It was about five months ago that I wrote this blog, “Digital Response: Email – Call – Social Media“. Now, after reading Stephanie Young’s blog “Three Strikes and You are In!!!!” on dealerElite.net, it only made sense that I describe a proper processes for facebook lead management.
Please understand that there are different ways of doing this depending on dealerships setup. For example, if the BDC has a lost opportunity rep, it is a good idea to assign these leads to them. Sometimes, it makes sense for the BDC manager to handle this part of the follow up. This is something that I used to do myself as a manager.
This should be done when a customer has not responded to numerous calls and email attempts. This also proves to be very effective on internet leads that come in with no phone number. We are so quick to sometimes throw those leads out that we forget that they might be the most effective and can prove to be a deal sometimes because we do not think outside of the box.
The process is very simple.
1. Take the email address. Copy and paste it into the search section of facebook.
2. Find the profile that is associated with the profile. Click on it.
3. If you are able to send them a message. Write out a simple message and build value in your message.
4. If they respond, try to escalate the conversation to the phone.
*Since CRM/ILM systems in most cases are not hooked up to facebook. ALWAYS make sure to copy these messages and paste them inside the customer notes to keep track of conversations. It will help with record keeping and knowing more about the deal.
OK…this takes a few extra minutes and can be a little time consuming. This is the best way to let you know if you have an opportunity or it is time to move on. I have never seen a customer get angry because I got creative and reached out to them on facebook. They responded faster and more accurately to me. Why? We go on facebook way more then we read our emails. Think about it.
Precaution: You might want to consider making a profile that is related to the dealership for follow up purposes and avoid using a personal one for many reasons. If you are using this process, stick to your work and do not get caught off track playing and wasting time on facebook. I found myself doing this for 25 minutes once (NO JOKE).
I hope that this helps you sell more cars. This processes helped one dealership that I worked with do an additional 8 units one month.
