With every aspect of our lives moving online, car buying isn’t to be left behind either. Nowadays, customers conduct a major portion of the vehicle buying process online, so dealerships have ramped up their digital infrastructure accordingly. However, capturing and managing online leads is quite tough, because there are often several systems that the “lead” must pass by, as is structured in the sales process. A lot of leads get lost, or are not dealt with at the right time and they move on. It is necessary to ensure no online leads get lost, because every lead you lose, costs you some business, and hampers credibility too.
Here are some of the reasons dealership lose leads and how to prevent them – take a look:
1. Dealers don’t respond to online leads
Customers post a query on your website or fill out a lead form and it goes unanswered, so what happens next? The customer simply finds their answers on a site that is your competitor. Manually following up on online leads can be a tedious task, so sometimes these leads fall through the cracks. But dealerships need to recognize the value of online leads and respond almost immediately or at least within an hour.
Solution:
It is imperative to respond to leads in a timely fashion and take the time to be thorough, helpful, and personal. An automotive CRM software can help to filter leads, segregate them, and follow-up so different members of the sales team can handle them.
2. Dealers didn’t answer pricing questions
Do you advise your sales personnel not to answer pricing questions directly? Do you ask them to instead invite customers to come to the dealership for further details? Even if you diligently follow up on leads, this is where you are going wrong. Not providing a direct answer to customers can put them off.
Solution:
If customers ask for the price of a particular make and model, provide them with useful information right away, or they will go someplace else. Sending them wordy emails or messages to come and visit the dealership won’t help.
3. No pricing on websites
Why do customers like to browse online? It is easy, quick, and flexible. They can conduct research at leisure and compare brands in their price range. But many dealers make it harder than you would expect for customers to get the basic information at the start of their purchases. During the exploratory stage of their buying process, customers browsing online look for quick answers to simple questions.
Solution:
Use an automotive CRM to operate prices of vehicles, depending upon make and model. The ideal solution is to list prices upfront on your website, where the vehicle is showcased, along with its features and other information. Or you could use Automotive focused website builder which is integrated to Automotive CRM, so you have enter and update all the data in only one system and its automatically syncronized everywere (website, e-commerce shop, templates, CRM etc)
4. Asking same questions repeatedly
Answering tedious questions is annoying, but being asked the same question a second time, is incredibly frustrating. If customers are asked to provide the same details after filling out forms or submitting requests (which could take 10 to 15 minutes), it is a given they will feel irritated. For example, if a customer has filled in a lead form for a white Honda Civic, and they are asked about the model and color they want. Or they ask for financing quotes on a 60-month term, just for the dealer to enquire what term they are looking for.
Solution:
Customers want to feel heard, not ignored. If you ask for the same information again, it means you aren’t paying attention to their requirements. Let the automotive CRM filter your leads based on queries, geographical location, and other parameters, to make the task easier for you.
5. Typical, generic responses
You need to be careful while responding to lead forms. Generic statements and vague responses won’t be of any use – customers will move on in the blink of an eye! When every dealer has a similar Vehicle Detail Page and lead generation process, you need to stand out by offering a little more than your competitors.
Solution:
Responses have to feel personal and helpful. It is understandable that responding to similar kind of leads could feel mind-numbing after a while, but using the same generic words and sentences isn’t the solution. Leads should be segregated and prioritized – it is the only way to ensure you can provide customers with proper information.
How can Modera Salesfront help to capture online leads?
This software does a wonderful job of streamlining your entire operation. It helps to monitor incoming leads and filter them accordingly, so leads can be grouped and assigned to different members of the sales team. Follow-up alerts are generated so no one falls behind on chasing leads that could turn out to be lucrative. The software also lets you plan daily tasks, keep tabs on team performance, operate price leads, complete pending jobs, and much more.
Consumers are happy if dealerships can answer even the simplest questions without a lengthy phone call or trip to the showroom, which gives you the opportunity to stand out like never before. Your dealership might not fall into these common traps as mentioned above, but there is always room for improvement. An automotive CRM software can help to identify mistakes – you might not even know that you are going wrong somewhere! Your team could be amazing at what they do, but you could accomplish much more with advanced technologies like an omni-channel digital retailing system that makes it easier to track and close online leads.
