Marketing campaigns to attract new audiences and lead generation are nowadays among the things we pay a great deal attention to, and by now in almost all sectors. We can all agree that they are vital to find new potential clients, but we must not forget the importance of lead management once obtained.
In fact, it is precisely by optimising lead management that a dealership can achieve its ultimate goal: a greater conversion during the sales phase.
The question lies in how can you make the most of your contacts? Here are five tips that MotorK has gathered based on the experience gained in close contact with dealerships, car manufacturers, and end users.
Compelling Content and User Experience
This point may not seem strictly related to lead management, but it is actually the first and crucial step. Lead management, in fact, begins at the very moment the user shows interest in the dealership for the first time.
With optimised digital presence you can attract a significant volume of users. However, the number of useful contacts will not increase without adequate interface and content that encourages the user to browse and request more information.
Clear vehicle ads enriched with a high number of photos, easy-to-find and fill-out contact forms, Call-To-Action and buttons to call, write an email, or straightforward map references to the showroom, are the main winning features to convert an interested user into a lead.
Extensive and up-to-date database
According to a European study commissioned by Facebook on friction points during the car purchasing process, it was found that among the reasons for customers’ frustration there is the dealership’s need to provide once again the information shared online in store, and the absence of personalized / exclusive communications following the in-store visit.
It is therefore clear that, for accurate lead management, it is essential to have an organized and up to date database. By doing so you will have in place relevant information on current and future customers, and you can perform effective communication and marketing activities avoiding, for example, sending a car promotion to a customer who has just brought a negotiation to a close.
Collect and manage leads on a single platform
Nowadays user requests can come from many different sources: website, marketing campaigns on Google Ads or social media, ad portals, parent company portals, phone calls or even showroom visits are all possible points of collection of a new lead.
Customers might even get in touch multiple times with the same dealer and each time choosing a different method.
Responding to different requests, avoiding wasting time contacting an already handled customer or losing leads along the way becomes impossible if you do not own a platform that is able to collect all the requests in one place.
Hence the reason to have a well structured CRM that is able to integrate with the main tools used in the dealership and collect leads from different sources in the most automated way available.
Integration of information collected by different teams
It is essential that the sales department, marketing team, and Business Development Center (or the lead reception team) work in sync. Differently, there will be the risk of losing a large amount of data, time, and ultimately offering your customers a poor experience.
The information that the Marketing team collects in the first place from the executed campaigns, secondly, the people who contact a lead for the first time and, finally, those who make the sales, are different, but complementary.
Combined they help lead a smooth and effortless customer experience, understand the customers’ desires and needs, create an effective bond, and build customer loyalty.
Reactivating cold leads
It is a known fact that not every lead that lands on a website for the first time is ready to buy right away. According to the “Global Auto Shopper” study conducted by Netpop, the car purchasing process lasts on average 2.2 months.
Therefore, it is important to continue to manage these leads by scheduling tailor-made communications to remain present in their decision-making process and encourage conversion to appointment or sale.
All in all, lead acquisition is important, but not enough on its own. To prevent a potential customer from falling into the hands of competition, it is important to develop a lead management strategy and equip yourself with the right tools to do so.
If you do not know where to start, reach out to us!
