1) Don't Forget to Still Answer the Sales Calls Correctly: An inbound sales call on average is much more valuable than an Internet lead. Studies show that nearly 8 out of 10 shoppers who contact us from our web presence call us for that first contact. Just because Internet Leads might be easier to measure doesn't mean you can or should ignore needing great sales phone skills on your inbound sales line--online shoppers are going to call you, so be prepared to close them on an appointment!

2) Be Ready to Work for Your Money: The only fact you actually know about an Internet lead is that you got one. The email address might be wrong; the vehicle of interest might be the result by a bad shopper selection; the lead might be a prank (on your dealership or on the shopper); etc. Really, all you know for a fact is that you got a lead, so work it via email and phone until you are sure that you've done your best to get the information needed to reach the shopper. And then . . . CALL them, if you can. See the next rule.

3) The First Bird Gets the Worm: Any sale from an Internet lead will most often go to the first dealership to convert the lead to a good phone call. Of the 22% or so of online shoppers that do email you or send in a lead, email them back immediately what they want to know with calls to action, especially ones that will lead them to call you. And, if the shopper gave up a phone number in the lead or email, my successful rule is to also call them immediately--and with compelling reasons to talk to you and come in as soon as they can. Great phone skills still get you sales from the Internet, and likely will for some time to come.

By Keith Shetterly, keithshetterly@gmail.com
Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved www.keithshetterly.com
www.twitter.com/keithshetterly
www.youtube.com/keithshetterly
www.shetterlyslaws.com

One of my very good childhood memories is Mom writing Granny (her Mom) letters and Mom also getting letters from Granny.  Mom and Dad had moved us to Ohio for the better life that came then from factory work, so at the time we were far away from Granny back in Tennessee.  The telephone was still expensive and unreliable way back then, and Granny's phone was also a party (shared) line for a while--so privacy wasn't assured on the phone, but it was in the mail.  And so there was something very special about those letters, and those times, too, because people had to take time to reflect and write and mail, to wait and read and reflect.  Putting hand to pen to paper meant something in those days, and that something is really not as strong as an "instant" email is now.

I'm sure those letters came in all seasons, but I recall them best when it was warm spring and summer. The mailbox was across the street, and I remember when I was old enough to get them and bring those letters to Mom.  And to take hers to the mailbox to go to Granny.  The letters were always fat with paper, as they both wrote many pages--but that makes sense, if you think about it:  They surely wrote about everything, from their hopes to their set-backs, from relatives to kids, to maybe even songs they liked on the radio.  I'll never know what was in the letters, but I remember how happy my Mom was to get them; the week of Mother's Day always had a special letter, I'm sure.  I even remember, when we visited Granny during the summers, the stacks of letters from Mom that she had saved.  They both saved them, as I recall, now considering it, as I think Mom kept them, too.  I wonder where they all are now?  Still saved?

Whatever the fate of those letters, the strong bond between my Mom and Granny still lives in my mother's heart and eyes.  And in my and my siblings' hearts and lives, too.  We are all what we are, in a large part, because of the relationship these two women had over decades--and a long period of that via letters and some summer visits.

Thanks, Mom, and thanks, too, to Granny.  In the kids you raised, and in their kids, too, and in ways no one may even notice, but in ways so very, very important, those letters live on.

Happy Mother's Day to them, to my daughter and my wife who are both mothers, and to all mothers everywhere. 

Thank you!

1) Hire some women!  Women buyers will, on average, prefer to buy a vehicle from another woman when they can--and women salespeople are awesome.  By the way, women salespeople will do a great job with male buyers, too.

2) Smile and understand their power.  Lots of women are on their own and earning money these days, and, when in families, women statistically make most of the car-purchasing decisions, anyway--so, if you can pleasantly help women smartly enjoy their vehicle purchase, you will get some of your best sales.  And referrals.

3) Sell with polite confidence.  Women don't want to buy vehicles from mean or weak people, male or female, which means--no matter your own gender--you'll lose the sale if you are condescending or disrespectful.  Or just don't know your product.

**To help be sure I wasn't a total Neanderthal about this, I vetted some of these ideas with Dr. Elizabeth Archuleta, whom I would like to thank.  Regardless, though, I take full responsibility for the idea and content of this article.

1) Mediocrity is a habit; excellence is a choice.

2) The ability of a competitor does not govern your excellence:  Competition for excellence begins and ends within yourself.

3) Excellence is not a measure of effort--it is a measure of results.

1) Be social:  Wherever two or more of your customers are gathered, so should your dealership be there also (to paraphrase), and that applies to social media.  And, if you're not there personally yourself, too, get on Facebook NOW--having a business page and not being on Facebook yourself is like buying a newspaper ad when you can't read.

2) Start smart social:  Launch your social media business pages, etc. with a plan, or don't do it at all.  If you can't monitor it, don't have it; if you can't add interesting content on a good schedule, don't start it.

3) Keep it social:  Your Mom wouldn't care to see your inventory stapled to her walls--at her house OR on her Facebook news feed--so don't think your customers will like that on Facebook, either.  They'd all like, however, to hear about your customer's new truck that trailered their boat to a great lake trip.  Act otherwise and your page will be ignored by your customers--and you won't even know it.