A lead is only the starting point of a dialogue!

What do you do with your thank-you page and autoresponder?

I’ve been working with online leads for over twenty years. They come in all types: first-, second-, and third-line leads, active and even passive ones, and of course, online or by phone. Honestly, not much has changed over the years. The customer searches for information, doesn’t find it, and takes action. That moment is the starting point of a dialogue!

Thank-you page

But how do you, as a car dealer, respond to that? How do you thank this potential customer? Do you show a nice thank-you page that makes it clear you’re truly happy with this opportunity to start a dialogue? Or is the thank-you page only there to capture the conversion for Google Analytics? Thank-you pages come in all shapes and sizes. And as you’ll see below, some are rather hopeless when it comes to customer experience and appreciation.

Email content

Does the potential customer receive an email, an autoresponder with a thank-you from the dealership, as a first step in the dialogue? Or is it just a dry message, without flair or inspiration, simply confirming the data the customer just submitted? See the example below:

Why is the first contact important?

When a customer asks a question via your website, it actually means: your website failed to answer something. That first step in the dialogue is crucial. It should lead to an appointment, and ultimately a sale. So as a dealership, you should be thrilled with that contact!

Imagine: a customer requests info about a stock vehicle that’s been sitting for 365 days. What does the thank-you page look like? And the email the customer receives? Can you upgrade or improve it so that the customer feels more inclined to engage with your salesperson?

New research

In the study we’re currently conducting on thank-you pages and autoresponders, we’ve come across examples where we submit a lead as a woman, but the autoresponder replies with “Dear Sir/Madam.” (see above) For someone who’s sensitive to that, you’ve already lost the match before it’s begun. After all, this is your first step in the dialogue, and that first impression is a flop.

Without going into the results of the study just yet, I can already say this: in 2025, there’s still a lot of hygiene work to be done to succeed online. And some adjustments are incredibly simple!
Many marketing and sales managers are looking for a ‘silver bullet’ to boost conversion, but often it’s in the little things.

Don’t just send an email when a request comes in—also send a text message or WhatsApp. Let the customer decide how they want to respond. Better yet: call immediately, though that can be tricky on a Sunday, for example.

I hope I’ve sparked your curiosity about the results of the study. You’ll read more next week when the full article is published.