How to Avoid Missed Sales Opportunities with Today’s Car Buyer

Missed sales opportunities could spell disaster for your dealership. Find out how to recognize and avoid them.

Missed sales opportunities happen more often than we realize. Some of them we recognize only when it’s too late. Others come and go, and we never even notice. 

There are numerous reasons, ranging from not having the right vehicles on your lot to poor customer service to higher prices than your competitors. Most of these are within our power to change. Of course, you’ll still miss a sale here and there, but even if you catch just a few of those otherwise missed sales opportunities, you could push your monthly numbers into very positive territory.

Let’s look at today’s car buyer and how you could miss some of those sales. 

The missed sales opportunities you can start catching

The online sale. We’ll start with a common one. One of your missed sales opportunities is failing to show vehicle photos on your website. Today’s buyers want to know what they’re looking at before they go to the lot. At a time when people can complete an entire vehicle purchase online, you need to update your website often. People expect interior and exterior pictures, vehicle information, a link to Carfax, and pricing. 

The follow-up call. If a customer calls you about a vehicle on your lot, you need to call them back as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more chance they will find another dealer. With tools like Autoraptor, you don’t need to be in your office; you can make that return call anywhere.

The first impression. While many car buyers will shop online, plenty still want to see a vehicle in person. They want to know what sitting in the driver’s seat feels like. They also want to feel welcome from the minute they see your lot. Unfortunately, this is where a lot of missed sales opportunities show up. Simply put, people expect a clean lot, a comfortable office or showroom, and salespeople who are happy to see them. 

The “just-looking” sale. Sure, there are people who walk onto your lot who really are “just looking.” Let’s be honest, though. People don’t hang out at an auto dealership just for fun. Especially given that most people will do a majority of their vehicle research online, it’s much more likely that “just looking” means “just looking at what you have here.” Of course, you already know that and are undoubtedly prepared to make a sale, but this could quickly become one of your missed sales opportunities. Are your vehicles clean? Are prices clear and reasonable? Is your
team welcoming and easy to talk to? If they ask, can you give them a vehicle history right there on the lot without returning to the showroom? (By the way, with AutoRaptor, you can do that.) 

These don’t have to be missed opportunities, though. They are easy issues to rectify, especially with software like AutoRaptor. You’ll never forget a follow-up call, lose a VIN, or forget an email reply.