When you respond to an Internet lead, do you just send back a quote on the requested vehicle?  If that’s what you do, that’s a mistake. 
Make your quote a multi-vehicle quote!  It fundamentally alters the phone call.  What does the customer talk about when you just send a quote on the requested vehicle?  Price.  It’s all about how your price is higher than the next guy for the same vehicle.   But change your response to a presentation of three alternative new vehicles surrounding the trim-level request, and add three to four used vehicles of like trims, and you will have set up an entirely different phone conversation. 
With a multi-vehicle quote, the conversation turns away from price to features.  Does she want new or used?  Does she like the navigation system or not?  This is the type of conversation that changes how you are perceived.  She is more inclined to reveal her price point requirements as she mulls over the alternatives you have presented.  You are ...

The battle is over.  The customer now controls the car-buying process, and it is up to the dealer to support, advise and encourage the customer along the way to the sale.  Dealer actions that seek to control the process—such as hiding information—simply don’t work anymore.  Dealers must come to terms with three key realities of today’s digital ecosystem: ·         Consumers have instant access to the world’s information ·         Speed is key ·         The wisdom of crowds is accessible by all The first principle of today’s digital ecosystem is the accessibility of information.  Google-empowered consumers have access to all the data they need to make a purchase decision.  Often, consumers are better armed than dealers.  This simple fact cuts the legs out from under the...

Nothing matters if a lead isn't properly answered.

No SEO or SEM, no mobile apps, no 360 degree views of the car on your website, no amount of third party lead-buying matters if you can't get back to a customer right away with a quote.  Too often, dealers underestimate this vital "blocking and tackling" step, pursuing all kinds of sexy strategies to gin up lead volume.  They fail to recognize that if a lead isn't properly answered, lead volume is meaningless.

The arrival of an incoming lead represents "the moment of truth".  The point of lead arrival signifies the moment when a customer has decided to put 3 to 4 dealers on trial.  Who has a fair price?  Who has what I want in stock?  Who will give me the best service?  Who can I trust?  How the dealer responds in the minutes or hours after the lead arrives shapes the customer's view of that dealership.

The simple fact is, according to Cobalt, that 25% of all leads don't get answered at all.  And the average response t...

Here is a stark but simple fact: for the past year, the marketplace has offered fewer active buyers than needed to sustain the dealer community.   A Darwinian fight for survival proceeded; over the past year an alarming number of dealers went out of business.  Those that have survived this first shakeout have proven they can deal with adversity.  Going forward, those that thrive must gain and cultivate an operationally persistent competitive edge. 

 How can a dealer leap into this evolutionary winner's circle? 

 The answer to this life-or-death question is hidden behind another: where do dealers have the greatest opportunity to impact a buyer's choice of dealership?  This is key.  If you know the moment of truth-the moment when the customer is most open to a dealer's courting rituals-you gain a distinct advantage over competitors.  By closely observing the steps a consumer goes through to buy a car, the point of maximum influence ability becomes clear. 

 Two incon...