07 November 2016

After last week’s blog from Rupert Saunders about his ‘mixed’ car buying experience, I think our Digital Marketing and Website Report Conference this week may have one possible explanation for the poor service experienced. 

The overall theme was the simplification of what we do, both from a marketer’s point of view and from a wider sales viewpoint. While all the speakers covered this in some respect, there were two that brought the message home to me. 

First up was Brent Wees, who demonstrated – through the medium of ping-pong balls being thrown at Cambria’s Ian Godbold – that if a salesman is given one lead at a time in a controlled way he can handle it efficiently and effectively and complete a sale. But if multiple leads are delivered simultaneously (all the ping-pong balls thrown at once) then none of the leads will be caught and converted into sales.

The second point came from Clare Clark from John Clark Motor Group, who spoke about keeping clarity of thought while going through a significant growth period. She used that outlook to question what’s always been done and make sure decisions are based on measured facts and not just because that’s what had always been done.

So, if you’re being heavy-handed with marketing, either generally or just at the end of the month, then isn’t it time you started to question if a simpler, clearer approach would not only produce better customer service but also more sales?

Tristan Young

Editorial director

Auto Retail Network

Tags: car buying experience, customer service, Digital Marketing and Website Report Conference, response times, Rupert Saunders, sales leads