Turn Leads Into Sales: A Few Best Practices
By Bob McCann, Director of Client Education
In today's digital economy, most consumers do their purchasing homework online, some sending e-mail inquiries with the goal of making a sound decision. In fact, 88 percent of prospects research units online before walking into your dealership. This is your opportunity, as a dealer, to position yourself as the customer's resource and facilitate the buyer's often overwhelming research process. By doing so, you make that crucial, positive first impression which often marks the beginning of the sale. However, the products you sell are discretionary income items often associated with a long-term purchase time frame. In this context, the way to turn more Web surfers into customers is to treat every lead equally, respond promptly and be on point, as well as follow up consistently until they're ready to buy.
Every online lead matters
When prospects walk into your dealership, you have no idea how close they are to signing a check or if a sale is even to be made. Yet you put your best foot forward because all you know is that a potential buyer is standing in front of you and you have to do everything you can to seal the deal - obviously in due time. When providing education to our dealer clients, we underline this best practice through a highly effective acronym: EO-ET-SW-SW-SW-Next. As a dealer, you must provide an outstanding experience from the get-go to Every One, Every Time; Some Will "bite," Some Won't, So What? Next customer.
 The same principle should be applied to online leads and any other type of lead for that matter - whether it's a walk-in, a phone inquiry or a show lead. Potential buyers are at one of the five stages of the buying cycle - Awareness, Consideration, Preference, Action or Loyalty. With each stage comes a set of unique needs that you must consistently fulfill until the prospect is ready to commit. That's why all leads should be immediately treated equally and professionally, hence EO-ET-SW-SW-SW-Next.
Response time makes the deal
Online shoppers are used to and expect immediate access to accurate and helpful information designed to eliminate options - i.e. choose what they perceive as the right product and dealership for them. In this context, the first expectation is a prompt response. If you don't jump on that lead, another dealer - often located less than a few clicks away on the Web - certainly will. Don't you stop whatever you're doing when a customer walks in or the phone rings with a prospect on the other end? Web leads should be given the same prompt, undivided attention. It's just another way of talking to customers.
 In this case, being responsive is even more crucial because you're competing with other dealers online; however, the leverage you have is that most of them will not respond altogether. In fact, nearly 60 percent of online leads go completely unanswered, so this is your chance to stand out in a highly competitive environment.
When you receive an e-mail inquiry, make a point to respond promptly. Think "minutes" - not "hours." I suspect you wouldn't make a customer wait in your lobby for more than a couple of minutes without greeting them. Why would you risk treating Web leads any different?
The most successful dealers begin their outreach within 30 to 60 minutes of receiving a lead. One of the simplest ways to reduce your response time is to empower your receptionist who, more often than not, knows where each salesperson is at any given time. She is the first point of contact for walk-in and phone prospects so why not trust her with online leads?
Though most dealerships rotate lead assignment among the sales team members, the most efficient way to process leads is to assign them to the next available salesperson. And who better than the receptionist to know who that person is and to immediately forward a new, incoming lead so that it can be attended to promptly?
 With Channel Blade's lead management tool FootstepsTM in place, you can take this best practice a step further and make the receptionist accountable for all online leads. If she sees that a lead is not being processed in a timely manner, she should have the authority to motivate the salesperson or reassign the lead to another team member who can attend to it immediately.
 Another way to further reduce response time is to rely on template-based e-mails to quickly respond to inquiries rather than expect your salespeople to write a response from scratch every time a lead comes in. This is one of the favorite features of Footsteps, a salesperson once said, "It's a salesperson's dream to have most of the e-mail written and all you have to do is add a few details to personalize it." When using Footsteps templates you have the ability to send customized, branded e-mails; all it takes is a couple of clicks to respond to an online inquiry. With these templates, you can juggle your many day-to-day responsibilities on the show floor without missing out on the many Web-driven sales opportunities in your Inbox.
Answer questions clearly
You've got mail! A potential buyer has raised his hand for more information and you're already picturing him signing on the dotted line. All you have to do is get him to your dealership and the deal is done. Take a deep breath because you're not there yet. This is the beginning of a series of conversations that must be ongoing and meaningful to bring the desired transparency to the transaction and hopefully convince prospects to choose you over many other options.
Take the time to read the e-mail carefully and respond clearly to the questions which often reveal needs that must be fulfilled. In doing so, you're demonstrating a genuine interest in their inquiry and the desire to facilitate their research process and help them make the right decision.
If the inquiry you receive includes a phone number, mention that you will call them to answer any further questions. When referencing a time frame, specify a general time on the date in which you send the e-mail, such as "this morning, afternoon or evening;" base this follow-up time on the prospect's preference if he or she specified it in the inquiry form. If prospects don't share their phone number, indicate your interest in calling them to further assist them in their research and offer your direct line as an alternative.
 Dear [$FIRST_NAME],
Thank you for requesting information from Bucars RV Centre. My Name is [$ASSIGNED_EMP_FULL_NAME] and I have done some research to find [ANSWER THE QUESTIONS FROM THE REQUEST].
Because I know this information is important to you, I will call you [SPECIFY TIME] to ensure you received the information and to answer any additional questions you might have. If you would like to speak with me prior to that time, please feel free to call me directly at [$ASSIGNED_EMP_PHONE].
I look forward to meeting you and helping you get on the road in your new RV.
Sincerely,
[$ASSIGNED_EMP_SIGNATURE]
Focus primarily on building the comfort level that any potential buyer would expect. How do you accomplish that goal? Selling your sales experience and your dealership's reputation will go a long way in building the must-have credibility and trust necessary to convince a consumer to do business with you. You're not selling RVs or boats as much as you're selling a positive buying and ownership experience. Keep that "positive buying experience" in mind when you press for an appointment.
Follow up consistently
As discussed, the journey to the dotted line can be quite long and the first e-mail inquiry often marks the beginning of the sales process rather than the sale per se. That's why implementing a well-organized follow-through process with all online leads and holding their hand throughout the buying cycle will result in more sales, especially in the long run.
Dealers with the highest online closing ratio continue to work their leads until prospects do one of the following: buy from that dealer, indicate that they've chosen another dealership, or that they are no longer on the market.
I suggest following up on a weekly basis for the first 30 days, then keeping a strong, personalized dialogue with prospects (multiple touch points) throughout the year, in order to remain at the forefront of their mind.
Advertise special offers that may sweeten the deal and draw them in, including seasonal promotions, show specials and finance options. Use Footsteps to send monthly, thematic e-mails packed with value-added information on maintenance, suggested trips, park and marina reviews, events, easy cooking tips and more. Take advantage of holidays to thank them for their interest in considering your dealership. This soft-sell approach will position you as a valuable partner in their search for the perfect toy.
Your e-mails should be visually consistent and branded with the dealership's logo on the top left, above the fold, so it's the first item that the recipient sees. By positioning the e-mail this way, you're creating a recognizable, visual signature. To increase your chances of them reading the e-mail, always include the dealership's name in the subject line, as well as the brand of interest if the lead came from the OEM. After the first inquiry, a prospect will remember the dealership's name, but won't remember the salesperson's name, so adding the latter may cause the prospect to send a dealer response to the "Trash."
Successful dealers simplify this process by leveraging Footsteps, which facilitates mandatory, follow-up activities designed to satisfy prospects' needs throughout the buying cycle until they're ready to sign the dotted line. These activities include prospect categorization, template-driven e-mail marketing, calendar management, reminders and more. They enable you to "be there" without the ongoing maintenance and to keep prospects engaged without imposing, i.e. forcing their hand to visit your dealership when they're not quite ready.
Small and large dealerships alike treat their online leads like gold, especially under these challenging economic conditions that force us to roll up our sleeves higher and work harder and - dare I say, smarter - to attract those few and far between elusive consumers. Every lead matters. Every sale counts. Responding promptly, answering questions clearly as opposed to rushing prospects into a commitment, and following up consistently, will position you as the dealer of choice when the timing is right. Today's marketplace offers affordable, proven lead management solutions designed to automate portions of the sales process and foster customer relationships. Leveraging Footsteps will enable you to keep in touch with prospects, at their pace and according to their needs, so that you can keep generating traffic and sales over time to grow your dealership.
If you find this information valuable, and would like to learn more about how Footsteps can help you turn more leads into sales, call (877) CH-BLADE today!
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