This information can be invaluable when trying to improve the overall conversion ratios, as well as for individual sales people focussing on working on their sales game.  Although this method relies on salespeople entering accurate information, if used correctly it does reveal important insights and if the recurring issues can be addressed it will have a measurable impact on bottom line. 
Previously users were required to drill down into individual leads in order to view the reason the lead was closed.  We’ve now made it much easier with the new Closed Lost Report just released.

The Closed Lost Report outlines the various reasons that users have selected when closing leads as lost.  These are displayed in a pie graph so it’s really easy to see the recurring themes. If we look at the graph above it shows that almost half of all lost leads are closed because they ‘Purchased Elsewhere’ or ‘Delayed Purchase Decision’.  In the case of ‘Delayed Purchase Decision’ these could be worth following up in a few months to see if the customer is now ready to buy.  To do so you can click on REFINE SEARCH and hit the EXPORT REPORT button.  This will allow you to download a report that outlines all of the Closed Lost leads for the period so you can isolate the ones closed with the reason ‘Delayed Purchase Decision’. 
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Below the graph you will find a table detailing by sales person the reasons they closed leads. This gives managers a quick understanding of how their team is handling leads, and enables them to identify potential areas for additional training.

The Closed Lost Report is available via the Select Report screen in the Reporting section of the Sales Pipeline in iOS, and Reporting.autoplay.co.nz.  If you see value in this report and believe you will use it often, we can add it as a shortcut on the Reporting Dashboard.  Remember that reporting runs best when there is no more than 6 graphs on your Dashboard so let us know which ones you want to include at support@autoplay.co.nz and we’ll set this up.

Live Leads has long been one of AutoPlay’s most popular products and an extremely efficient way to re-prospect anyone who has enquired with your dealership.  In the past AutoPlay have sent the email on behalf of dealerships – but did you know that you can send Live Leads yourself in just a few clicks.

AutoPlay have a policy of sending one Live Leads for each dealership each month.  We send this to whomever the dealership requests, however this is typically anyone who has enquired at the dealership but remains an Open lead in the Sales Pipeline.

However it is possible to get a lot more targeted with your approach.  You can choose to select only leads that have reached a particular Progress item – this allows dealerships to choose to send a different message to those that have made it to Test Drive stage, as opposed to those that have never got behind the wheel (and are thus further away from a purchase decision).  You could also choose to send the email to people who enquired upon specific types of vehicles, or through a particular lead campaign or source.  As you are not restricted to one message you have complete freedom with how targeted you choose to be.
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To extract the database to send to just click on Sales Pipeline and then hit the REPORT button when in the Desktop.  You can then choose to run the Lead Audit or Lead Progress Reports in order to get an Excel file emailed to you with all the leads loaded to the AutoPlay Sales Pipeline over the period of the report.

When you have finished narrowing down your spreadsheet you can upload the database to a group.  To do so just click on CONTACT GROUPS add a New Item, give it a name and click on IMPORT CONTACTS to upload your database.  Please note this must be uploaded in a specific CSV format.  If you have not done this before then contact support@autoplay.co.nz and we will send you the format and walk you through the process. (Note we will be making this easier in 2016 – watch this space!)
To send a Live Leads email click on EMAIL CAMPAIGNS and choose the Live Leads/Monthly Specials Template (if you cannot see a template like this contact AutoPlay and we will set one up for you).  You can then enter a subject line as well as a short message. 

Once you click on SAVE a window will appear for you to select the vehicles you wish to include in the Live Leads email.  Simply tick the appropriate vehicles and hit save.  Depending on your message you may want to choose either specific types of vehicles or a range of vehicles at different price points or types.

Once you are happy with the email simply choose the database you wish to send to using the CONTACT GROUPS drop down.  You can then either hit TEST EMAIL to send an example to your own email, or click SEND EMAIL if you are ready to go.

Remember that Live Leads really come into their own when they are followed up.  Make sure to read the How To Guide on the link below to learn how to view the stats showing who opened the email and viewed it.  With this information at your disposal you can follow up with only the most active prospects via individual emails or phone calls.
http://support.autoplay.co.nz/customer/en/portal/articles/1857680-how-to-view-email-campaign-stats
To find out more about Live Leads or if you need help please contact us onsupport@autoplay.co.nz

Given it’s a new year, we thought it would be the perfect time to remind everyone about the ability to add KPI Targets for Leads, Test Drives and Sales.  You can set targets up at the Dealership, Yard or Salesperson level.  You can also set up Monthly Costs for Lead Campaigns and Lead Sources which will help you calculate the cost of each lead the dealership receives.

For each of the 3 tiers you can also set up 3 different types of targets;

• Leads 
• Test Drives
• Sales

To set these targets up firstly select the KPI Type (Leads, Test Drives, Sales) using the drop down.  Then select NEW ITEM.  Then simply enter the number you want to be the Monthly Target.  If you are loading targets for individual salespeople there will be an extra drop down to choose the Salesperson you wish to set up a target for.  Please note that the salesperson must already be set up as a user in AutoPlay.

Targets will vary from dealership to dealership so set them up at the level you require.  However a good rule of thumb is for every 100 Leads you should have 40 Test Drives and 20 Sales.  This is based on Deloitte’s research that shows conversion to Test Drive is roughly 40% and conversion to Sale is approximately 20% for the average dealership.  At AutoPlay we also see these ratios borne out in our own conversion figures across dealerships that use the Sales Pipeline – with the majority of dealers achieving 15%-25% Sales conversion and 40%-50% Test Drive conversion.

Once you have set up the targets they will be visible on the DAILY ACTIVITY PERFORMANCE REPORT in reporting.autoplay.co.nz.  Be aware that not every variable will have a target visible – for example if you run the report by Make or Model the target line will disappear.
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If you view the report by default as a Manager it will show you the target line that was entered at the Dealership level.  If no target was entered at the Dealership level but you have set up Salesperson targets it will sum these to give you a total dealership target line.  To view the target lines for individual Salespeople you need to click on Refine Search and drill down to a specific person.

To help you make better marketing decisions you can now load monthly costs against your Lead Campaigns.  To do so just click on LEAD CAMPAIGNS then click on the Campaign you wish to set up a monthly cost for.  Then simply type in a number for the dollar amount that you spent on the campaign each month.

Entering a monthly charge will then enable a Cost Per Lead to be calculated and displayed in the Marketing ROI Report.  To read more about this view - http://autoplay.co.nz/PlayBook/post/2016/01/11/test.aspx 

Monthly costs can also be set up for your Lead Sources i.e Trade Me, AutoTrader, Newspaper etc.  To set up a new Monthly Cost for your Lead Sources click on ADMIN then LEAD SOURCES, then click on the Source to open and enter a monthly cost in the field provided.
 
If you are having trouble setting up your targets or have any questions about the process please get in touch with us on support@autoplay.co.nz.

In late 2015 we launched our built in Business Card Scanner which allows users to scan business cards when loading a new lead.  This can make loading leads even easier and faster as it will populate all the customers name and contact details automatically - meaning less typing which can only be a win!

Our business card scanner uses ABBY which is a great plug-in tool that allows us to scan business cards without having to built the tech ourselves.  It's accurate and fast so it takes the hassle out of loading leads.  To find out more about ABBY visit www.OCRSDK.com

​The Business Card Scanner is set up on a client by client basis so if you are interested in taking advantage of this feature please contact support@autoplay.co.nz

We’ve made a number of improvements to make the Marketing ROI Report more useful;

• You can now view ALL campaigns by default instead of having to run each report manually.  The graph will default to show the Top 5 Campaigns by the number of Leads generated.
• If you have entered a Monthly Cost for your Lead Campaigns the report will calculate a Cost Per Lead and display at the end of the bar (CPL = Leads for Campaign/Monthly Cost for Campaign).