day, such as "this morning, afternoon or evening," based on their preference if they've shared it on the inquiry form.
     
     
   • If the inquiry doesn't include a phone number, indicate your interest in calling them to further assist them in their research and offer your direct line as an alternative. You can also include your cell number following your signature.