How to protect sales leads using digital tools

In this article: The market has become difficult for sales teams, but putting greater emphasis on digital tools could help your business continue to succeed

Car showrooms throughout the UK are closed due to government measures to bring the spread of COVID-19 under control. Yet, there are measures dealers can take to safeguard their sales, maximise customer loyalty, and, ultimately, improve their chances at business recovery when restrictions are lifted.

Default to digital communication

If dealers really want to make headway during this time, and protect their hard-won enquiries from the shutdown, they need to go online. Dealers with a robust social presence stand to benefit most, with house-bound prospective customers spending more time browsing social media or online classifieds.

Under normal conditions, 40 million people in the UK usually visit Facebook at least once a month, while 80% of those access it more than once a day. In fact, early indications from the UK shutdown show that this has increased rapidly. One of Marketing Delivery’s customers, a large dealer group with more than 20 physical sites and a solid social presence, has already seen impressions on Facebook posts grow by 80% since the government advised people to stay at home, while the total reach of these posts has grown by 70%.

It’s not about eyes on the page, however. Intriguingly, evidence from one leading dealer suggests the number of engaged users has even climbed by 18% since the lockdown started. Hardly a surprise when you consider record sales volumes in March 2017 mean plenty of three-year PCP agreements expiring. And with more people at home, drivers are taking this opportunity to carry out research into their next car – and many could be in a position to buy as soon as the shutdown is lifted.

This all underlines the opportunity to dealers, and – with sales teams on lockdown – this is where automated customer communications can pay dividends. Online tools that automatically populate a dealer’s Facebook-based product catalogue, taking a stock feed taken directly from their website could be increasingly useful. Once set up, it’s hassle-free to upload organic and paid-for adverts, and then use targeting tools to promote posts to specific, highly relevant audiences.

Furthermore, automated email campaigns can help dealers tailor communications to each recipient, and help sales teams stay on top of every opportunity. Email remains the number-one solution for engaging with customers, with 47.6% of UK drivers naming it as their preferred means of dealer contact for sales, and 48.3% for aftersales – ahead of phone and SMS contact.

Keep your aftersales customers up-to-date

Aftersales is just as important, and the UK government’s six-month extension to MOT due dates for cars, motorcycles and light vans means many customers may be unsure about when their car’s next test is due.

Dealers can use automated email alerts to inform vehicle owners about MOT dates. Not only will this give customers peace of mind; it will mean those customers are far more likely to return for aftersales work.

With showroom doors shut, sales and aftersales teams can still be doing plenty to keep customers interested. The ones that use this time wisely will be best placed to bounce back when life returns to normal.

Marketing Delivery is an eCRM and social media agency that uses DMS, showroom and aftersales system data to deliver mobile optimised and personalised customer communications to improve conversions, retention and reputation.