In my last post about making the internet department good for gross, not just volume I talked about having the right people in the Internet Sales department.  The most important part of that was this (you will see this again too!)...

The internet salesperson should be an experienced salesperson, who can quickly and easily function as the salesperson, finance manager, and sales manager.  They need to be able to quickly answer any question, and overcome objections with little to no hesitation.  They need to be able to inspire confidence in them from the customer and create rapport over the phone and through emails.  They need to do this by understanding what the customer is looking for, answering the questions the customer needs to come in without offering more information than necessary, and being able to answer possible questions about ANY aspect of the sale, financing or leasing terms, product questions, availability, trade value and more.

Customers online, especially Gen X and Gen Y customers (Where the vast majority of near-future business lies) have three primary expectations, Professionalism, Transparency, and Respect.  Research has shown that while price is important, its is nowhere near the top of most of these customers lists in where they choose to buy!  So why is that all we as Internet Managers worry about?  Most dealers fall into one of two categories, the "Don't quote a price!  Just get them in!", or "Quote everyone and give the car away!  We need volume!".  These two approaches are both destructive to an internet department and will not only keep you from making deals, but will keep you from getting that "Special Forces" internet department personnel I talked about in the last post.

The "Don't Quote Anyone" gives people one of two reactions, either they feel like you're trying to hide something price-wise, or they think you just don't care to answer their questions.  They feel like they're just another target for a "car salesman".

The "Quote Everyone" philosophy gives people something they want and is more likely to make a deal, but its also more likely that IF you make the deal its not profitable, and there's a good chance you just created a price shopper when you didn't need to!

Being up front with pricing is great, but it is not always required and that is the fine line a good internet manager knows how to walk.  With either of these two methods, most internet managers will end up using templates and being relatively generic.  Its to easy to fall into a habit of just sending emails like this.

Hello Mr Smith and thank you for contacting me.  My name is blah blah and I'm the Internet and Fleet Manager of Blankety Blank Honda.  We are here to serve you and do nice things!

I have the 2014 HONDA CIVIC lx you are looking at.  Its is (insert positive adjective here) and has class-leading MPG!  You're (token bad grammar) INTERNET PRICE is only $15,995!

When is the best time for you to come in and take this lovely vehicle for a test drive?

...

What this habit does is it creates a shortcut for the salesperson to send out an "adequate" response without considering what the customer really wants.  They may want something like this, but what if the lead came from Truecar or Edmunds and the customer is expecting a specific price that is not $15,995?  What if in their comments they mention having a 2002 Civic to trade in?  What if they live two blocks away and only asked about the test drive?  What if their email is @yourchurchesurl.org?

"Making it personal" is a lot more than being nice.  Its about tailoring the response to the lead we receive.  We can learn a lot from the lead information a customer submits.  Sometimes, you just have an email address asking for a quote on a generic model from someone in a zip code way outside your primary market area.  Those, loooowwww quote and as nice and personal and professional as possible.  Someone around the corner from you just asking for a test drive?  NO QUOTE just ask for an appointment to test drive!

We need to be able to decipher leads and answer them accordingly.  We need to be transparent enough to adequately answer every question the customer asks, but restrained enough to not create a door through which a buyer could turn into a shopper.  Most of all though, we need to establish rapport right off the bat.

Customers now are for the most part educated and savvy enough to expect a certain kind of professionalism, and especially those Gen X and Y customers require that you answer their questions in an honest and straight-forward manner.  Personalizing the response can make the difference in establishing a relationship or giving the impression that you're just another "car salesman".  That difference can not only mean the difference in making a deal, but the difference in making a deal profitable.

This is "Making it Personal", next post will be, "Uh, Ummm, Let me Ask My Manager"...