This story first appeared in the May issue of AutoTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE
In my 20 years working in automotive advertising, I’ve seen a huge amount of change, both in the types of advertising available to dealerships, as well as the way that the customers purchase vehicles.
Back in the day, new customers were either walk-ins visiting their local dealership, or would make contact in response to radio or print advertising, or following a vehicle search on a classified site.
Prospective customers would want to speak to their chosen dealership, either on the telephone or face-to-face; and when they hit the showroom floor, they were well and truly in-market for a new vehicle.
The new generation of automotive customer, however, is different.
With the advent of digital advertising, customer targeting is far more sophisticated than it has ever been.
Social media, Google and YouTube advertisements can be targeted based on a variety of demographics and profiles, meaning prospective customers can be reached at an earlier stage in their buying journey.
These customers are likely to be in the early “consideration” phase of the purchasing funnel.
This means they may not necessarily be in-market and ready to buy at the very moment they see and respond to your advertisement, but experience has shown that, if nurtured and managed well, these can be the most valuable leads for your business.
So, how should you manage this new brand of leads?
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
Despite what you’ve been taught, don’t just pick up the phone.Many of these early-stage leads will be responding to a digital advertisement, so it is more than likely they will contact you electronically via website enquiry, live chat, SMS, email, or Messenger.
It is important that you respond to these customers in the same way that they have contacted you – at least in the first instance.They need to feel as though they are in control of the communication.
ON THEIR TERMS
If conversations with the customer are continuing, it is important to confirm their preferred method(s) and times for communication.Many may need to speak to you after hours or on their lunch break, so it’s important to be flexible and allow them to dictate when and how the communication will take place.
TREAD CAREFULLY
This new type of customer is often at the very start of their purchasing journey.They do not want to feel pressured into making a decision about a new vehicle, so it is important that you tread carefully with them.Show empathy and understanding and, in the early stages, focus your contact more on providing information and answering questions about the vehicle, as opposed to locking them into a test drive.
UTILISE YOUR CRM
These customers need long-term nurturing, which means it is important that all contact with them is recorded in your CRM to avoid bombarding them with too many calls or emails.
CRMs usually include data such as how many times and when an email has been opened.
By using this intel, you can gauge the level of interest a customer has in your dealership, as well as what time might be appropriate to contact them.
If this new brand of lead is well managed by your sales team, your dealership will reap the rewards.
You will find that these customers are less likely to look around at other dealerships, which means that price will be less of a factor for them in their purchasing decision.
This in turn will give you the opportunity to leave more margin in your car, which will be great for the dealership’s bottom line.
Furthermore, if a customer has a positive experience with your dealership from the moment of enquiry right through to delivery of their vehicle, the results will be sure to reflect in your customer satisfaction index (CSI), and in your repeat business through service and further sales.
So, when you see those chats and web enquiries come through from a digital ad, don’t dismiss them as time-wasters.
Treat them as serious buyers who, with a bit of long-term TLC, could be your dealership’s most valuable customers.
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