Best practices: Prospecting inbound and outbound sales leads

Best practices: Prospecting inbound and outbound sales leads

A seasoned automobile dealer will inform you that significant changes have occurred in the last several years, and much more so in the last couple of decades. This article will discuss the best practices for managing incoming leads and dealing with unsold and prospective prospects. It comes from someone who has coached salespeople on how to respond to Internet leads. We'll also talk about the implications of using social media for daily sales.

There are two main reasons that automotive sales prospecting is different from many other forms of retail prospecting, such as furniture sales: Typically, salespeople in the automotive industry engage in both inbound and outbound prospecting, which include walking the lot or contacting past clients to locate potential buyers.

A salesperson can become exceptionally effective by learning how to balance their time between prospecting and honing their skills on the phone, email, and in person social situations.

Asking management about prospecting orphan customers—customers who have previously purchased from your dealership but whose salesman is no longer employed there—is a terrific idea, especially considering the high employee turnover in the auto industry. A lot of people will already be aware of your dealership, and with careful use of your CRM, you may focus on customers who are nearly finished with their loans.

This used to be a frequently asked question, particularly by salespeople who weren't fully up to speed on the internet world. The good news is that you are making progress in getting in front of your clients if you are messaging them as a follow-up.

You may effortlessly elevate this to a new level with the aid of almost all cellphones and even certain car industry software: Create a little video to introduce oneself, particularly if the prospective customer is considering a particular car. You can put your face in front of the buyer with the aid of a quick video.

People enjoy viewing videos, particularly those that are condensed and direct. Videos can really stand out in a possible sea of other salespeople's text and image messages.

Having stated that, you should, if at all possible, follow up using a variety of techniques. Please leave a brief voicemail so the person you are phoning at least knows who you are, but please do leave a message!

Please take note that we are aware that people are not as likely as they once were to listen to their voicemails.

Email follow-ups should be sincere, interesting, and include any details regarding the car that the customer might not be aware of. Offering services like a car history report or the comments made by the service department during the vehicle's inspection should just take a few seconds. Hold onto this information in case you receive more leads regarding the same cars.

When handling an incoming internet lead, my first recommendation is to study the lead in its entirety: Sometimes a prospective customer will raise a question regarding a car that requires some investigation or a particular response. You won't be off to a fantastic start if you don't respond to this right away because the prospect won't think you read the first email. Start by reading the lead.

Social media is also a useful instrument for sales. A handful of our salespeople established their own accounts where they frequently shared promotions and videos. These pages could extend an invitation to like them to friends and family of businesses. They did gain at least a modest following because it worked.

The process of prospecting in the automotive industry differs slightly from that of many other retail jobs. There are several resources available to help you attract clients, and it's crucial to follow up with them in a prompt, courteous, and thorough manner. Having the correct knowledge is also beneficial!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to receive updates on unique material from CBT News.

Don't pass this up! To stay up to date on all the news, analysis, and trends affecting the automotive sector, sign up for our free newsletter.

A member of the JBF Business Media group is CBT News.

To provide you with the best possible experience on our website, we use cookies.

You can go to the settings to disable cookies or learn more about the ones we use.

Cookies are used on this website to give you the best possible user experience. Cookie data is kept in your browser and serves a variety of purposes, including helping our staff identify the most interesting and helpful portions of our website and recognizing you when you return.

Only Required Cookies must always be enabled in order for us to store your choices for cookie settings.

We won't be able to save your choices if you disable this cookie. This implies that you will have to enable or disable cookies each time you visit this page.