Is the Service Drive a Good Lead Source? It's the Highest Closing Lead Source So Far in November for a CDJR Dealership
When November traffic goes soft, one CDJR store found its best closing leads were already sitting in the service lane. See what they did differently.
A dealer partner told Mike that MOTO(drive) is their highest closing lead source so far this month, even with November off to a soft start.
The front door slows in early November because of the midterms, Thanksgiving, and shoppers waiting on Black Friday, but service customers keep coming in to fix their vehicles.
Service customers who said yes to the text when they came in for service are converting and closing at about 15% so far, with a few deals still pending.
The CDJR store started about a month and a half ago and has no service acquisition team. They use their normal sales staff and it's working really well.
MOTO(drive) stores consistently buy about 1% of their repair orders without dedicated service acquisition hires.
Is the service drive a good lead source? A dealer partner told me yesterday that MOTO(drive) is their highest closing lead source so far this month. That matters more than usual right now, because November is getting off to a soft start for a lot of stores.
When the front door slows down, most managers reach for more ads or more incentives. This store looked at the side door instead: the customers who were already in the building to fix their vehicles.
Why the front door feels soft in November
A few things are working against you in the first half of the month. We just had the midterms, Thanksgiving is at the end of the month, and a lot of consumers are probably waiting for Black Friday sales.
Those shoppers also have other things they need to buy besides cars. So floor traffic can feel a little shaky until the month picks up.
The service drive doesn't follow that calendar. People still need their vehicles repaired and maintained, so those customers keep coming in whether the showroom is busy or not.
Is the service drive a good lead source when sales traffic slows?
Here's what this CDJR store is seeing. Among the service customers who said yes to the text when they came in for service, the conversion and close rate is about 15% so far this month.
That number isn't final. They have a few deals pending, so the close rate might actually jump pretty high before the month is over.
Think about why that works. These customers are already in your building, they already trust your store with their vehicle, and they said yes when you reached out. That's a very different conversation than chasing a cold lead.
Service drive acquisition without a buyer
The coolest part of this story: the store just started about a month and a half ago, and they do not have a service acquisition team. They're just using their normal sales staff, and it's working really, really well.
A lot of dealers assume service drive acquisition means hiring a dedicated buyer or building a new department before they see results. This store didn't. The outreach is automated, and the salespeople step in when a customer is ready to talk.
That lines up with what we see more broadly. MOTO(drive) stores consistently buy about 1% of their repair orders without dedicated service acquisition hires. For more on what that looks like at the revenue level, watch why October was our best new revenue month on record.
How MOTO(drive) fits, and what to do next
MOTO(drive) is service drive acquisition built on your DMS data and automated texts. It pushes VIN and miles to your inventory tools, and your sales team is alerted when a customer is ready.
That's why a store without a service acquisition team can run it. Your people don't have to work the lane all day. They respond when a customer has already said yes.
If you want to see how other dealers are approaching this, browse our service drive acquisition videos. You can also watch how a dealership bought a car within hours of going live.
So if your dealership is off to a soft start this November, or you want to start doing service drive acquisition, or you're already doing it and want to enhance it, automate it, and get a little more out of it, book some time with us. We'd be happy to show you what we do, talk about some dealers that are having success with it, and get you set up in a couple of weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Is the service drive a good lead source for acquiring vehicles?
For a lot of stores, yes. One CDJR dealer partner told Mike that MOTO(drive) was their highest closing lead source so far in November. Service customers are already in your building and already trust your store, which makes the conversation easier than a cold lead.
Do I need to hire a dedicated service drive buyer?
Not necessarily. The CDJR store in this video started about a month and a half ago with no service acquisition team, using only their normal sales staff. Across the board, MOTO(drive) stores consistently buy about 1% of their repair orders without dedicated service acquisition hires.
What close rate should I expect from service drive leads?
Results vary by store. In this example, service customers who said yes to the text were converting and closing at about 15% so far in the month, with a few deals still pending that could push that higher. Treat it as one store's early results, not a guarantee.
Does MOTO(drive) work 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 isn't one we already integrate with, we will build the integration.
How long does it take to get started with service drive acquisition?
Mike says MOTO(acquire) can typically get a dealership set up in a couple of weeks. The first step is booking time to see how MOTO(drive) works and talk through what other dealers are doing with it.
Find out what's sitting in your service drive
See how MOTO(drive) stores consistently buy about 1% of repair orders without adding a service buyer. Start with our service drive readiness questionnaire.
More on Service Drive Acquisition
Full transcript
A dealer partner told me yesterday that MOTO(drive) is their highest closing lead source so far this month. It's November and the month is getting off to a bit of a soft start. You've got Thanksgiving at the end of the month and we just had the midterms, so things are a little bit shaky here in the first half of the month.
And you probably have consumers waiting towards the end of the month for Black Friday sales, and they have other things that they need to purchase aside from cars. But when the front door is a little soft, the side door, the service drive, still has customers coming in to fix their vehicles. What a dealer partner at a CDJR store told me yesterday is that all the people who said yes to the text when they came in for service, their conversion and close rate on those is about 15% so far.
But they have a few deals pending, so that close rate might actually jump pretty high. The coolest part is this CDJR store just started about a month and a half ago and they do not have a service acquisition team. They're just using their normal sales staff and it's working really, really well. So if your dealership's off to a soft start for the month of November, or you want to start doing service drive acquisition, or you're already doing service drive acquisition and you want to enhance it, automate it, get a little more out of it, then go to motoacquire.com and book some time with us. We'd be happy to show you what we do, talk about some dealers that are having success with it, and then get you set up in a couple of weeks.