Do you initially quote a Price via email? – Poll

I think the internet user is online to find
(1) A vehicle.
(2) A Dealer
(3) Price
In that order. In my metro market, the first response with a price wins.
No price - no response

Giving the price sets the customer up for what to expect. When the customer comes in, the close is much easier.

I avoid price at first when possible... it strips nearly all the gross out of the deal right from the beginning. We tend to close at a higher rate and a much higher gross when we don't quote a price. Sending out prices on the initial email usually ends with a "bidding war" accross the city, and whoever feels like losing the most money to move a unit wins.

I stumbled on this forum at Edmunds.com and found it to be interesting. Of course when you have customers and ISM's both giving opinions in the same thread, there is bound to be some good reading. The thread dates back 4 years and is 1500 posts old, but people still post daily.

One of the first topics discussed is pricing, hence the link here.

<a href="http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef09a8b/0" rel="nofollow">
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef09a8b/0</a> </p>

Enjoy. Oh, and Jeff, keep up the good work.

I understand a lot when you don't want to give up the price and worry about the loss of gross. The best advice is to give the customer the range of the price quote they are looking for.
If you don’t provide the price range the customer is not going to respond 90% of the time. Also with providing prices on your inventory on line, the customer is more vulnerable to inquire. When the price is not listed they are off to the other dealership that is providing that information. That online customer will search as many dealers until the Internet sales manager will quote the price right away, which you may all ready be too late. This goes more for the Used then the New.
When I receive a Quick Quote from the online customer, I automatically send the Auto Response letting them know I will be contacting them as soon as possible with the information for the vehicle they had inquired on. Depending on the model of the vehicle I have templates pre-made with the vehicle, rebates included, and picture of the model they are interested in, along with the price range. If there is a vehicle that is comparable to the one they are interested, it is always a good idea to include “You may also be interested in the *Model* which is comparable to the *model* you are interested in”.
***Taking the extra time to reach out to their needs will get you in their interest which will lead to you setting the appointment and selling that online customer.
***Getting involved with asking if they had ever test driven that vehicle before & speaking highly of their trade in will even better your chances to get a response from your online shopper.

I hope this helps with your question.

Jennifer Schrader
Internet Sales Manager
BDC Director
www.williamskia.com
[email protected]

There does not seem to be any "one size fits all" approach to retailing new cars online that works - perhaps that's why it is so much fun and challenging?

FWIW - our mantra here is that the Internet car shopper is not necessarily looking for cheaper price, but they ARE (always) looking for AN ALTERNATIVE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE.

Many months my upfront grosses are the highest in the place. And I always quote upfront. Granted, I think we are helped by the fact that we are selling a niche brand (Subaru).

I think the wording of this question would have been better served by something along the lines of "When receiving a "Quote Request", "Request A Quote", "Fast Quote" or other type of lead where the consumer has been promised a vehicle price quote in exchange for submitting their personal contact information, do you respond with an email that provides the quote as promised by the online lead form?".

I have set up processes for many types of Internet Leads, not all of them require sending back price quotes, and I have found that as long as you NEVER quote a price on one single vehicle, and ALWAYS quote prices on multiple vehicles, including whatever you have that comes closest to what the customer asked for, that the ability to then get in direct contact with that same customer is greatly enhanced. Let's face it, we live in a world that requires us to get to the next step, with many steps required to get to a delivery. If we do not engage in direct CONVERSATIONAL information exchange with these online car shoppers, we are at very little risk of selling a car!

I believe the best answer to this lies within your market. Have you mystery shopped your competition? Do they submit price quotes? If they do quote, do they quote aggressively? With just MSRP prices or price ranges? Let your local market conditions drive your process to be as effective as it can be. If your competition does not even submit a price quote, why give away your gross with a very aggressive quote? On the other hand, if your competition quotes aggressively, do you lose these potential customers by not quoting at all, or quoting very high? I have learned that it is better to keep on top of your local market conditions and work with them, rather than to "swim upstream" against the market. Of note, if you do offer a price quote in return for a prospect's name and number, I would strongly support that you provide the quote as promised and respect the prospect's request. Nice input everyone! Kevin Frye/eCommerce Director/Jeff Wyler Automotive Family

No price quote = highest price.

Internet shoppers are going to ask the nearest 3-6 dealers for a price quote. They will then narrow their choices to the 2-3 dealers who gave them the lowest prices. If you didn't give them a price, they assume your price is the highest and you are out of the running.

Our older, veteran Sales Manager who still thinks selling cars today is the same process as it was in the 70s and 80s says "the job of the internet sales department is to get people in here for an appointment. You can't sell cars on the internet!"

He's dead wrong, and you are too if you're refusing the customer's request for a price quote.