Duplicate leads: irritating productivity-killers, right? They clog up your CRM, they make your multiple lead-capture services seem redundant, they can lead to confusion about follow-up. It’s easy to understand why there are softwares specifically designed to prevent and remove duplicate leads.

But listen closely, friends: you really don’t want to do that.  

It’s true– when you get duplicate leads, you need a good system in place for marking them as duplicates, making sure all information is correctly merged, and clearly indicating what contact efforts were made. But please, please don’t get rid of your duplicates, or ignore them, or let them fall to the bottom of your to-do list. Why?

Because duplicates are not your worst leads. They’re your best leads!

Here’s what a bad lead looks like: someone who isn’t in market, or doesn’t have good enough credit to buy a car, or has already made a purchase from your competitor. It makes sense to avoid wasting resources on a lead that has so little chance of closing.

But a duplicate lead is none of these things. A duplicate is someone who has told you, twice, that they are interested in your dealership. Considering how hard it is to get anyone to convert at all, this is a huge success.

Here are some examples of high-quality duplicate leads:

• Sam was browsing your site a few months ago and converted on a general offer for deals on trucks, but really wasn’t ready to buy. Now, after doing more research, he comes back to your website, and converts on a car specific incentive for a model he knows he’s interested in.
• Janet saw a conversion form on your site offering a test drive and converted right away. Then, after browsing a bit more, she saw an offer for her dream car at a great price and converted again.
• Dave provided his contact information in a chat box on your site, and did the same on several of your competitors’ sites. Then he came back to your dealership website because it provides a superior website shopping experience. Now, he converts again on a lease offer, fully intending to lease at your dealership.

One thing these people have in common: they are all hot leads. And while it’s important to engage all types of leads, even the ones who aren’t ready to buy, these leads are ready to buy, or at least very close to ready.

Another thing they have in common: their second conversion is more valuable than their first– it comes when they are further down the buying funnel, more sure of what they want, more invested in your dealership.

That’s why it’s important to know that duplicate leads are, in fact, duplicates. When you see a lead come in that has previously converted on a different form, that lead is not redundant. It’s enriched with more information about the visitor and their car interests, and you can see that it is because the lead converted a second time. In fact, we like to call these second-round captures assists. They assist you in finding more value-driven ways to have a buying conversation and close a deal.

So instead of dismissing your duplicates, rejoice in them. And do the following:

1. Educate your staff on the importance of duplicate leads. Reframe the conversation so that these leads are considered ulta-qualified, hot leads.
2. Find out why this person is a duplicate. Have they been called? Have their interests changed? How can you help them in their car buying process? Which leads us to…
3. Pay close attention to the AutoLeadStar data in your CRM: what pages these leads looked at, which VDPs they viewed, what they’re interested in. Make sure to look at all the CRM notes about this lead. Then, contact them for valuable follow-up conversations that provide them with the information they really want so that they come into your dealership ready to buy.
4. Prioritize these leads. When someone converts for the second time, get them on the phone fast so you can bring them into your dealership. Capitalize on their obvious interest before they turn to your competitor. This lead will not be annoyed to hear from you– in fact, they will be annoyed if you don’t reach out immediately. They gave you their information twice. Don’t ignore them.

Whether they’ve been languishing in your CRM for months, days, or minutes, duplicate leads are banging down your door for attention. So give it to them. Show them that they were right to come back to your dealership.