In today’s digital economy, most consumers do their purchasing homework online, some of whom sending e-mail inquiries with the goal of

making a sound decision. This is your opportunity, as a dealer, to position yourself as a true partner and facilitate the buyer’s often overwhelming research process. By doing so, you make that crucial, posi-tive first impression which often marks the begin-ning of the sale.

However, RVs are discretionary income items often associated with a long-term purchase time frame. In this context, the way to turn more Website surfers into customers is to implement a series of simple, yet highly effective best prac-tices: Treat every lead equally, respond promptly and on point, and follow up consistently until they’re ready to buy.

Every Online Lead MattersWhen prospects walk into your dealership, you

have no idea how close they are to signing a check, or even if a sale is to be made. Yet you put your best foot forward because all you know is that a potential buyer is standing in front of you and you have to do everything you can to seal the deal – in due time obviously.

When providing education to our dealer clients, we underline this best practice through a simple yet highly effective acronym: EO-ET-SW-SW-SW-Next. As a dealer, you must provide an outstanding experience from the get-go to Every One, Every Time; Some Will “bite,” Some Won’t, So What? Next (customer.)

The same principle should be applied to online leads and any other type of lead for that matter

Turning E-mail Inquiries into SalesConverting online shoppers into buyers involves treating all leads equally, responding promptly and on point and consistent follow-up.

ChuCk Lewis is a hands-on entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in sales strategy and business development and management. As co-founder and managing partner, Lewis directs Channel Blade’s sales efforts and manages dealer and OEM client relations in support of the company’s continued growth in the marine, RV and powersports industries. Lewis can be reached at (757) 620-4635 or by e-mail at chuck.lewis@channelblade.com.

Reprinted from RV PRo August 2008 • 1

– whether it’s a walk-in, a phone inquiry or an RV show lead. Potential buyers are at one of the f ive stages of the buying cycle – Awareness, Consideration, Prefer-ence, Action or Loyalty. With each stage

comes a set of unique needs that you must consistently fulfill until the prospect is ready to commit. That’s why all leads should be immediately treated equally and professionally, hence EO-ET-SW-SW-SW-Next.

Rather than make assumptions and rush them to get their wallet out, you should approach them with an open mind and strive to determine at which stage of the buying cycle website shoppers are. Armed with that critical information, you can start developing a sustained, personalized rela-tionship with all leads to satisfy their ever-evolving needs, thus continuously building the pipeline for future sales.

Response Time Makes the DealOnline shoppers are used to and expect

immediate access to accurate and helpful information designed to eliminate options – i.e., choose what they perceive as the right product and dealership for them. In this context, the first expectation is a prompt response. If you don’t jump on that lead, another dealer – often located less than

a few clicks away on the Internet – cer-tainly will.

Don’t you stop whatever you’re doing when a customer walks in or the phone rings with a prospect on the other end?

Website leads should be given the same prompt, undivided attention. It’s just another way of talking to customers.

In this case, being responsive is even more crucial because you’re competing with other dealers online, but the leverage you have is that most of them will not respond altogether. In fact, nearly 60 percent of online leads go completely unanswered, so this is your chance to stand out in a highly competitive environment.

When you receive an e-mail inquiry, make a

point to respond promptly. Think “min-utes” – not “hours.” I suspect you wouldn’t make a customer wait in your lobby for more than a couple of minutes without greeting them. Why would you risk treating Internet leads with less professionalism?

The most successful dealers begin their outreach within 30 to 60 minutes of receiving a lead. One of the simplest ways to reduce your response time is to empower your receptionist who, more often than not, knows where each salesperson is at any given time. She is the first point of contact for walk-in and phone prospects so why not trust her with online leads?

Though most dealerships rotate lead assignment among the sales team members, the most efficient way to process leads is to assign them to the next available sales-person. And who better than the recep-tionist to know who that person is and to immediately forward a new, incoming lead so that it can be attended to promptly?

With an automated lead management solution in place, you can take this best practice a step further and make the recep-

tionist accountable for all online leads. If she sees that a lead is not being processed in a timely manner, she should have the authority to motivate the salesperson or reassign the lead to another team member who can attend to it immediately.

Another way to further reduce response time is to rely on template-based e-mails to quickly respond to inquiries rather than expect your salespeople to write a response from scratch every time a lead comes in. That’s when considering a proven lead man-agement solution to do the heavy lifting for you comes into play. Using the latter, you will be able to set up customized, branded e-mail templates so all it takes is a couple of clicks to respond to an online inquiry. This way, you can juggle your many day-to-day responsibilities on the floor without missing out on the many website-driven sales opportunities in your “inbox.”

Read Carefully; Answer ClearlyYou’ve got mail! A potential buyer has

raised his hand for more information and you’re already picturing him signing on the dotted line. All you have to do is get him to your dealership and the deal is done.

Take a deep breath because you’re not there yet. This is the beginning of a series of conversations that must be ongoing and meaningful to bring the desired transpar-ency to the transaction and hopefully con-vince prospects to choose you over many other options.

Take the time to read the e-mail care-fully and respond clearly to the questions that are often revealing of needs that must be fulfilled. By doing so, you’re demon-strating your genuine interest in their inquiry and your desire to facilitate their research process and help them make the right decision for them.

If the inquiry you receive includes a phone number, mention that you will call them to answer any further questions they may have. In terms of time frame, specify a general time of day on the date you send the e-mail, such as “this morning, after-noon or evening,” based on the prospect’s preference if he or she has specified it in the inquiry form. If prospects don’t share

“ Don’t you stop whatever you’re doing when a customer walks in …? Website leads should be given the same prompt, undivided attention. It’s just another way of talking to customers.”

2 • Reprinted from RV PRo August 2008

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their phone number, indicate your interest in calling them to further assist them in their research and offer your direct line as an alternative.

Focus primarily on building the comfort level that any potential buyer would expect. How do you accomplish that goal? Selling your sales experience and your dealership’s reputation will go a long way in building the must-have credibility and trust neces-sary to convince a consumer to do business with you. You’re not selling RVs as much as you’re selling a positive buying and owner-ship experience. Keep that in mind when you have the urge to press for an appoint-ment right off the bat.

Follow Up ConsistentlyAs discussed, the journey to the dotted

line can be quite long and the first e-mail inquiry often marks the beginning of the sales process rather than the sale, per se. That’s why implementing a well-organized, follow-through process with all online leads and holding their hand throughout the buying cycle will result in more sales in the long run.

Dealers with the highest online closing ratio continue to work their leads until prospects buy from them, indicate that they’ve chosen another dealership, or that they are no longer on the market for some other reason.

I suggest following up on a weekly basis for the first 30 days then keeping a strong, personalized dialogue with prospects via multiple touch points throughout the year in order to remain at the forefront of their mind.

Advertise special offers which may sweeten the deal and draw them in, including seasonal promotions, RV show specials and finance options. You can also send monthly, thematic e-mails packed with value-added information on RV main-tenance, suggested trips, park reviews, RV events, easy cooking tips and more. Take advantage of holidays to thank them for their interest in considering your dealer-ship. This soft-sell approach will position you as a valuable partner in their search for the perfect RV.

Your e-mail responses should be visually consistent and branded with the dealer-ship’s logo on the top left, above the fold, so it’s the first item that the recipient sees. This way, you’re creating a recognizable, visual signature. To increase your chances of being read, always include the dealer-ship’s name in the subject line, as well as the brand of interest if the lead came from the OEM. After the first inquiry, a pros-pect will remember the dealership’s name but doesn’t know the salesperson’s name so adding the latter may cause the prospect to send a dealer response to the “Trash.”

Successful dealers simplify this process by leveraging a solid lead management solu-tion which facilitates mandatory, follow-up activities designed to satisfy prospects’ needs throughout the buying cycle until they’re read to sign the dotted line. These activities include prospect categorization, template-driven e-mail marketing, calendar management, reminders and more. They enable you to “be there” without ongoing maintenance on your part and to keep pros-pects engaged without imposing yourself on them, i.e., forcing their hand to visit your dealership when they’re not quite ready.

Small and large dealerships alike are treating their online leads as gold, espe-cially under these challenging economic conditions which dictate that we roll up our sleeves higher and work harder and – dare I say, smarter – to attract those few and far between elusive consumers. Every lead matters. Every sale counts. Responding promptly, answering questions clearly as opposed to rushing prospects into a com-mitment, and following up consistently will position you as the dealer of choice when the timing is right.

Today’s marketplace offers afford-able, proven lead management solutions designed to automate portions of the sales process and foster customer relationships. Leveraging an industry-leading solution will enable you to keep in touch with pros-pects, at their pace and according to their needs, so that you can keep generating traffic and sales over time in support of your dealership’s growth.

Reprinted from RV PRo August 2008 • 3 Reprinted from RV PRO magazine August 2008 • ©2008 National Business Media, Inc.all rights reserved. Please visit the RV PRO magazine website www.rv-pro.com