How Much Can a New Trade-In Tool Increase Dealer Leads? Three Lessons From a CDJR Store

• The store's prior trade tool converted nothing. After adding MOTO(acquire), it tripled the leads coming in and conversion skyrocketed.

• Adding a service acquisition tool meant the store immediately started buying cars out of its own service drive.

• Value tracking emails go to every guest, so customers keep learning what their vehicle is worth until they are ready to act.

• The common thread is selling more cars off traffic the store already has, not buying more traffic.

• A tripled lead count was this store's result, not a guarantee. Your result depends on how your current tool performs today.

Most dealers already have the traffic. Shoppers land on the website every day, customers sit in the service lane every morning, and plenty of them own a vehicle you would gladly buy. So how much can a new trade-in tool increase dealer leads when the tool you have now is not pulling its weight? In this video, Mike Crothers, CEO of MOTO(acquire), walks through the view from a CDJR dealership that made the switch, and the three things it loves about the result.

The store's own words set the tone: MOTO(acquire) changed how it does business. Here is what that looked like on the lot.

How much can a new trade-in tool increase dealer leads?

The first point is blunt. The store's prior trade tool converted nothing. After adding MOTO(acquire), the store tripled the amount of leads coming in, and conversion skyrocketed.

That is worth sitting with if you are thinking about switching trade-in tools at a CDJR dealership or any other franchise. A trade tool that sits on your site and produces nothing is not neutral. Every shopper who would have told you about their vehicle, and did not, is a trade you never got a shot at.

Be clear about what this is: tripled is this store's number, not a promise. Your trade-in tool lead conversion results depend on where you are starting, how your current tool is placed, and what happens after a shopper submits. If your current tool is already producing, the lift will look different than it does for a store whose tool was converting nothing.

Buying cars out of the service drive

Second, the store added the service acquisition tool and immediately started buying cars out of the service drive. These are customers who are already in your building, already trust your store, and often have equity they have never thought about.

This is the MOTO(drive) piece. It uses DMS data and automated texts to reach service customers, pushes VIN and miles to your inventory tools, and alerts the sales team when a customer is ready. MOTO(drive) stores consistently buy about 1% of their repair orders without dedicated service acquisition hires.

For a used car manager, that means sourcing inventory you are not bidding against the whole market for. For service drive acquisition results, the key is that it runs without adding headcount to chase every RO.

Value tracking emails that keep customers educated

Lastly, the store sends value tracking emails to all of its guests so they continually get educated on the value of their vehicle. Most customers are not ready to sell the day you first talk to them. Value tracking keeps your store in front of them until they are.

MOTO(retain) sends past sales and service customers their vehicle's value every month. Those value tracking emails have a 36% open rate and 99.5% deliverability, which matters when the whole point is that the customer actually sees the number. Website trade leads also get monthly value tracking through MOTO(convert), so a shopper who was not ready last month keeps hearing from you.

Where MOTO(convert) fits

The first lesson, the lead lift on the website, is the job of MOTO(convert). It is a website trade tool with instant valuations, firm offer requests, and monthly value tracking, and it includes the free buying power tool. The goal is simple: turn the website traffic you already have into trade conversations.

If you are comparing options, see our take on the best trade-in tool for dealerships and how to get more website trade-in leads. You can find more videos on this topic in the Website Trade-In Leads hub.

The close from the video says it best: if you want to sell more cars off of your existing traffic, sign up with MOTO(acquire).