Your First Irrelevant Communication to a Commercial Customer is The Last You’ll Get

By Alicia Von Bokel – Performance Manager – Maritz Automotive

The “One Size Fits All” Method

If you are like most stores, you likely have a specific Internet/BDC department to handle your website, 3^rd party and all Internet leads.  Whether you have a specific BDC department that turns over leads to the sales team, or you have a “cradle-to-grave” approach to closing leads, your store has a process for that.

What your store might not have is a specific process for just Fleet and Commercial leads. 

Why Different Processes?

Your first thought that comes to mind may be: “Why would I need a different process for Fleet and Commercial leads?” For years OEMs and dealerships have been developing all kinds of different training tactics to implement the “best practice” in terms of lead capture, response, and closures. So why create something new from scratch, why fix what’s working already for retail sales?

1. Different Customer with Different Needs

Remember all that training your BDC/Internet department has completed to become a master at closing leads?  Well, that process likely isn’t configured to assist someone looking to add a handful of additional units to their fleet or for someone shopping for a truck specifically upfitted for their line of work.

“Thank you for your interest.  We have several models in stock and available.  When can you come to the dealership to test drive?”

“I’m just following up to see if you are still interested in this make model.  Please let me know what I can do to help?”

“Our records indicate we haven’t been able to connect yet.  Is there a better way to reach you regarding your interest in our make model?  We’d love to earn your business”

“Your complete satisfaction is our #1 priority.  Let us know how we can help today!”

It’s possible your current lead response and follow-up strategy sounds a lot like this.  Calls, emails, texts, maybe even some videos, all focused around “When can you come to the dealership?” because that’s how we’ve been trained to handle leads. 

The problem with that is that many business owners:

• Don’t have time to come to the dealership.
• Are simply looking for some quotes for budgeting.
• Know what they want because they already have a number of these vehicles and just want to place the order to add to their fleet.
• Would be wasting their time coming because what they want is not physically on your lot.

What is a customer’s most likely response when given the “standard retail response” instead of a customized response strategy?

• Delete your email and opt-out.
• Block your phone numbers.

Now you’ve lost not just the sale, but the ability to market to that customer in the future.

2. Tracking and Measuring Results

If you ask your Commercial Manager how many Commercial leads you got last month, they might give you an answer about all the past sold customers that are looking to purchase again or all the potential “prospects” they are working to quote and close.  They also might look at you like you have 3 heads and scramble to provide some sort of accurate number.

It’s ok.  You’re not alone!  The truth is, we don’t do a very good job of actually tracking and understanding our total Fleet and Commercial opportunities, especially digital and Internet lead opportunities.  It’s even more possible that no one has ever brought to the attention of the department why you would want to do so.

How to Implement a Commercial-Specific Process

Fleet and Commercial lead responses should be specific, timely, and handled by someone who is trained on Commercial vehicle product knowledge and Fleet buying processes. 

To do that, we must first understand and identify our total Fleet and Commercial opportunities and then create a great response and follow-up process that “cuts the fluff” and captivates your customer. 

The truth is, it’s not an easy, simple fix. You’ll have to sit down with the stakeholders, come up with a viable strategy, and then work diligently to implement it. But in the end, it’s the only way dealerships can be set up to be profitable with Commercial and Fleet sales long-term.

For more information about Maritz and their Commercial Sales Coach, virtual coaching using data identified in your CRM, visit WorkTruck.MaritzAutomotive.com.