BIA/Kelsey Report: Phone Calls Are the New Click

BIA/Kelsey recently published a report that explains how awesome phone calls are for generating and converting leads, and we're going on record to say we totally agree! The report has some great research, so we're going to give you the lowdown and give you some tips on how to stay ahead of the game with your leads.

They're Coming Fast

Nearly 55 percent of purchase-related conversions happen within one hour of initial mobile search, which means this is the prime time to contact them. To make that happen, you have to be prepared for leads every second of every day. Well that might be an exaggeration, but you do need to respond to them within this one-hour window.

The best way to do this is with a feature that will notify you as soon as a lead fills out a contact form on your website. You can call them immediately, maybe even before they're off your website! This will nudge them closer to doing business with you and will show them that you value their business.

They Love Calling

Over 66 percent of businesses rate their phone leads as "good" or "excellent," so be sure your staff's call handling skills are also "good" or "excellent!" There are a few ways you can do this, depending on how much time you have and how closely you want to monitor phone calls.

If you have a little more time on your hands and like to personally evaluate phone calls, call recording is perfect for you. You can record all inbound and outbound phone calls and review them in real-time or after the fact to make sure your staff is handling calls up to your standards.

If you're too busy to even eat lunch, then you need call scanning. Voice-recognition technology will scan your calls automatically to make sure your staff members are remembering to schedule appointments, say "thank you" and ask for a callback number. There's nothing better than letting robots do all the work, right?

If you agree with BIA/Kelsey and us, check out some of our other products to see how they can help you manage your phone leads.

[INFOGRAPHIC] Automotive Industry Spotlight

When it comes to new car searches, gone are the days of dealership-hopping. Now, 34 percent of car shoppers do their research online before visiting a dealership. Check out this infographic by Kenshoo for some more auto marketing stats.

If you're planning to keep up with your web-surfing prospects, you'll need a lead management tool to help. Use an online lead tracking solution that'll inform you as soon as a lead fills out a contact form on your website — that way you can call them immediately to make sure you get their business.

[INFOGRAPHIC] Offline vs. Online Leads

When you think about the different ways lead can convert, it all boils down to two channels: offline (e.g., phone calls and walk-ins) and online (e.g., website and email). So what are the differences between these two channels when it comes to cost, efficiency and response rates? Check out this infographic from SalesForce to get the lowdown on online and offline lead conversion.

The Differences Between Online, Offline Leads and How Each Impacts Lead Conversions via SalesForce

Undoubtedly, you'll have leads from both channels, so you have to be prepared to manage them. An inbound lead tracker can help you manage your offline leads, while a product such as Lead Chaser can help you respond immediately to online leads (sometimes even before they've even finished browsing your site!).

Driving Customers to Your Dealership the Right Way

Courtesy of Beach House Graphics

So you're thinking about having a contest to bring more traffic into your dealership. This is a rather common tactic, but if it's not executed properly, contests can make car shoppers more likely to run for the hills than through your dealership's doors.

Besides driving customers away, a poorly handled contest could also cost your dealership a substantial amount of cash. A Wisconsin Ford dealership had to pay a fine of over $75,000 for misleading customers about the prizes they were offering during a promotion. Since we don't want that to happen to you, here are some promotional ideas that you can use to draw customers to your dealership.

Teamwork

Sponsor a local sports team. Provide the team with uniforms, banners, etc. (all with your dealership's name on them, of course) so that at each game, hundreds of people will see your dealership's name. Include unique phone numbers on each form of advertisement so you'll be able to easily measure what's most effective.

Ask the Car Dealer

Partner with a local radio or TV station and do a weekly segment called "Ask the Car Dealer." On the radio or TV station's website, the audience can send in questions for the car dealer with no obligation to purchase. The stations can advertise on commercial breaks for your dealership and send people to their website for your insight.

Give Back

Collaborate with a charity to host an awareness day, and sell items containing your dealership's name and logo along with the charity's name and logo. Advertise that a portion sales from that day will be donated to the charity.

VIP Event

Send invitations to interested prospects in your city. Host a party with music and food open only to those who provide an invitation. After the event, send a thank-you note with an exclusive offer to those who attended.

Once you test out our tactics, try a few of these suggestions from CarStory.

Three Tips for A/B Testing With Toll-Free Numbers

Some people say there’s an art to successful marketing, but there’s also a good bit of science that plays into it. Let’s say you're a dealership with a theory that car buyers are currently more concerned with a vehicle’s safety features than gas economy.

Like any good scientist, you’ll want to test your theories about your consumers’ behavior by setting up an A/B test. For instance, you could create two ads, one focused on vehicle safety and the other praising the car’s efficient gas economy.

The goal of your test is… whatever you want it to be. It could measuring everything from web page impressions to phone calls. If you’re in the mood to discover which ads give you the best phone conversions, assign a toll-free number (TFN) to each one. When the calls pour in, you’ll be able to measure your response rates easily and accurately.

Here are a few more things to keep in mind when A/B testing with TFNs.

An A/B Test Without a Goal Isn’t a Test

Always set your goals first. That way, you can create a test that accurately measures them. After setting your goals, stick to them! Many marketers fall into rabbit holes on the way to finding the results they’re looking for. Stay true to your initial experiment and make notes of the other ones you want to perform in the future.

Don’t Be Surprised If Your Test Affects Other Metrics

While you may be focused on measuring phone conversions for your experiment, you don’t want to disregard other metrics that are affected because of your changes (especially if they’re negative). For example, your ads may generate more quality phone leads but they may not be from the demographic you’re targeting. Take all of these factors into consideration when running your tests.

Sometimes a Third or Even Fourth Try Is the Charm

Just because you don’t see the results you’re looking for with your first A/B test doesn’t mean that A/B testing is just not for you. Instead of throwing in the towel, consider testing variants you didn’t consider during your first round. 

Have you had any success with A/B testing? Share them in the comments below so we can all learn from them!

Three Ways Picking a Lead Generation Provider Is Like Buying a New Car

Say you're in the market for a new car. But you don't want to run into the first dealership you pass by and make an instant decision; you want to do some research to make sure you find your dream car (at a dream price). 

Believe it or not, this process parallels picking a lead generation system. Here's how.

You Do a Lot of Research

Before making a big purchase such as a new car, 81 percent of people heavily research online.  

You should follow the same process when shopping for a lead generation solution.

Start out by researching which providers have the bare minimum solutions you want. Keep track of the solutions and features available so you can easily compare which provider offers the greatest value. Once you've narrowed your options down to the brands with the basics, such as an inbound lead tracker and a tool that'll let you record calls to review later, it's time to see which ones have some extra pizzazz.

You Build Your Dream Model

All cars have wheels and an engine. What really sets them apart is the features that give it some oomph. It could be anything from leather seats to a heated steering wheel. (Don't tell us you haven't ever wanted to try a heated steering wheel!)

It's those sort of extra features that make you feel like a million bucks (and take your business to the next level). Your lead generation's heated steering wheel could be CRM integration, so you'll know that each and every lead is in your system. The leather seats could be a tool that allows you to follow up with online leads quickly.

You Test Drive It

On the surface, your lead generation system has everything you want. But you still have to make sure it's going to perform up to your standards, so you take it for a test drive.

You can't know if a lead generation system will perform for your business until you "take a test drive." So request a demo. It's even a smart idea to request a demo from a few of your top lead generation provider choices just to get a side-by-side comparison. 

Have any other tips for finding your perfect lead generation provider? Let us know in the comments!

Three Direct Mail Lead Management Tips for New-Vehicle Dealers

Despite the role of technology in today's marketing, a study by eMarketer shows that traditional methods like direct mail don't need to be traded in. (Who'da thunk it?)

If you want to prompt leads to start researching new vehicles, give your hottest new vehicles a prominent spot on a snazzy mailer (don't forget to include a tracking number!) and get ready.

As soon as John Smith finds your mailer in his mailbox and one of your shiny new models catches his eye, the clock starts ticking. After John researches that car that caught his eye on your mailer, he's most likely going to call your dealership, submit an online form or stop by in person. 

Here's the thing. You have to be prepared for John to take the next step at any moment by following the three steps below.

Lessen the Chance of Missing Calls

Did you know that new-vehicle shoppers cross-shop up to five different makes? If you miss John's call, that gives him plenty of time to call other dealerships. Uh-oh.

With enhanced call completion tools, John's more likely to get in touch with a representative the first time he calls (whew!). You'll be able to route phone calls to other numbers or locations if the main line stops ringing, and you can also set up round robin so calls will roll to the next representative if one doesn't answer.

Prepare for Leads

Help Scout says that phone reps only ask for a caller's name 21 percent of the time. Since 38 percent of customers say that personalization makes for a positive experience, make sure your reps know to get John's name and use it throughout the conversation.

In fact, you won't even have to ask John for his name if you use a desktop notification tool that tells you who your caller is and where they're calling from. By knowing this information, you can give John a happier customer experience and make him want to keep doing business with you.

Respond to Online Leads Quickly

When John fills out a contact form online, he's going to want some information pronto! Don't let slow response times drive John to get his information from a competing dealership. If you can respond within 10 minutes (auto replies don't count!), you'll triple your chances of John walking through your doors. 

A feature like Lead Chaser can help you improve your response times. Using text-to-speech technology, the tool will call sales reps immediately when John fills out the online form. After that, your rep can call John, already knowing all his information, and he might even still be browsing your site when you call (yep, it's that fast!). That'll give the rep more confidence on the call and impress John.

Once you've settled in with a lead management system, make sure your salespeople are equipped to handle leads. If your team is made up of different personalities, check out our tips on how to manage cat- and dog-like salespeople.