Future-proofing Auto Retail
Bernstein’s 38th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference is noteworthy. Ford CEO Jim Farley’s lecture on car retail’s future shocked dealers. Dealers have been talking about how it affects them and consumers. He discussed OEM direct-to-consumer sales, one price, no public advertising, EVs, dealership transformation, and standardizing services like pick-up and delivery.
Whether you agree with Farley’s vision or not, auto retail is always changing, and your dealership must keep up to win the sale and earn long-term customer loyalty. Recognizing that one size does not fit all, dealers must leverage the finest technology, solutions, and processes to provide the best client experience.
Lean on automated technology to help your team manage ads, emails, SMS, and social media. We have all your work-free solutions. Conversations to improve the automobile customer experience
We knew the situation was dire. However, our own car-shopping experiences allowed us to understand the frustration. From having to wait too long for information to repeatedly retelling our stories to different departments, the entire experience was disappointing.
Dealershipsavaging, disjointed, constant dialogue, and competitive interactions. not a helpful, continuous discourse, as we have come to expect from brands.
We delve into the rationale behind shifting focus from sales to conversations, the anatomy of an engaging conversation, and how to use conversations to enhance the consumer experience.
If you are not persuaded, go buy a car.
What is amiss with the current sales-driven strategy?
When prospective customers initiate contact, they are promptly added to a sales pipeline. a linear sequence of events designed to move prospects from unqualified leads to qualified leads and, if all goes according to plan, to a sale.
Several errors exist here.
Customers are frustrated by the typical sales process.
The traditional sales pipeline hinders the connection between customers and enterprises. Often, just establishing the initial connection requires a lengthy game of back-and-forth in which both parties give up.
Retailers must qualify leads and pursue them via phone and email multiple times before making contact. Leads are required to complete forms, wait unhappily for a callback, listen to voicemails, and wait again. As they progress through the process, they interact with numerous departments, including BDC, sales, and finance, among others.
The language used by those who wish to conduct commerce with you.
The manner in which businesses discuss their consumers reveals how much they value them. When businesses discuss individuals in terms of leads and sales, the business-customer relationship is transactional from the outset and concentrates on the monetary value a customer represents.
The procedure lacks consistency. It is not personal. It is not human-centered. It is the antithesis of what makes modern consumers excited.
What do engaging dialogues entail?
Engaging dialogues necessitate connecting with consumers in real-time to facilitate their transition from one stage of their customer journey to the next. Customers engage in a continuous dialogue with your brand, both in-person and across devices and applications.
By enabling automotive consumers to connect with your company when, how, and where they choose, you can eliminate friction along the customer journey and create the standard of customer experience that consumers now expect from every brand with which they choose to engage.
It is presently impossible for sales teams to provide instant and helpful responses to every single end user without assistance. For auto retailers to achieve this at scale, conversation-automating technology is essential.
The structure of a captivating discourse
Constantly, dealerships have constant dialogue with prospects and customers. But not all conversations are made equal. Engaging conversations combine the basic elements of human communication and more recent expectations driven by communications technology.
Let’s first remind ourselves of the basics.
The definition of a conversation is, and always has been, an informal exchange of ideas and information between people. And whether chatting with friends or businesses, “people expect conversations to be helpful, personal, and empathetic.” We’ll explain.
Helpful. Customers begin conversations with an intended outcome. Maybe they want more information on prices or specs, or they want to book a vehicle inspection. Dealerships need to give relevant answers to help customers reach their goals quickly.
Personal. No one wants to feel like a number. Customers want to feel like brands are carving out time to have one-on-one conversations with them. Personalizing conversations includes using the customer’s name and tailoring recommendations based on their knowledge or preferences. This makes customers feel valued and more likely to remain loyal.
Empathetic. This is the opposite of the more apathetic traditional marketing and sales techniques, where sellers do most of the talking. People want to feel like they are listened to and understood. This means that customers must have control of the conversation—they ask questions, they choose when to engage. Retailers must listen carefully and respond when the opportunity arises.
Second, we need to take into context the modern-day influences that are shaping conversations. Messaging technology is shifting customer behavior and leading consumer brands are setting new standards. Conversations also need to be:
In the right place. Many consumer-business conversations happen in the digital sphere, via SMS, instant messaging apps, chatbots, or social media. Dealerships need to meet customers wherever they are or lose out to competitors that readily communicate via these platforms.
At the right time. Customers don’t like hanging around for answers. They expect brands to respond almost instantaneously to messages. (Even at 3am, when your sales team is sleeping.) Conversational platforms allow dealerships to automate immediate responses to queries no matter the time and no matter the scale. Without the need for sales and support to work around the clock.
Improving the end-to-end customer experience with engaging conversations
We touched on some of the pain points customers experience in the “sales pipeline.” This is only a snapshot of the bigger picture. Pain points span the end-to-end automotive customer journey, from pre-purchase to customer service, to the end of the relationship. A direct consequence is painfully low customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Yet auto dealers still have the opportunity to turn this around. Enabling real-time conversations across the customer journey can directly impact the customer experience and their loyalty to your company.
Let’s see how dealerships can use conversations during the purchase journey, customer service, and beyond.
Nurture new contacts
In the run-up to purchase, potential buyers typically interact multiple times with dealerships via a number of platforms. They want answers quickly. After just five minutes, lead response times significantly decline.
This creates chaos for sales teams. We see it all the time. Sales agents bust a gut to find every incoming message and reply in quickly time. But the sheer volume of messages is too much to handle and responses are delayed. In the end, potential customers lose patience and find answers elsewhere.
Dealerships can take advantage of real-time conversations to reply to incoming queries quickly and keep customers engaged. Dealers can set up automatic messages and message sequences to new inquiries so they can send out relevant replies to queries as and when they come in. At the least, this helps to keep the buyer connected until a member of your team can engage in a deeper conversation.
For the business, not only can speed keep customers in your sales funnel, it can potentially reduce the time they stay there and increase your ROI.
Improve customer service satisfaction
Any dealership can see that customer loyalty is declining. A number of factors are to blame, but customer service (or lack of) is a big one. According to a Microsoft survey, 95% of 5,000 respondents said that customer service influences their loyalty to a brand. With tunnel vision for closing the deal, dealers are unable to give customers the level of service they expect.
Real-time conversations enable customers to communicate how and when they want with the automotive service team. This can help customers troubleshoot minor issues out of working hours, or keep them engaged until a service technician is available. Conversation bots can also schedule service appointments, which makes the process quicker and easier for customers and the dealer.
Plus, car dealers can automate sales follow-ups without even having to pick up the phone. For instance, you can automatically send a friendly SMS to check on all customers that purchased within the past few days or remind them later on to book a vehicle service check-up.
Re-engage long-lost contacts
Sales teams are grafting to respond to prospective buyers, yet old contacts haven’t heard a peep from you in years. Your customers are much more likely to purchase from you than non-customers. So, why do most auto retailers focus more on nurturing new “leads” than old ones?”
Hey, we know it’s not easy. Dealerships don’t have departments dedicated to re-engaging, so it takes time and manpower you don’t have. This is where real-time conversations come in. They allow you to automate the re-engagement process by initiating conversations with all those contacts who purchased months, years, or even decades ago.
For example, you could automatically engage with customers who bought, say, over five years ago to see if they want to trade up their model or send an automated reminder to customers whose lease warranty will soon expire.
Automotive consumers are unhappy about dealerships’ “lack of interest [and failure] to interact” once the sale is done, according to Deloitte research. Keeping the conversation going afterward with the help of technology isn’t just the perfect antidote, it also gives them a good reason to stay loyal.
Nothing gives you better insight into your customers’ experience than putting yourself in their shoes. USE FACEBOOK ADVERTISING TO INCREASE DEALERSHIP SALES
The Benefits of Long-Term Lead Monitoring
To make sure that no leads slip between the cracks, a dealership must implement a strong follow-up strategy. Making the most of each lead that comes your way is essential given the fierce competition in the automotive market. Sadly, a lot of dealerships have trouble following up on long-term leads, which results in missed opportunities and dropped sales.
The explanation for this is straightforward: lead follow-up is a laborious operation that takes a lot of time and resources. It can be difficult to keep track of every lead and make sure they get the attention they require when there are so many to maintain. Automation becomes important in this situation. Using technology will enable you to automate the lead follow-up procedure and make sure that no lead is overlooked.
The ability to keep organized is one of the main advantages of automation. By using a text messaging platform, you can keep track of every lead you have in one spot, making it simple to determine which ones need to be followed up on and when. In order to guarantee that you never miss a follow-up opportunity, you may also set up automated communications.
Automation also gives you the ability to customize your follow-up actions. You may establish a rapport with your leads and improve your chances of closing a deal by using a text messaging platform to send them tailored messages. Moreover, personalization can assist you in overcoming typical obstacles and addressing any queries a lead may have.
Automation can also help you save time and resources in addition to these advantages. By using a text messaging software, you can automate a lot of the follow-up procedure and give your sales team more time to work on other projects. This can boost your production and efficiency, resulting in more sales and a better return on investment.
In summary, long-term lead follow-up is an essential part of any profitable dealership. Using technology and automation will help you stay organized, customize your efforts, and save time and money while streamlining your follow-up procedure. By using a text messaging network, you can make sure that no lead is overlooked and that every opportunity is thoroughly investigated.
Why partner with SimpSocial?
Some things in the marketing industry will never change, despite the fact that it grows rapidly every year. One of these is successful marketing. Even if you offer the best goods and services available, your business may fail if you are unable to connect with your target market. Keep up with the times if you want to succeed in today’s ever-evolving environment. The fiercely competitive world of the car business is the place where this is most obvious. Count on SimpSocial to put your company on the road to success.
The beginning of a new automotive era
Like other technology fields, the automotive business is always evolving to meet consumer needs. The process of buying a car is about to undergo a major transformation, and dealerships may soon see a decline in traffic in favor of online shopping. Being at the forefront of technology is more crucial than ever as EVs (Electric Vehicles) become more widely available.
Why Choosing SimpSocial Is the Greatest Decision You’ll Ever Make
You might say we’ve made a name for ourselves in the field of social media advertising with a 99% efficacy rate. The target audience of today doesn’t watch television with an open mind to a well-placed commercial’s sales pitch. We are equipped to effectively reach your clientele on the many social media channels where they are active.
Using Data Research for the Best Outcomes
Market research teams used to meet for hours at a time to figure out the best method to reach potential clients. The game has changed today. Even though market research is still being done, it is based on data that has been gathered, allowing us to target the correct audience at the right time. There is no longer a “throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks” mentality. There is only one implementation strategy that can be relied upon to work.
Better Content is Achieved by Innovative Thinking
Our crew is extremely motivated and aware of the need for the best possible outcomes. Our team includes specialists in design, animation, and direction. We have worked with prestigious firms like BMW and Bentley, and we can also get the best outcomes for your business.
SimpSocial will assist you in connecting with your clientele in ways you might not have anticipated. Even if the automobile industry has been changing, the desire to succeed and be the best will always be present. Visit SimpSocial.com to learn more and get moving toward a fresh start.
Lead Abandonment: A Pricey Issue
Dealerships spend a lot of money on lead generation initiatives including marketing, advertising, and lead creation campaigns. Due to lead abandonment, the practice of losing up on leads after a certain amount of time, many dealerships struggle to turn those leads into sales. InsideSales.com found that sales representatives often lose up on a lead after just 1.3 contact attempts. This means that even if they first indicated an interest in a product or service, many potential clients are never approached again.
For dealerships, the effects of lead abandonment can be expensive. Every lead is a prospective customer, and ineffective follow-up results in missed sales. Also, it is expensive to generate leads, particularly in light of the fact that we are aware that dealerships employ expensive marketing strategies like paid advertising. That investment is practically lost if those leads are not adequately developed and converted.
Lead abandonment causes include:
Dealerships may struggle with lead abandonment for a number of reasons. Lack of resources is one frequent cause. It’s possible that sales representatives are overworked or understaffed to follow up with prospects properly. Dealerships occasionally might not have the tools or technology necessary to manage leads efficiently.
Ineffective lead nurturing tactics are another factor in lead abandonment. It’s possible that salespeople lack a clear knowledge of how to follow up with leads or that they lack the information necessary to tailor their conversations. This may result in follow-up messages that are impersonal or pointless and fail to connect with the customer or meet their needs.
Lead abandonment remedies include:
Dealerships must adopt an all-encompassing strategy that addresses the underlying reasons for the lead abandonment problem. Purchasing software or hiring more personnel is one way to manage leads successfully. By segmenting leads, utilizing automation tools, and giving sales representatives the appropriate information to personalize their interactions, dealerships may also create efficient lead-nurturing plans. It can also be beneficial to establish a culture of accountability by establishing clear expectations and goals for lead follow-up.
To lessen the workload on sales staff, dealerships should optimize their lead management procedures by streamlining workflows, removing pointless steps, or automating specific duties. It is possible to make sure that sales representatives have the abilities and knowledge required to manage leads successfully by providing continual training and assistance. Additionally, dealerships can increase the conversion of leads into sales by using data and analytics to evaluate the success of lead management techniques and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Conclusion:
For dealerships, lead abandonment is a costly issue. Dealerships can, however, enhance their lead management procedures and increase the conversion of leads into sales by adopting a comprehensive strategy that addresses the underlying reasons for the problem. Dealerships can better engage leads and boost their bottom line by investing in the right technology, creating efficient lead nurturing strategies, fostering an accountability culture, optimizing lead management procedures, offering ongoing training and support, and using data and analytics to guide decision-making.
Lead Abandonment: A Pricey Issue
Dealerships spend a lot of money on lead generation initiatives including marketing, advertising, and lead creation campaigns. Due to lead abandonment, the practice of losing up on leads after a certain amount of time, many dealerships struggle to turn those leads into sales. InsideSales.com found that sales representatives often lose up on a lead after just 1.3 contact attempts. This means that even if they first indicated an interest in a product or service, many potential clients are never approached again.
For dealerships, the effects of lead abandonment can be expensive. Every lead is a prospective customer, and ineffective follow-up results in missed sales. Also, it is expensive to generate leads, particularly in light of the fact that we are aware that dealerships employ expensive marketing strategies like paid advertising. That investment is practically lost if those leads are not adequately developed and converted.
Lead abandonment causes include:
Dealerships may struggle with lead abandonment for a number of reasons. Lack of resources is one frequent cause. It’s possible that sales representatives are overworked or understaffed to follow up with prospects properly. Dealerships occasionally might not have the tools or technology necessary to manage leads efficiently.
Ineffective lead nurturing tactics are another factor in lead abandonment. It’s possible that salespeople lack a clear knowledge of how to follow up with leads or that they lack the information necessary to tailor their conversations. This may result in follow-up messages that are impersonal or pointless and fail to connect with the customer or meet their needs.
Lead abandonment remedies include:
Dealerships must adopt an all-encompassing strategy that addresses the underlying reasons for the lead abandonment problem. Purchasing software or hiring more personnel is one way to manage leads successfully. By segmenting leads, utilizing automation tools, and giving sales representatives the appropriate information to personalize their interactions, dealerships may also create efficient lead-nurturing plans. It can also be beneficial to establish a culture of accountability by establishing clear expectations and goals for lead follow-up.
To lessen the workload on sales staff, dealerships should optimize their lead management procedures by streamlining workflows, removing pointless steps, or automating specific duties. It is possible to make sure that sales representatives have the abilities and knowledge required to manage leads successfully by providing continual training and assistance. Additionally, dealerships can increase the conversion of leads into sales by using data and analytics to evaluate the success of lead management techniques and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Conclusion:
For dealerships, lead abandonment is a costly issue. Dealerships can, however, enhance their lead management procedures and increase the conversion of leads into sales by adopting a comprehensive strategy that addresses the underlying reasons of the problem. Dealerships can better engage leads and boost their bottom line by investing in the right technology, creating efficient lead nurturing strategies, fostering an accountability culture, optimizing lead management procedures, offering ongoing training and support, and using data and analytics to guide decision-making.
The Real Reason Your Vehicle Sales Are Falling Knowing how to generate sales is one of the most difficult aspects of dealership management.
Even with the finest car models in town on display and a stellar car sales team, the end-of-month numbers remain unchanged.
The fundamental flaw with such sales optimization strategies is that they fail to address the underlying problem. We’ll elucidate.
In the past decade, automobile purchasers have undergone a radical transformation. People previously distinguished brands based on their products. Now, they make this decision based on their experience throughout the entire consumer journey.
Unfortunately, as purchasers evolve, the current automotive retail model is rapidly becoming relegated to a bygone era. Many dealerships operate in a manner that diminishes the consumer experience rather than enhancing it. In fact, only 1% of automotive consumers report being “fully satisfied” with their car-buying experience.
To aid in your comprehension of the issue at hand, we explain how communication, organizational structure, and retail channels are frequently misaligned with modern consumers, thereby negatively impacting the customer experience and your sales figures.
You are leaving yet another voicemail, but the consumer has already moved on.
Not being able to contact prospective purchasers and existing customers is a significant issue for dealerships. We are more connected than ever before; therefore, why is it so difficult?
Consider the following case.
- John submits a contact form on your website in order to receive more information about a car you are selling.
- After 20 minutes, Gary from Sales dials John’s number.
- John’s phone is unanswered.
- Gary leaves a voicemail message.
- Gary sends an email to John.
- A few days later, Susie from Sales sends another voicemail and email. John never answers.
- John has disappeared.
- Response times are slow. 20 minutes may not seem like a long time to wait for a response, but it can make or destroy a relationship for the current generation. Twenty minutes could determine the success or failure of a sale.
- Generic communication. The majority of BDC and Sales teams lack the resources and time to provide personalized responses to each potential customer. Typically, they respond to each inquiry with the same, impersonal response, which is likely to alienate customers.
- The outdated method of outreach. Phone conversations are rapidly becoming obsolete. Statistically, fewer than one in four calls from an unknown number are answered.
How to successfully implement a customer experience vision in the automotive retail industry
According to McKinsey research, organizations that prioritize customer experience had three times the shareholder returns as opposed to those that did not.
Since times are tough, many auto dealers are barely getting by. It hardly seems like the appropriate time to begin a company revamps. But the need to put customers first and center is actually being accelerated by the current circumstances.
The moment is now to make investments in customer experience or CX.
Few vehicle dealers will contest the significance of changing the CX. But starting the process is a difficult task. Particularly in siloed organizations where each department faces unique problems that must be addressed separately.
Creating a smooth road involves pouring concrete over a flat surface. It will be spotty if there are bumps all over the place. However, if you want to travel anywhere, you must create the road.
Fortunately, Rome wasn’t constructed overnight. The process can be made much simpler by dividing the customer experience transformation into tiny, achievable parts.
The first step in a tried-and-true strategy for improving your customer experience and securing your competitive edge is defining a clear CX vision. Let’s examine what a customer experience vision is, why it’s important, and how to get started.
What is the vision for the customer experience?
A dealership’s impact on its consumers is described in a statement called a customer experience vision. It provides direction to the entire organization on how to conduct themselves when interacting with consumers and how to make wise judgments that are in line with the greater good. Since customers are at the heart of contemporary, customer-centric businesses, the terms “company vision” and “company purpose” may frequently be used interchangeably.
CarGurus, as an example of an auto retailer’s customer experience vision, has “a vision for helping automotive shoppers better navigate their car search.” It prioritizes improving the automobile shopping experience for customers, which is important, and is closely connected with the company’s mission of “building the world’s most trusted and transparent automotive marketplace.”
Three justifications for why car dealers need a customer experience strategy
How to make a customer experience plan more effective
When we are unsure of where we are going, it is far too simple to lose motivation. Your CX vision is a source of illumination for your CX strategy. It provides a firm with a clear direction, aids in goal-setting, the formulation and implementation of your strategy, and ensures that consumers are always put first in all business decisions.
a catalyst for culture change to one that is customer-focused
A customer-centric aspiration ignites a shift in the entire company’s focus in the direction of the customer. Employees make decisions with the customer in mind, and sales teams and executives begin discussing customers rather than leads. Do you say we’re talking about customers and not leads? How can we increase our sales? Companies that prioritize delivering value to consumers over “winning a sale” are 60% more lucrative. Talking more about people and less about business has benefits. The irony, my..integration of organizational silos
Silos are your number one pet peeve, in case you didn’t know. The way these departments work creates friction for both customers and employees and makes running the dealership much more difficult than it has to be. One method to bring these silos together and establish a sense of a unified organizational culture is through a customer experience vision. According to CustomerThink, a global community for customer-centric business strategy, departments work toward the same goal, employees feel better connected with coworkers, and consumers have a more uniform experience across the board or a “one-company experience.”
Your vision for the client experience should include these four things.
Even though every firm will have a different vision, there are a few guiding concepts that can help you create a successful vision.
Ordinarily, a compelling vision is:
Customer- and business-focused
Yes, the needs and wants of the client form the basis of the CX vision. However, the business’s goal, values, and purpose must also be in line with the vision. A dealership with the goal of offering inexpensive vehicles to a large number of people will have a very different vision than a high-end auto store with a specialized customer base. Your vision must be unique to your business and your target market in order to be effective for you.
Concise and direct
Although they may sound impressive, long-vision statements will probably fall flat. Employees may find them challenging to understand, let alone recall. Your vision statement ought to have a clear, concise message that can be expressed in one or two sentences. Although it’s generally agreed that anywhere between five and eight words are the sweet spot, utilize as many as are necessary to convey your message without the meaning being muddled. Your vision statement will be easier for employees to remember if it is concise.
Accessible to all organizational levels for interpretation
Avoid using jargon, superlatives, and any subjective terms like “great,” “best,” and “superior” that could cause uncertainty. Use simple language that doesn’t need to be explained. To create something that the entire dealership can comprehend and deliver, you should consult the staff.
How to develop a vision for the automobile customer experience
Recognize what consumers value
Many businesses make the mistake of assuming that their clients care about certain things. We have said it before, and we will say it again. Before creating a customer experience plan, you must make the time and effort to deeply understand your customers.
Customer journey mapping from beginning to end is one way to get there. assemble and examine consumer information from all phases of the customer lifecycle. Get information from your CRM, get comments from staff who interact with customers, and take pleasure in some in-depth discussions with your clients. Create a map of the entire process and mark the elements that encourage loyalty, repel customers and anything else you should be doing.
The purpose of your business.
Reminding yourself of your company’s larger ideals, mission, and vision is a smart idea. If they are no longer applicable, this can also be a chance to reexamine them. In order to create a distinctive CX vision that distinguishes you from your rivals, you must intimately comprehend the DNA of your business.
Build your vision together.
After having a solid understanding of the company’s beliefs and those of its customers, consult the entire dealership to develop a shared vision. This makes it easier to get everyone in the organization on board, especially front-line employees who engage with customers directly.
Ahead is a smooth road
Auto retailers must change the experience they provide to suit today’s customers since the automobile industry is on the verge of total disruption. This could entail a few touchpoint adjustments, but a complete revamp is more likely. In either case, having a clear vision that directs your entire dealership’s strategy moving forward is essential for getting you where you need to be and avoiding any roadblocks.
Streamlining Lead Management to Increase Appointments
Auto industry pioneers can provide fresh viewpoints to help auto dealers resolve their most pressing problems.
Only about 12.5% of leads show up for showroom appointments, according to our experience. Low lead conversion rates are now a widespread problem in auto dealerships.
Adding more funds to lead generation is a typical solution. More input should result in more output, according to theory. But there’s good news. Strategies for lead acquisition by themselves are insufficient to make a difference, and they are also expensive. The way leads are managed throughout the buyer’s journey is where the true problem resides.
At each stage of the lead engagement pipeline, about 50% of leads abandon their involvement. Consider a scenario where only 50 of your 100 new leads are contacted, only 25 request an appointment and only 12.5% of those appointments are kept.
You don’t need to be an expert in mathematics to realize that you need to switch gears and concentrate on raising lead engagement rates. However, the burden cannot fall on the sales and BDC teams, who already find it difficult to stay on top of every lead.
Automation is useful in this situation. Dealerships may increase engagement at every level of the lead management process by automating some tasks. Let’s examine how automating the procedure is the best decision dealerships can make to draw more customers into their stores.
- To increase contact rates, send responses that are timely and appropriate.
- Encourage participation by starting meaningful conversations
- Make it simple to schedule appointments to increase show-up rates
- Bonus: increase lead numbers with revival campaigns
Text messaging is revolutionizing lead follow-up for auto dealers.
Text messaging is revolutionizing lead follow-up for auto dealers.
It can be challenging to convince your sales team to consistently make phone calls and finish tasks in the CRM. It can seem like an uphill fight to make sure that every lead is followed up on in a timely and efficient manner, despite countless meetings and reminders. What if, however, there were a way to simplify the process of customer follow-up and make it easier for your staff to do so indefinitely? Texting is the answer.
Auto dealership salespeople are natural hunters who enjoy the thrill of making sales and sealing deals. Making phone calls and completing activities in the CRM while seated at a desk all day might be difficult and demotivating for them. But because people are less inclined to answer calls from unknown callers and more likely to let them go to voicemail, traditional ways of contacting clients over the phone are no longer as effective.
We perform mystery shopping at hundreds of car dealerships across the nation each month. We submit a lead via the dealership’s website during our examination and then play the part of a defensive customer by informing the salesman that we were “just looking.” We keep a careful eye on the dealership’s follow-up procedures and have discovered that, most of the time, we are fortunate to get a follow-up call, text, or email from the salesman. Furthermore, we have seen that most follow-up activities last just a few days—three to five—before completely ceasing. As many potential clients need time to decide and may eventually convert if nurtured correctly, the dealership is losing out by not following up consistently and persistently.
Why Always Follow Up?
For auto dealerships only, our team created a text message Follow Up system that has greatly increased the follow-up window for potential clients. With the help of this technology, salespeople no longer have to perform as much manual effort when following up with leads, allowing for a longer and more reliable follow-up time.
We examined the leads that were received for a dealership in April and May of 2021 in order to demonstrate the efficacy of our text message Follow Up system. We followed up with these leads using our system, and we monitored the ensuing car deals month by month. The number of car deals that were closed as a result of these leads is depicted in the graph below.
The outcomes of the dealership’s use of our text message follow-up technology are self-evident. The dealership kept selling automobiles from those leads long after they first came in, as evidenced by the graph. In fact, after the first 30 days, an astonishing 50% of the total car deals generated by those leads were closed. This shows the value of regular and persistent follow-up because clients can require more time to decide or might simply be awaiting the ideal moment to make a purchase.
For sales teams, the standard task-based CRM procedures used by many dealerships can be time-consuming and difficult. This has led to a “Churn and Burn” mentality with leads, where dealerships focus on acquiring more leads rather than effectively following up with the ones they already have.
In meeting after meeting, dealership managers are in a constant battle with their sales teams to make sure they follow up and make enough calls. The truth is that these conventional approaches frequently fail, leading to missed opportunities and lost money.
Text messaging has completely changed how dealerships follow up with leads, giving sales staff the freedom to concentrate on interested clients and seal agreements. Instead of spending time chasing customers for engagement, salespeople can focus on those who are already interested and engaged with the dealership, thereby increasing their chances of closing a sale.
With text messaging, salespeople can increase their answer rates on phone calls by over 10x. This means they can spend less time leaving voicemails and more time connecting with customers who are ready to buy. This not only drives sales but also gives salespeople the excitement they need to thrive in their roles, instead of feeling bogged down by mundane tasks.
By leveraging the flexibility and convenience of text messaging, dealerships can streamline their lead follow-up process and stay top-of-mind with potential customers, ultimately driving more sales and revenue. The power of text messaging cannot be understated in the auto dealership industry, and dealerships that embrace this technology will undoubtedly be at a competitive advantage.
The screenshot below, captured at 10 am on a Monday morning, highlights the power of text messaging for lead follow-up. The Chevrolet dealership in question had only received one new lead for the day but had already engaged with 31 customers through text messaging. This shows the effectiveness of text messaging in keeping customers engaged and interested in the dealership.
The dealership is concentrating on those 31 consumers who have already interacted with them via text message rather than wasting time calling clients at random. The dealership can focus its efforts on individuals who are most likely to pick up the phone by employing text messaging to stay in front of potential consumers’ minds rather than wasting time on cold calls.
This is an excellent illustration of how text messaging can revolutionize the lead follow-up procedure and help dealerships be more productive and successful in their sales efforts. Dealerships can increase sales and revenue while also improving the customer experience by utilizing the power of text messaging to connect with and intrigue their customers.
We urge you to sign up for a free virtual demo if you’re having trouble with your dealership’s follow-up procedure and are curious about how text messaging can be of assistance.
With years of experience working in the automotive sector, our team can offer you invaluable advice on how text messaging can improve your lead follow-up procedure and increase sales for your dealership.
The 30-minute virtual trial is absolutely free of charge and just requires a small amount of your time. Whether or whether you choose to use our software, we think the data we offer will be enlightening and beneficial to your dealership’s sales initiatives.
Simply click the button below and complete the form to register for the free virtual demo. We’re eager to demonstrate how text messaging may revolutionize your lead follow-up procedure and increase sales for your dealership.
What we have to show you will open your eyes even if you don’t use our software. It will take you 30 minutes to comprehend how text messages can aid you with all of your follow-up problems. Get a free virtual demo by clicking the icon below. Dealerships are losing thousands of dollars due to inefficient salespeople.
I have worked as a vendor in the automotive industry for many years, during which time I have seen every lead, advertising product, and piece of software come and go. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the existence of dishonest salesmen who don’t want to put in the effort required to turn leads into sales.
Instead of spending the time to build relationships with potential customers, these salesmen would much rather wait for a consumer to arrive at the door with a strong credit score and plenty of cash. For those of us who are passionate about the industry, this lack of effort is not only discouraging, but also represents a big missed opportunity for car dealerships to boost their bottom line.
Car dealerships invest a lot of money in generating leads through many channels, including email campaigns, social media, and internet advertising. However, if salespeople are not adequately following up with leads, all of this effort could be for nothing. The unfortunate truth is that a lot of salesmen at auto dealerships are ineffective and waste leads without making any serious efforts to turn them into clients.
In addition to costing dealerships thousands of dollars in lost opportunities, slack salespeople harm their reputations. Leads are more likely to lose patience and do business elsewhere when they are not adequately followed up with. This may lead to unfavorable internet evaluations and harm to the dealership’s reputation through word of mouth.
The “sharks” in the auto industry who are skilled salespeople are now more productive than ever thanks to developments in AI. Additionally, it eliminates the need for sluggish salespeople that waste leads. AI can relieve your shark of all the tedious tasks. enabling them to concentrate their time and energy on completing more transactions. Because the present CRM processes are so laborious, AI and text messaging assist to streamline them and lighten your sharks’ burden by reducing busy work.
Additionally, the dealership may develop a culture of complacency as a result of the presence of lazy salespeople. New salespeople may be less motivated to close deals themselves if they observe their colleagues not making the necessary effort. A lack of accountability and a deterioration in overall sales performance may result from this.
However, the usage of AI technology can assist in resolving this issue by giving salespeople more effective and efficient tools for following up with prospects. Salespeople may interact with leads in a more timely and personalized way by combining AI-powered chatbots with natural language processing. Conversion rates may rise as a result, and salespeople who may have previously been overburdened with manual follow-up activities may feel less pressure.
Automobile dealerships may suffer significantly from the presence of sluggish salespeople. Strong salespeople may now use more efficient and effective tools to close more deals and lessen the workload thanks to improvements in AI technology. By utilizing these tools, auto dealerships may improve their bottom line while also fostering a culture of success and accountability within their sales force.
I can absolutely identify with the annoyance of wasting time and resources in the wrong place as someone who has spent a lot of time on the ocean fishing off the coast of San Diego. Similar to chumming the water when fishing, buying more and more leads for a dealership can work similarly, but if you’re not in the appropriate spot, your bait will be wasted. According to my experience, fishing for sharks in particular calls for careful planning, preparation, and the capacity to adjust to shifting environmental factors. Similarly to this, a dealership’s success in generating leads depends on having a planned approach and the flexibility to change techniques as necessary to efficiently attract and convert potential clients regardless of the circumstances.
What opportunities exist for a successful salesperson, or “shark,” in the auto industry? The bar is set considerably higher than most people would think is possible, as demonstrated by individuals like Frank Crinite, who sell over 100 cars each month. To improve their bottom line and lessen the need for slack salespeople who waste leads, auto dealerships must recognize and develop these outstanding salespeople.
To sum up, feeding your salespeople with the right materials and tools can result in fantastic success in the automotive sector. Dealerships can improve their operations and lessen the workload for effective salespeople by investing in text messaging and AI technologies, letting them concentrate on completing more deals and generating more income. A dealership’s expansion and performance may be hampered by the complacent atmosphere that lazy salespeople might foster. Dealerships may prosper and expand in a field that is becoming more and more competitive by building a team of sharks that are dedicated to their profession and prepared to put in the effort required to succeed.
It’s important to keep in mind that the chum bucket does not contain endless amounts of chum. Generating leads is simply the first step; turning them into customers takes a team of skilled and motivated salespeople that don’t accept defeat and view every lead as a great opportunity. Why Your Dealership Must Pay Attention to TikTok
Why Your Dealership Must Pay Attention to TikTok
TikTok has been downloaded more than 3 billion times through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in just six incredibly brief years since its debut. We still have a lot to educate you if you haven’t heard of TikTok yet. But even if you aren’t actively utilizing the site for your own personal scrolling, there’s a good chance that you have at least heard about it from friends and relatives. TikTok is a cutting-edge social networking site that focuses on sharing brief, real-life, relevant videos that users can personalize with eye-catching overlays and fashionable music. That seems excellent for passing a few minutes while you wait in the dentist’s waiting room or on the couch, but why should you care about TikTok in relation to a vehicle dealership? The main factor is that, in contrast to other major social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, users of TikTok can produce a diverse range of content that caters to the automobile industry, audience, and specialty. Let’s explore some of the justifications for why your dealership shouldn’t disregard TikTok. Boost Brand Awareness – By utilizing regionally relevant hashtags, let your local audience know you are in town. It will not only increase your web visibility but also communicate to your potential clientele that you are personable and willing to communicate. TikTok is no longer solely for Gen Z. On TikTok, people of all ages join together not only to learn and watch, but also to create. Affordable for advertisers – As you spend less money at the ad auction than Meta and use TikTok advertising to reach a large audience, “Your money won’t jiggle jiggle, it folds.” Less competition will allow your adverts to be seen by more users who are specifically interested in them. Businesses have the choice to produce organic content in addition to sponsored advertisements. Thanks to the sophisticated algorithm being used, if you continuously post on trend, a large audience will be able to see your organic TikToks. Your dealership can have TikTok ads running by the end of the week with the aid of SimpSocial! TikTok was never intended to feel like a polished platform, so connect with customers on a casual level. With the use of a casual, user-generated content strategy that is accessible to anyone with a smartphone, users are encouraged to promote and express themselves on the social channel. What does that imply for your auto dealer business? Authentic and affordable marketing Find out who might be interested in helping you develop your TikToks by talking to your staff. Using TikToks as a way to highlight new inventory, share car care advice, show off what’s going on in the store, show off what you like to get engaged with the community, or simply make your audience laugh are some typical strategies for auto dealerships. You might be attracting a customer base that was on the fence about visiting your business due to the stigma associated with “the hassles of car buying” by communicating on this casual, upbeat level. Simple to Discover and Apply New Trends – Ever hear someone say, “I saw it on TikTok”? This is as a result of Tiktok becoming THE platform where trends are born. A short glance at your “For You” page will provide you all the information you need if you want to stay up to date with what customers are interested in and talking about. When you find a trend you like, you may either use the audio or action to create unique material, create a duet, or edit the video with your opinion. There are countless potential outcomes. Who knows, you might come up with a brand-new piece of content that overnight becomes a greater fad than “It’s Corn!” Are you overwhelmed or excited by the platform’s limitless potential? Starting can seem like a huge task, but with the help of the SimpSocial team, you’ll be able to begin going right away. When raw footage is provided for Paid and Organic on TikTok, our team of social media specialists may advise you on trends, subjects, and even produce the content for you. Do you want to know more about how we can help your company succeed on TikTok? To schedule a FREE Social Health Check, contact us right now.THE TEXT GENERATION AS A CLIENT
This year alone, about 1.5 million vehicles are expected to be sold per month. Every. Month. Is your dealership achieving record sales numbers as well, with record sales statistics for auto dealers in 2015 and projections for 2016 looking to be as forecasted?
This article discusses how to sell effectively across various generations utilizing a Texting Platform that everyone can use. What is the significance of this? This is significant since satisfied customers are more likely to buy and spend more money.
Millennials, with a population of 75.4 million in 2015, are the largest generation in the United States. Pew Internet Research (Pew Internet Research, 2015). The Baby Boomers have a population of 74.9 million people, and don’t forget about Generation X. Over three generations, that’s a lot of potential purchasing power.
For many dealerships, a current and major marketing difficulty is:
How does my dealership bridge the gap between the various generations’ preferred communication modes, from conventional advertising for older consumers who may still read a physical newspaper in the mornings to digital advertising for newer generations who have grown up in the digital age?
How do you effectively advertise, connect, and interact with potential consumers ranging in age from 18 to 99 in a way that is comfortable for them? The answer is straightforward: texting.
68 percent of Americans had a smartphone in 2015. (Pew Internet Research, 2015). When given the option, more than half of those surveyed choose to text rather than call; that’s 100 million people in the United States who prefer to connect primarily by text! Within 5 minutes of being sent, the bulk of those texts are opened and read!
GET IN TOUCH WITH MORE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BUY YOUR PRODUCT
Texting is a very effective approach to reach more buyers, and it is mostly ignored by the car sector. Most Americans are texting these days, and have been for a time, whether they are young or elderly, using a smart phone or a dumb phone. Take a look out the window into your customer waiting area. How many of them are engrossed in their phones? Over 60% of phone users use their phones to assist them in purchasing a home, over 40% for banking and loans, and over 30% for vehicle purchases, with those percentages rapidly rising as society’s reliance on cell phones grows.
A good and well-managed texting campaign exposes your company to a previously unexplored and commonly used method of communication that is convenient for customers of all generations. In an era where the most popular social media can vary from month to month, a solid texting strategy will help you not only preserve client loyalty but also help you gain new consumers. Leaving you frustrated, hands in the air, over squandered Internet advertising time and time again.
REMAIN IN CONTROL OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Texting is another area where your salespeople may easily take over if you don’t take charge of the process from the start. A dissatisfied employee leaving with a list of clients’ phone numbers, which he or she has been messaging, is the last thing you want. This is only one of the reasons why having the assistance of a trained and experienced texting partner is critical.
Increased response times and more comfortable, well-managed, and controlled dialogues with your customers result from a successful texting campaign, which leads to more walk-ins and vehicle sales. That’s why you need to work with a business that not only has experience, but also has the most up-to-date automotive text messaging technology to help you with this part of your marketing strategy. FACEBOOK ADVERTISING VS. GOOGLE ADWORDS
I had the privilege of attending the CBT Conference in Atlanta, GA in early March, as well as the PCG Companies training session that preceded the conference. Much of the conversation in automotive digital marketing is now focused on Google AdWords and the quality of website traffic generated.
We’ve been measuring our Google AdWords outcomes for the past decade by looking at CPC, Bounce Rates, Impression Share, and Click Through Rates. When cars were flying off the shelves, these simple measurements were ideal.
The quality of that traffic has decreased in recent years, and the cost per sold unit has risen dramatically. The fact that every dealership in your market is vying for the same set of customers isn’t helping matters. Now that sales have slowed, it’s time to examine those AdWords budgets more closely.
According to PCG’s study, around 80% of Google AdWords traffic to dealership websites is just consumers searching for the dealership’s name. There is no need to pay for clicks from those who would have found you otherwise. Essentially, your dealership’s Yellow Pages directory at an exorbitant charge.
When you factor in Bot and Service traffic, your AdWords budget is left with very few sales prospects. By installing VistaDash on your website, you can simply assess what is being generated, as well as track engagement and isolate bot traffic. You can score your phone calls as Sales/Service using a service like CallRevu.
When you go further into your AdWords traffic, you’ll rapidly notice that there are very few sales opportunities available. The ones you do have are usually shopping for the best deal, and they anticipate you to lose money while selling them a car. You’ve been informed you must be searching on Google. In the world of digital marketing, Google is the be-all and end-all. Google accounts for the majority of most dealerships’ digital spending. That’s where you’ve heard folks go to look for an automobile. So, what are your options?
The solution is right in front of your eyes. The majority of you use it several times during the day. Facebook! There was a lot of snake oil being marketed when Facebook first entered the market. Vendors informing you that by creating a Facebook page, generating some Fans/Likes, and starting to post some amazing engaging content, they may improve sales by $500-$1,000 per month. It was supposed to be a simple and inexpensive approach to increase car sales.
I was one of the first merchants to jump on board. I switched my focus away from direct mail and toward Facebook marketing. I spent eight years trying to figure out how to assist car dealers sell more cars for less money. The industry, as well as myself, took the incorrect approach to this. Remember, nothing worthwhile in life is free or simple!
Everything we knew about marketing was turned upside down. We’ve even been instructed that you “don’t sell automobiles on social,” and that you should post interesting stuff that isn’t even relevant to your brand. Vendors and dealers did this in order to combat Facebook’s constantly changing algorithms aimed at reducing the quantity of spam content their users were exposed to. They also aimed to push marketers into a Pay-to-Play strategy in order to boost their profits.
Our clients have chosen a different strategy during the last year. Many of our clients have switched major sections of their expenditures from Google to Facebook by investing in “paid” Facebook ads. About a year ago, Facebook launched something called Lead Gen Ads. It gave us a way to create significant volumes of leads from paid ads for the first time.
These adverts, when combined with the appropriate response mechanisms, demonstrated that these are real people interested in discussing car purchases. Many of them aren’t in the market when they see the Facebook ad, allowing the dealership first chance at the customer’s business and avoiding having to compete with every other dealer in town.
Frank Hyundai’s General Manager, John Carlson, spent $10,000 on paid Facebook advertising in February. A large portion of this budget was redirected from Google AdWords. They moved from producing low-conversion clicks and few new sales prospects to receiving over 500 text messages about buying a car. They’ve significantly raised sales and gross margins on each device sold. They’re connecting with customers in ways that their competitors aren’t. This provides them with the competitive advantage they require to dominate their market. CHAT, PHONE CALL, AND EMAIL VS. TEXT MESSAGE
The most prevalent mode of contact between us is text messaging. Text Messages can be sent and received by anyone with a cell phone. When it comes to connecting with customers, the car sector needs to start taking text messages seriously.
Let’s start with talk. Chat is a fantastic way to capture clients who are browsing your site. The most serious issue is that customers must remain on your website in order to communicate with you. Frequently, you will be left with a ghost lead and no way to contact the customer. Even if you obtain contact information, you are unable to contact the customer via phone or email. No one picks up the phone or checks their emails these days.
The next option is email; however, text messages are considerably superior to email in every way. It’s a basic fact that text messages are read and responded to at a higher rate than emails. Here’s an article from CallHub that highlights some of the many advantages of text messaging over email. Click Here to Read the Article Let’s be honest. Email is on its way out. It’s growing less probable that your email will be opened as more spam enters the inbox.
Finally, Phone Calls, millennials, millennials, millennials, millennials, millennials, millennials, millennials They simply do not enjoy answering the phone these days. Have you ever attempted to phone your children only to be forced to text them instead? If you have to call them, it doesn’t matter how many leads you create. You’ll make ten calls, and you’ll be lucky if even one of them picks up the phone. We all know that people prefer to communicate with others via text before conversing on the phone. Phone calls are still useful; it’s just easier to acclimate folks to the phone call by sending a text message first!
We take Text Message very seriously at SIMPSOCIAL! It’s not an afterthought that we’ve tacked on to our main offering. It’s what we’re known for. To make managing and following up on Text Message leads a breeze, we’ve integrated Artificial Intelligence and sales workflows. With a 180-day lead follow-up, you can stay in touch with a consumer until they Buy or Die!
In today’s society, text messaging is simply the best means of communication. Let’s boost your website’s performance and begin taking text messages seriously. From this page, you may try out our widget. It’s the Text Us Power Button, which is placed at the bottom right of the website. It’s worth a shot. This can be easily integrated into any car website to begin producing Opt-In Text Message leads right away! IN THE DIGITAL AGE, THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO CONNECT
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO CONNECT TODAY, BUT THESE THREE ARE THE BEST!
When you consider it, there are a plethora of ways to “connect” with others today. I’m referring to right now, in the year 2018. The list goes on and on: phones, email, chat, text, social media, and so on. Of course, there are a slew of other possibilities! (How long has it been since you mailed a postcard? … and many more!)
In actuality, many of today’s tactics only generate a surface connection with another person, rather than a deep or meaningful one. Communication creates meaningful connections. Communication that is two-way and of high quality. Shared ideas, shared aspirations, and shared passions. When two or more individuals have information and exchange it, and there is active listening. The receiver, after all, is the one who determines the quality of communication. It is NOT determined by the individual who is disseminating the information. So, in order to have a genuine quality exchange, we must first speak or share, and then listen to how the person receiving it comprehended it. Then go ahead…
It’s not a one-way street when it comes to communication and connection… Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a trade, would it?
So, based on my views on connection and communication, here are three effective approaches to communicate with others.
1. THE TEXT
It’s unsurprising. I’m a fan because… EVERY… SINGLE… PERSON… ON… EARTH… RIGHT… NOW. Texting is convenient, quick, and allows you to share a quick concept or idea. Texts are read by people. Texts are opened in 98 percent of cases. So, if you want to get your message in front of people’s eyes, do so. People should be texted. Another benefit is that people can read and respond to SMS at their leisure. People aren’t interested in responding when you want them to. They want to contact you when THEY have the opportunity. The issue is that texting only accounts for around 7% of our conversation, and the language is limited to words on a screen. It does not integrate all of the other elements, such as voice tone, eye contact, and body language. For me, the purpose of any text is to allow people to reply when they want and to strive toward a technique in which they can hear or see the consistency of who I am.
2.VIDEO
Video conferencing is fantastic. It allows people to relate your body language and voice tone, as well as all other aspects of your communication, to WHO YOU ARE before they even SEE you (in person). Because video is so readily available on platforms like Facebook, SnapChat, YouTube, video email, and many others, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t incorporate it into your corporate or business model. The reason why more individuals aren’t participating in video engagement right now is because they’re afraid. They are afraid of how they will appear on camera, what they will say, or that they will say something “stupid.” So, my advise is to go ahead and take a chance – practice, drill, and rehearse until you get it right, and if you goof up on the video, you can remove it BEFORE you transmit it.
3. TELEPHONE
The phone is still one of my favorites. It’s a fantastic way to get people’s attention. “Reach out and touch someone!” said the old AT&T commercials. The best thing about the phone is that it allows the person on the other end to form a true relationship and feel like they are getting to know you based on what you say and how you say it. It’s more personal than texting, yet it takes less time (most of the time) than making a video. People can become lethargic or acquire “phone aversion,” where they are afraid to call because they have been denied, hung up on, or shouted at on the phone. Get over it — up to 85% of your conversation can be transmitted over the phone through vocabulary and voice tone, and in most situations, if you’re in sales, the aim is to migrate from one of your other modes of communication (text, email, DM, etc) to the phone, and then in person! The single most important aspect of phone communication is that when people call back, you must pick up the phone and answer it!
These approaches are all straightforward, reliable, and profitable, especially for those of us who work in sales!
Yes, I am aware that there are plenty more excellent ways to communicate. “What about social media, Mike?” you might wonder. And, sure, I am a major supporter of almost all social media platforms. However, there is a LOT of NOISE in the social environment when it comes to connecting. People are discussing other relationships, political beliefs, and other topics that aren’t really amusing. And, on most social media sites, you get a version of the individual, which may or may not be who they are once you start connecting on a more personal level.
What other communication techniques do you use with your friends, family, and customers or clients? Do you have something that works really well for you but is a little out of the ordinary? If you do, feel free to “reach out and touch someone” in the comments section below!
TEXT MESSAGING FOR THE MODERN COMBAT: HOW TO SELL MORE VEHICLES
Car dealerships have only a few straightforward objectives.
They want to sell more cars, follow up with possible leads, and keep the automobiles they’ve sold to consumers in good working order. While these objectives are straightforward, effective marketing can aid in their attainment.
Text messaging is one of the best and most recent marketing tactics. Whether you sell cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, or RVs, the techniques outlined here can help you use text messages to entice clients back into your dealership and keep them informed about the services you provide.
IMPROVE SALES THROUGH SMS CHAT
Your website is already being visited by others. They may have inquiries, want to look at your inventory, or want to purchase anything from you. One of the reasons why SMS chat can be so effective is because of this. This is similar to other types of live chat, except it lets users to communicate with you via their computer. The distinction is that responses to incoming messages are sent directly to your consumers’ phones. This is more effective than online chat since it allows visitors to leave the site while still participating in the conversation. It also allows you to obtain their contact information. After using this method, several dealerships notice a significant increase in conversions.OPTIMIZING PROMOTIONS FOR HIGH RETURNS
You may enhance your revenue by holding deals throughout the holidays and throughout the year. However, if you can alert potential leads and customers who have previously purchased from you about these events, the revenue might be considerably higher. Text messages with promotional content are surprisingly powerful. The vast majority of them are read, and a significant number of them receive a response. When compared to the effectiveness of email, using text can inspire a lot more people to notice your message. Your sales volume may benefit from the increased reaction. Take a look at the examples below to get an idea of the types of texts you could send. “The all-new Toyota model has arrived!” With money off our old inventory, we’re providing you some great offers. Now is the time to get your $5000 discount. The offer will expire on November 30th.” “Veterans Day is quickly approaching! It would be a pity to pass up this opportunity to save 40% on these autos. For further details, please visit our website.” Text can help you get a higher ROI with pricey retail items (known as high ticket items) simply because it is so inexpensive to send them out.ACTIVELY FOLLOWING UP ON YOUR LEADS
Finding leads for your dealership can be difficult, but once you do, it’s critical that you keep them on board. The first step is to talk to someone and pique their attention. To convert leads into sales, however, you must move customers to the next step in the purchasing process. Many times, they will need to consider their options or consult with someone else in the family who manages money. As a result, it’s simple to lose track of this client and never hear from them again. Getting back in touch with these potential consumers could be all it takes to turn them into actual customers. Text is an excellent approach to do so. You might simply send them a text reminding them of your previous interaction. Consider the following scenario: “Hello, [name],” says the narrator. Do you intend to purchase your Ford Mustang? If that’s the case, get in touch with us because we have a terrific bargain for you!” You might enhance this message even further by including an image in the text to help them remember it. Because many people read text messages within minutes of getting them, this is extremely successful. It also makes it simple for customers to contact you or ask questions about the current transaction. They might also wish to schedule a visit to the dealership. If your website is set up to allow clients to buy vehicles online, having a link in the text to assist them in doing so is a great way to make it even easier.MANAGE ORDERS AND REQUESTS
If an automobile isn’t properly maintained, it will begin to break down. Your customers will find themselves in need of new car parts on a regular basis. You can let your customers give you part names and numbers to see if you have them in stock by establishing a request service via text. This makes it simple for them to get the item installed at the dealership. It’s as simple as ordering the component and setting a time for them to come down to the dealership if you don’t have it in stock.ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR UPDATES AND SERVICING
You may also use text to schedule when consumers can bring their car in or receive vehicle updates. These types of questions are common, but having an SMS service for them makes them a lot easier to deal with. Having a service number can help with this. This makes handling service considerably easier and reduces the number of non-essential phone calls you have to make.TEXT MESSAGING OPTIMIZATION FOR YOUR SERVICES
You can improve service and keep clients informed about what your dealership has to offer by employing text messaging in conjunction with your business. As a result, you’ll be able to generate more revenue and provide a better customer experience. Do you want to learn how to start text marketing? To learn more, please contact us.DIGITAL RETAIL WILL CONTINUE TO EXIST.
The digital retail era will characterize the decade of the 2020s. Digital retail is more crucial than ever before in the COVID-19 era, notably in the auto sector. Customers are increasingly using the internet to seek for their next automobile as the internet has taken over our life.
For consumers, the epidemic has simply accelerated this process. Not only has the future of car lead generation changed, but so has the world of vehicle shopping. Some dealerships are wary of the move, but this is a mistake. Rather than seeing digital retail as a threat, think of it as an extension of your showroom that assists you in closing the deal.
Clients (and potential clients) are now more than ever doing as much of their buying online as feasible. So, how does this affect the car industry? It means your digital shop must be as high-end as the automobiles you sell. An outstanding digital retail experience is the answer if you want to increase your reach and keep your present customers.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIGITAL RETAIL AND OFFICIAL RETAIL
What is the definition of digital retailing? Your consumer can complete as much of the car-buying process as possible via digital retail. It’s about a lot more than just putting up a basic website with your inventory so your consumers may shop for a new automobile on the internet. No, it’s a lot more participatory and individualized than that.
You may also access a larger audience of potential customers with digital retail. Customers nowadays know exactly what they want before they walk into your dealership. According to Autotrader, 88 percent of car buyers do their research online. That is why, much like your dealership, your website and complete online experience must be top-notch.
Finally, digital retail allows your consumer to complete as much of the vehicle-buying process online as they want, whenever they want. It assists your consumer in making the least stressful, easiest, and most delightful transaction possible.
Customers may now build their deals entirely online, including payments, valuing their trade, reviewing and pricing add-ons, submitting a financing application, and even texting with a dealer (or another method of communication.)
FOR CAR DEALERS, HOW DIGITAL RETAIL WORKS
Despite the fact that most consumers prefer to begin their car-buying process online, they frequently want to visit the dealership to seal the sale, see the vehicle in person, and sign the paperwork. It’s critical for car dealerships that the digital retail experience flows smoothly into the in-person experience.
The online and in-person purchasing processes should be as similar as possible. Nothing irritates a potential vehicle buyer more than spending a significant amount of time online navigating through the sales funnel only to have to start over once they arrive at the dealership. For the consumer, the digital shopping process should foster confidence and transparency.
Car dealerships benefit from digital retail.
DEALERS BENEFIT FROM DIGITAL RETAIL
Customers profit from digital retail, but auto dealers benefit as well. Though auto salespeople may feel as if they are missing out on some of the process, this does not have to be the case. In fact, it can be extremely beneficial to automobile salespeople. When someone visits your dealership after spending time on your website, you now have a wealth of knowledge to work with instead of a stranger. This saves you time and gives you with a wealth of buyer data ahead of time.
In this approach, your website does not take the role of your showroom or salespeople. It simply makes everyone’s job easier!
IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY, DIGITAL RETAIL
Let’s face it: digital retail in the car business may be difficult. After all, buying a car is a significant investment. It’s a lot more than just clicking “add to cart” on that $25 t-shirt you’ve been coveting on Amazon.
However, if you use digital retail appropriately, it can help you boost your dealership’s auto sales, CSI scores, and gross profitability. It also enhances your relationship with your customers and, in the long run, makes them happier. Isn’t that appealing? So, how can you make the most of digital retail? Let’s talk about the three pillars of automobile digital retail: technology, personalisation, and connectivity.
TECHNOLOGY
Without technology, you won’t be able to provide a good digital retail experience to your customers. SIMPSOCIAL assists your dealership in using text messaging to sell more cars, more quickly. Your salespeople may text potential clients to answer questions about the inventory they’re looking at online without having to come into the dealership or even make a phone call. Technology could be the game-changer that propels your dealership to the top of the market.PERSONALIZATION
Personalization is so common these days that buyers have grown to demand it. Many shopping websites, for example, use algorithms to offer users what additional things they might be interested in based on their browsing history. Perhaps your website can remember which autos the user has previously viewed and present them with similar possibilities in their price range. Allow consumers on your site to narrow down their choices depending on a range of parameters, such as their monthly budget, the size of vehicle they want, and more.CONNECTION
It’s critical that you don’t let the digital retail process obliterate the personal connection you have with your customers. It’s all about trust when it comes to buying a car. A vehicle is a significant investment, and customers must have confidence in the company from which they are purchasing it. You may still use the internet to build a meaningful and trustworthy relationship with your customers! Audiences have a natural tendency to trust a well-designed website that offers all of the information they require. Furthermore, that information should be easily accessible. Direct contact information for your dealership should be the easiest to locate.SIMPSOCIAL RETAIL DIGITAL MARKETING
Try collaborating with SIMPSOCIAL if you’re ready to bring your dealership into the year 2021 and improve your digital retail experience. We provide a customized, convenient shopping experience for your leads with our patented text and Facebook messaging technologies.WITH LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING, YOU CAN SELL MORE CARS.
Have you tried live video conferencing with your clients? You should be if you aren’t already. We all Facetime on a regular basis these days, so we’re used to video talking on our phones. Why not use this strategy to sell autos as well? One-click live video conferencing allows you to have face-to-face conversations with customers, allowing for a more personal connection and, eventually, a sale.
We designed our own live video conferencing technology for automobile dealers at SIMPSOCIAL. It’s one of the quickest, easiest, and most exciting ways to rapidly and easily sell more cars (even during a pandemic.) Don’t lose out on the chance to get a leg up on the competition by starting live video conferencing with your customers right now.
LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING’S SUCCESS
We’re all on Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, or another video conferencing tool all of the time these days. Because of the pandemic, even older generations who were previously hesitant to use these apps now do so on a regular basis. We utilize these platforms to keep in touch with friends and family and to interact with them. In 2021, getting together with friends for a virtual happy hour is the new normal. Not to mention that many of us who are able to work remotely are also accustomed to participating in virtual online meetings on a daily basis. But we don’t simply use video calling for entertainment or work. We’ve also come up with new methods to use video calling: many individuals use Zoom or another platform to check in with their doctors or even have therapy appointments. According to one research, nearly a third of people use live video to communicate with a company, brand, or service provider. This pattern does not appear to be slowing down post-pandemic. Consumers have adapted to this new digital way of life, and many of them favor, if not prefer, it to conducting business in person. So why shouldn’t the automotive sector use a similar video conferencing technology to sell more cars as well?FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY, LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING
We all know that clients prefer to do business from the comfort and security of their own homes now more than ever. Car sales, unfortunately, are one of the most difficult to secure online. One-click live video conferencing is our solution. When it comes to harnessing the benefits of live video conferencing, the automotive industry is significantly behind.
When it comes to auto sales, we already know that digital retail is the way of the future. In order to meet the expectations of customers, the automotive sector must innovate and evolve as the times change. SIMPSOCIAL assists our clients in not just adapting to the issues that car dealers face, but also in growing.
Live video conferencing is the next step in digital shopping. In the coming years, live video conferencing will undoubtedly play a significant role in the automotive industry. Face-to-face interaction between car salesmen and car-buying consumers is one component that can be lost in digital retail. This link fosters confidence and, in many cases, aids in the finalization of the transaction. In 2021, just as lead generation is different, so are the strategies for making a sale.
FOR THE AUTO INDUSTRY, THE BENEFITS OF LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING
If you’re still not convinced, consider the following advantages of video calling in the automobile industry:
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PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP
The personal relationship between the salesman and the customer is one of the most crucial components of selling cars. You won’t miss out on this relationship if you use live video conferencing. You may talk to your potential client in a secure and personal manner, answer all of their questions, and close the deal.
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DISPLAY YOUR INVENTORY
A video call allows you to show a customer the automobile they’re interested in in a much more engaging and dynamic way than simply giving them images.
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TAKES ADVANTAGE OF DEALERS’ STRENGTHS
Many car salespeople are at their best when they are able to strike up a conversation with potential customers in order to close a deal. When it comes to selling cars, video conferencing allows salespeople to focus on their skills without having to make many adjustments.
SIMPSOCIAL CONFERENCE
SIMPSOCIAL’s live video conferencing is a solution created for auto dealers, with the pandemic still affecting how we do business. This is how you can perform digital retail while still having a salesperson on hand to assist customers in making decisions. With SIMPSOCIAL Meet, you’ll be a step ahead of the competition when it comes to live video conferencing with consumers.SIMPSOCIAL MEET: HOW DOES IT WORK?
It’s as easy as scheduling a meeting with your customer to go live, and then sending them the link. They only need to click the join link to get started. They don’t even need to have an app installed on their phone. It’s that simple. This isn’t just for your tech-savvy clients; anybody and everyone can benefit from it. Apart from shaking hands to celebrate the sale, you can do everything you would in a regular meeting! Show off your inventory, offer them a detailed look at a vehicle, let them hear the engine, and answer all of their questions – all in real time. You can check to see if they have a trade-in while you’re on the phone. While on the phone, you may even text the customer a credit application and finalize the purchase. All you have to do now is schedule your pickup or delivery. auto sales with video conferencing internetSIMPSOCIAL LIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING WILL KEEP YOU A MILE AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION.
When it comes to selling automobiles, many auto dealers are stuck in the past and are hesitant to embrace new technologies like Facebook advertising and text messaging with clients. Live video conferencing will be one of the most persistent trends in car sales in the next years. When it comes to innovating to satisfy the needs of clients, don’t let your rival or Carvana leave you in the dust. Instead, speed off into the sunset with the commission from the live video conference sale you just made!ARE CRMS A WASTE OF TIME FOR SALESPERSONS?
It’s time to get with the times and move to SIMPSOCIAL if you’re still utilizing a CRM. The basic conclusion is that in 2021, you won’t need a CRM to succeed in selling vehicles. Stop wasting your salespeople’s time by implementing CRMs that they don’t want to use. When you utilize SIMPSOCIAL instead of a CRM, we take care of everything. We manage your ads and follow up with your leads. We then pass the lead on to your dealership once we have a good lead for you. That means your salesmen can concentrate on what they do best: selling automobiles. (Don’t waste your time on a CRM all day.)
SALES CRM FOR AUTOMOBILES
A CRM, or Customer Relationship Manager, used to be a fantastic tool for auto dealerships trying to nurture internet leads. CRMs for vehicle sales grew in popularity in the 2010s, but now it’s 2021, and it’s time to look ahead. Car salesmen are, at the end of the day, just that: salespeople. Don’t waste your time teaching them how to use a dull tool and making them feel comfortable with it. They aren’t the type to spend all day in front of a computer. Simply put, your sales crew wants to sell cars. So give them the opportunity to do what they do best: close transactions. Furthermore, a CRM is only a tool. It’s a piece of software, after all. Every dealership is treated the same by a CRM, despite the fact that we know they are all distinct. We have a fantastic tool at SIMPSOCIAL that we use to assist you sell more automobiles, faster. But we also have real individuals on staff who can assist you in real time. They might be considered an extension of your own team. Our SIMPSOCIAL Text Ninjas are those people. SIMPSOCIAL crm is used by sales agents.A CRM IS NOT REQUIRED.
We’ll say it again: selling automobiles no longer necessitates the use of a CRM. For the auto business, Customer Relationship Managers are a thing of the past. SIMPSOCIAL is the way of the future. We manage your social media marketing, gather leads, nurture them until they’re ready to buy a car, and then send them over to your dealership to lock them in and finish the deal. We’re a full-service firm dedicated to assisting dealerships like yours in selling more automobiles without the burden of a CRM. When it comes to selling vehicles, CRMs, like cold contacting potential prospects, are a thing of the past. a salesman displaying automobilesALTERNATIVES TO CRM
You now understand why an auto sales CRM is a waste of time for both you and your salespeople. While a B2C agency or employee is an alternative to a CRM, with SIMPSOCIAL, you can tap into the potential of our complete team rather than just one individual. In addition, we are familiar with the automobile business. All we do is assist car dealerships in selling more vehicles. The majority of B2C customers are unfamiliar with the automotive sector. SIMPSOCIAL specializes in assisting auto businesses – and that’s all we do. SIMPSOCIAL is a far superior CRM to the typical CRM. We replace between 80 and 90% of the work inside a CRM at SIMPSOCIAL. Why use a CRM when SIMPSOCIAL can provide you with a 10x return on your investment? SIMPSOCIAL’s system is effective. Just ask any of our satisfied customers, who, thanks to SIMPSOCIAL, are selling more vehicles, SUVs, and trucks than ever before.SIMPSOCIAL IS BETTER THAN A CRM FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
Here’s how our solution is better than a traditional CRM at helping you sell more cars. Our system consists of three steps. We use Facebook and Instagram advertisements to generate leads for your dealership, then our Text Ninjas follow up with those leads before passing them on to your sales staff to clinch the purchase. Your leads are completely unaware that they haven’t been engaged with your dealership the entire time.ADS ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM
We start by running Facebook and Instagram advertising to generate leads for your dealership. We’ve spent millions of dollars on social media ads, so we have a lot of data to work with when it comes to figuring out conversion patterns and how to develop ads that convert clients. We offer individuals in your area your greatest inventory and vehicle specials on the internet to get them to come to your dealership. This method aids us in capturing a large number of leads.NINJAS TEXT
So, what are we going to do with all those leads we’ve collected for you? We can contact hundreds of leads at once thanks to our patented technology. This reduces the number of prospective leads we received from our Facebook and Instagram ads. Allow SIMPSOCIAL’s Text Ninjas to contact leads for you instead of your sales team spending the entire day trying to contact them. Following up with a text message is far more successful than calling. In fact, we’ve discovered that texting speeds up the sale of autos. Texting is significantly less intrusive, and sending a text message is much easier for leads than picking up the phone. Consider this: how many calls do you decline on a daily basis?FINISH THE DEAL
We pass leads to your sales staff once we have a lead who is ready to come into your dealership for a test drive or to see a car in person. Your salesperson simply needs to read the text conversation between our Text Ninja and the lead and continue where they left off. The salesperson has all of the necessary information to complete the transaction and sell the vehicle. a cheerful vehicle saleswomanTODAY, SKIP THE CRM AND TRY SIMPSOCIAL.
It’s time to get rid of your CRM and replace it with SIMPSOCIAL. See how much easier it is to let your team spend their days closing car sales instead of having to teach them on crappy software. No more chasing down leads or spending the entire day in front of a computer. We take the guesswork and tedious software out of car sales. Get in touch with SIMPSOCIAL today to see what kind of return we can generate for you! automobile salespeople gathered How are we going to do it? We offer visitors around your dealership the best inventory and the most recent specials. We take them straight from Facebook and Instagram to your dealership and into their new car. We are the dealership marketing proof that selling vehicles on Facebook doesn’t require lying. So please don’t do that! Instead, put your faith in SIMPSOCIAL’s automobile marketing professionals. We’ll assist you in selling cars while maintaining the trust of your market and clients.WHY ARE MY FACEBOOK AUTO ADVERTISEMENTS NOT WORKING?
“How come my Facebook auto advertisements aren’t working?” Obviously, you came upon this article because you’re annoyed. Your auto dealership’s Facebook advertising aren’t doing as well as you’d anticipated, and you’re not sure why. The answer is probably not what you expect. We’ll explain why your Facebook ads aren’t performing as expected. We’ll also show you how to use SimpSocial’s social media marketing to really sell more cars.
Making Facebook advertising by a car salesman
WHY ARE YOUR FACEBOOK AUTO ADVERTISEMENTS FAILING?
Be truthful to yourself. Your Facebook advertising, on the other hand, are terrible. They just do not work. But here’s the thing: you’re not to blame. The best technique to sell to a social media audience is a challenge for auto dealers all over the country. We’ll reveal a tiny secret to you. The issue isn’t with the advertising themselves on Facebook. The issue is with the leads you’re getting from social media. They aren’t usually active buyers. These leads aren’t normally looking to buy a car in the next 24 to 48 hours. People who read the advertising might not have thought about buying a car when they woke up that day. Perhaps they want an automobile right now, but they aren’t quite ready. Through Facebook ads, we attract buyers from all stages of the sales funnel. As a result, a big number of leads are generated. But how are you going to keep track of all these fresh leads? Buying a car is a long process. Are you prepared to deal with hundreds, if not thousands, of social media leads over the long haul? Most likely, the answer is no. SimpSocial, on the other hand, is ready to handle as many leads as possible for your dealership.HOW SIMPSOCIAL CAN HELP YOU SELL MORE CARS
So, what’s the answer? SimpSocial. We don’t just collect more social media leads for your dealership; we also follow up on them indefinitely. We’re in it for the long haul. While there are plenty of effective Facebook strategies for car dealers out there, no one has the follow-up capabilities that SimpSocial does. Our firm has the personnel and software to play the game for as long as it is required. We do it so your sales team and you don’t have to. You can concentrate on what you do best: selling automobiles. We’re only here to make it easier for you to sell more automobiles, faster. From running your Facebook advertising to following up with leads, we handle everything for you. All you need to do now is sell the automobiles.THE ONLY KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs) THAT MATTER
We care about four KPIs at SimpSocial, and they’re the same ones you do:
How many leads do you get?
How many appointments have you scheduled?
How many of those appointments do you think will show up?
How many of those appointments result in automobiles being sold?
Where does your advertising budget go? To impressions and clicks? Is that indicating how many vehicles you’re selling? It’s unlikely. In this company, clicks and impressions don’t count.
It doesn’t matter how many automobiles you sell; what matters is how many cars you sell. We’re open and honest. We’d like to know how we’re doing for you. We’ve spent over $30 million on Facebook and Instagram advertisements. We have a good understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Allow us to demonstrate how SimpSocial can help you convert your social media leads into long-term, incremental growth.THE SIMPSOCIAL DISTINCTION
We create internet leads, schedule appointments, and all you have to do is seal the transaction and sell the automobiles at SimpSocial. If you’re still not convinced, here’s how SimpSocial’s system works:ADS ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM
First, we take care of your Facebook and Instagram advertisements. You won’t have to think about them for the rest of your life. Our lead generation ads collect information from leads directly through the platform, eliminating the need for them to fill out a form. When the lead clicks “next,” a disclaimer appears, allowing them to opt-in to receive SMS messages. generating leads that lead to salesOUR TEXT NINJAS ARE ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT…FOREVER.
This is the crucial portion. Our Text Ninjas can follow up with thousands of prospects with a single click of a button thanks to our SimpSocial technology. Is that something your dealership can handle? We immediately follow up with those leads who are ready to buy, which works nicely. We are more persistent with others. How many leads do you eventually lose because they aren’t ready to purchase a vehicle? With SimpSocial, that will never happen. Our dealerships have sold cars even a year after the lead first saw your Facebook ad. We’ve cultivated that lead for you and followed up with them on a regular basis so that they come to your dealership when they’re ready to buy. We are able to do so because to our exclusive technology. For as long as it takes to convert them into purchasers, we can follow up with as many leads as we can find for your dealerships. We follow up till they either buy or die.ALL THAT IS LEFT FOR YOU TO DO IS SELL THE CARS!
We give them over to your sales team once we have a strong lead who is ready to set up an appointment. It’s a completely smooth transition. The lead is completely unaware that they were texting with us. The best aspect is that your squad won’t have to chase down leads all day every day. Instead, they are the ones who have to clinch the deal. You close the deals and sell the cars after we supply the leads. Because of SimpSocial’s sales lead, a car was sold.GET ACTUALLY WORKING FACEBOOK ADVERTISEMENTS FOR SIMPSOCIAL
Every vehicle dealership is struggling to stay afloat as we approach the end of 2021. In 2021, auto sales improved slightly, but not significantly. If you’ve come to us because you’re having trouble selling cars, SimpSocial can help. Forget about your ineffective Facebook ads. It’s time to change gears and head to SimpSocial. We assist car dealerships in selling more cars, more quickly.THE AUTO INDUSTRY FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
The car sector is in transformation as we approach the end of 2021. Looking ahead to 2022, now is an excellent opportunity to take a top-down, worldwide look at the car sector. Over the last few years, we have been impacted more than most other industries in the United States. While people continue to purchase automobiles, the manner in which they do so has altered considerably as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, new technologies, and other causes. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about the auto industry’s worldwide outlook and how to position your dealership for success in the months — and years – ahead.
OBJECTIVES FOR THE AUTO INDUSTRY IN 2021
Following a tumultuous few years in the industry, there are several major concerns and trends to be aware of that are affecting car buying and selling, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the chip scarcity. employee at an auto dealershipCOVID-19 PANDEMIC IS STILL ONGOING
The ongoing COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant impact on the car sector. Many of the industry’s contributors were forced to shut down, stop exporting, or close their borders. The inability to create new vehicles for sale has been hampered by disruptions in Chinese parts exports, large-scale manufacturing disruptions across Europe, and the shutdown of assembly factories in the United States.SHORTAGE OF CHIPS
The supplies needed for chip fabrication remained unavailable for months after many firms closed. A scarcity of computer chips resulted as a result of this predicament, which was compounded by growing demand for consumer devices. Due to a chip shortage and the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, Toyota will produce around 40% fewer cars and trucks globally in October. Many experts believe that vehicle production will not resume at full capacity until 2023.TURN ON THE ELECTRICITY
The transition to electric fleets and batteries is another long-term development to keep a watch on. Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are becoming increasingly popular. GM declared earlier this year that by 2035, it intends to offer entirely zero-emission vehicles. Jaguar unveiled a similar idea later that year, albeit with a far shorter timescale of 2025. While this trend may take some time to materialize, it is one that car dealers should be aware of in the future.SUPPLY TO THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
In recent years, supply has taken a major, if not catastrophic, hit. The epidemic of the coronavirus caused a significant halt in new car production. Due to a dip in economic activity and travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, global automobile production fell substantially in 2020. According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, manufacturing in North America has plummeted by more than 20%.DEMAND IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
However, as automobile output has decreased, vehicle demand has soared. Many people demand their own form of transportation as a result of the pandemic. This suggests that a large number of individuals still desire to buy cars right now. Consumers who are in a position to purchase a new car are looking to upgrade to larger vehicles with the most up-to-date comforts and technologies. As a result, demand for new vehicles is exceeding supply. This is unlikely to change in the near future. As you may know, this is good news for auto dealers because it allows them to charge greater prices for the automobiles they do sell, resulting in a larger profit margin. Charging an electric vehicleTHE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY’S FUTURE
Don’t get bogged down in the past. To be successful, you must analyze the current status of the automotive business and how it influences the future of your dealership and the industry as a whole. To begin, understand that digital retail is here to stay. Even if they do wind up visiting a dealership in person to finalize the transaction, car buyers are spending time researching vehicles and their purchases online before signing the paperwork. This means that consumers are better informed than they have ever been. They’ll almost certainly know exactly what they want before they ever enter your store. They’re doing their homework online, looking into automobiles and dealerships in advance. This means that embracing new technology, such as text messaging with leads and using live video conferencing to show off your inventory, can help you sell more cars. The only way to succeed today is to recognize that cold calling, walk-ins at your dealership, and other traditional methods of selling vehicles are outdated. Meeting your potential clients where they currently are: online, is the new method of conducting business. SimpSocial can help you with it. SimpSocial does all of the legwork for you and provides you with leads who are ready to go into your dealership and buy a car. a delighted man in his new carSimpSocial CAN HELP YOUR DEALERSHIP IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS
After a tumultuous few years, many auto dealers are hoping to recoup. It’s time to rev up your engines and bring them back to life. Consider teaming with SimpSocial if you’re concerned about the worldwide picture of the auto industry as you plan for your dealership’s future. With our cutting-edge technology, Text Ninjas, and effective Facebook ads, we help dealerships sell more automobiles, faster. mask-wearing car salesman We collaborate with your dealership in order to help you sell more vehicles. Our goal is to provide you with qualified leads who are ready to visit a dealership and purchase a new (or used) automobile. Please contact us right away to find out how we can assist you in selling more cars in the coming year.WHEN CAN WE EXPECT MORE INVENTORY IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY?
Since the COVID-19 epidemic emerged in the United States in the spring of 2020, the auto industry has been a rough ride. Unfortunately, it’s not yet time to unbuckle your seatbelt. The “Great American Car Shortage” is still going on as we look forward to 2022. Many automakers were forced to close their doors in 2020, and dealerships swiftly followed suit or changed their focus to live video-conferencing with clients and other alternatives. Consumers bought cars at a faster rate than automakers could create them when dealerships reopened. Though the worldwide outlook for the auto business may appear grim, there are some benefits for dealerships. In fact, some dealerships are benefitting from the scarcity of chips.
WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY’S LOW INVENTORY?
Let’s go under the hood to uncover what’s causing the auto industry’s low inventory. High demand, COVID-related supply issues, and the present worldwide microprocessor shortage are all contributing to the limited vehicle inventory. Though the microprocessor shortage is the most pressing issue facing the car industry right now, there is more than one issue to consider as we move ahead to 2022.BOTH NEW AND USED VEHICLES ARE IN HIGH DEMAND.
The outbreak sparked a mad rush for automobiles across the country. In the early days of quarantine, pickup vehicles were in particularly high demand. Many purchasers have stimulus money to spend and want to put it towards buying their own mode of transportation. For road trips and solo commutes to work, a car has never looked better. in a dealership, a close-up of a car bumper lightSHORTAGE OF CHIPS IN THE WORLD
The chip shortfall occurred before the auto sector could recover from the high demand and supply concerns. Every major automaker has been impacted by the chip shortage. This places additional limits on current inventory and raises pricing. Chips are used in more than only the vehicle sector; they’re also used in various gadgets that grew in popularity throughout the pandemic. According to some experts, the chip scarcity could endure until the year 2023.OTHER SUPPLY CONTROVERSIES
Though the chip shortage receives the most attention, it isn’t the only component that automakers are experiencing shortages of. According to at least one poll, the automobile industry was the severely afflicted by supply chain concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parts and supplies are in short supply for a variety of causes, including COVID-related supplier facility closures, logistical challenges such as ship, shipping container, and truck driver shortages, and some suppliers’ inability to fill jobs. auto assembly line with robotsINVENTORY OF NEW CARS
Due to the chip scarcity, strong demand, and other supply chain challenges, new car inventories at dealerships across the country has been restricted. New car inventory in the United States is beginning to stabilize after falling to historic lows. Overall, though, inventories remains lower than typical, and it may stay so for some time. Due to the chip shortage, GM paused most of its full-size pickup truck production in the United States and Mexico for nearly a week, and Ford slowed its North American vehicle production from July to August. On the plus side for dealerships, new vehicle listing prices continue to rise. The average cost of a new car, according to one estimate, is $41,378. This year, there’s no need to hold big Christmas sales to clear off your inventory! Due to rising demand, many dealers are able to sell new vehicles to customers before they appear on the lot.INVENTORY OF USED CARS
During the epidemic, demand for used automobiles soared to all-time highs, as did the price of used cars. As consumers sought to them for the vehicles they desired, many used-car dealers have had record years and earnings. Because new automobile prices are so high, many people are opting for secondhand cars, which are becoming more expensive and difficult to find. However, when new automobile inventories improve near the end of the year and into the new year, pre-owned car stocks will also rise. According to Edmunds, the average transaction price for a used automobile in the second quarter of 2021 was $25,410, up from $22,977 in the first quarter and up 21% year-over-year. The used-car market, on the other hand, appears to be leveling out. Owners will be enticed to trade in their present car to dealerships in exchange for the latest model, especially in early 2022, as the value of trade-in prospects rises. It’s a wonderful time to reach out to previous customers who may not be utilizing their present vehicle as often as they used to due to the epidemic or who might be interested in upgrading.WHAT DOES LOW INVENTORY MEAN FOR AUTOMOTIVE STORES?
The low auto inventory is actually helping some dealerships. Vehicles are driven off the showroom floor as soon as they are driven onto it. Many clients are uninterested in waiting for a new model or extra features. In order to fill your dealership’s lots, automakers are getting more inventive. On some models, they’re changing the availability options. To keep manufacturing lines moving and fulfill demand, Nissan apparently removed navigation systems from tens of thousands of vehicles. However, this also means that competition for dealerships across the country is fiercer than ever. You need SimpSocial if you want to compete with other local dealerships for customers. Our technology works. a woman stands next to a brand new automobileWHEN WILL THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY SEE MORE INVENTORY?
Unfortunately, it’s probable that inventory levels in the auto industry will never recover to pre-COVID levels. The auto sector will have to conform to the new normal for the time being. Your lots, on the other hand, should be filling up with more vehicles as time goes on, especially when the semiconductor situation improves. In the interim, SimpSocial can aid you in locating all of these rampant vehicle purchasers in order to sell the inventory you do have on your lot.SIMPSOCIAL CAR DEALERSHIP LEAD GENERATION
SimpSocial is the future of car dealership lead generation, and it’s already here. SimpSocial’s system is effective. We not only produce your online auto leads, but we also assist you in scheduling appointments. Then it’s only a matter of selling the autos. In the dealership, a young couple selects vehicles. How are we going to do it? We offer visitors around your dealership the best inventory and the most recent specials. We take them straight from Facebook and Instagram to your dealership and into their new car. We are the dealership marketing proof that selling vehicles on Facebook doesn’t require lying. So please don’t do that! Instead, put your faith in SimpSocial’s automobile marketing professionals. We’ll assist you in selling cars while maintaining the trust of your market and clients.IS SimpSocial SUITABLE FOR SMALLER BUSINESSES?
Perhaps you’re a smaller dealer who is unsure if SimpSocial’s system will work for you. I’m happy to report that I have some wonderful news for you. SimpSocial’s system performs as well as — if not better than — that of large dealerships. Why? Because you can do everything a larger dealership with a large staff can do with SimpSocial, and even better. You don’t need to hire ten people and spend all day on the phone to follow up on leads. Rather, we send the leads directly to your dealership. At SimpSocial, size doesn’t matter. We assist car dealerships all around the United States in increasing vehicle sales. It doesn’t matter if you’re small or big. We can also assist you.
a lot of small car dealers