Marketing for car dealerships

Typical bottlenecks and solutions

1. Leads without purchase intent tie up the sales team

Why: Classic lead forms only ask for name and phone number. Behind them are often price comparers, leasing browsers without suitable credit or people interested in a model that isn't even in stock. Your salespeople call back afterwards, fail to reach many of them and lose time they need in the showroom. The channel looks expensive, when what is really missing is pre-selection.

Solution (Funnels & landing pages (part of Performance Marketing)): We build a mobile funnel that asks about model, time frame, trade-in and financing preference before the contact details. Only suitable enquiries go to your sales team or straight into the CRM, with these details included. We optimise the campaigns for these qualified leads rather than for mere form completions, so the platform finds the right people.

2. Vehicle mechatronics technicians and service advisers are missing

Why: The workshop is a dealership's most stable source of profit. Without mechatronics technicians, service advisers and parts staff, lifts stay empty and appointments are booked out for weeks. Good specialists rarely search actively on job boards; they work for the competitor two towns away. Job ads on your own website hardly reach them, and recruitment agencies charge for every single hire.

Solution (Recruiting campaigns (part of Performance Marketing)): We reach specialists open to a move in the area around your location via Meta and Instagram, with real images from your workshop. Applying works on a smartphone in a few minutes and without a CV. Questions about training, brand certifications and driving licence pre-qualify automatically, and your workshop manager only receives suitable contacts.

3. Existing customers buy their next car elsewhere

Why: Leasing and financing contracts expire on predictable dates, and statutory vehicle inspections (HU) and services fall due. This data sits in the dealer management system but is rarely used actively. Anyone who hears nothing from you at the end of their contract compares online and ends up at the next dealer. You lose the vehicle sale and often the service customer for years to come.

Solution (Email Marketing): We set up email sequences linked to events in your system: end of lease, HU date, tyre change, end of financing. Every email leads to a concrete next step such as a return check, a trade-in valuation or a test drive in the successor model. We measure how many existing customers buy from you again or come into the workshop.

Reference: dealership in Leipzig (authorised Lamborghini dealer)

• 50 qualified leads per month
• €18 cost per lead
• 28,300% ROAS on vehicle sales
• 100% of the vehicle allocation sold

For an authorised Lamborghini dealer in Leipzig, we took over lead generation for vehicle sales and steered it on qualified enquiries. The result: 50 qualified leads per month at €18 per lead, a ROAS of 28,300% on vehicle sales and an allocation that was 100% sold.

Service mix

• Performance Marketing: Meta and Google campaigns per model or promotion, with the mandatory fuel consumption and CO2 emissions information under the Pkw-EnVKV (the German passenger car energy labelling ordinance).
• Funnels & landing pages (part of Performance Marketing): Pre-qualifying enquiry flows for test drives, trade-ins and leasing, with leads handed straight to sales or the CRM.
• Recruiting campaigns (part of Performance Marketing): Recruiting campaigns for mechatronics technicians, service advisers and salespeople in the area around the location, with smartphone applications and no CV required.
• Email Marketing: Event-triggered emails on end of lease, HU date and seasonal changes, so existing customers stay with you for purchases and service.

What we steer by (KPIs)

• Cost per qualified lead: Counts for more than the number of forms, because salespeople's time is the bottleneck in a dealership.
• Test drive rate: Shows how many enquiries actually come to the dealership and drive a vehicle.
• ROAS on vehicle sales: Links ad budget to vehicles sold rather than clicks or reach.
• Cost per workshop application: Measures what a suitable application for the workshop or service reception actually costs.

Timing: In spring and autumn, tyre changes fill the workshop, and at the end of each quarter and year the manufacturers' registration targets count. We align budget and promotions for existing customers with these windows and start recruiting before the workshop's peak season.

FAQ

Does this work without a luxury brand? Yes. The reference from Leipzig is a Lamborghini dealer, but the logic applies to every dealership: pre-qualification, steering on cost per qualified lead, measurement all the way to the sale. For volume brands and used cars we calculate with lower margins per vehicle and more enquiries, so we agree the target cost per lead together beforehand.

How much does working with you cost? Performance Marketing starts at €1,500 net per month per platform, and each additional platform costs €900. Recruiting campaigns also start at €1,500 per platform. On top of that comes ad budget, which makes sense from €5,000 per month for lead campaigns and from €1,500 for recruiting. The contract term is one month.

How do the leads reach our sales team? Depending on the setup, by email, straight into the CRM or into your dealer management system, if it offers an interface. Every lead includes the answers from the pre-qualification, i.e. model, time frame, trade-in and financing preference. That way your salesperson goes into the first call prepared and can propose an offer or a test drive in a targeted way.

Can we supplement manufacturer campaigns with our own ads? Usually yes; many manufacturers set brand guidelines and approval processes for this. We stick to these requirements, use approved material and add our own footage from your dealership. The manufacturer builds the brand, we bring in enquiries for your location and your stock.