A buyer sends enquiries about similar hatchbacks to three dealers on a Tuesday night. By Wednesday lunchtime, one dealer has answered, confirmed the car is available and offered a test drive on Thursday. The other two reply on Wednesday afternoon. By then, the buyer has already booked the test drive.
For dealers, a single missed enquiry can cost far more than it seems.
What a car sale is worth
A sale brings more than the profit on the vehicle itself. There may be a part exchange, finance, warranty products and accessories. Then there is servicing: a buyer who has a good experience often returns to the same dealer for maintenance, and eventually for their next car.
When a sales enquiry is lost, all of that goes too.
A worked example
These figures are illustrative. Use your own.
Suppose a dealer receives 100 online sales enquiries a month. About 40 arrive when the showroom is closed. If a quarter of those buyers go to a dealer who replied sooner, that is 10 lost enquiries a month.
If one in five enquiries normally leads to a sale, 10 lost enquiries is 2 lost sales a month, or 24 a year.
Add the value of each sale, part exchanges, finance, warranties and years of servicing, and the total is considerable. Model your own figures with the chatbot ROI calculator.
Why buyers move on
Buyers who are ready to act want answers quickly. They have usually shortlisted several cars at different dealers. The first to confirm availability and offer a viewing sets the pace. How buyers research is covered in car buyers asking questions on the forecourt website.
Other businesses see the same dynamic, as covered in what missed enquiries cost your business and, for trades, what a missed job enquiry costs a home service business.
Capturing buyers at any hour
SpideyChat for automotive dealers and repair shops answers questions from your website, including vehicle details, part exchange and published finance information, and captures the buyer's details, the car they are interested in and when they would like to visit. It does not confirm stock that may have sold; staff confirm availability first thing.
The value of turning one of those enquiries into a sale is covered more generally in the value of one captured enquiry.
Following up quickly
Captured enquiries need a prompt reply. A morning routine, such as working through overnight enquiries before the showroom opens, ensures buyers hear back before they visit another dealer. Give one person responsibility for the overnight list each day, so nothing waits for someone else to pick it up.
The questions that come before the visit
Buyers who are close to deciding often have one or two final questions: whether the car has a full service history, whether a second key is included, or whether the price is negotiable. Publish what you can on each vehicle page. Where the answer depends on the individual car, the assistant should capture the question so a salesperson can answer it with the car in front of them. Buyers who get those final answers quickly are the ones who book the test drive.
Service customers are sales leads too
Servicing customers who ask about trading in their car are warm sales leads. Make sure those enquiries reach the sales team rather than staying in the workshop queue.
Comparing the cost
Compare the value of two lost sales a month with the cost of capturing enquiries. Plans are listed on the pricing page.
A simple measurement
For one month, note every online enquiry, when it arrived and how long it took to reply. Compare conversion rates for fast and slow replies. The difference is usually clear.
Getting started
Make sure vehicle pages, part exchange and finance information are clear, then start capturing every buyer, whenever they enquire.