Used Car Leads and New Car Leads It’s All In The Way You Handle Objections

The moment a lead arrives to your inbox, the first thing to determine is if the visitor is looking for a new or pre-owned vehicle. Some people might not care either way. But you’ll get a fair share of new car leads and used car leads.

First and foremost, you should be prepared for objections. Many visitors will hit you with at least one objection during the course of your conversation. Whether it’s the weather outside preventing them from coming into your dealership for a visit or wanting a price up front, they will definitely give you a run for your money. Not all new car leads and used car leads are easy to sell. One is not necessarily easier than the other. It completely depends on the visitor, but you do need to be prepared.

One of the most common objections is the price. When it comes to new car leads, an easy way to overcome this objection is to inform the visitor that a simple feature like power windows or navigation system can change the price.

Price is a little trickier when it comes to used car leads. Consumers usually assume you have a bit more wiggle room. They want to know your bottom line price. A great way to approach this is to relate to them. “I hear you, Mr. Jones. None of us have money to throw around, and I assure you, I don’t just want to earn your business today, but your future business also. And hey, as much as you love that Nissan Pathfinder, I have a ton of comparable vehicles, so why not come down and see me. Tell you what, lunch is on me. Pizza okay, or do you wanna do wings before we test drive the Pathfinder?”

Of course your ability to be that open and casual will depend on the visitor, but the important thing is to test the water and see how restricted you are. I haven’t personally had many people turn down a free lunch.

Some dealerships insist that visitors come in for an appointment, no matter what. While I see the benefit in that, if you get them to say ‘yes’ to an appointment, you’ve already “sold” them something. I can also relate to people like myself, who want to handle everything over the phone. A huge selling point is to tell them, whether new car leads or used car leads, that you can do almost everything over the phone, fax, and internet. The only exception is having them smell the leather and turn the key. Usually that makes them realize they do in fact need to make an attempt to come in and test drive the car. If they insist they don’t want to test drive (yes, people do that), let them know you don’t want them to buy a car they haven’t test drove. I’d say “If there’s anything wrong, I want to take care of it before you drive off my lot.” Saying this sounds like less of a salesman, and more of a liaison between the big bad salesman and the customer.

Whether you’re a new car dealer, a pre-owned dealer, or a buy here pay here, you’re going to come across objections. New car leads and used car leads alike, the people will resist purchasing. The important thing is to not let it stress you out. Don’t let the “big bad salesman” stereotype be proven. Keep it cool, and remember just to relate to people, and make them feel in charge, but keep control of the conversation.

You’ll probably end up earning a lifetime customer and source of referral leads for life, just by using your brain and thinking ahead.