How to follow up on car shipping quotes

Reply while the request is fresh

The first reply should go out while the shipper is still comparing. Confirm the car, the route and when they want it picked up, and ask the one question you still need, such as whether the vehicle runs.

Send the quote in writing

Put the quote in a text and an email: the route, the vehicle, the price and the pickup window. A written quote is easy to forward to a spouse or a boss, and it gives every later follow-up something to point back to.

In Leader CRMSending a quote sends the quote text and email from the salesperson's own line and inbox. A quote text that would land at night waits for the customer's morning. See the quote page

Follow up morning and evening for a week

A short morning touch and a short evening touch, for about seven days, keep you in front of the shipper while they decide. Each message should be about their shipment, not a generic "just checking in": the car, the route, the date, one question.

Pick send times your customers can live with. A text at 7 AM on the West Coast is not a good first impression.

In Leader CRMEach salesperson sets a 7-day plan with a morning and an evening touch, an SMS and an email template for each, at hours they choose. See automated follow-ups

Stop the schedule the moment they answer

When the shipper writes back, the automatic messages have done their job. From that point a person should answer. An automatic text landing on top of a live conversation reads as if nobody is listening.

If they say STOP, stop

A STOP reply ends every automatic text to that number, for good. Use email if they asked for it, and otherwise let them go. Texting opted-out numbers can cost you the phone line, and the next customer never sees your quote.

Switch to email when texts fail

Some numbers will not take texts: landlines, numbers the carrier refuses, typos. Keep following up by email instead of sending texts into nothing.

Call with their last message in front of you

Before you call, read what they last wrote. "You said you are flexible on the date, so I can get you a carrier for Thursday" lands better than "did you get my quote?"

In Leader CRMThe dialer queue shows each customer's last text next to their name. See the auto dialer

When they go quiet, slow down

After a shipper stops answering, space the follow-ups out: a few hours, then a couple of days, then a few more. Keep them short and inside daytime hours in the customer's time. Never follow up after a clear no.

In Leader CRMThe AI sales responder follows up when a customer goes quiet: 3 hours later, 2 days after that, 4 days after that, only 10 AM to 7 PM their time, never after a no or a STOP. See the AI sales responder