Do you want more leads from your website? 

If you answered no, you can stop reading now.  If you answered YES, then please read on!

There isn’t a dealership website today (at least that I have found) that doesn’t have a lead capture form for consumers to fill out and submit.

The industry statistics vary greatly as to what percentage of car shoppers will take the time to fill out the form and submit a lead to a dealership they are shopping online—I have seen as low as 3% and as high as 24%. Let’s focus on the other 76-97% who do not leave their digital fingerprint.

What can dealers do to encourage more engagement with their websites?  Let’s get into the heads of the consumers for the answer to that question.  How many consumers today can cite their credit score when asked?  My guess is less than 20%.

So, when consumers begin the car shopping process where they know they will need to take out a car loan, how can they begin shopping with confidence, knowing they can/will get approved for financing? By dealers giving them the opportunity to “Get Pre-Approved in Seconds” right from the dealership website! 

Dealers can triple or even quadruple their website lead volume by providing the consumers a chance to get pre-qualified from the comfort of their living rooms—long before they walk into the store. In return, they receive peace of mind knowing that they can qualify for financing before the first test drive.

By putting clearly labeled and well-positioned buttons and banners on the website’s 1) homepage, 2) vehicle listing pages, 3) vehicle detail pages, and 4) anywhere else there’s room, dealers can drive more engagement on their website at a fraction of the cost of purchasing third-party leads to supplement their website efforts.

Here is the icing on the cake: Using pre-qualification (soft-pull) tools, dealers benefit from more than just the shopper’s name and address when they get a new lead. Pre-qualification also gives the dealership information such as a live FICO score, along with the customer’s auto loan profile, including what their current monthly payment is, payoff amount, interest rate, and more.

This rich data gives salespeople additional leverage to get that customer into a newer vehicle for a similar—or lower—payment.

So, if you are ready to supersize your website lead efforts and get more actionable information on each lead submitted, then it is time to give your consumers the ability to get pre-qualified for a loan BEFORE they walk into your dealership!

Author

Michael White

About Michael White About Michael White

Author

Michael White

About Michael White

Michael White, Sales Engineer at Autosoft DMS, has been with Autosoft for over six years as a Sales Engineer, demonstrating…

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Author

  • Michael White

    Michael has been with Autosoft for over six years as a Sales Engineer, demonstrating its software solutions for both current and prospective clients. He brings over 20 years of automotive experience – both on the dealership and vendor sides. Michael started out detailing cars, then selling them at Pittsburgh’s #1 Lincoln-Mercury dealership. He then transitioned into proactive support and training/consulting roles for two major automotive software companies prior to joining Autosoft.

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