Texting Prospects in Auto Sales

One of the biggest challenges faced by salespeople is getting on the radar of a prospect. The biggest challenge is likely staying on their radar. Fortunately, in an age where the average American checks their phones 90 or more times per day, text messaging sales prospects can significantly help you overcome those challenges. But text messaging also comes with significant downside if you are not thoughtful and responsible about it. This playbook is designed to help you come out on the right side of that equation.

Quick Links

• The Good & Bad of Text Message Selling
  • Responsible & Effective Use
  • Compliance
  • Challenges & Drawbacks
• Best Practices
  • Objective of Text Messaging
  • Unique Form of Professionalism
  • Length & Cadence
  • Frequency
  • Call to Action
  • Be Thoughtful
  • Think About the Preview
  • Timing
• How Can We Help?

The Good & Bad of Text Message Selling

Responsible & Effective Use

Engagement Potential

Text messaging has among the highest potential for customer engagement. Most Americans check their phone every 10 minutes. Text messages have a nearly 100% open rate (in sharp contrast to a 15-25% open rate for emails), and usually they are opened within 3 to 5 minutes of delivery (compared to a few days for emails).

Drive Up Close Rates

This potential for high engagement can be a boon to close rates. A study from Velocify found that close rates can increase by more than 100% if you text message a prospect after initial contact is made via the phone.

The Importance of Responsible Use

Texting is the most private and intimate form of communication. Texts go directly to your phone and you're likely to see the delivery and the message in a matter of seconds or minutes whether you want to or not. The ability to avoid the constraints of emails (which need to be logged into), phone calls (which need to be answered), voicemails (which need to be checked) and chat (which are prospect initiated) is what makes people protect their text inbox and is why you need to be so thoughtful.

This desire for privacy likely explains the other observation of the Velocify study, which found that close rates actually decreases if you text a prospect prior to making contact on the phone.

General Rule

Do not send texts to prospects with whom you have not already interacted. Not only is this irresponsible but it's not productive.

Compliance

This playbook assumes, and you should make 100% certain, that you are in compliance with the laws and regulations governing texting your leads, prospects, and customers. We recommend working with a compliance consultant to ensure everything and everyone is compliant. According to consultants we've spoken with, the risk and magnitude of fines is considerable.¹

Challenges & Drawbacks

We spent time outlining the engagement potential for texting. However, there are some drawbacks:

• Unlike on the phone or in person, the prospect can just ignore you.
• You cannot read the tone of voice of the prospect or see the prospect's body language, which reduces your ability to identify and overcome objections.
• If they do not respond to your text within 2 or 3 hours, they are unlikely to engage later. Unlike email, they cannot mark your text "unread" in order to revisit it at a more convenient time. And after a few hours, your read message is likely pushed beneath 3-5 other messages from people that the prospect actually knows and cares about.

Best Practices

Objective of Text Messaging

The objective of texting is to advance the ball to the next interaction and, in the process, build a trusting relationship across multiple touch-points and multiple communication channels. 

Certain topics can be effectively communicated via text. Other topics are better suited for phone, email, or appointments.

Go For It

• Thank you messages
• Virtual tour of a vehicle- We have a Playbook for this too!
• Confirm appointment
• Check availability for appointment
• Send picture for their reference
• Update them on a question they asked

Avoid

• Negotiating
• Discussing price or financing
• Checking if they're still interested
• Letting them know that you emailed or called them
• Hard closing
• Being too sales-oriented (i.e., talking about features, telling them about the new hot deal)
• Sensitive or complex topics
• Cold prospecting or drip campaigning

Hi Molly, thanks for coming in today. I spoke with my service manager about your question. Do you have time at 2:45 pm today for me to walk you through the options?

For All Texts

Avoid length of more than 9 lines (or about 50 words). This is likely to make someone think, "I'll read this later", but chances are high that they will not actually go back and read it.

Avoid short, choppy text messages. When the prospect checks their phone, it's unlikely they'll be pleased to see 7 unread texts from a sales person. It's a form of digital clutter.