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The Power of E-mail. Communication tool of the future and today!
The most important and often overlooked aspect to being successful on the Internet is the power of Electronic Mail. Electronic mail is the most powerful application on the Internet, and for good reason. When used properly it can communicate "one to one" with prospects with speed and reliability. We have found through numerous Dealer interviews and case studies, that Sales reps effectively selling vehicles using the Internet have E-mail capabilities and are following up on every lead. Dealers relying solely on the Phone for follow-up are not even close in sales, because they are ignoring the numerous E-mail only prospects. Number One reason that sales reps give us as to why they don't follow up on every lead they get. "I just don't have the time." Top Internet Sales Reps spend 4-6 hours everyday online. If you are doing this part time, you will not do as well. Why is Email different? Some Tips to ensure your message is conveyed properly:
What is an E-Mail Address? The E-Mail Message What makes up an email message? E-mail that you receive and send has three main parts.
The Header
contains your name and email address, the name and email address of the person it's being sent to, the name and
email address of anyone who is being copied , the date of the message and what the message is about. When you receive
email from someone, the header tells you where it came from, how it was sent, and when. It is sort of like an electronic
postmark.
The Message Body is the meat of the email. What you type or paste in there is your decision. This is also where you can paste photos of your vehicles. You must try to have a consistent policy and create informative, friendly response letters. Do not think of email responses the way you would a formal business letter. Keep it short and informal! How do I send E-mail? This will vary depending on the Email Application you are using. Email Tips: Always hit the return button twice between paragraphs. This creates an imaginary line and makes reading much easier. Nobody likes to read straight text with no breaks. DO NOT USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Capitals look like you are shouting, and many people will become aggravated and disregard your message. Follow up immediately. If you are receiving the leads online, follow up ASAP. If your leads are sitting for several days you will not be successful. Treat each email as an individual. Try to personalize every response to that individual. If you spend time finding their vehicle, let them know. If the prospect you are dealing with perceives you as interested in their problem and your follow up is good, you will earn their business. Have a consistent price policy. If you are going to offer special pricing to Internet shoppers, be consistent with every online prospect. Set up lead folders in your Email box. As you receive leads online you should file and track every lead. Think of your E-mail folders as files and your E-mail program as a filing cabinet. Staying organized allows you to account for every online lead you receive. This also allows you to track your progress and sales resulting from your follow up. Beware of mass E-mailings. If you are thinking about doing a mass E-mailing or have gathered E-mail addresses for mailing lists, be careful. Many people may not enjoy being contacted without their permission. A mass emailing can do your company more harm than good. The best way to create mailing lists in-house is to get online shoppers and current customers to give you their E-mail address for a newsletter or monthly coupons. This allows them to control the E-mail they receive. Many mass mailers have ended up getting flamed or blacklisted on the Internet. Develop Follow-up letters. Many people do not have good writing skills. It may be advisable to have 10 - 15 pre typed return letters that you can use as templates. If you respond to each person exactly the same way you will lose the personalization aspect that is so important in follow up. Use these templates as a standard format but add a personal touch to every email. Although it was written earlier in this manual that grammar and punctuation are often abused in E-mail, you must still be careful to check each letter before it goes out. Surf the Internet. The only way to get into the game is to know the parameters of the game. If you truly want to understand where shoppers are getting information you must go online and explore. You should know about Kelly Blue Book online, Edmund's, and all of your competitors web sites should be reviewed daily. Visit your manufacturers site and look at other Dealers nationwide to find new effective ways to keep your Internet program up to date and informative. Check out your competitors online specials and coupons and compare them with what you are doing. Learn to combine phone calls and E-mail responses, so that you effectively reach all prospects. If you rely solely on the phones and very little on E-mail follow up, you will find that many prospects do not respond. Remember, an E-mail response will get there. The person receiving your E-mail, than has the choice to contact you back. Using only the phones greatly limits your follow up because it is not guaranteed that the prospect will even be around when you try to contact him. More importantly it works both ways. A prospect trying to reach you or your dealership is not limited to your hours and can contact you at their convenience. Usage policy: Who will be administering your Online Post Office? If you rely on one person to retrieve and follow up via email, what happens on his/her day off? What if he/she quits or takes a leave of absence? It has been stated earlier in this tutorial about the importance of fast follow up and if there are gaps in your system, your follow up will not be consistent. Teamwork is essential and the Log books will help keep the information everyone gathers consistent. Use of Log Books When you begin pulling down E-mail leads on the computer, you should print out a copy and place in the Log Book next to the computer. This is not only a safe way to archive leads, but it will allow non computer users to keep track of the follow up program. If you are just starting to learn the Internet, a log book is a must! One of the biggest reasons why many Auto Dealers are not successfully selling cars using the Internet as a sales tool, is that they have no follow up procedures in place. Some Dealers are realizing that a fantastic looking Web Site does not mean success on the Internet. Many dealers are just winging the programs and leads take 4 to 5 days to be followed up on, and many more Dealers have no follow up system at all. Successful Marketing on the Internet requires a good coherent follow-up plan and traditional advertising to attract your best customers
What is a good lead? What is a generic lead? I get a lot of generic leads. Some of the leads are no good, they don't put enough info on it or the pricing they asked for is insane. These are statements made by sales reps that either do not want to follow up on every lead, don't have the time to personalize replies, or they just do not understand the Internet shopper and how he operates. Remember these people took the time to fill out the form and asked to search your area. Many people will screw up the request form and it is usually just an honest mistake. If you are personalizing each response you can address these areas. If you are receiving more leads than you can handle, rather than cherry pick, you must get additional help. Important tip for Internet sales reps:
Most leads you receive are from shoppers that have asked for a search in your area. Keep in mind that 92% of online car shoppers prefer to be contacted by email. If you still require a phone number for follow up, you are living in the past. The Internet is about
email and you need to use it effectively to sell more cars.
To effectively follow up on leads you must: Create "one
to one" relationships with online prospects. Build credibility and obligation by providing good information and prices. Immediate follow up, using the power of E-mail dialogue effectively. Develop a "Sales
Pipeline" and lead management system.
Never before have the importance of good consistent follow up techniques been more necessary. People that contact you via Email expect immediate responses. Not one or two days, but right away. Lets consider the differences between traditional telephone follow up scenarios and Email opportunities. The telephone is a hit or miss opportunity. If the prospect is home, and not in the middle of dinner, you can start your dialogue. Many sales people after trying to call a prospect several times unsuccessfully, may simply discard the lead or lose it. Telephone leads need to be brought down to the Dealership and you don't usually give them much info over the phone. Remember, online shoppers may visit 6-10 different sites. This means they will get 10 phone calls. This is why many serious shoppers prefer to use email as their initial way of communicating. Email is not only a communication device, it is also a way to transfer information. You can send invoices, price quotes and vehicle photos to online shoppers. Many online shoppers prefer to be contacted by Email only. Email is instantaneous dialogue. As soon as you send your information, the prospect will receive it when they log on next. You are inviting him to contact you back while he is at his computer. The dealers of the future are the ones that learn to effectively communicate with these online shoppers. Develop a consistent Sales Strategy Where are they in the buying cycle? Are they still in the research mode, are they ready to buy, maybe they just want to test drive your vehicle and compare. Work with people after determining what mode they are in. Keep in mind if you are an information provider, you are building credibility and will not chase away buyers with canned sales pitches. Why should the Shopper contact you back, or come in to see you? Although every prospect is different and expects to be treated as an individual, it is important that your Dealership create a common strategy to deal with both used and new shoppers. There are many different strategies at work. When considering your sales strategy, keep in mind that Internet shoppers have access to Kelley Blue Book Online, Edmund's, NADA, and many other online information sources, as well as your competitor's Web Sites. If you expect to sell vehicles using the Internet, it is best to offer discounts and prices that will bring people in. The main thing to remember is that the less information you provide online, the less interaction you will receive from shoppers online. They will simply surf on until they find what they want. Be friendly, informative, and differentiate your message from your competitors. Picture yourself as a shopper online, or actually send out a request to one of your competitors. How did they respond? Did they respond? Was it a pushy, no information, you have to hurry in sales pitch? Or was it a warm personalized response that showed true concern and answered your questions. If a customer contacts you that already has seen invoice prices online and knows your invoice price, how will you respond? If you simply ignore these informed shoppers they will buy elsewhere. When someone requests a price on a used car, are you prepared to give it to him? The main thing is to have a common strategy and be prepared to upgrade and improve it continuously. Developing a Sales pipeline. Track Prospects to the Dealership. If you have an E-mail network at your Dealership, it is simple to set up your own accountability system. You can track every prospect and actually track the follow up and results. You should be able to re-contact prospects several days, weeks, or even months later. Find out who came in to see you. And above all, track actual sales that occur from your leads and your Web site. When developing a pipeline you must have a tracking system, and follow-up via email at least 6-8 times for each lead. If it is a New vehicle buyer you must re contact them back within 48 hours of your first email response. Let them know you are interested in their business. Most Sales reps are only following up once with a hit or miss strategy and canned responses. You cannot develop a pipeline if you are a one time hit or miss person. If you are not using a system of lead tracking and follow up it is costing you sales. Remember, the Internet is a numbers game. You need to have as many leads coming in as possible. Your lead to close ratio is not as good as the lot up, so you need numbers! Some tips to follow: Never assume! Just like a lot up, you do not know which lead will result in a sale. Unless you are psychic how do you know which ones are good or bad? If you delete leads you don't like, it is guaranteed you won't ever sell them anything. Many shoppers will fill out forms wrong or leave out parts purely by accident. Many online shoppers are inexperienced and you should contact these people to verify incomplete information. Many online sales reps simply delete these leads. Big mistake! People will travel for the right vehicle! The Internet is breaking down traditional territories. Top Internet Dealers are reporting that their customers are averaging more than 90 miles away, and even further in more rural states. People will drive if they are treated right and given the proper follow up. If you have the vehicle a person wants and provide them with the info they ask for, they will come in. Always read the entire lead. Many times a shopper will ask for one model in the model box and then put several others in the comments box. Always read the entire lead. If a shopper requests a vehicle thousands below book value, remember this. They are no different than any other lead. Everybody wants a vehicle at cost so just approach it the same way. Never assume! If they email you direct on a vehicle they saw online: Be prepared to do business. If they need more info, give it to them. Don't waste their time with a sales pitch unless you have answered their questions first. You are being contacted by shoppers that have already looked at your vehicles online and are ready to buy. If you handle them properly and get them in, you will probably sell a car. Treat each lead as an individual. Every "one to one" relationship that you can create and maintain is a step closer to selling more vehicles via the Internet. If you create ongoing dialogue with online shoppers and follow up promptly you will sell cars using the Internet. Follow-up on every lead. If you cherry pick your leads you will not do well. If you do not have time to work all of your leads get help, or the Dealership will suffer. If you do not have the used vehicle, offer alternatives and invite them to visit your inventory online. Some shoppers will go there and find another vehicle. Develop a consistent Sales Strategy and treat every online shopper like a lot up! Are you a one time hit or miss follow up person? If you are only responding to your leads once and sending out canned responses you will not sell many cars. Developing a sales pipeline requires a good lead tracking database for consistent and constant follow up. Don't be one of the many online sales reps that start everyday fresh with no pipeline. Although it is time consuming to personalize every response, especially if you are handling hundreds of leads per month it is the key to selling more cars online. Top online reps develop templates for every follow up situation that arises. They then personalize the template before sending it. The main thing they do, is follow up on all leads. You should be working each lead until it is dead! Some deals may take several months to get done, but without a good follow up system you will never get to them. Don’t get deleted before they even open the email. What you type in the Subject box on the email you are sending will determine whether the prospect even reads your message. Unfortunately there is a lot of spam out there and many email users will look at the Subject box first before opening up the email. If you are just putting something generic in the Subject box you may be deleted without any chance of reaching the person. Make sure your Subject box message addresses the prospects needs. Another good reason to use multiple follow up emails is because there is a good chance your first message was deleted. Maybe the prospect was out of town or their email was down. Examples: I have the 99 Chevy Camaro you requested Info regarding your search for a 95 Ford Taurus Arizona AutoNet CarFinder Search results Be careful when adding photos to your email responses. One of the most powerful applications you can use with email is the ability to send information to the prospect with ease. Actual photos are one of the great sales tools at your disposal, and 95% of your online competitors don’t even use them. Many viruses are spread on the Internet through email so if you are one the smart sales reps out there shipping actual photos downloaded from your Digital Camera to prospects, always let the prospect know what each photo is so they will not be afraid to open them for viewing. If you don’t have a digital camera but have your vehicle photos online, you can just copy and paste the photo in the email, or put a link to your vehicles online in the email asking the prospect to link there, view your inventory, and contact you back.
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SAMPLE EMAIL RESPONSE
Remember: Online car shoppers want prices and info not pitches! |
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