How to Always Respond First to Your Internet Leads

There’s a great study I like to quote from a company called CraftJack that shows contractors who connect with a prospect lead first convert those leads into customers 238% more often than those who connect second.

238% more often!

Just like it does for contractors, connecting first in automotive matters; and virtually every dealer knows this. The issue for your dealership, however, might be that sometimes your team calls a lead within five minutes and sometimes they call after an hour or more. (And, as we know from our mystery shops, sometimes your team never calls at all.)

You may know your average response time, but you just never know whether you’re going to be the first or the last dealer to connect with any one lead.

But, I Want to Always Be First!

Of course you do; but how can you guarantee your team will always follow your process and call your prospects as soon as the lead is received?

When I was building the content for our recent live webcast, How to Create the Best Internet Sales Processes Ever, I learned about an offering from our webcast sponsor, Dominion’s Web Control, that all but guarantees your team is first.

The offering is a tool known as Call Drip that works like this:

Lead arrives in Web Control CRM
Call Drip dials designated members of your team
When a member of your team answers, Call Drip shares the details of the lead
When your team enters “1” on their phone, Call Drip dials the prospect
On average, your team is connected to a prospect within 60 seconds

All the data from the call (and even a recording) flow like a standard lead right back into Web Control CRM. This means that instead of your team worrying about trying to artificially “stop the clock,” they’re the first to connect with your prospects.

A Reconnection is Your Only Goal

Between your OEM, your CRM company and some Internet Sales Trainer you hired, you’re probably confused about the goal for your internet sales process. Is it to build trust? Is it to “sell the value” of your dealership? Is it to create excitement or urgency? Is it to build rapport?

How about “None of the Above.”

The goal of your internet sales process is to reconnect with the prospect. That’s it. Once you reconnect, feel free to do all those other things as you set an appointment that shows. But, until you reconnect with a prospect, you have no chance of selling a car.

You Should Prefer to Reconnect on the Phone

I know most of your sales team today thinks that “everyone” wants to communicate via text. And, most probably do; but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to gain a reconnection by phone first – especially when you have that option like Web Control with Call Drip.

You should give prospects options to communicate in any way they want, but when you can connect by phone:

You can hear their voice which allows you to decode meaning more easily;
You can uncover and overcome real objections;
You can provide context to what you say and what they say; and
You can start building a relationship.

None of this is possible via text, chat or email. Additionally, prospects are often more honest over the phone than via other means.

So, let’s recap: Reconnection is the goal; reconnecting via phone has benefits that other communication means do not; and reconnecting first with new prospects sells more cars.

But, you probably already knew all of this. Now, what are you doing to make this happen in your dealership?

Good selling!

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About TheManager:

Steve Stauning, creator of The Appointment Culture and an expert in The Customer Experience.He is also an extremely popular keynote speaker, writer, and industry consultant. Learn more about Steve at SteveStauning.com.

How to Always Respond First to Your Internet Leads