Now that the auto industry is on the mend, recently I have been taking several inquiries on the subject of lead and customer generation for auto dealerships and related company types. In other words, my auto industry clients want advice on how can they to get customers to walk through their dealership doors.
Using Automotive Sales Leads effectively and which leads produce the best results is what I wanted to write about today.
First, let's discuss a few data sets that are presently performing very well:
Year Make Model:
This file is sourced from automobile dealerships, manufacturers, service centers, as well as requests for insurance, aftermarket products, and warranties. The database is compiled using multiple sources across various industries and is perfectly suited for extended warranty offers, financial services, insurance, new & used auto offers, auto clubs and aftermarket accessories.
Pre-Screened Auto Data:
This data comes direct from one of the three credit bureaus and can be used to target several types of clients such as Lease and Loan expiration, Auto delinquencies (currently 30, 60 or 90 days late), sub prime candidates, credit score, income qualifiers and more.
Auto Trigger Leads:
Daily trigger leads are hard inquiries on a person's credit report generated within the last 24 hours and are delivered to your email inbox every morning by 8:30 am EST.
These consumers have just had their credit checked specifically for an auto loan or lease. You can specify the geographical area where the leads will be generated from, and each auto trigger lead is filtered by your chosen parameters.
My mantra when it comes to Auto Customer Generation is to "Set Reasonable Expectations" for my client. If I do not do this upfront, then you as the client can get upset with me if I talk a good game but don't deliver. This is extremely important and I want everyone to understand that we need to be on the same page even before your campaign begins!
So where do you start? Here are 3 steps you can take to get you and your sales team moving in the right direction.
- Contact me or another experienced consultant to discuss your campaign goals.
- Whether doing a telemarketing, direct mail or email campaign, discuss with your consultant what to expect from your campaign.
- Understand that the data set is the largest single factor that produces the success of your campaign, but there are other variables such as special offer or "hook" expertise of your rep handling the inbound calls or sales leads, and of course your product or services.
Start with these steps and you cannot go wrong - the data consultant, if experienced, will be able to help you get started with all of this and make sure that you have your expectations set to insure a smooth and profitable campaign.