8:11 am, October 29, 2008
MANUFACTURERS are missing out on leads they picked up at the British International Motor Show.
Mondial Assistance has found that, despite the many millions makers spent on their stands, most have failed to follow up leads successfully.
Manufacturers and representatives fronting stands at the Motor Show were mystery shopped and rated on a variation of attributes crucial to customer needs, from the initial walk on to the stand, through to offering test drives and maintaining contact with prospects after the show.
‘Some manufacturers took up to 2 months to follow-up our leads and surprisingly, many failed completely to provide a brochure or call after the initial sales conversation,” confirmed Becky Green, CRM business development manager at Mondial Assistance.
‘In the current economic climate, it is essential that customer communication is both timely and correct. The number of customers for every manufacturer is reducing, so it is essential that customers expressing an interest in products are dealt with efficiently and professionally to make them feel that their custom is both wanted and valued.
‘Over 500,000 people attend the Motor Show… sadly, it would appear that for many manufacturers the Motor Show did little to maximise their return on investment. With the current climate likely to continue into 2009, the industry might need to rethink their strategies to embrace every opportunity to converge potential leads into sales.’
Frustrating? You bet. Those leads could provide really important in helping dealerships through the current slowdown. Here’s hoping makers sit up and take notice of Mondial’s analysis, and start chasing them up…
