Whenever I make a major purchase these days, I always seek out lead generation websites that will sell my information to companies that want to sell me stuff. I'm always keenly aware of my experience as a user on their websites. I've visited Lending Tree to shop for a mortgage, Service Magic to remodel a room in my house, and a site I can't remember to shop for moving companies before relocating to California. Most recently, I visited several car shopping sites to get competitive price quotes from local car dealerships. I visited AutoBytel, Vehix and AutoTrader.
My information went out to 10 or more dealers in the Bay area. Here was my buying process:
- Visited content rich websites to take tours, compare and contrast different brands and models.
- Selected a subset of those cars to test drive.
- Visited forums to see what prices and deals other consumers had found in their areas.
- Visited three lead gen websites that sent my information to local dealers.
Most dealers called me and emailed me within 24 hours. One responded over a week later. I didn't answer the phone at first. I did, however, listen to every voicemail and read every email to start my selection process. Here's what I looked for:
- Did they leave a professional voicemail and clearly explain their value proposition?
- Did they send a well written email response that addressed my request and provided the information I was looking for?
- Did they give me pricing and availability?
The calls continued to pour in, but I only called back a few. I clarified my needs over the phone and email and asked each to respond with their best pricing, including itemized pricing for any optional features. I lost several dealerships at this point. Some continued to respond to my email, but never addressed my needs. They simply sent out canned responses and continued to make follow up calls. Others just stopped communicating after a week or two.
In the end, I had two similar products from two competing dealers to choose from. Both were priced within $100. Both had the product available to purchase. My decision came down to the salesperson I liked best. The salesperson I selected wasn't the closest in proximity, but I'd rather drive 20 minutes further to see her because I trusted her and knew I'd get great service. Of the 10 dealers, I probably responded to only seven. Of those, I decided between two.
I'm sure some dealers thought I was a "bad lead", but in reality, they all had a shot at my business and I did end up making a purchase. I may not have spoken with each, but I carefully evaluated every communication.
Selling health insurance over the internet isn't much different than selling cars. Like you, the car dealers all have products that their competitors represent and it may be challenging to differentiate themselves. In the end, your demeanor, your communications and your ongoing attention to the customer's needs may win over the sale. If price, benefits, features and product availability are all equal, what do you have that sets you apart? Answering that question may be the key to stealing more sales away from the competition.