Basic Sales Tools for Operators

Your limo business can benefit from a few basic sales tools. If you use these, you’ll close more sales. Whether you’re currently spending $100 or $10,000/month, that money will be more efficiently spent if you are actively converting leads.

There are several ways you’re probably filling your customer pipeline. You may be getting leads from:

• Phone calls
• Landing page forms
• Website forms
• PPC ads

However they’re coming, there are simple steps you can take to get better results. Better yet, they’re all FREE! Let’s dive in.

Best-Kept Secret: Tool for Email Marketing

A lot of CRM or email marketing software systems are complex, have a ton of automation and aren’t essential. As you grow, you may have someone convince you that you need to buy into SalesForce, InfusionSoft or another email marketing system. The good news is, there are other ways to manage your incoming emails.

Here’s the best-kept secret we use for smaller operators: Google Sheets.

Yep. That’s it. Don’t know what it is? Google it.

Google Sheet is just like Microsoft Excel except that it’s browser-based. There are a ton of pros to keeping track of leads this way:

• Mobile-friendly: you can download the app on your iPhone or Android. 
• Easy save: any modifications you make are kept in real time.
• Multi-user: add as many editors as you want, so multiple people can maintain the doc.

You can use each row and column, categorized correctly, to keep track of the most important things.

New Leads: What to Track

There are a few items that you need to be keeping track of as you cultivate new leads. You’ll create the columns and rows in your Google Sheet and label them in a way that makes sense to your team. If you’re just starting out, here’s what I suggest you always track:

1. Track every job you quote

• • Hours
  • Guests
  • Pick-up
  • Destination

PRO TIP: I get that it’s hard to sustain getting back to people right away. If you’re not using a tool like Zapier, a lot of this occurs in a manual process. Zapier works with Google Sheets. This is a hugely time-saving investment. There are very inexpensive plans and it can save you a ton of time.

2. What time did the lead come in?

• • Note the time a lead came into your system.

3. What time did you contact the lead?

• • • Call, text or email right away and note what time you made that contact

For points two and three, remember: what gets measured gets improved. Even if it takes you a couple of hours to note it, you must know how long it takes for you to get back with clients. After you’ve quoted 20, 30, 50 prospects, you’ll see a clear trend. You will close at a higher rate if you have quicker response times.

If you keep track of the average follow-up time on your Google Sheet, this metric will be available to you and your entire team. 

Managing Your Lead Gen Processes

Like anything new, you have to make this a habit. You may feel that you absolutely don’t have time to keep track of everything.

First, if you don’t have time: buy time. You can use Zapier or other automation processes that, for a minimal cost, will make these important steps way more efficient. 

Second, remember that at the end of the day the most important thing you do is get new sales. I see operators asking about new marketing strategies: chat bots, funnels, landing pages. Those help. But most typically, it’s like this: you’re trying to lose weight but you eat cake every day. So, you buy fancy new running shoes. We all know that’s not really how it works. Ultimately, you have to change your behavior, add new behavior, adjust your norms. These are the things that get results.

In the same way, managing your lead gen processes is a daily task that has payoffs. Even if you don’t see the needle move right away, you will see results soon. I’ve built hundreds of campaigns. I’ve seen dozens of clients have a ton of success. There are patterns. One of those observable patterns for companies who struggle is that it takes a long time to follow-up.

If you want to close more leads, organize your world in a way that streamlines all of your processes.

Surefire Lead Management Strategies

So, the best-kept secret is Google Sheets. The automation you need can be found with Zapier. The processes—and pavement-pounding—is up to you.

Here are some reminders.

• Don’t forget to text. Having a texting strategy is essential to good follow-up. You need to have a plan. 
• Set up systems. Your follow-up shouldn’t just depend on remembering to touch people multiple times. 
• Text, but leave a number. Your succession of getting back with incoming leads should include texting and calling. In a text, leave the phone number you’re going to call from.
• Promise more contact. Be specific and tell them how to expect to hear from you next.

Every single quote matters. Every single lead has the potential to be a loyal, repeat customer. If you track it, you will do it. The more you track, the more sales you will get.

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