Ford Motor Company via ADP Dealer Services
CONFESSIONS OF A MYSTERY SHOPPER - PT 2
Last week, while at a dealer client, and while reviewing the mystery shop I had just done for them, I flashed on a story told to me last year by one of my teammates. First know that this was a pretty typical mystery shop – the shopper received 2 emails and 1 phone call before the store stopped contact attempts. Now the story:
Bob was 13 years old, in middle school for the first time, and faced with having to ask a girl to an upcoming school dance. Like a lot of 13 year old boys he had no experience in this area and had no idea what was expected of him. So, summoning up his courage, he walked up to the girl he wanted and asked if she would go to the dance with him.
She said no.
Dumbfounded by this unexpected setback, he retreated, concluding that he would either have to find another girl to ask, or forgo the dance altogether.
The next day her best friend pulled him aside and said “Bob, you putz, you don’t give up after the first ‘No.’ You’re supposed to ask again. And again if necessary. She wants to know that you really want her to go with you. She wants to be courted.”
The best friend was right! And to my surprise, I've discovered that’s also exactly how an e-shopper feels.
The dealership that sends my shopper a killer 1st response email and/or phone message earns the shopper’s undying respect – until the next day, when I hear nothing from them. Then it’s, like, out-of-sight, out-of-mind. A few days later, when clearing out the bottom of my Inbox, I come upon that dealer’s responses and think, “Huh – oh yeah, I remember that shop. Whatever happened to those guys?”
Remember the prospect you accidentally forgot about? (We’ve all done it, right)? The one you apologetically called or wrote days later in a panic hoping to save the relationship, and the one who responded with those cruelest of words, “I guess you guys aren’t very interested in selling a car.” Yep, that’s how it feels out here on this side. Ouch.
Another true story: on two and only two occasions this year, I have had to call a dealership’s sales manager and ask them to please remove my shopper’s info from the CRM. The salesperson had been calling & writing and calling & writing so much that, not only did I feel courted, I felt guilty knowing that my prospect was really a shopper who can’t buy anything to reward this salesperson for his/her efforts. Now, that’s follow-up.
Last year at Digital Dealer Conference I attended a session on e-shopper behavior and one of the presenter’s concluding bullet lines was, “They want to be courted.” Wow! There’s that word again
So…it turns out that the store that displays tenacity, the one that is willing to ask for the prospect’s business, again and again if necessary, is the one that gets a “Yes” to the dance invitation.
Ask Bob.
Ford Motor Company via ADP Dealer Services
CONFESSIONS OF A MYSTERY SHOPPER - PT 2
Last week, while at a dealer client, and while reviewing the mystery shop I had just done for them, I flashed on a story told to me last year by one of my teammates. First know that this was a pretty typical mystery shop – the shopper received 2 emails and 1 phone call before the store stopped contact attempts. Now the story:
Bob was 13 years old, in middle school for the first time, and faced with having to ask a girl to an upcoming school dance. Like a lot of 13 year old boys he had no experience in this area and had no idea what was expected of him. So, summoning up his courage, he walked up to the girl he wanted and asked if she would go to the dance with him.
She said no.
Dumbfounded by this unexpected setback, he retreated, concluding that he would either have to find another girl to ask, or forgo the dance altogether.
The next day her best friend pulled him aside and said “Bob, you putz, you don’t give up after the first ‘No.’ You’re supposed to ask again. And again if necessary. She wants to know that you really want her to go with you. She wants to be courted.”
The best friend was right! And to my surprise, I've discovered that’s also exactly how an e-shopper feels.
The dealership that sends my shopper a killer 1st response email and/or phone message earns the shopper’s undying respect – until the next day, when I hear nothing from them. Then it’s, like, out-of-sight, out-of-mind. A few days later, when clearing out the bottom of my Inbox, I come upon that dealer’s responses and think, “Huh – oh yeah, I remember that shop. Whatever happened to those guys?”
Remember the prospect you accidentally forgot about? (We’ve all done it, right)? The one you apologetically called or wrote days later in a panic hoping to save the relationship, and the one who responded with those cruelest of words, “I guess you guys aren’t very interested in selling a car.” Yep, that’s how it feels out here on this side. Ouch.
Another true story: on two and only two occasions this year, I have had to call a dealership’s sales manager and ask them to please remove my shopper’s info from the CRM. The salesperson had been calling & writing and calling & writing so much that, not only did I feel courted, I felt guilty knowing that my prospect was really a shopper who can’t buy anything to reward this salesperson for his/her efforts. Now, that’s follow-up.
Last year at Digital Dealer Conference I attended a session on e-shopper behavior and one of the presenter’s concluding bullet lines was, “They want to be courted.” Wow! There’s that word again
So…it turns out that the store that displays tenacity, the one that is willing to ask for the prospect’s business, again and again if necessary, is the one that gets a “Yes” to the dance invitation.
Ask Bob.
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Ford Motor Company via ADP Dealer Services
CONFESSIONS OF A MYSTERY SHOPPER - PT 1
As one who launches three to four e-mystery shops per week, I get to see the marketplace from a perspective far different than the one I had when I worked at a store. I’ve learned that a lot of what, in my selling days, I thought was good material actually contains a message far different from the one intended – and that the message that comes across is not always a good one.
Judging by some of the follow-up emails I get from dealerships today, many stores still have the same unintentional communication difficulties that I had. So, in the interest of industry service, I’d like to pass along some (admittedly subjective) constructive comments, observations and recommendations. Please read on if you’re interested.
Let’s first establish that within 24-48 hours of its arrival every incoming e-lead is going to fall into one of the following three categories:
1). Responsive,
2). Lurker (opens your emails but does not reply to your email or voice communications) or
3). Black Hole (does not open emails, does not return phone messages).
Every prospect gets a Day 1 email or emails, but it’s likely that only the Lurkers and Black Holes will get your Day 2 and onward emails. Let’s talk today about those Day 2 and onward messages, then, as this is where things seem to fall apart.
Most Day 2 and onward emails my mystery shoppers receive, if they receive any at all, contain the following lines:
- “Why buy from us?” (or its alternate version “Why buy from me?”)
- “Just wanted to drop a quick note to see if I was emailing you too often?”
- “At ABC Motors our goal is to provide you with the best ‘hassle free’ automobile purchasing and services experience available.”
- “I realize that life is very busy and that priorities have a way of changing in the blink of an eye….”
- “If you have already purchased another vehicle or are no longer looking please let me know so I can remove your name from my computer system.”
- “Perhaps you have not had time to answer my e-mail or phone calls regarding your vehicle purchase request. It is very important that I speak with you.“
- “Are there any other questions or concerns that we need to talk about?”
Do the above lines look familiar? You bet they do, because they come directly from stock email templates that ship with every brand CRM tool ever made. These letters are still being used by dealerships everywhere. The problem is, they are crap. And here’s why: they do little or nothing to advance the sales momentum.
A long, long time ago we were taught that all prospects come to us seeking relief from pain, and that most have three gnawing concerns causing that pain:
1) How to acquire the vehicle they believe they want or need to buy?
2) How to dispose of the vehicle they have to trade or sell?
3) How to acquire the money needed to make this all happen?
So does it not stand to reason that our follow-up emails should be designed to address the prospects pain and provide relief (or the promise of relief) from that pain? We can do that (and in the process lead the prospect down the path to the close) by providing opportunities - opportunities for the prospect to acquire information and knowledge that will allow him/her to erase each pain area one at a time.
Instead of “Why buy from me?” how about “Do you have a trade-in? Want to know what it is worth today? A free, no obligation appraisal at our store takes only minutes.”
Or, instead of “We promise you a hassle-free shopping experience” how about “Would you like to know in advance what kind of financing you can get at ABC Motors? Just click this link, fill-out the credit app and we’ll get right back to you with answers” These are but two examples.
Write your follow-up emails so that they advance the sales momentum – you can do it by giving the prospect value in each email - value in the form of opportunity – opportunity to acquire the information and knowledge that will erase his pain.
Your Lurker and Black Hole e-prospects will love you for it.
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Ford Motor Company via ADP Dealer Services
CONFESSIONS OF A MYSTERY SHOPPER - PT 1
As one who launches three to four e-mystery shops per week, I get to see the marketplace from a perspective far different than the one I had when I worked at a store. I’ve learned that a lot of what, in my selling days, I thought was good material actually contains a message far different from the one intended – and that the message that comes across is not always a good one.
Judging by some of the follow-up emails I get from dealerships today, many stores still have the same unintentional communication difficulties that I had. So, in the interest of industry service, I’d like to pass along some (admittedly subjective) constructive comments, observations and recommendations. Please read on if you’re interested.
Let’s first establish that within 24-48 hours of its arrival every incoming e-lead is going to fall into one of the following three categories:
1). Responsive,
2). Lurker (opens your emails but does not reply to your email or voice communications) or
3). Black Hole (does not open emails, does not return phone messages).
Every prospect gets a Day 1 email or emails, but it’s likely that only the Lurkers and Black Holes will get your Day 2 and onward emails. Let’s talk today about those Day 2 and onward messages, then, as this is where things seem to fall apart.
Most Day 2 and onward emails my mystery shoppers receive, if they receive any at all, contain the following lines:
- “Why buy from us?” (or its alternate version “Why buy from me?”)
- “Just wanted to drop a quick note to see if I was emailing you too often?”
- “At ABC Motors our goal is to provide you with the best ‘hassle free’ automobile purchasing and services experience available.”
- “I realize that life is very busy and that priorities have a way of changing in the blink of an eye….”
- “If you have already purchased another vehicle or are no longer looking please let me know so I can remove your name from my computer system.”
- “Perhaps you have not had time to answer my e-mail or phone calls regarding your vehicle purchase request. It is very important that I speak with you.“
- “Are there any other questions or concerns that we need to talk about?”
Do the above lines look familiar? You bet they do, because they come directly from stock email templates that ship with every brand CRM tool ever made. These letters are still being used by dealerships everywhere. The problem is, they are crap. And here’s why: they do little or nothing to advance the sales momentum.
A long, long time ago we were taught that all prospects come to us seeking relief from pain, and that most have three gnawing concerns causing that pain:
1) How to acquire the vehicle they believe they want or need to buy?
2) How to dispose of the vehicle they have to trade or sell?
3) How to acquire the money needed to make this all happen?
So does it not stand to reason that our follow-up emails should be designed to address the prospects pain and provide relief (or the promise of relief) from that pain? We can do that (and in the process lead the prospect down the path to the close) by providing opportunities - opportunities for the prospect to acquire information and knowledge that will allow him/her to erase each pain area one at a time.
Instead of “Why buy from me?” how about “Do you have a trade-in? Want to know what it is worth today? A free, no obligation appraisal at our store takes only minutes.”
Or, instead of “We promise you a hassle-free shopping experience” how about “Would you like to know in advance what kind of financing you can get at ABC Motors? Just click this link, fill-out the credit app and we’ll get right back to you with answers” These are but two examples.
Write your follow-up emails so that they advance the sales momentum – you can do it by giving the prospect value in each email - value in the form of opportunity – opportunity to acquire the information and knowledge that will erase his pain.
Your Lurker and Black Hole e-prospects will love you for it.
No Comments
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