Dealership sales funnel
A dealership sales funnel is the sequence of stages a buyer moves through from first enquiry to delivery, typically lead, qualified lead, showroom visit or test drive, booking, and retail, with the number of buyers shrinking at each step.
Dealership sales funnel in dealership marketing
Mapping the funnel makes it possible to see where buyers are lost. A dealership with plenty of leads but few test drives has a follow-up problem; one with plenty of test drives but few bookings has a closing or financing problem.
Automotive funnels differ from generic sales pipelines because the stages are physical: a test drive and a delivery are events that have to be scheduled, which is why an automotive CRM tracks them as distinct stages with their own reminders.
Related terms
- Leads & Sales
Lead qualification
Lead qualification is the process of checking whether an enquiry is worth a salesperson's time by confirming intent, budget, location, and timeline before it is worked as a sales opportunity.
Read definition - Leads & Sales
Test-drive conversion rate
Test-drive conversion rate is the percentage of test drives that end in a booking or sale, and it is one of the clearest indicators of how well a sales team closes once a buyer is physically engaged.
Read definition - Data & Systems
Automotive CRM
An automotive CRM is customer relationship management software built around the stages of a vehicle sale, tracking every lead from first enquiry through test drive, booking, and delivery, with follow-up reminders tied to each stage.
Read definition
Where it applies
AutoSutra services where dealership sales funnel comes into play.
Further reading
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