I decided to click over to Lending Tree after seeing a banner ad and one of their TV commercials. I figured why not, lets see what this Lending Tree is all about. Within minutes my inbox was filled up with auto responses (none too impressive either). Within hours I was acquiring phone calls from several different banks quoting me rates, terms and fees. After a phone call from the seventh bank, I was lost in a pool of understanding. It quickly became very overwhelming.

If anyone has been in the automotive dealership business long enough, you then understand that the last thing you have is instant. I didnt have the instant to sit down and go over all the terms, rates and fees that had been quoted from all the different banks. And though it was something that I wanted to do, it just seemed as if measure was not allowing me to pick up the phone and generate the call back to the banks.

Throughout the weeks I continued to receive phone calls and emails from two of the banks. Both banks had aggressive rates but the bank that received my business was the bank that kept touching base via phone and electronic mail . They kept the process simple and kept in touch, and were not pushy.

After the process was over, I was thinking that many of our customers are acquiring steps as I did for their car shopping. They want a merchandise , competitive price, simple process and nice service. Todays generation consists of busy all the people and families, both parents working to hold down the fort. During all of their daily routines, they are also shopping for their next vehicle. They do not have the instant to drive around dealer to dealer. They use the Internet and build their first contact via e mail or phone, just as I did with Lending Tree. The difference between the bank that earned my business and the others was the consistent FOLLOW-UP. They never gave up!

So when you wonder why that customer has not called you back or responded to your email; call them, and then call them again and again (rotate your call times from morning to afternoon and evening). Follow-up each measure with a "just tried to call you" email until you get some type of communication from the customer. Create some urgency, schedule the appointment, confirm the appointment and build the sale.

Jeff Kershner
Automotive Internet Sales and Marketing Training :: DealerRefresh.com