Blog

Over the past few weeks, I’ve frequently discussed online leads at the Ligier Store and the Experience Store Doesburg with my managing director Gerard Franken. Occasionally, we miss a lead, and in a way that makes me think from a distance, it could have been better or different. To put it in the right perspective: we then didn’t call for the fourth or fifth time, instead of missing the first call attempt. But missing is missing!

Since we successfully launched the Calldrip Automotion Scoring, we have been receiving a lot of emails and calls from salespeople about their appointment rate! I’m happy about that because it indicates that salespeople are increasingly understanding that managing the conversion between the various steps with online leads is crucial to ultimately achieve better and higher conversion from leads to sales.

Our #DCDW Events took place last week, and they were very well attended! We scanned 72 participants in Antwerp and had 176 guests in Almere, not counting our team members. The #DCDW meetings are increasingly well attended, and from what I hear, it’s because the content resonates! Of course, networking is part of it, eating croquettes is part of it, but the focus is on the content.

In the past few days, it finally happened: the first #DCDW events of 2024, featuring keynote speaker Jasen Rice! Call me a bit autistic, but for our gatherings, I always follow the same schedule. On Monday, I pick up the guests from Schiphol or Amsterdam and take them to their hotel in my hometown, De Steeg. In the evening, my wife and I have dinner with our guests at the same hotel, and the next day we drive early to our first #DCDW event, this time in Antwerp.

In the past few days, I’ve been visiting the 19th Friends and Client Workshop by David Kain in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. The gathering is a stark contrast to NADA in Las Vegas, especially in terms of content; it’s a much better concept! In a small hotel, 100 dealers gather for three days to attend presentations by the CEOs and founders of various online automotive companies!

Some solutions in retail automotive are very obvious. I’ve been explaining for years that when it comes to lead follow-up, it’s best to call quickly instead of emailing. Is there a phone number available? Then call immediately after the request comes in (after a minute, that is). The approach is simple and obvious, yet for some, execution remains challenging.

The universal car company and the follow-up of online leads… that’s often a fine combination! After all, most universal car companies are small in setup, and more manageable than, for example, a dealer company with multiple branches. Leads are generally better picked up in the first line, only often there’s a lack of insight, and the second and third follow-up of the leads is often more problematic.

This week, I had the opportunity to give a presentation to our sales team at Marktplaats and 2dehands.be about ‘the online automotive’. As I was preparing the presentation, I reflected on the past twenty years. My conclusion? The subject is far from new!

We recently visited a workshop by Jasen Rice at the NADA in Las Vegas! We attended his presentation with a clear purpose: Jasen is coming to our #DCDW Events in Antwerp and Almere on April 16th and 17th, so it’s good to know what he’s focused on.

Last week, viaBOVAG.nl announced that the vehicle inventory on the used car platform has been expanded to include cars without BOVAG warranty. My initial reaction was: why? Why would you discard your only USP for more inventory?