Michigan With RussFlipsWhips: 2 Things I Liked, 1 I Didn't, and an Instant Cash Offer Tool Alternative
A road trip to Michigan turned into a clear answer for any GM asking whether switching website trade tools actually changes how many deals you close.
A Toyota store in Michigan switched from an instant cash offer tool to MOTO(acquire) and has been on the trade-in tool for several months.
The GM reports closing about five deals a week from the trade-in tool, roughly a deal a day.
With the previous tool, the same store got eight to ten leads per month and closed zero of them.
When comparing trade tools, judge them on cars bought and deals closed, not just lead count.
MOTO(convert) combines instant valuations and firm offer requests in one flow, with monthly value tracking.
Most used car managers I talk to have the same complaint about their website trade tool: it collects a few leads, and nobody can point to the cars it actually bought. If you are looking at instant cash offer tool alternatives for dealers, the question is not which tool shows the flashiest number. It is which one turns website visitors into appraisals, and appraisals into deals.
I just got back from a trip to Michigan with Russ from RussFlipsWhips. Two things went great, one thing I could have done without, and one of the good parts answered that question pretty clearly.
What I liked about the Michigan trip
First, we spent quality time with the team at Shift Digital. They have been a MOTO(acquire) partner for the last year or so, and it was fun to watch them see Russ present. Not everyone knew who Russ was. He is an electric presenter, though he will tell you he is just loud.
Second, after the Shift meeting we visited a dealer group we have worked with for a long time, and spent time at one of their stores, a Toyota store in Michigan. That visit is the part every GM should hear about.
And the one thing I didn't like
After dinner with some dealers, we drove four and a half hours back to Chicago because Russ likes to get everything done in one fell swoop. We got in at midnight and I was up at five. No complaints, honestly. It was a good trip.
What happens when a dealer switches from an instant cash offer tool?
That Toyota store switched to MOTO(acquire) from an instant cash offer tool. They use our trade-in tool now, and they have been on it for several months.
The GM told me they are closing about five deals a week from the trade-in tool. That is about a deal a day. With their previous trade-in tool, they were getting eight to ten leads per month in total and closing zero of them.
That is a pretty strong ROI, and he was really happy. It also shows what is at stake when you are switching from a firm offer tool: the goal is not more form fills, it is more cars bought and more deals closed off your website.
Firm offer vs valuation tool: what to actually compare
When you put a firm offer vs valuation tool side by side, skip the feature checklist and ask the questions that matter in the store:
How many trade leads does it generate each month from the website traffic you already have?
How many of those leads turn into appraisals with your team?
How many of them close as a deal?
Does the shopper keep hearing from you after they leave the site?
Those are the numbers the GM at that Toyota store was looking at. Lead count alone would not have told him much.
Instant cash offer tool alternatives for dealers: where MOTO(convert) fits
MOTO(convert) is the website trade tool that store uses. It gives shoppers instant valuations and firm offer requests in one flow, plus monthly value tracking, and it includes the free buying power tool.
It also connects to the rest of what we do. MOTO(retain) sends past sales and service customers their vehicle's value every month, and those emails have a 36% open rate and 99.5% deliverability. MOTO(drive) handles service drive acquisition using DMS data and automated texts, and MOTO(drive) stores consistently buy about 1% of their repair orders without dedicated service acquisition hires. If you have people posting on social the way Russ does, MOTO(social) gives each of them their own link, with leads attributed in the CRM.
If you want to dig into this category further, we keep more videos on firm offer tools and alternatives in one place.
So if you want to squeeze more trade leads out of your website, buy cars out of service without irritating your customers, retain customers with value tracking emails, or convert the viewers and followers your team builds on social, reach out at motoacquire.com and book some time with us. And shout out to Shift Digital for giving us a shot. We are looking forward to helping more dealers together.
Frequently asked questions
What should dealers look for in instant cash offer tool alternatives?
Look at what the tool produces in the store, not just on the website. Track leads per month, how many become appraisals, and how many close as deals. The Toyota store in this video judged its switch on closed deals, and that is the right scoreboard.
How do I get more trade-in leads from my website?
Start with a trade tool that gives shoppers an instant valuation and a path to request a firm offer in the same flow. Then keep following up after they leave the site. MOTO(convert) handles both with instant valuations, firm offer requests, and monthly value tracking.
If I am switching from a firm offer tool, do I lose the ability to give firm offers?
No. MOTO(convert) includes firm offer requests alongside instant valuations, so shoppers who want a firm number can still ask for one. Your team keeps control of the appraisal and the conversation with the customer.
What is the best trade-in tool for dealerships?
The best one is the tool that closes deals at your store. In Mike's example, a Toyota store went from closing zero website trade leads with its previous tool to about a deal a day with MOTO(acquire). Measure any tool you consider the same way.
Does MOTO(acquire) integrate with my DMS?
MOTO(acquire) integrates with all major DMS platforms and many others, including Tekion, Dealertrack, CDK, Reynolds, and Auto/Mate. If your DMS is not one we integrate with yet, we will build the integration.
See how many trades your website is missing
Get a walkthrough of MOTO(convert) on your own site, with instant valuations and firm offer requests in one flow. Ask for a Dealer Website Trade-In Audit.
More on Firm Offer Tools and Alternatives
Full transcript
Here's two things I liked about traveling to Michigan with RussFlipsWhips, and one thing I didn't really like so much. Number one, we got to spend some quality time with the people at Shift Digital. They've been a partner of MOTO(acquire) for the last year or so. It's been really fun working with them. It was great to see them see Russ present.
I'm not sure that everyone knew who Russ was. Russ is a pretty electric presenter, so we had a great time visiting with the team at Shift Digital. And don't confuse me yelling for being electric. Mike thinks I'm electric. I just think I'm loud. Second thing is we got to spend some time at a dealer group of ours that we've been working with for a long time.
One of their stores, a Toyota store in Michigan, we got to spend some quality time with after our Shift meeting. That store switched to MOTO(acquire) from an instant cash offer tool. They use our trade-in tool now, and they've been on it for several months. The GM there yesterday was telling me that they're closing about five deals a week, about a deal a day, from the trade-in tool.
And with their previous trade-in tool, they would get eight to ten leads per month entirely and close zero of them. So pretty strong ROI for him. And he was really, really happy. Great seeing him. It's a Toyota store. They're part of a larger dealer group. The thing I didn't really like was we're back in Chicago this morning. It is just about 7 a.m. and we drove four and a half hours after having a dinner with some dealers to make it back, because Russ just loves to get everything done in one fell swoop.
So here we are. It's like a parlay. You know what I mean? We're just riding the wave. So we got back after driving four and a half hours at midnight, woke up at five, but no complaints here. It's pretty fun. So if you're a dealer who wants to get more trade leads from your website, you want to squeeze more juice out of that, you want to get cars out of service and buy them from your customers without irritating them, you want to retain your customers with value tracking emails, or if you're doing some RussFlipsWhips stuff and you've got people posting on social and you want to convert those viewers and followers, then hit up MOTO(acquire). motoacquire.com.
Reach out to us or book some time with us right there. Russ, anything to say? Yeah. It's been interesting to see all that hard work, nothing for nothing. And shout out to Shift Digital for giving us a shot. We're looking forward to growing within that as well and helping more dealers. And you had some fun times with Dane at the dealer group yesterday too.
Shout out to Dane. If he trained me on how to sell cars, I think I'd be twice as good as I was. It's legit. All right. That's it.
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