In our last post, we talked about how false assumptions are killing your leads. More importantly, assumptions kill prospecting.
How can you stop assumptions from killing your prospecting?
1. Utilize the Other 97%
Is it true that the 2-3% of the population who are in the market for a new vehicle right now are your only quality prospects? Absolutely not. Throwing all your time, effort, and money at in-market buyers is not allowing you to develop a communication strategy that keeps your sales funnel full. Don’t blindly assume these prospects aren’t interested in talking to you between buying cycles. There is endless opportunity here! Getting to your prospect before they are in the market gives you the chance to convert them before someone else does.
2. Plant the Seed & Let it Grow
We touched on this in our last post, but let’s extrapolate. Salespeople often value immediate results, without allowing their prospecting to develop over time. They plant the seed, hoping to harvest right away, without nurturing it and allowing the plant to grow. When they don’t see results immediately, they assume it was a waste of time and effort. By having meaningful conversations with your existing database, you are creating engaged prospects who grow into loyal customers.
3. Data Mining
Find prospecting opportunities in your database and start more conversations. Connect with customers whose financing or warranty is about to end, and open up the conversation about their options. Find all the reasons you can to follow up with your existing customers, without assuming their level of interest. You will be building relationships and loyalty that will translate into more sales! Our dealership clients have seen incredible results from our relationship-building programs, such as our Goodwill Greetings and Warranty Solutions campaigns. Not only are they building toward future sales with loyal customers, they are actually selling vehicles!
Falsely assuming that you are limited to a small number of in-market prospects infinitely narrows your opportunities. Make your own opportunities! You can bring people into the market by showing them what they didn’t know was possible. Invest in your future by nurturing relationships that lead to sales down the road. Never assume a lead is a dead-end until you have exhausted every option possible.