The lost leads that can be brought back through the door

PARTNER FEATURE: With showrooms closed by repeated lockdowns, customers on the hunt for a new or used vehicle had no choice but to use digital channels to explore potential purchases. The change in behaviour that was brought about by necessity has now become deeply ingrained, and many retail outlets report that ever-greater numbers of customers are presenting at the dealership only to confirm their choice and conduct the final transaction.

The speed of this change has been remarkable. Data gleaned from our retailer customers reveals that the average number of days between a new enquiry and confirmed order has reduced from 13 days in 2020 to just six days in 2021.

Having done their own extensive research online, customers are arriving at dealerships further along the purchase funnel than ever before. While this brings welcome relief for many sales staff, we must not overlook those customers who are not as far along in their decision-making process. This latter group of prospects can easily be lost in the digital ether and, without continued meaningful engagement, will readily switch to an alternative potential retailer.

50% of ‘lost’ leads are still looking for the right vehicle

Keeping on top of a fast-growing volume of digital enquiries can be a daunting prospect for any dealership, and the temptation for sales staff is to quickly regard any lead as ‘lost’ if it cannot be fulfilled early on in the process. That is particularly problematical right now because sustained stock shortages are preventing orders from being placed.

Our innovative Lost Leads solution can take away much of the burden of ongoing interaction, generating automated communications that keep these leads in the pipeline until the right car at the right price becomes available. Figures indicate that, on average, half of ‘lost’ leads are actually still in the market for a car, and timely interactions are often all that are needed to get them back through the showroom door.

A recent analysis of Marketing Delivery’s client data showed that each dealership using the Lost Leads function re-engaged an average of eight customers per month, placing them back into the sales funnel as active enquiries after previously being marked as ‘lost’ leads.

Multi-platform solution

Key to the success of our software is that it was designed in-house by a team with motor retail experience. Other customer management tools try to fit the square-pegged ‘automotive customer’ into the round hole of ‘general consumer’, whereas Marketing Delivery’s solutions better reflect the needs and behaviours of modern new and used car buyers.

Uniquely, our software can manage leads, sales and aftersales all within the same platform. This provides a universal view of the customer and improves loyalty by managing interactions as they progress from sales to aftersales and ultimately back to sales again.

By Jeremy Evans, managing director, Marketing Delivery