Let’s be honest—when was the last time you really dug into your leads? I mean truly analyzed the ones coming from your website, OEMs, or third-party classifieds. Do you know your actual close rate for each source?
In all my years working with dealers and websites, the biggest mystery we could never quite solve was: Did the lead actually close? Maybe it’s age or just experience talking, but I’ll take quality over quantity every single time. We’re not selling socks—these are UTVs, boats, RVs. Major purchases that require serious financial and lifestyle commitments. No one needs them, so the customer journey matters.
That’s why how you handle leads makes all the difference.
Leads come in all day and night, from all kinds of platforms—and the speed and quality of your response is critical. Let me say that again: respond quickly and respond professionally.
One of my favorite LinkedIn posts was from Mark Sheffield, where he had dealership owners audit their own lead responses. The results? Some of the lowest scores he had ever seen. And honestly, the only thing worse than not responding to a lead is responding with something that sounds like it was written by a second grader.
With tools like Grammarly and ChatGPT literally at your fingertips, there’s no excuse for poor grammar, bad formatting, or lazy messaging—especially when you’re communicating with someone ready to drop tens of thousands of dollars.
Now let’s bring this full circle with one of my favorite features in Lightspeed: Leads by Source. It lets you manage and view all your leads—whether they come from your website, an OEM, Cycle Trader, or anywhere else—broken down by time frame. You can even enter your monthly spend on each source and let the system calculate your true ROI based on actual closed deals. No more guessing. No more assumptions. Just clean, actionable data.
This isn’t just about reporting. It’s about training. Use this data to coach your team—especially those interacting with customers—to improve speed, tone, and professionalism.
Yes, we all know there are tire-kickers and spam leads out there. But let’s not pretend your team is flawless. If they responded faster, with sharper messaging and a more professional tone, your close rates would improve.
And honestly, there’s no better way to manage this process than with Lightspeed.
Jeremy Johnson
I'm a seasoned veteran in the powersport, marine, and RV industries with over 25 years of experience. I've spent a significant amount of that time in the digital and website space, and I absolutely love it. I recently celebrated my three-year anniversary at Lightspeed, where I get to work with OEMs and dealers and help them succeed in the digital world. When I'm not at work, I enjoy traveling with my family, watching my kids' sporting events, and exploring the beautiful outdoors of Northern Minnesota through hunting and fishing. I'm incredibly passionate about what I do, and I love sharing that passion with others. Whether it's working with my team at Lightspeed or spending time with my family, I'm always up for an adventure.
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