With car buyers spending less time visiting dealerships and more time searching online, it is important that your first response to every inquiry engages the customer immediately. According to Autotrader, 6 out of 10 buyers are open to looking at other vehicle options when they first start shopping. The goal then should always be setting an appointment to visit your lot. Use these 5 open-ended questions to help engage your online car shoppers in the right way.
1. What day and time are you available to test drive the vehicle? *encourage the buyer to come to the lot rather than spending time going back and forth and/or letting the shopper continue to look around.
2. What budget are you looking to stay within? *Instead of turning down an offer, use this question to see what alternate options you can provide.
3. Do you have a vehicle you are looking to trade-in? *with nationwide inventory shortages, each lead has the potential to help you acquire inventory while also accomodating the car shopper's budget. Note, 9 out of 10 households have at least 1 vehicle, and many users shopping for vehicles may be listing their cars on OfferUp via a private listing. So, this can be a sourcing method for you.
4. When are you looking to buy? *help you determine if you should continue to engage the lead that week or set a follow-up to reach out down the road. Note, OfferUp offers Verified Dealers the "Ready-to-Buy" indicator to help you quickly identify who is ready to buy and who is not. Moreover, starting next month we will automatically help you prioritize your inbox.
5. Are you looking for financing? *If available, this is a good lead-in to encourage the user to speak with you in person about purchasing options. Note, as a verified dealer you can message links directly through the chat feature.