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.
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