Rafi Hamid Blog

Hello again and welcome to the continuation of the 50 Day Timeline for managing your Internet leads. Refer to (links to previous blogs) for the previous Timeline information.

Day 12 -14: Attempt a phone call and send an email to the prospect that conveys some new, fresh information. Ex. “I wanted to contact you today Mr. Smith, because we have just received news that Dodge is now offering an additional $500.00 rebate for all purchases made before the end of this month. Perhaps you are ready to take advantage of this offer?” Careful wording like this allows you to keep in touch and gives you a specific reason to make contact again.

Set your next contact for 7 days later (or sooner if any special such as financing or rebates is about to expire).

Day 21 approx: Phone call and/or email to request information about their purchase status. Have they purchased elsewhere? Are they still in the market? Have they delayed making their decision for 30 or 60 days? Ask open-ended questions to see if you can get the prospect to respond with informative answers.

Set the next contact date for 7-10 days later.

Day 30-33: Send a next-to-last email and/or phone call. Let the prospect know that you are nearing the end of making contact with them. Phrases such as, “I hoped that I would have heard back from you by now,” or “Would you like for me to delay contacting you for a while,” are professional, but still convey that you are wrapping up your communications. Let the prospect know you would still welcome the opportunity to earn their business and that you would be happy to send them some new information reflecting the new month’s pricing if they are still shopping for a new vehicle (if applicable).

Day 50 Approx: Send a final email and/or make a final phone call. Thank the prospect for taking the time to consider your dealership. Ask them to keep in touch in the future, and let them know you will transfer their information to your “Inactive” file. (Ask them if they would prefer to be kept in the “Active” file for a while longer.) Finally, mention that occasionally you like to inform prospective customers of specials the dealership is running and from time to time you may send them an email with this information. If they don’t respond to this, then it is safe to add their name to your list of people who receive your “Broadcast” emails.

***If at any time during the 50 days, the prospect responds back with “stop calling me” or “don’t email me again” you need to comply with that. Mark them accordingly in your prospect management system (CRM, ILM, etc.) as “do not call” or “do not email.” Many CRMs and ILMs include features that let consumers opt-out of your mailing list with a single click. Please check with your vendor to see if this feature is available.
This is a great way to help keep your dealership in legal compliance. ***

Let’s continue with our 50 day timeline to make sure your leads don’t get “lost” or “die” too soon, based on the fact that the average consumer takes about 50 days to make a vehicle purchase, from the time of initial inquiry.

Day 2: Today, Tuesday, send your prospect an email that mentions a “perk” they will receive if they purchase their next vehicle from you. It could be a free oil change, or a lifetime of free carwashes…the point is to keep your name visible to the prospect and help set you apart from the competition, as well as hopefully soliciting a response from the prospect.

Once you’ve sent the email, set your next contact date for two days later (Thursday in our example).

Day 4: Thursday, call the prospect again. If you talk, ask how their research is going and again, take notes to document the conversation for future reference.

Secondly, send a follow-up email today. If you have not personally talked with the prospect at this point, inquire somewhere in the email if they have an alternate number you can reach them at or if they can respond back with a better day/time for you to call them. The follow-up email can be kept very general; how is their research going…have they arrived at any decisions yet…do they have any questions that you can answer for them? Etc.

When sent, set the next contact date for 3 days later (Sunday in our example).

Day 7: Sunday, (the lead is now 1 week old) send a second follow-up type email, but one that is worded to have more of a sense of urgency. You could mention that the 2008 models are almost gone, or perhaps a financing incentive is about to end. Be truthful, but at the same time convey that the pricing and vehicle information you previously sent them is time-sensitive. Also, as long as the customer has not said or written “don’t call me” then attempt to reach them by phone again.

Set your next contact date for 5-7 days later, depending on the feedback you’ve received from the prospect thus far.

We’ll follow-up next week with the next steps for the 50 Day Timeline to help you sell more cars!