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Lead Optimization For RV Dealerships

Lead optimization for RV dealerships is a big deal.

The lower your cost per lead, the higher your profits, so we have to make sure we focus on our RV dealerships lead optimization.

In today’s digital age, most of your customer leads will come from the internet.

RV buyers are shopping online, reading reviews, and looking at your inventory online way before they turn into a customer lead for your sales team.

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But how do we make sure these RV buyers go from a view, to a lead, and then to a buyer?

We focus on our lead optimization and RV sales process – which is a topic for another blog.

The way to focus on your lead optimization is to make sure your RV dealership isn’t giving out all the information your customer needs on your website.

For example, if your website shows your customer the best price, then your customer can use that info against you to negotiate a better price with their local RV dealership.

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The better approach, is to require a Name, Phone Number, and Email to get your RV dealerships best price.

This way your online viewer turns into a customer lead that your sales team can start a conversation with.

We need make sure our dealerships website, digital marketing, and social media, is creating customer leads for our sales teams in the most efficient ways possible.

The fact is, without starting a conversation between our online viewer and our sales teams, the dealership will never sell a RV.

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This means the main focus of your RV dealerships digital, social media, traditional, and radio marketing is to create a customer lead so your sales team can start the conversation.

If your current marketing efforts aren’t doing this, your RV dealership has a big problem.

The main question you have to ask when evaluating your lead optimization is, “How can I use my marketing budget to generate customer leads more efficiently?”.

The way you do this?

Audit your marketing budget!

If you’re spending $500 on a radio ad that brings you 1 customer lead a month, then you’re spending $500 for one lead.

If you put the same $500 into a Facebook Ad campaign where you generate a customer lead for 1$, then you will get 500 leads for that same $500 budget that got you 1 lead on the radio.

This is lead optimization.

RV dealerships are missing out on the magic Facebook Ads and other digital channels can provide for their dealerships, while car dealerships are taking full advantage.

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If your RV dealership is missing out on customer leads because your website and digital marketing isn’t optimized then you need to switch focus.

Their is a lot RV dealers can do to increase the lead optimization at their RV dealerships and this 1 thing will make the world of a difference.

When you start spending your marketing budget more efficiently and pay attention to your cost per lead, then you can increase your profits.

But if you continue to do the same marketing and are spending higher costs per lead, then your profits are being ate up.

Make sure you’re paying attention to your RV dealerships lead optimization because your profit depends on it!

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3 Tips For Getting Internet Customers In The Door

Submitting an internet lead for a vehicle is something that is becoming easier and easier with time. There are several well-known lead resources like Cars.com and Edmunds.com which allow customers to surf the web from anywhere to find the perfect vehicle. Once these customers submit their information on a vehicle, it is usually the job of a BDC Rep or Internet Manager to try to get them in the door. However, with the automotive industry growing more and more competitive each day, this can be easier said than done. So in this blog, I give you my top 3 tips for getting internet customers in the door.

Grow Your Dealership With More Internet Leads

Call Quickly

Don’t be slow to dial. Make sure you are calling the lead RIGHT AFTER they submit their info. Getting an internet lead into the dealership is often determined by how quickly the first response comes. Depending on the website they submitted their information to, other dealerships might be calling them too. This means you need to make sure you are on point with your calls and doing your best to call them right when the call comes in. The quicker you are, the better the chance of connecting before your competition does. So don’t be lax, have the alerts sent to your email, cell phone, and computer screen to make sure you don’t miss a beat.

Be Creative and Precise With Your Contact Efforts


Make sure you are calling the fresh leads at least two times the first day they come in. Depending on the time that they come in, you want to make sure you call them at least twice during your shift. If you are working a split shift that day, I’d recommend having a Salesperson call for you after you leave. I understand some BDC Reps might quiver at the thought of this, but I assure you that having a salesperson in your corner to help is something you want. If your dealership doesn’t have this option yet, be sure to ask your Manager about adding it as soon as possible. 

The main thing is just doing your best to connect with the lead before they connect with someone else. Two calls, a text (if they’ve opted in), along with two emails on the first day should suffice. You could also go above and beyond and shoot them a message on social media or Facetime / Skype them. This is a creative way to contact and will also make you stand out against the competition.

Don’t Give Away The Farm In The First Email


Don’t give away the farm in the first email. Everyone submitting a lead expects to get a reply but in that, this doesn’t always mean they want the price upfront. So if they don’t ask for it, don’t give it to them until they do.

It’s important to do everything you can to get them in the dealership without being too specific on the pricing. Obviously, if there are specific comments in the original lead submission, I would do my best to answer those in a “roundabout way”. For example, if they submitted their information on a 2020 Hyundai Sonata SEL I would try to get them on the phone AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to do a needs assessment.

A needs assessment will allow you to see what they REALLY want as opposed to the unit they submitted their information on. So in this, you can escape the direct price question they may have asked about in their original lead submission. This allows you the chance to make numerous points of contact before handing away the price.

The more you train on the phone the easier it will be to divert these direct price questions in exchange for more information about your prospect. If you feel you’re not there yet, try getting some extra training on the phones to help you achieve this goal. 

The field of automotive internet sales is becoming more and more competitive with each passing day. With that being said, I believe these 3 tips for getting internet customers in the door will help you book more appointments and sell more cars.


Until Next Time, Stay Pushing, 
Tia Lentini 

Questions about Internet Strategy or my article? Let’s chat! Send me an email at tia@infinitemediaresources.com.

Ways BDC Reps Can Stand Out Against The Competition In 2020

All internet departments are run differently and in that, all internet directors and BDC Reps are different too. But being different is something that makes us unique and helps us stand out against the competition. This blog explains a few different ways BDC Reps can stand out against the competition in 2020.

Get More Internet Leads

The top ways Rep’s can stand out are by implementing these three things into their digital strategy:

1. Introduction Video’s

2. Clean and Helpful Signatures 

3. Social Media Strategies

Introduction Videos

One of the things that made the biggest impact on my Internet Manager career was making an Introduction video. This video had “client testimonials” and explained what I could do for my clients. It allowed them to know upfront all the different services that I provided which helped make me more of a person rather than just some imaginary figure behind a keyboard.

Clean and Helpful Signatures

Another thing I did was I made sure that my signature had aesthetic appeal while also including valuable information. I included a custom made graphic that had my picture so customers could recognize me along with all my contact information including my direct cellphone number. This gave them direct access to me without them getting lost in transfers through the dealership receptionist.

Reps can also add a “get approved for financing” option at the bottom of their signature. This makes it easy for customers to click the link and submit their credit directly to the dealership.

Social Media Strategies

Before I started Ron Marhofer Hyundai, there was not a Facebook page for the company. So when I became Internet Manager I made sure to create this page along with a YouTube channel.

Through these social media outlets, I was able to help our customers receive useful information while making it easy for others to find us through social search. I even ended up helping the dealership rank on the first page of Google in our area for the search phrase “How To Pair Your Phone to BlueTooth on Hyundai Sonata”.

The video provided helpful information for our customers and prospects alike. It also gave us a higher ranking for a valuable keyword on Google. Without any promotion, the video itself ended up getting over 100,000 views. Not too bad for a $0 marketing budget.

Learn How To Sell More Cars Online

Change can be a scary thing at first but in the end, you’ll be thankful you tried. With that being said, the more you do these simple things, the more successful you and your dealership will be. Thanks for reading ways BDC Reps can stand out against the competition in 2020 and I look forward to seeing how these tips helped you in 2020.

Until Next Time, Stay Pushing,

Tia Lentini

sales states, Follow Up With Your Dealerships Internet Leads, set more appointments, leads, internet leads, sales

How To Follow Up With Your Dealerships Internet Leads To Set More Appointments

Set The Appointment

The first goal when you follow up with your dealerships internet leads is to set the appointment.

Without an appointment it is almost impossible to sell any product you’re selling.

As soon as the leads get to your CRM or email, you should be calling them on the phone.

Getting The Right Lead

One mistake I see with dealerships lead forms is some only require a name and email.

They leave the phone number optional and I think this is a big mistake!

The phone or in person are the best ways to earn your customers trust.

Defaulting to emails make its harder to connect with your customers, so make the call.

As customers are bombarded with emails and will likely miss your email, they aren’t receiving as many calls.

In a single day I will get a handful of calls while I will receive hundreds of emails.

It is safe to say the easier way to get ahold of me is by the telephone.

Long story short, make sure you require the phone number on your lead forms!

Back To Setting The Appointment

As you get new leads and you divvy them amongst your sales team.

The first goal should be to set an appointment.

Ask your lead(s) to come to the dealership and take a look at the product in person.

Some people will set the appointment right away, and some will take time answering your calls, emails, and texts.

Here is where most sales people fall off.

Your lead didn’t answer your phone call.

You leave a voicemail and tell them to call you back, but they don’t call you back.

You send them an email thinking they will respond, but no reply back.

At this point, most sales people are done!

They will no longer follow up with the lead and will label them one of the following:

  • Tire kicker
  • Window shopper
  • Waste of time
  • Not a buyer
  • Shopping around

I could keep going, but you’ve heard the excuses before and I think you get the point.

I want to stop here for a second so you sales people can understand that this is killing your numbers!

Sales People Get Paid In The Follow Up

Most of the time you will have to reach out to your lead(s) more than 5 times before they will answer you.

If you are one of those sales people who are unwilling to follow up multiple times, then take a new career.

Follow Up With Your Dealerships Internet Leads!

Customers are not sitting by their phone and watching their emails to make sure they didn’t miss a call or email from you.

They’re worried about their own lives, and their dogs, and their kids, and their jobs, and the leaky tub, or the long grass, or the million other things people worry about.

The reason your lead didn’t answer the first 5 times wasn’t because they hate you and want you to stop calling them.

They didn’t answer because they are busy with life and you called at the wrong time.

Maybe they were at work taking a shit, and couldn’t answer the phone.

There are a million reasons why they didn’t responded yet but don’t let that stop you from following up!

Now that I got that off my chest lets move on to the follow up process:

How To Follow Up With Your Dealerships Internet Leads To Set More Appointments

Lead Comes In and Sales Manager Assigns Lead To A Sales Person – Every lead should be given to a sales person within the first 5 minutes it was received and the sales person should follow up within that same 5 minutes.

If you call your leads within the first 5 minutes of them giving you the lead, you will have a higher chance of setting the appointment and closing them.

The more time in between when you get the lead and when you call them will determine the chances of you getting them on the phone or not.

Sales Person Calls The Lead – After the lead is assigned to a sales person, that sales person should call the lead in the first 5 minutes.

The next step is to land the appointment.

One way you can try to set an appointment is by opening your phone call with something like,

“Hi, John this is Chris from ___________. I received your inquiry about our _____________ and I wanted to see if you had some time today to come take a look at this product in person. Does 1:00pm or 4:00pm work better for you”?

If your lead doesn’t answer their phone you should leave them a voicemail.

Tell them you will be sending over a quick text video of the product they inquired about and get ready to shoot a video.

(May not work with all products, but works great for dealerships)

Send A Text Video To Follow Up With Your Dealerships Internet Leads

Send A Personalized Text Video – After you leave a voicemail, the next step is to go out to the unit, open the camera in your smart phone, and record a personalized video to your lead.

You will want to get your face in the video and make it personalized to your lead by saying something like,

“Hey John, this is Chris here at _______ and this is the _______ you inquired about on our website. I wanted to give you a quick walk around of this unit so that you can check it out a little more before you come in and look at it in person. If I miss any areas you want to see or if you want me to go back over something let me know and I’ll get it sent over to you. I am here most of the week if you have some free time to come take a look at this _______ in person, let me know what will work best for you and I will make sure I am available for you.”

Set The Appointment

After you text your lead this personalized video from your cell phone, you will want to ask them what they think of the unit and try to set an appointment.

These personalized videos also help if your lead is from out of town or has a long way to travel because they can see your product closer before making the trip.

Using videos like this will help you sell more products over the phone because your video will build credibility in your products.

Since the video you’re sending is personalized and not a stock video, customers feel more at ease and trust your sales people more.

Notice I am always trying to set the appointment.

This is very important because no matter how many leads you get, without an appointment you will never sell any products.

You can take your videos a step further and send them a couple different videos on comparable units. (No more than 3)

This helps because your customer sees you’re working for them and understand that you are willing to help them find the right product before they buy.

The More Ways You Reach Out The Better

Send An Email – After you call, leave a voice mail, and then send a text video.

The next thing you want to do is send an email.

Your customers will get back to you on whatever medium they feel most comfortable.

If your leads like phone calls and all you do is email, that is no good.

But if your leads like emails and all you do is call, that is also no good.

(If you have to choose one or the other calling is better than email, in my opinion)

This means you have to follow up with your dealerships internet leads on all the different mediums they want to talk on.

This way your leads can choose which one they want to respond to you on and you can start the sales process.

Don’t Get Scared Of The Follow Up

If you follow up with your dealerships internet leads using this method your sales team will be:

  • Calling in the first 5 minutes
  • Trying to set the appointment
  • Leaving a voicemail everytime
  • Sending text videos of the products and comparable products your lead inquired about
  • Sending emails and asking for an appointment
  • Calling a 2nd time before they leave for the day to set an appointment

By using all of these forms of follow up you will increase the chances that your lead will start talking with you so you can start the sales process.

Also, take note how many times in 1 day you should follow up with your internet leads.

If you follow this system you will reach out to your leads 4 times in the first day, and you will repeat the process the next day.

In day 2 you will reach out to your leads another 4 times and you should be able to start the conversation with them by the 8th contact on the 2nd day.

Get Back On The Phone And Call Your Leads

Back To The Phone – Lets assume by the 8th contact your lead(s) still haven’t responded to you.

Get back on the phone and follow up with your dealerships internet leads.

The phone has always been and will always be one of the best devices to conduct business.

Customers get pissed off on a daily basis hearing automated customer service systems because they want to talk with a human.

People want to deal with experts who can help them find the product that fits their needs and solve their problems.

The only way you will be able to figure out what pain points and problems your customers have is by talking to them.

Always Qualify Your Leads

There is a reason every sales process in the world has a section where you qualify your customer.

Even though your leads are pre-qualified, your sales team will still need to take them through the sales process in order to get the sale.

(Want More On Sales Process? Read This Article)

Rinse, Wash, and Repeat – If your lead still hasn’t responded to you, do not stop following up.

Customers will typically purchase a product within the first 16 months of them giving a lead.

This means you should be calling, text, emailing, and even using social media to keep the attention of your leads.

If you stop following up with your leads after the first phone call, or the 10th email, or whatever.

You’re leaving money on the table.

Continue To Follow Up With Your Dealerships Internet Leads

Your leads needs will change as time goes on.

The unit they looked at the first time may not be the unit they need anymore, so follow up and re-qualify your leads before you take them through your sales process.

Moral of the story… always follow up with your dealerships internet leads.

Don’t give up on your leads and make sure you’re contacting them over 8 times.

If you follow up with your customers through phone calls, texts, and emails you will eventually get them on the phone and be able to start your sales process.

Never give up on your follow up and watch your sales grow!

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