the "leads" they delivered.

[saddammolla]

Online Car Referral Services (e.g., Autobytel.com, Carpoint.com): These were early aggregators where consumers could research cars and submit requests for quotes from multiple local dealerships. A study by J.D. Power & Associates in 2000 found that 54% of new vehicle buyers used the internet in conjunction with buying a car, with sites like Autobytel.com having significant market share for referrals. Dealerships would pay these services for
Email Marketing (Basic): Dealerships might use email for follow-up with prospects or ghana phone number list to send out simple newsletters to existing customers. However, mass email marketing was less sophisticated and more prone to being considered "spam."
6. Service Department as a Lead Source:

Used Car Leads: The service department regularly interacted with owners of older vehicles. Service advisors could identify customers whose vehicles were becoming costly to repair, making them prime candidates for a new or used car purchase.
Loyalty Programs: Encouraging repeat service visits helped maintain customer relationships, increasing the likelihood of future vehicle purchases.
Key Characteristics of Lead Generation in 2000:

Dealership-Centric: Most leads ultimately funneled to the physical dealership location for the sales process.
Information Asymmetry: Dealerships and salespeople had significantly more information than the average buyer, influencing the negotiation process.
High-Touch Sales: Salespeople played a much larger role in qualifying and educating customers from initial contact to closing.
Slower Pace: The sales cycle was often longer due to reliance on physical visits, phone calls, and mailed information.
In essence, car sales lead generation in 2000 was about broad visibility, building trust through reputation, leveraging manufacturer incentives, and expertly converting walk-in or phone inquiries into showroom visits and ultimately, sales.