This month, we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on Natchez Ford, a dealership known for its forward-thinking approach to internet leads and customer engagement. Located in the heart of Mississippi, Natchez Ford has been proudly serving its community with a reputation for outstanding customer service and a commitment to innovation in automotive retail. We connected with Joshua Fauver, Marketing Manager at Natchez Ford, to learn how his team is transforming customer interactions through their use of TradePending’s AutoBio and other integrated tools.
How has customer engagement changed with AutoBio?
Joshua: “We’re seeing about a 40% open rate on AutoBio’s digital brochures, which is higher than we were getting with video. And because it’s integrated with our other TradePending tools, customers are actually taking action—calculating payments, scheduling test drives, checking their trade-in values. Well over half of them are moving forward.”
How is AutoBio incorporated into your dealership’s workflow?
Joshua: “We’ve built it into the internet lead department. We send an AutoBio to every lead that comes in with a vehicle attached. It’s as fundamental to us as sending an intro email or text. We even track every day how many each person sends, because we know the more they send, the more cars we sell.”
Were you concerned about giving customers advance notice about receiving an AutoBio?
Joshua: “We actually thought open rates would go down if we gave customers a heads-up. But it’s the opposite. We get better responses when we say, ‘Hey, we’re sending you the digital brochure.’ That transparency builds trust and gets them to engage.”
How does AutoBio complement other TradePending tools?
Joshua: “It’s a great fit. It takes someone from saying ‘I want a Nissan Maxima’ to ‘I want this exact Nissan Maxima sitting on your lot.’ Being able to steer people to next steps, like get a trade-in value or payment estimate, is almost really important, as we see about 50% taking that next step from the AutoBio brochure. The integration with tools like WheelsTV test drive videos adds even more value. We’ve seen customers click those and watch, which is great for engagement.”
Do you use any incentives with your team to drive results?
Joshua: “Yes, we run a BDC Agent of the Month contest. It’s not just about the number of appointments set and kept—it includes calls, texts, videos, and AutoBios sent. Having a well-thought-out process and tying it to incentives really keeps the team motivated and helps us hit our numbers.”
What do you like most about AutoBio?
Joshua: “AutoBio is a beefed-up brochure that includes everything a customer could want to know. It gives them all the details and then nudges them to the next steps. Customers sell themselves on their next car purchase, and AutoBio makes it really easy for them to do that.”
Congratulations to Joshua and the entire team at Natchez Ford for their innovative approach and continued success! Keep up the fantastic work.