Last month's newsletter article address the question: How do Top Performers answer the price question on leads? And the article generated a lot of comments and even more questions, so we thought we would expand on the topic a bit more in this month's newsletter.

We know from the research that price is an element of what a customer uses to grade or put value to a response; but not the only factor. And, unfortunately, it does not guarantee a response. In fact even the lowest price won't necessarily improve response rates. What we observed from the top performing internet sales people was a combination of things that all worked together to elicit a response. A couple of ideas to consider when responding to a lead are the following:

• Is my response personal and speak to the customer's request for submitting a lead?
• Am I talking about a specific car, and have I made that vehicle special in their mind?
• Am I building urgency into my response and asking for action without being overt or obvious?
• Have I differentiated myself from the other responses the customer is getting from other stores?

So, consider the two following responses:

EMAIL 1:

Hi Bob, Thanks for submitting a lead for a 2007 Dodge Durango. We have a large selection of Durangos in stock starting at $32,400. I have 2 black ones like you requested. Call me so we can talk about the options you'd like. By the way I also have a 2006 Durango in stock if you'd like to save some money. Ken ABC Dodge

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