Our annual Sales Retreat with Calldrip

Last week we were in America, visiting our partners at Calldrip. Every year we take such a trip; it’s always valuable to meet in person to discuss the business and look each other in the eye to see if we’re still aligned in our approach. Besides that, there’s also plenty of time for fun activities outside of the meetings, which are enjoyable in themselves! For example, we drove over 130 kilometers off-road in Jeeps to one of the most beautiful viewpoints over the Grand Canyon. We spent hours there, sitting on camping chairs, barbecuing, and simply talking about life, business, and everything in between.

Forest Ward, Koby Jackson & Josh Blauer

Without anyone else on the trail; you’re truly alone, somewhere on the edge of the Grand Canyon. A powerful experience! On the way back, we also did some shooting with rifles and revolvers. Fun to try once, but for me it felt like a carnival ride: we did it, but it doesn’t need a second time.

St George

Then NASCAR, the American racing series on Sunday in Las Vegas. That was impressive too! Thirty-nine cars with V8 engines, this year with 30 hp less to reduce CO₂ emissions. The sound, the atmosphere, the entertainment—it was amazing to experience. A second time? Mmh, I don’t know. But again: hours together in the car, and that’s when the best conversations about business happen. And when you talk business, you notice the difference between how Americans and Europeans see it.

By Nascar

At Calldrip we know: if you use the system and answer the phone, you speak to more people making inquiries. This results in more appointments and ultimately more car sales. Successful dealers in America then immediately invest more in leads to achieve even better results.

With our European clients, it’s different. We prefer to invest less in marketing because we want more qualitative leads for less money. We are active on fewer portals and channels, but because our lead-to-sale conversion is higher, we end up with the same results. In other words, we sell the same number of cars. The American thinks differently.

At the Grand Canyon

They think: “I’ve found a better way to follow up leads, with a higher chance to convert to sales. So I need more leads, because then I sell more.” We focus on lower costs; the American thinks in terms of higher revenue.

That’s how conversations also go between Koby Jackson, owner of Calldrip, and me. Koby mostly talks about how we can grow in Europe, for example by using the Calldrip app as a mini lead management system for independent dealers. The Marktplaats connection, and therefore the lead, is already included.

I, on the other hand, talk to Koby about whether prices can be lowered in a world where everything is getting more expensive, or whether our support hours can be reduced to cut costs. In other words, I do exactly the same…

As so often: you cannot cut your way out of a problem; ultimately, more sales are the solution. It’s not bad, but how can it be better? That brings me home again: what can we do to help more dealers improve their online lead follow-up? You’ll be hearing from us. After all, we are dedicated to improving the automotive industry.

Grand Canyon