A common question we receive from online car sales reps is: We receive a lot of leads and hits on our cars and follow up, but we are not bringing many people in. What are we doing wrong? Fast Follow up is very important, but your response must also be in tune with what the online shoppers expects. Simply responding will not be enough. If he is looking for specific information and all you do is e-mail him a sales pitch, or a request to have him call you, don't expect much response from the shopper. If you do not spend much time on the Internet and just hammer out one time canned responses via e-mail, don't expect much. If you require online shoppers to come in for a price, don't expect much. If you still believe that phone number leads are serious buyers and e-mail only shoppers are not, you are really missing the boat! 92% of online car shoppers prefer e-mail as the primary means of communication! Your e-mail message must stand out above the rest. Who would you do business with? Put yourself in the shoes of the online car shopper for a minute. You have just sent out carfinder requests to online dealers and this is what you are looking for: Sample Used CarFinder Lead sent by online shopper ATTENTION: Bill Luke Dodge PRE-OWNED VEHICLE MANAGER PRE-OWNED CAR LEAD FROM THE AZAutoNet Classifieds The following prospect E-mailed AZAutoNet requesting this vehicle. If your dealership has this car or close to it, please contact them ASAP. Personal Info Name: bruce d horvath Address: 0000 dobson rd apt 59 City State Zip: mesa, az 85202 Telephone: 602-000-0000 E-mail: yyyyyy@aol.com Contact By: E-mail Comments:i don't care what color they are, and i am looking for a 95-99 sentra, and any year corrado, thanks:) Vehicle Info Search: Statewide Search Purchase Date: Now Vehicle Type: Car Oldest Year: 1995-99 Color: Silver Make: Nissan Model: sentra Second Make: Volkswagen Second Model: corrado Options: 5-speed Financial Info MaxPrice: 10,000-15,000 Here are a few typical canned responses from online sales reps that don't work very well: We have what you want, give me a call response: We have some Sentras in stock and some in transit. Please call for an appointment to see our available units. Joe Sales (000)-000-4000 The company sales pitch. This is okay as long as you have answered the specific questions first. Which was not done in this response: To whom it may concern: We have many vehicles that fit the description of the kind of car you are looking for. We're on Rt. xx in cartown. My name is Joe Sales and I look forward to meeting you and earning your business.You can reach me at: ooo-ooo-1000, to arrange a convenient appointment. Here is a response that will definitely attract serious buyers! SAMPLE E-MAIL RESPONSE Bruce, I have great news for you!! I have the exact vehicle in our inventory that you are looking for today. The following is the description of the vehicle and an actual photo I shot today. I have over 15 more Sentras on the lot today if you want to compare. 1997 Silver 4 Dr Sedan 4 Cylinder, 1.6, Fuel Injected, 5 Spd, PS, PB, PDL, PW, Cassette, AC, Tilt Wheel, CC, Air Bag(s), Passenger Side Air Bag, Reclining Seats, Rear Defroster, Console, Dual Mirrors, Cloth Interior, 36K Miles Stock #46121 only $9,995   Thank you for using AutoNetUSA for your next vehicle purchase consideration. I look forward to helping you in whatever ways I can to make this an easy and hassle-free process. Check out all of my inventory online with photos: www.dealer.com/inventory If you have any additional questions don't hesitate to contact me direct. Sincerely, Joe Sales E-mail me: joe@dealer.com Dealer Car Sales, Anytown USA Our web site: www.dealer.com call me office/ 000-000-000 or cell/ 000-000-000 Online Credit Application If you are the online car shopper, who would you rather do business with? Remember: Online car shoppers want prices not pitches! Back to DealerDoctor.com Homepage    All information is copyrighted ©1996-2005 by AutoNetUSA Inc. Any reproduction or distribution of this material without permission from AutoNetUSA Inc. is strictly prohibited. E-mail Us info@dealerdoctor.com