There is nothing more frustrating for the Internet/BDC Department (or for your sales team) than receiving a bunch of new leads... every single day... that provide hope and promise of sales. And then... the ghost you worse than your ex. 

How do you get the ghosts of Christmas e-leads past to actually respond to you? 

Here are some sure-fire ways to get people to not only read your emails, but to actually respond, and to WANT to respond.... backed by science!

1. Social Proof: 

Peer pressure is the oldest trick in the book, and still one of the smartest. It accounts for why emails have higher open rates when sent to multiple people, and higher response rates when mentioning other stakeholders at the company. Because when it comes to decisions - like whether or not to reply to someone’s email - we take cues from other people. 

What does this mean for you? 

If you let your customer know there have been MULTIPLE OTHER INTERESTS in the vehicle they are looking at, they are WAY more likely to get back to you!

2. Provide a Reason (because I said so) 

A study performed by Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer found that people were more willing to comply with a request (in this instance, cut in line) when people used the word “because.” Even when the reason was seemingly nonsensical (i.e. “Can I use the copy machine first because I need to make a copy?”), nearly all (93%) people complied.

What it means: When you ask someone to do you a favor, you’ll be more successful if you provide a reason. Because (see what I did there?) yes, in today’s world of 24-7-365 communication and mile long to-do lists, answering an email from someone you don’t know is a favor.

Can you do me a favor and let me know if tomorrow would work for you?

3. You've been going back and forth with someone for WEEKS now. Then suddenly... they're MIA. Won't return your phone calls... Nothing. What's your next move? 

You throw in the frog. (or something funny you have nothing to lose)

In an experiment by O’Quinn and Aronoff, participants were assigned to “buyer” and “seller” roles and asked to negotiate the price of a painting. Half of the sellers received instructions to use the line “my final offer is $_, …and I’ll throw in a pet frog.” This led to relaxation, smiles, and increased compliance, with buyers agreeing to pay significantly more money than when the frog joke was not used.

What it means: When you make someone smile, they relax. Humor can help break down objections and win over an otherwise unreceptive audience. 

4. Chose Numbers Wisely

Let’s look at three quick tips that can increase your chances of getting your email opened and keeping their attention long enough to get a reply, all backed by science.

Include digits in the subject line. Numbers written out as numerals (i.e. 33 as opposed to thirty-three) have been shown to stop wandering eyes of online readers, making it more likely that your email will get noticed in an overcrowded inbox. 

Use statistics and data. It makes you appear more credible. (Dealer rater)

Remember: Three is the magic number. Numerous studies have proven that the brain likes to be presented with three choices, whereas four choices may trigger skepticism and anything higher than that can lead to confusion. Try breaking your email into three (short) paragraphs, offer three options for meeting times, or describe your product using three adjectives.

5. Keep it Short and Simple 

Be concise. So it should come as no surprise that it’s the soul of effective emails, too. Drawing from data culled from five years of emails in an executive recruiting firm, researchers found that shorter emails result in quicker response time, leading to higher overall productivity.

What it means: Don’t waste their time. Be considerate of your audience and use spacing, numbers, bulleted lists, etc., to visually break up your message so that it’s easy to digest and take action on.

6. Use Their Name More Than Once 

Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language. -Dale Carnegie

Dale wasn’t kidding. “Few things light us up quite like seeing our own names in print or on the screen,” explain the folks at Copyblogger, citing recent research on brain activation. “Our names are tied to our self-perception and make up a massive part of our identity. No surprise then, that we become more engaged and even more trusting of a message in which our name appears.”

What it means: Personalization is key. Try catching their eye by placing their name in the subject line — i.e. “Hi Jim, it’s Brad from Capital GMC.” Asking for a reply that requires more than a simple yes/no? Throw in a simple “Thanks for your time, Jim” to closeout

7.  Don’t forget the subject line is likely the most important

How many emails do you get in your personal inbox a day? Dozens? Hundreds? You need to stand out in an already overcrowded inbox full of junk. Do NOT use the same subject line EVERY time you are “following up” because why would they open it if they think they’re getting the SAME email? 

Use RE: - it’s a trick to make them think it’s a response to something THEY sent YOU.

And finally...

8. ANSWER WHAT THEY ASKED. 

Nothing will piss off a prospective buyer more than using manipulative tactics to try and snag the appointment while avoiding the questions they asked. If you don't provide numbers over the phone or via email, they will simply shop somewhere else. 

Happy emailing! 

After my "best idea" win at DSES (thank you again, Driving Sales!) I've got lots of messages about how to capture customers from coast to coast with VR videos. It only made sense to break it down for you. You can view my winning presentation here! The process is simple, and can be completed in minimal steps.

The idea began when we started receiving e-leads from different provinces and cities all over Canada. How did we sell to people we would never have the chance to meet? And even better, WHY would they chose us over their local dealers for purchase? 

We started out with Google Cardboards, and Youtube videos shot on cellphones. The app "VR Converter" converts the videos to being VR capable, and it's a FREE download on either Apple or Android devices. It was a simple, cost effective way that allowed customers to transport in to our dealership and "meet" us. The response was positive, and we captured a lot of out of town sales.

The downside of Google Cardboards? The wait. You don't get an instant transaction, which let's face it, some salesmen will want. The customer has to wait to receive the cardboard in the mail, and then manually put it together - that being said, if you send them the instructions, and some content to keep them engaged, most will be happy to wait! 

We saw the biggest success when we invested in a 360 Camera. This took our video quality from low res, to high, professional quality videos that put the customer in control. The 360 camera creates videos that are similar to a Google Map view meaning the customer can spin the video around, and see whatever feature of the vehicle they want no matter WHAT the salesman is focusing on. It makes for a completely transparent vehicle walk around, and a VERY interactive test drive! You can even look out their windows as though you are riding shot gun. 

The videos again can be uploaded to YouTube or Google Drive. YouTube actually has a "googles" feature meaning if you're sending a 360 video with cardboards, you customer can click the google view and watch a professional VR video. Here is a similar camera to the one we purchased. 

It's THAT simple to be trendy, digital forward, and engaging. 

-- A 360 camera or cell phone
-- FREE app (VR Converter)
-- Your choice to include Google Cardboards or send it in real time 
-- Google Drive or YouTube

After this, we would send dealership walkarounds, introducing their Business Manager, our shop, and body shop. The possibilities are endless of what you can do, and hopefully you start delivering as many vehicles coast-to-coast as we do! 

Have you tried selling via videos and VR? Drop your comments below and tell me what you're doing to stay on the digital forefront! 

Do you feel like you've entered inception? A blog about how to blog, and what to blog about? - Now that we've got this obvious joke out of the way... let's talk blogging. 

Entering the automotive world, our website blog seemed stale. Explaining the same features of the same models and essentially rewriting what was already out there. How do you keep a blog on your website has relevant, new and fresh content that isn't the same as every other Toyota dealership? Blogs drive up SEO, and click rates, so abolishing them all together may actually work against you. Here are some tips to give your blog a facelift. 

1. Blog About Local Events

Not everything has to be automotive related. In fact, in order to be community-relevant, it's a great idea to do the opposite and blog about real-time, local, community events. This works in your favor two-fold. First, it sparks interest in your readers and shows you are connected to and care about the community and puts real faces behind your vehicles (who doesn't want to learn about all the best Halloween events coming up for adults and kids alike?!) Second, it will drive traffic to your website. When consumers search for these local events, your blog could come up, and boom! You have an unexpected visitor browsing around your website. 

2. Industry News 

Instead of the cliche next model, why not blog about that huge launch event... (think 2020 C8 Corvette), OR that new feature people have been hearing whispers about for months. Technology auto shows, launch events, and product reviews of desired and anticipated products are a great way to drive up clicks and get attention without just going over a model you already have, and everyone knows everything about. 

3. Be Informative

This is my favorite. Remember that not everyone is a car expert. As much as we don't want to admit it, a lot of the people working in your building aren't experts. Use this to your advantage. Blog about vehicle how to's, blog about your customers most asked questions, and blog about learning the answers to things. I was never a car person prior to working in the industry, and neither were lots of the people I recruited. How great would it be to have vlogs of your sales staff trying to open a Corvette roof, or check their own oil? Remember comedy, and reliability is gold. 

4. Service Specials, Reminders, and How To's 

Do you really need to change your wiper blades? Do you really need winter tires? How often do you have to change your oil? These are all questions everyone asks themselves when that time of year comes around. Instead of letting them ask, answer for them prior to compelling reasons to book. 

5. Blog About Your Customers

Delivery photos, product reviews, and things customers enjoyed in the experience. You're getting your customer to sell you, for you in a simple post. 

Remember the most important things are being relatable, offering value to the reader, and a reason to keep visiting, while selfishly hoping you gain more clicks, and more SEO visits through your posts! Plus, it's fun for the people you work to write, and engage in! 

I work for a GM dealership and paying attention to my website, and website provider was something that I gave little thought to... even though my leads and my income came DIRECTLY from these two things. Once CDK dissolved it's clause with GM, and I became immersed in this world of chose me vs the other guy, I began to notice quickly a lot of what was working on our website, and what wasn't... 

Here are the top takeaways I learned that is key to having your website stand out in the crowd. 

Always, always go mobile-first

You never think about it as your sitting at your desk, staring at your website a hundred times a day how few people actually aren't doing this. So close out of your website editor, and go to your mobile-first website editor. Your customer is likely sitting on their lunch break researching their next car on their iPhone, or laying on their couch with their tablet... few people are actually loading up their desktop nowadays. 51% of people look up what they need to on their mobile device, 45% use their tablets, which leaves a lowly 4% using a desktop computer. So why are you making changes using your desktop view? 

Check everything on your mobile site first. Go to your mobile site RIGHT NOW and play around with it, and ask your friends and family to as well. You'll be amazed at what insight someone from a non-car world has in terms of user-friendly, and simplicity. You may understand the "find out more" form when clicking the price section because it drives you a lead... they might understand from a consumer perspective that this feels annoying and even invasive. 

Don't ever make them SEARCH for that SEARCH bar... 

Get it? But seriously. If your search bar isn't front and center at the top of EVERY page, you're doing something wrong. No one wants to keep searching for the back button to search for something new. Today's world is all about quick and easy. Make sure it's the quickest, and easiest to search something on your website. 

Lose all the junk

What may seem important to you, or driving leads on your home page is probably annoying your customer. Why is it showing me your new car inventory in four different places? This is wasted real estate. Your homepage can be flashy, and have all the information in the world on it, as long as it's easy to use, and it doesn't take you longer than a minute to scroll through the whole page. Less is more.

Speaking of less is more...

All those dropdowns underneath your main page headings? STRIKE THEM. Well maybe not all of them... but having ten different pages under each header is confusing, and annoying to your customer. As much as you want to have the flashiest website with the most information and most pages possible... you really, really don't need it. Cut the junk. Have simple pages.

VDP's

Make sure your VDP's are accurate, informative, and answer the question. Gone are the days of being vague to drive leads. You'll actually get more if all your info is out in the open, and if your customer can see it all upfront. List the features, CarFax, and any other need to know info clearly. When it comes to images and videos if you got 'em flaunt 'em. THIS is where you want to overload your website... with images, 360 spins, videos, etc. Have the customer see the vehicle before they buy them... and clearly. 

Why YOU? 

A link to real human connection always sets you apart. A "staff page" introducing your customers with photos, bios, and why to shop from you always offers a real-life connection you can't beat. 

It's no surprise that digital is taking over the world (literally) so it should be come as no surprise to you that as the world goes digital, videos will increase your car sales. 

In our automotive group, we send a 60-120 second video for everyone prospect who sends in an online, or phone request, and we are pushing to do the same for walk ins. Our closing percent on all accounts skyrocketed once we implemented the video rule, and now, online requests makeup 60% of our dealerships sales. We can't take credit for this, as the stats are out there for anyone to see. 

Google tells us that 65% of shoppers watch 30+ minutes of video in their research phase. AutoTrader tells us that 20% of customers are more likely to  click on your ad, not if you have a great price, but - you guessed it - if it contains a video! 

How we do it is simple - take any inquiry, on any vehicle (new or used) and shoot a quick 30 second - 1:20 video. On your smart phone. It's that simple. Introduce yourself, and create attachment for a customer - we are all human, and the minute we have connected with someone, we feel inclined to shop from them, as opposed to someone else. We make each one personalized speaking to each individual customer, and answering any question they had on the inquiry. After this, we do a quick highlight of a few key features that makes the vehicle unique, and that customers love (we always focus on infotainment!); we showcase the interior, exterior, and we will point out any vehicle blemishes. People love honesty, especially in today's car world, so we find this is something that our customers really, really love. We remind them of our location, our dealership name, and a contact number and voila! Video is uploaded, and sent across. 

We know this works, because customers write back, and tell us! We are consistently getting praise for going above and beyond, and showing them videos! 

"The sights and sounds in videos elicit emotional responses that text or still photos can't match" - Danielle Russell, Google's automotive industry director. 

You want to keep it short, and sweet, yet create a story, and an engagement piece that connects with the customer. Anything longer than this? You actually run the risk of it being reported as spam, and getting tossed to someones junk mail.

Our video efforts have taken a lot of work, and at first, Product Specialists were incredibly resistant. Now, they are eager to engage, and know it's an every day expectation that they will be making multiple walk around videos per shift. The bonus of this? Hello increase in product knowledge! The minute they see the rewards, and begin reaping the benefits, you no longer have to tell them to do this - they just WILL. Plus when you give them the tools to do things in VR, and with a 360 camera, it becomes fun. 

If you share these walk around videos on your ads, your store can actually go up in ranks! Google ads, and Facebook ads have more engagement with video, and more engagement = a higher reach. So the worst thing that can happen by placing a video in your ad? More people see it. 

Lots of dealer groups pay to get videos shot, but why pay when you have lots of (let's be honest here) sales people flooding your floor with endless amounts of free time? Why don't you want your customers to engage with YOUR people and put a face to a name, instead of a generic video that is probably to sold to MULTIPLE dealer groups? The decision seems simple.

Are YOU using videos to sell cars?