Let’s rip the Band-Aid off.
If you’ve ever muttered the words “These leads suck” while staring at your CRM with that dead-eyed thousand-yard stare—this one’s for you.
Every dealer’s heard it.
The sales team blames the BDC.
The BDC blames marketing.
And marketing? They blame you for not picking up the damn phone.
But here’s the real talk nobody’s saying out loud:
The leads probably aren’t bad. Your response time is.
But, Some Leads Are Garbage…
Sure. Some are. We’re not naive.
You’re always going to have some random “Billy Bob” filling out your lead form from a Yahoo email that hasn’t seen daylight since 2004. That’s just the internet being the internet.
But if you’re tossing every lead into the dumpster fire because your sales guy with a 7% closing rate couldn’t book an appointment?
Come on.
Let’s Do the Math (aka: Why Your Gut Feelings Don’t Count)
Take a batch of 120 fresh leads.
Here’s what you should expect if you’re running things halfway competently:
- 🔥 20 leads = complete trash. Throw ’em out. Fake info, spam, bots, your mom pretending to shop again.
- ✅ 100 unique, valid leads left (we call these UVLs).
Now let’s funnel that:
- 85% connect rate = 85 leads you actually reach.
- 50% appointment rate from those = 42 people scheduled.
- 50% show rate = 21 humans actually walk into your store.
- 25% close rate = you sell 5 cars.
Let that sink in.
5 cars sold from 100 valid leads.
That’s not bad. That’s math.
So what about the 95 who didn’t buy? Were they bad?
Or… did you just not move fast enough?
Spoiler: It’s Probably You.
We’ve been doing this a long time. And the single biggest reason dealerships miss sales isn’t lack of budget, or marketing, or even talent.
It’s speed.
Speed. Freaking. Matters.
Speed to Lead: Your New Religion
There’s a magic window when a lead is HOT. Like fresh-outta-the-oven, dripping-with-intent kind of hot.
That window is 60 seconds.
Yeah, we know. That sounds insane. But we analyzed hundreds of thousands of leads and the data screamed one thing:
If you contact a lead within the first 60 seconds, your chances of setting an appointment skyrocket.
- After 5 minutes? You’re already bleeding conversions.
- After 60 minutes? Might as well light that lead on fire.
- After 24 hours? You’re just leaving embarrassing voicemails no one’s listening to.
Fact: The longer you wait, the colder they get.
By the time you finally call them back, they’ve test driven your competitor’s car, bought a different model, and left you a 1-star review just for fun.
Why This Happens (And Why It’s Fixable)
People live in the Now Economy.
They want Amazon Prime speed, DoorDash convenience, and Uber-style response.
So when they click “Request Info” on your site, they want help now, not at the end of the business day when your internet manager gets back from lunch.
And here’s where it gets crazy: most leads aren’t just shopping your site.
They’re on five different dealer sites, hitting “Submit” like it’s a Vegas slot machine. The first store to respond wins.
🥇 Be first. Or be forgotten.
What You Can Do Today
No fluff. No BS. Just action:
1. Install a Speed-to-Lead Alarm System
Literally. Alerts, bells, airhorns—whatever it takes. When a lead comes in, someone jumps on it. Within 60 seconds.
2. Automate First Contact
Use tools to instantly send a text or ring your team the second a lead hits. “Hey, saw you were checking out that F-150. Wanna talk now or later today?”
3. Train Your Team to Be Human
Stop sounding like robots. Start listening, connecting, asking the right questions. Make leads feel HUGged—Heard, Understood, and Guided.
4. Track Your Funnel Like a Hawk
Know your numbers. Not feelings. If your connect rate is low, fix that. If your appointment-to-show is trash, fix that. Data beats drama.
Here’s the Bottom Line
Most dealers aren’t “suffering from bad leads.”
They’re suffering from bad systems.
Fix your speed, and you fix your conversion.
If your team can’t respond in under a minute? You’re not running a dealership. You’re running a voicemail service.
So the next time someone on your team says “The leads are bad”—look them straight in the eyes and ask:
“Or are we just too slow to catch the hot ones?”
Let’s Wrap This Like a Finance Manager at 4:59 PM
Speed to lead isn’t a “nice-to-have.”
It’s the lifeline between your marketing dollars and your monthly volume.
Respond faster, connect better, close more.
Simple? Yes.
Easy? Nope.
Worth it? Every damn time.
If you’re ready to stop making excuses and start making sales, come hang with us at BetterDealership.com.
We’ve got a free group where dealers talk real strategies—no fluff, no corporate buzzwords.
And if you’re ready to go deeper, hit us up at RichDealers.com. That’s where the heavy lifting happens.
Until then—
Stay classy. Move fast. Sell more.
– Travis & Jimmy
“Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.” – Henry Ford
Now go fix your funnel. 💪
Let me know if you want a shorter version, a LinkedIn-ready teaser, or a visual graphic version of the funnel stats to go with it.
