The conversation on digital retailing, customer experience and dealer optimization continues. But do our efforts on the dealer level reflect these conversations? More importantly, who on the dealer level is engaging in these conversations? How often have we gone to a dealer or OEM training session to not follow up on what was discussed? These conversations are the start of effecting positive change. But positive change can only be effective if your dealer's processes change as well.

Two of the biggest struggles dealers still face is answering a phone call properly and responding to a web lead correctly. Asking ourselves, "are we really still talking about taking calls responding to leads." Sounds simple or something that we're already doing, right?

However, believe it or not, dealers still struggle to get contact information from the call and that initial email response out to the customer. And for those that do get the email out, it's often not answering the customer's questions. In fact, in many cases, if the customer does receive an initial email, it's an auto-response offering that "so and so" will be reaching out to you. The problem with using an autoresponder during business hours is that the Sales Consultant or BD Agent that usually does reach out to the customer is not presented in the autoresponder. And while this doesn't sound like a big deal, we've already created a breakpoint in the customer's experience within the first five minutes.

The breakpoint we've just created is having set up false expectations for the customer. The customer inputs their information/questions and is expecting a response. But when - and if they do get a response - it often doesn't answer their questions. Those questions could be anything from pricing, trim-level, trade-in, and financing, to name a few. Or, even easier in today’s unique market, availability! So now, not only have the customers' questions not been answered, but now they're having to repeat themselves starting the process over.

If the customer doesn't get a response at all, they might call the dealership but since no contact information was asked for, you don’t know it’s the same customer! You see, the keyword here is "might." Without calling the customer or responding to their questions in an email, we're "maybe" going to get the opportunity to earn their business. With the amount of money and resources that are invested on a monthly basis to have these opportunities, why then do we let ourselves go with "might" call vs. "your appointment is scheduled for (time)."

To get that appointment and earn the customer's trust, we have to communicate with them. Answering their questions - whether that is in an email, on the inbound call or making the outbound call. And while it's certainly easier to speak directly with the customer on the phone, we have to first answer their questions - setting the tone for the next steps. But to get the next steps of the process, you have to respond in a timely fashion. Five minutes doesn't seem like a lot of time, but guess what? The customer is shopping at multiple stores. And if your store isn't responding or does respond without answering their questions, they already have a bad taste in their mouth and potentially moved on.

Whereas, if we'd responded within five minutes, answered their immediate questions, and offered the appointment or a phone call, the chances of you earning their business increases. To address this core issue we continue to face – your Sales Consultants, BD Agents, and sales managers need ongoing coaching and training. Without this, you'll continue to be plagued with the same issues. How many leads and opportunities are you willing to throw away?

Food for thought. Take a moment and see how much profit you're potentially missing! 

If an "easy button" really existed we'd all have it jammed by now. Effortlessly fixing one issue at a time. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. And the "easy button" is usually only ever short-lived. Never fixing the root cause. You see, the root cause is the "real problem." It’s the question behind the question, it’s the problem behind the problem, it’s the math behind the math…. One that cannot be "band-aided" or "swept under the rug" to address later. Or worse, we ignore these "issues" when the times are good, never truly learning from the past and how that impacts the future. Instead of jamming the "easy button," you have to fix the issue's root cause. One of the most significant issues and root causes for missed opportunities that dealerships still face today is lack of training!

The lack of training offered on the dealer level makes sense when one of the most common frustrations and issues we face on the dealer level today is the age-old dilemma of "we aren't closing enough leads, so let's add another $5k in monthly spend! That will fix the closing rate." If it were this easy, we'd all be doing it, no? Well, sadly, most dealers are approaching it this way. Because instead of fixing the root cause of this issue, most will simply press the "easy button" and add to their monthly ad budget. Sure, pressing the "easy button" and spending more money will produce more leads for your dealerships. And sure, you might close more leads as a result. But why aren't we talking about the root cause of not having a good closing rate? Why aren't we discussing the poor set and show rates on the appointments? Why aren't we talking about the vast amount of opportunities left on the table each month from lack of performance and training?

If you were to actively listen to your dealership's inbound phone calls or read your team's lead responses, you might be scratching your head as you just agreed to use the "quick-fix solution." Thinking, "well, we trained them once or twice. They took the OEM training," which, while that might be true – it doesn't mean they are adequately equipped to handle inbound phone calls and lead opportunities. Training isn't done in a day, or by having someone come into the dealership once or twice. It's more than that, and it takes time! It’s a process and it’s ongoing.

Aren't we all tired of getting stuck on the hamster wheel and stuck in the autoloop of all autoloop conversations? The irony in all of this is that most GMs want to "cut" spend when the results aren't there. No, that does not mean they want to hire outside training due to cutting the ad spend. They just want to "cut" the expense and hope for the best. How about instead of "cutting your spend," and hoping for the best, or spending money on additional ads (or any ads at all) - you use it for training! Training that will fix the root cause of the issue! So instead of jamming the "easy button," you're focused on building success not just for today, but for the months in the future. Money that would be used to invest in building stronger sales consultants. At some point the decision must be made and the line drawn.

Think about it, if you just took a quarter of your total ad spend and used that for ongoing monthly sales agent coaching, one-on-one training sessions and supporting mystery shops, you'd be able to spend the overall same amount and yield substantially better results! It sounds almost too good to be true, but it is true; it’s absolutely true! The fact is that while you can keep jamming your "Easy Button" and throw opportunities down the drain for the hope of doing better, you can instead take the lead and get better results with the same overall spend. Investing in training, investing in your people, which will build a solid team.

To get this process started, first - do not stop advertising altogether. Just don't add to your monthly spend if your sales team isn’t equipped to effectively handle the current opportunities. Think about it. Your team has one shot at getting the customer's attention (their first impression). A bad first impression can make or break the deal before it even starts. It sounds simple, and it is! Every dollar counts for the bottom line, and if you can increase your bottom line without having to spend additional money on advertising, it's a win-win situation for the dealership.

To get started with training, take the time to review your current calls, email responses, and overall response time. You'd be surprised when looking at the CRM at just how many leads fall through the cracks; not whether or not they were responded to, but when and how. Leads that your teams didn't answer within the first hour (or in some instances that day), you’ve already lost that opportunity. The customer is shopping at other dealers at the same time. So, the dealer that responds first – with a quality response – is the one that’s most likely going to convert the customer.

Once you’ve taken the time to look at lead response quality, note your team's most significant opportunities:

Lead Response Time: As mentioned above, if your team doesn't answer the lead promptly, you’re losing business. It's essential to answer the lead as soon as possible. But making sure that the response is of the highest quality.

Email Response: If you can't get the customer on the phone on the first try, they need to send the customer an email (if the lead has it in there). The email needs to clearly outline the next steps for the customer, making sure to answer any questions they have. And most importantly, the email needs to outline any brand value statements that sets your dealer apart from the competition.

Inbound Phone Calls: Keep in mind, the customer is calling you! They saw a vehicle online and chose to engage. Inbound phone calls are critical as they’re one of the best, if not the best, lead sources there are but also the biggest profit leak in the store! Your team must be equipped to handle the call properly and efficiently. It's just as easy to lose the customer as it is to receive the inbound call. And sure, they’re recorded, some are even monitored and alerted, but what good does that do if it’s fumbled? In most instances that doesn't mean the customer's information is in the CRM for follow-up. Or, more importantly, that your team has the customer's email (or other contact information) in the CRM. And if we're not actively managing the CRM or reviewing inbound calls, then how many opportunities are we missing each month? So why would you just increase advertising without first getting better results on what you currently have?

Bottom Line: if there’s one thing you can do for your dealership without increasing advertising that’s guaranteed to drive sustainable results, it's offering training. Training that not just fixes the root cause of poor performance, but enhances performance, which adds to the Bottom Line. Every sales opportunity missed or handled poorly is a lost sale. How many lost sales are you willing to ignore, how many lost opportunities - repeatedly hitting the "easy button" - before taking action and fixing the problem behind the problem?

Have you partnered with a training provider yet?

It's ingrained in most of our DNA to answer a lead as soon as possible and for good reason! With the lead unanswered, every minute that goes by decreases your chances of getting in touch with the customer. But make no mistake, the quality of the response - especially the email - is just as important given that our first impression can make or break the deal. When answering an internet lead, it’s essential to check a few core items. Ones that can help you get a response that can help sell the vehicle!

Read the Lead (my personal favorite)

In most cases, the customer might complete a generic form on the website they inquired on. But it's important to know where the lead came from! If the lead came from a third-party site, the customer might not be expecting a response from your dealer directly. That's why it's so important to read the lead and know where the source came from. In doing so, you can identify that you are a partner with "x" lead source and assist them with their inquiry.

If the customer did ask a question, be sure to answer/address it before pressing send. Taking the time to answer the customers' questions shows that you are paying attention and are willing to assist them! Not to mention, if the customer were to get a generic response that does not answer their questions, you could be starting off on the wrong foot.

Subject Lines

Email still remains effective when corresponding with customers. According to Oberlo, in "2019, global email users amounted to 3.9 billion users (Statista, 2020). This figure is set to grow to 4.3 billion users in 2023 (Statista, 2020). That's half of the world's population. This statistic clearly shows that email marketing is an opportunity that you shouldn't be missing out on." So, to stand out, you have to have core elements that attract your customer to your email. One of the best ways to combat email fatigue is by offering a relevant, attention-grabbing subject line. One thing that stands out the most is using the customer's name in the subject line.

“[customer name], Important information on your [vehicle]!

By using the customer's name, and "your" (which refers to the vehicle as theirs) can easily grab their attention vs. using something to the effect of "thanks for your inquiry at [dealership]"

Out of the two options, which one would, you most likely open?

Brand Value Statements

With so many options out there from which the customer may choose, it’s essential to have attention-grabbing brand value statements that set your dealership (and you) apart. One of the best ways to offer your dealership's value is by showing the potential customer what your current customers are saying about you. There are tools out there that allow the customer to review you personally. By including testimonials from your existing customers, it can help you stand out from the competition.

Even if you take just one actionable item away from this, such as the email subject line, it can increase your open rate. Increasing your open rate means you have a better chance of working with the customer to sell them a vehicle!

Helpful Hints

Whether or not the “experts” agree, pay attention to links, pictures/images and attachments on initial emails. One article says the word to link ratio is “x” and another says it doesn’t matter but at the end of the day you don’t want to end up in spam.

Does your signature line have your company Facebook link, your picture, your rating site, a map site link and maybe a redundant email link in it? Sometimes they’ll get through, sometimes they won’t and sometimes your audience is trying to open that email with a poor signal on a mobile device. So, be mindful of these things and adjust accordingly.

What other things have you done to help make your emails stand out from the competition?

Having a reliable process for your incoming calls is essential. By having a solid process, you get a better idea of where your potential breakpoints are in the customer's experience, and what objections your teams need to tackle. Some of the other vital things to look at when reviewing incoming calls are daily volume vs. staffing, time of day, source of the call, and whether the call was logged into your CRM. Most of today's vendors offer easy CRM integration. If your calls are not hitting the CRM, you could miss out on sales and service opportunities. Keeping in mind that the goal is to use these calls to help your dealership tackle each objection!

Three Things You Can Do to Increase Your Results:

1. Consistency is Key When Handling Incoming Sales Calls. Is Your Staff Equipped to Answer Incoming Calls?

The first step in handling incoming calls is making sure your sales consultants or BD Agents are properly trained and equipped with the right word-tracking. That is, making sure they know how to approach inbound calls (this is where having a word-track is key), and make sure that all of the calls are logged into the CRM. If your teams are not logging the calls into the CRM, you could be missing sales opportunities, and coaching opportunities. As a failsafe, it's essential to have the incoming calls automatically go into the CRM. Having your sales managers or BD Manager review the incoming calls daily ensures that every opportunity is accounted for! This also outlines the coaching opportunities so they can conduct One on One's, which don't take much time, and it's time well spent! By actively monitoring coaching opportunities and reviewing calls, you could increase your monthly sales, which could make all the difference!

2. If Your Sales Consultant (or BD Agent) Doesn't Handle the Call Properly - Train them! Don't Just Take Away the Calls.

It can be easy to just take the calls away from your sales consultant or BD Agent if they don’t handle a call properly. But doing so does not fix the breakpoint or help them tackle objections. Making sure your teams have the right word-tracking, and practice will help them approach objections from all sides of the business (incoming calls, emails, texts, & dealer visits) with confidence and, more importantly, success! To help keep your team sharp, and remain consistent, it’s best to pull a few calls a week and conduct one on one training sessions. The role-playing (recreating the call) can help your team better understand how they can improve, which means better results when handling the next call in a live environment when it counts, conquering one objection at a time!

3. Too Many Calls? How to Handle Overflow Calls.

There isn't such a thing as too many calls, right? But what can happen is depending on the call volume, your team might not be able to effectively handle all the calls. For example, most of us who worked on the dealer side experienced the day when we heard "sales call line one and line two" - and we were already on the phone or working with a customer. To ensure that we can offer each customer the service they deserve, there needs to be a process in place. That’s for the overflow of phone calls. In most cases, depending on your store setup, the overflow calls could go to a Virtual BDC. This way, the customer is not left on hold with a high likelihood of hang-up and no chance of receiving a call back!  

At the end of the day, training is critical, regardless of your phone process. The more equipped your team is – having the confidence and word-tracking – the stronger their results will be! And using the calls as an opportunity to improve vs. taking the calls away from the sales consultant or BD Agent can lend itself to enhancing their performance on all sides of the business.

How often do you review your incoming calls? Do you conduct weekly one-on-one sessions for your sales consultants or BD Agents? What's one objection that gets your teams stuck?

In a perfect world, the customer would answer their phone on the first call. But that’s not always the case. If the customer doesn’t answer their phone, you want to make sure you start with a voicemail that gives your customer a reason to call you back. Once you’ve left a voicemail, it's time to send the email. Here are the key items to include in both your voicemail and email.

What to Include in Your Voicemail.

When leaving a voicemail, be sure to say, "Good [morning, afternoon, evening] this is [name] with [dealership]. Great News! The [vehicle] is available. Are you available [option one] or [option two] to come in for a test drive? We are located [location - this is *KEY*, you don't want the customer to get confused as to where you're located]. I can be reached at [number] and will follow-up with an email shortly. I look forward to speaking with you [customer name].

The end-goal is to get a hold of the customer and to make that happen, you have to give the customer a reason to call you back, creating a sense of urgency. It's also just as important to include the above information. That is your name, dealership name, confirmation of the vehicle, directions, and a clear outlined follow-up. We have to remember that the customer could have inquired from a third-party lead source (or multiple stores). So, when you do call them and don’t mention your dealership name, they might not know what dealer you're calling from.

Key Elements to Include in Your Follow-up Email.

Let's face it, we all get a lot of emails daily. Having a compelling subject line, and a solid email can make or break whether the customer responds or calls you back. It’s also equally important to read the lead first. That's making sure that “if” the customer has asked a question, you address it in the reply email. By doing so, the customer can easily acknowledge that you’re assisting them!

Here's an example of an email you can send your customers

Subject Line: you want your email to stand out to the customer, and more importantly, that your email lands in their inbox and not the "promotions" folder, or worse, a spam folder. To combat this, you want to make sure your subject line is both catchy and relevant.

For example, if the customer inquiries on a pre-owned Toyota Camry your subject line could be:

[customer name], your Toyota Camry is available!

Using the customer's name + vehicle + availability makes your email stand out, and it can also pique the customers' interest.

Example Email:

[first name],

Thank you for inquiring on the [vehicle] here at [dealership]. Great News! Your [vehicle] is available! I confirmed that your [vehicle] does have CarPlay! Here is a video I created for you.

[Insert inventory link] - (you can also include one or two other options to inquire about flexibility or if you have other value options.)

What time works best for you to come in this morning? I have both a 10:15 or a 10:45 AM available.

Keep in mind, [first name] here at [dealership] it is about - YOU! We offer hassle-free appointments, a VIP Program which includes maintenance, and so much more.

We are conveniently located at [location]. In the meantime, [first name] check out what our customers are saying about us! (insert review page link).

We look forward to working with you!

Regards,

[signature line]

As you can see in the email, it answers the customer's question and lays out next steps. That’s coming into the dealership to test drive (or a home/office sanitized test drive, whichever is applicable). The email also made sure to offer where your dealership is located, value statements (how your dealer stands out from the competition), and, more importantly, a reason for them to respond!

What are some of the call-to-action's you include in your email responses?