A Long History in Automotive
Jim Taylor, Internet Sales Director at Capital Toyota, has spent almost his entire career in automotive and held just about every position in the dealership with the exceptions of General Manager and Office Manager. He’s seen it all, but sometimes some fresh eyes can help open up new possibilities.
Making the Switch
Taylor made use of a couple of digital retailing tools on his website, and they performed as expected. Those tools occasionally generated a “super lead”, or someone who was a highly motivated shopper and willing to spend 15-30 minutes building a complete deal online.
After seeing a demo of TradePending’s Payments product, the lightbulb went off for Taylor. With the help of his TradePending Regional Sales Manager, he agreed that helping those early stage shoppers to quickly get a payment estimate, or to browse inventory by what they can afford, would significantly increase their website conversion rate, but he was still reluctant.
“I was initially concerned about our digital retailing provider giving us push back, but that ended up being a non-issue,” says Taylor. “Digital retailing tools are a college-level course for shoppers. Payments is quick and easy for them, which means more people convert.”
Throwing Out the Templates
During onboarding of Payments, Taylor decided to make a big change. He opted to throw out the canned templates and formulaic responses. Taylor explains, “Our sales team sounded so scripted. We needed to go back to treating people like people, listening to them, helping them, and providing them with options. The results were immediate.”
Results
Since enrolling with Payments in November 2023, the leads generated from the product, combined with the team’s innovative approach, have yielded significant results. Specifically, 74 cars were sold, with each vehicle contributing to substantial gross revenue.
Reflecting on the impact of Payments, Taylor remarks, “I can’t comprehend why anyone wouldn’t utilize Payments. It’s like having a payment calculator on steroids. With just a few hundred dollars investment per month, it consistently generates substantial gross revenue for us. If you’re not leveraging this tool, it might be time for some self-reflection!”