How long does it take the best dealers to close their Internet sales leads?  Houston, Galveston, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Atlantic City, dealers will tell you it takes less than two weeks.  While most Internet dealers recognize the value of communicating with their leads’ over the course of months, most know the best of all worlds is to close them when they’re fresh.  The fact that dealers in diverse American cities are closing their leads within a two-week time period speaks volumes for the readiness of Internet customers to buy, as well as the improving skill sets of Internet dealers acting on that interest.  The only dealers missing from this list are those from the heartland.  If dealers on the fringes of the U.S. can do it, why not the Midwestern dealers?

The Metro Areas with the Fastest Closing Times Index is comprised of the average times it takes dealers in the major metro areas of the U.S. to close their Internet sales leads.  Results are derived from in person phone surveys conducted over the last quarter of 2003. The closing time period begins on the day the dealer receives the lead and ends on the day the consumer says he or she bought the vehicle.  The smallest sample size was 80 surveys.  This study was conducted by Dealix Business Intelligence.

Kristen M. Stanton is the marketing manager for Dealix Corporation.
Prasad Wagle is the data analysis engineer for Dealix Corporation.