This is the first in a series of blogs relating to lead management. I have been working in the Motor Industry for the last 20 years. Whilst we may think that we are in a fast moving and changing environment, many aspects of the industry have not changed at all. One of those is the stand-off between manufacturers and dealers when it come to the leads manufacturers generate for their dealers.
The scenario is this;
Manufacturer: “We spend millions of pounds generating hot leads for our Dealers but they do nothing with them!”
Dealer: “We get loads of leads from the manufacturer, but they are all rubbish!”
Customer: “I really want a test drive!”
Whilst this is obviously a very black and white view of Lead Management, I challenge anyone involved in this aspect of the industry to say they don’t recognise it. We know from recent research that across all brands in the UK only 55% of test drive requests generated through a manufacturers website get followed up by dealers. Think of all the wasted marketing budgets spent in generating leads that aren’t being followed up. Think of all the sales opportunities that are being missed by sales people because they either believe the leads they get are poor quality or they do not have the disciplines or systems in place to ensure quick and robust follow-up.
Manufacturers have been wrestling with this problem for as long leads have been generated and up until now they have (in the main) failed to find a solution. That is where the TrackBack system comes in. We believe that we have the tool to resolve this issue. By objectively measuring dealer telephone calls to leads, we know when a lead was called, how many times, how long after it was issued, whether the call was answered and what the call outcome was. Not only that but we can also tell you who made the call at the dealer and record it if necessary. We do all this without installing any hardware or software at the dealer. We also integrate with existing CRM/lead management systems, ensuring that there are no new systems for the dealers to get used to and a minimum of expense and upheaval for the manufacturer.
Written by Gareth Thomas.