You probably know them: Facebook leads. You call them and, surprisingly, a remarkable number of leads claim they never requested anything at all. Nothing whatsoever. Even if you build forms where people really have to fill something in themselves, the DNA of a Facebook lead remains an enigma. Conversion rates of 0.8% to just 3% are not unusual among dealers and importers. Yet there is one dealer who is very successful with Facebook leads, and fortunately they do this together with us, CARMEN Automotive BDC. Of the last 10,000 Facebook leads, more than 20% became a qualified lead the salesperson could actually work with!
Facebook leads are cheap — dirt cheap compared to any other type of lead in online automotive. Whereas with ViaBOVAG, for example, you pay over €25 per lead and get the value back for it, campaigns on Google can cost up to €75 per lead, without any guarantee of success.

In other words, you still have to follow up, make contact, set an appointment and sell. And then the conversion needs to be at least 13% to achieve a decent ROI.

Facebook leads

With well-configured campaigns, Facebook leads can often be obtained for less than €5 per lead. I’ve run enough campaigns, including with Wilbert Phillipo, to have a good grasp of this. The only problem is that the quality is low, very low. Because of the low conversion rate, the cost per sale ends up being virtually the same as that of other leads, but with far more work for the salesperson as a result. And even more dangerous: it wrecks the salesperson’s mindset. Following up on leads then really does stop being enjoyable… with the result that even the good leads are no longer followed up properly. Double damage, in other words.

Of the last 10,000 Facebook leads, more than 20% became a qualified lead the salesperson could actually work with!

The right people

At Carmen Automotive BDC, we are set up precisely to handle these kinds of leads at scale too. Our trained agents get 75 to 100 leads per day in the mix: passive leads, active leads and Facebook leads as well. On average, with a well-configured Facebook campaign, we get 25% of the Facebook leads to make an appointment: in person, online or by phone. At that point it’s suddenly no longer a Facebook lead, but a qualified, spoken-to online lead with a clear need.

And they’re still cheap… After all, because the starting point, the purchase of the lead, is relatively cheap, the extra costs and/or investment in our service, on top of the cost per lead, are still comfortably lower than any other type of lead. On top of that, you don’t have to wear out your salespeople with that one active online lead which I say you should specifically NOT send to the salesperson… whereas every other active online lead you definitely should!
So, if you need an extra push to sell new cars, why not start a campaign on Facebook, for example through Wilbert Philipo. Let us follow up on all the leads, so that afterwards you receive the qualified leads that genuinely want something. What’s more, you give your salespeople a real chance and keep them motivated. And that’s a double win.