I have placed some of the more commonly asked questions on this page. As we move along I expect that you will have questions that are not on this page. If this page does not contain the answer, contact us direct dealerquestions@autonetusa.com 

1. I receive a lot of out of state carfinder leads. Should I take them seriously? 

Absolutely. There are many different scenarios that will take place. The internet is changing the travel and buying patterns of car shoppers. The shopper online will save time and money online by giving you and other online dealer a shot at their business. He will not drive anywhere until he is satisfied with the info he has received via the Net. Price is important to the Internet shopper, and they will travel if they feel comfortable with you and your responses. People will also travel if there is a particular vehicle that is hard to find in a shoppers area, or maybe they have realatives in your area. College students, people moving, job transfers, the list goes on. If someone is requesting information from you, assume they are coming to buy from you. Responding by E-mail should only take several minutes, so answer every request regardless of where it comes from. 

2. I follow up on every lead, but I can't seem to get anybody to come in. What am I doing wrong? 

Let us look at a few areas of importance.  The time the lead enters your E-mail box must always be noted. Are you responding the same day? Time kills, and if that online shopper has contacted several dealers you must stand out and follow-up quickly. 

Canned responses and Form letters do not work!

Your Message. Once the shopper logs on and receives your response, he will decide at that point what to do. If he likes what you say he will contact you back. If you avoid the questions for additional information and just throw a sales pitch at him, he will simply hit the delete button and you are gone forever. Are you careful about spelling and grammer? Even though most people contacting you are not really grammer sensitive, your reply should remain professional looking and maintain good writing skills. 

Your Offer. Is your return message indicating a great Internet price? It is normal for a sales rep to want to get the shopper in to negotiate a price. The Internet shopper is looking to get as much pre-shopping done online as possible. Make it easy for them to do business with you. Many online shoppers will have eliminated most Dealers before even visiting a single lot. 

REMEMBER: Most shoppers have access to Kelley Blue Book online, NADA, and Edmund's. If you are selling used vehicles at or over blue book, these shoppers will not respond to your offer.

Your Inventory.  Are you getting any traffic via your vehicles online. Do you have photos of new and used vehicles? What about prices? Are the prices you are putting on your vehicles competitive? If you are putting your best stuff online you will sell cars. 9 out 10 shoppers surveyed prefer actual photos. Review what you have online, the price, how often do you update and can online shoppers reach you direct. If online shoppers call your dealership about a vehicle they saw online where is the call going? Don't assume it is coming to you if there is not a private Internet Sales number. 

If you are not sure as to the exact reason you may not be getting any feedback from shoppers, contact us and together, we will analyse your system and determine its' shortcomings. 

3. My Manager does not want me giving out prices online. What should I do?  

If what you are doing now is not working, you must rethink your game plan. Make a deal with him. Tell him to allow you to give prices with good discount incentives for 30 days. Closely monitor all of your activity and let the results speak for themself. If you cannot give prices to online shoppers you are spinning your wheels. Online shoppers are in control and if you refuse them the info they want they will simply surf to a web site that will. These are sales you will lose to your competitors.

4. The E-Mail program in my computer does not seem to have all of the capabilities you described, how can I upgrade? 

We recommend Microsoft Outlook. This seems to be very functional and easy to organize. You must first make sure that the computer you are using has the capabilities.

If you are not real familiar with your E-Mail program yet and need help, call us and we will help you. The most important thing to remember is that you must keep your files organized and up to date. It does not take long for your Inbox to get cluttered so clean it out everyday. If you keep your files in order, follow-up will be much easier and you will spend less time networking and more time meeting appointments.