Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/422004
SOLUTIONS 32 • December 1, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Tell me if you've done this before. You attend a snowmobile or motorcycle show, see some decent foot traffic there and work diligently to get 30 new leads. You then pile the units back into the trailer, stuff the lead forms in a safe place and return to the shop. Once there, you put those 30 names and email addresses into your website provider's email list, so you can touch these consumers with next week's e-newsletter. Then you turn to the 10 phone calls and 35 emails you've received since you've been gone and go on with business as usual. Or maybe you're more of an ROI guy. Instead of placing those names and contact informa- tion in an email list, you type them directly into your lead manager. Emails are fine, but for you, Mr. ROI, it's about making sure the sales staff touches these leads over the phone in the next few days. And then you turn to those unanswered phone calls and emails. … There's nothing wrong with either approach. They're just not what they could be. Or what they should be. The first approach attempts to keep a conversation going long-term. That's what e-newsletters can do. They can give that potential customer a reason to keep your shop front and center in his mind — no small feat in the brand-centric world we live in. But this rarely closes the deal. Conversely, the ROI guy's approach can sell the sled. Well, maybe. And maybe not. Certainly it will result in a better shot at converting leads into sales, but there's a problem. What happens when that lead says no? "Yeah, loved those sleds you were showing off last week. Really sweet-lookin', but I'm just not ready to buy. Maybe next winter?" Now what happens to that lead you worked so hard to secure after that conversation? Does it go "poof!" and disappear because the lead was only given to sales and not to your market- ing channels? Most dealers follow one of those lead conversion paths — the immediate ROI one (give it to sales!) or the long-term lead conversion one (email them!). Seldom do we do both. It's simply a ton of effort and manpower to put leads — either 30 or 300! — into both your online marketing chan- nel and your lead manager. Today, there's a dealership platform that works off a single database, meaning this issue won't be an issue anymore for the dealers using that system. But most of you are not there yet. You're still working on multiple systems using multiple databases. That means you have to make a decision: Go for the short-term win like Mr. ROI, and accept the fact that your best sales guy might convert 20 percent of those leads, meaning 24 of your 30 leads from the show will go "poof!" over the next couple of days. But you're think- ing you'll still have a legitimate shot at closing six deals! Nothing wrong with that! Heck, the results are so good you'll do it again next year and the year after. In just three years, you'll have spent a few grand on show costs and travel, but you'll have moved nearly 20 units. In the meantime, you've lost touch with nearly 75 people who identified themselves as enthusiasts by attending a motorcycle or snowmobile show. Problem? Yep, especially for Mr. ROI. See, it's not uncommon for our enthusiasts to buy a "new" unit — meaning a new one or a new used one — every three years. Meaning those 75 people that you came into contact with but eventually lost touch with purchased 25 units over those three years you were attending the consumer shows and going for the short-term win (give it to sales!). In other words, you sold 20 units but lost a realistic shot at 25 more. If you're going to operate in a multiple- database world, you have to commit to doing extra work. Extra work like making sure the leads you worked so hard to secure don't dis- appear in a couple of short days because they were only placed into the lead manager, not your online marketing channel. Otherwise, long-term, you're losing more than you're gaining. PSB Neil Pascale is the industry communications manager for Dominion Powersports Solutions, the provider of the DX1 Powersports dealer management platform. He can be reached at neil.pascale@dominionpowersports.com Are you doing all that you can with your leads? NEIL PASCALE THE DEALERSHIP OF TOMORROW What exactly happens to the leads you secure at events such as motorcycle or snowmobile shows? PHOTO BY JOHN T. PRUSAK