Thinking about it, forever
A couple test drove an estate car on Saturday. They liked it, took a written quote and said they would talk it over. The salesperson called on Tuesday and got voicemail. On Friday the car was sold to someone else. The couple were never told about the similar one that arrived the following week.
In the CRM, the prospect is still open, with one call logged. Nobody knows whether they bought elsewhere, are still looking or changed their mind.
Prospects go cold without a routine
Salespeople follow up the prospects they feel good about and let the others fade. Without a routine, the CRM fills with open records that nobody works.
- Follow-up is one call, maybe two.
- When the car they liked sells, nobody offers an alternative.
- Lost reasons are not recorded, or are recorded as 'other'.
- Managers cannot see which prospects are being worked.
What cold prospects cost
Customers who test drove are the warmest leads you have. Letting them go quiet means spending more to find new ones. And without lost reasons, you cannot tell whether you are losing on the car, the stock, the deal or the follow-up.
Sales managers try to fill the gap with pipeline meetings, which take time and rely on salespeople remembering.
There is a stock cost hidden here too. When a car sells, the other people who test drove it are the obvious buyers for the next similar car, and nobody tells them. The new arrival goes online and waits for fresh enquiries while the ready-made buyers are sitting in your CRM.
And advertising spend is judged unfairly. A source that produces good test drives looks poor if those prospects are never followed up.
How we build the follow-up routine
- Every test drive or written quote creates or updates a prospect in your CRM with the car and what the customer said they wanted.
- A follow-up schedule is set for each prospect by your rules, with tasks in the salesperson's day list.
- If the car they were interested in sells or is reserved, the prospect is flagged and similar stock is suggested from your inventory.
- Messages can be sent by the salesperson from templates, personalised with the car and their notes.
- A prospect cannot be closed without a lost reason from a short list your sales manager sets.
- A weekly view shows open prospects by salesperson and age, and lost reasons by type.
| Moment | What happens |
|---|---|
| Test drive or quote | Prospect and schedule created |
| Their car sells | Flag and suggest alternatives |
| No response | Next contact scheduled |
| Closed | Lost reason recorded |
Messages never quote finance terms or make offers you have not approved. Salespeople stay in charge of the conversation.
A pipeline you can see and work
Salespeople get a daily list of who to contact and why. Customers hear about similar cars when theirs sells. Sales managers see the real pipeline without a meeting. Over a few months, lost reasons tell you what to change.
Is this your pipeline?
- Prospects are followed up once or not at all.
- Nobody offers alternatives when a car sells.
- Lost reasons are blank or 'other'.
- The CRM is full of open prospects nobody is working.
- Pipeline meetings rely on memory.