The One Change That Tripled Their Trade-In Leads: A Mobile-Friendly Trade-In Tool

• A dealership compared its last 90 days on its previous trade-in tool with its first 90 days on MOTO(acquire)'s trade-in tool. It tripled trade-in leads and doubled its conversion rate.

• They got those results without increasing marketing spend. The change was a better trade-in experience for customers on the website.

• Their previous tool was old, outdated, and rigid, and it was hard to use on a phone.

• Mike points out that the phone is where 70 to 80% of your customers land on your dealership website, so the mobile trade-in experience is where leads are won or lost.

• Mike's challenge to dealers: ask yourself how much more money tripled trade-in leads would make your dealership over 90 days.

Most dealers spend real money driving shoppers to their website, then hand those shoppers a trade-in tool that fights them on a phone. So does a mobile-friendly trade-in tool increase dealer leads? Mike Crothers, CEO of MOTO(acquire), was standing in a dealership that had just answered that question with its own numbers.

The store pulled every trade-in lead from the last 90 days on its previous trade-in tool and compared it to the first 90 days on MOTO(acquire)'s trade-in tool. The result: they tripled their trade-in leads and doubled their conversion rate, without increasing their marketing spend.

Does a mobile-friendly trade-in tool increase dealer leads?

For this store, it did. They didn't buy more traffic or run a new campaign. What changed was the experience a customer had when they tried to value their trade on the website.

Mike's explanation is straightforward: they understood they needed a better experience for their customers on their website. They were using what he calls an "old, outdated, rigid trade-in tool that was hard to use on the phone." And the phone is where it counts. As Mike puts it, the mobile phone is where 70 to 80% of your customers are landing on your website.

If the trade-in tool works fine on a desktop in the sales office but frustrates someone on their couch with a phone in one hand, most of your shoppers are getting the frustrating version.

Why an outdated trade-in tool quietly costs you trades

The problem with a clunky trade-in tool is that you never see what it costs you. A customer who gives up halfway through the form never becomes a lead. It doesn't show up as a lost deal in your CRM. It just looks like a website that doesn't produce many trades.

The quickest test is to pull up your own trade-in tool on your phone and go through it like a customer would. Ask yourself:

• Can someone get through it with their thumb, without pinching and zooming?

• How many screens do they have to get through before they see a value?

• Do the dropdowns and fields work cleanly on a small screen, or do they fight you?

• When a lead comes in, does your used car manager have what they need to follow up?

If you got annoyed doing it, your customers did too. Most of them just left instead of calling you about it.

What would tripling your trade-in leads be worth over 90 days?

Mike's challenge to dealers is simple: ask yourself right now, how much more money would that make your dealership over 90 days?

Run it with your own numbers. Take your trade-in leads from the last 90 days. Imagine that number tripled. Then think about what happens to your close rate on those leads if it improves the way it did for this store. Every one of those trades is a used car you're buying from your own market, plus a chance at the next vehicle sale.

The part worth underlining is that none of this came from a bigger marketing budget. Same spend, better experience, more trades.

Where MOTO(convert) fits

MOTO(convert) is MOTO(acquire)'s website trade tool. It gives customers instant valuations and firm offer requests, plus monthly value tracking so the conversation doesn't end after the first visit. It also includes the free buying power tool. Hundreds of dealers use MOTO(acquire) to acquire used vehicles from their own customers.

If you're weighing your options, these pages go deeper: how to get more website trade-in leads, what to look for in the best trade-in tool for dealerships, and the full Website Trade-In Leads topic hub.

As Mike says, this is a small change. If you want to make it, we'll show you exactly how it would work on your website.