As a savvy customer, nothing is more infuriating than being ignored or receiving a response that dodges all your questions. Pre-Covid, dealerships used to pride themselves on their promptness in addressing leads. Even the OEMs had standards in place to ensure that all inquiries were answered within a specific timeframe. However, during the peak of the pandemic, when demand outstripped supply, some dealerships conveniently chose to overlook their leads. And if they did bother to respond, it certainly wasn’t within the respectable ten to fifteen-minute window. A study even highlighted the dismal decline in 2021 – 2022, where dealerships dropped the ball on response time and failed to answer customer inquiries altogether.
Now, let’s delve into what went wrong. While we can’t change the past, we can certainly revamp our lead response strategy for the future. First off, it’s high time you give your CRM workflows a makeover. When was the last time they were given a once-over? If you’re struggling to recall, it’s a sign you need to dive in. Once you’ve thoroughly inspected your CRM workflows, spare a moment to scrutinize your automated emails. Are the signature lines up to date? Do these automated messages still make sense? And for goodness’ sake, do all those social media links actually work? It may sound like a walk in the park, but believe it or not, some dealerships are still sending automated responses from employees who don’t even work there anymore.
Once you’ve conquered the CRM basics, it’s time to gather your BD agents and Sales Consultants for a pep talk. A quick refresher never hurts, right? After discussing the best practices for responding to leads, holding your team accountable is crucial. By leveraging CRM reporting, you can easily track response times. But don’t stop there – evaluate the actual content of their responses. We can all stop the clock, but not everyone is sending out top-notch replies to leads. Let’s make sure we answer customers’ questions and provide clear next steps. After all, the ultimate goal is to build rapport with customers and boost our chances of securing their business. And that’s impossible if we ignore leads or respond with flimsy replies that fail to address their needs.
If your team is still struggling with word-tracking or crafting compelling responses to customers’ questions and objections, fret not! We’ve got your back. Knowing what to say and when to say it can mean the difference between winning or losing a customer. we have the expertise to help you master this crucial skill.
If you’re still on the fence, take a moment and request a Dealership Mystery Shop! Once we’ve completed the test, we’ll be in touch. Here’s to getting back to the basics and being proactive rather than reactive.
As the COO | Partner of Phone Ninjas, Chris delivers leadership, coaching, and mentorship to 55 team members providing software sales and phone skills coaching. He fosters powerful partnerships and collaborations with leaders across various business sectors, establishing expectations, communicating vision, and escalating performance to maximize productivity and effectiveness.
Chris is an innovation-driven business executive with over 25 years of experience delivering leadership to teams of up to 75 overseeing development, launch, and sale of website lead acquisition, reconditioning process software systems, and technology that support automotive dealerships across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
