How to Buy Auto Transport Leads
In an industry full of fly by night companies here’s a guide to help you stay in business.
- Make sure your sales are as strong as possible. Call the top dogs to see how they pitch. Use successful sales scripts.
- Purchase at least (500-1,000) leads to properly gauge performance.
- Bear in mind that most deals often close weeks/months later.
- Always view lead performance reports from the date your campaign started to properly analyze. Not just the current week or month.
- Take as many leads as you can handle. The more you process, the more money you’ll make.
- The leading brokers in the industry run 24/7, and so should you. Statistics show some of the best leads come thru in the evenings and on weekends. It’s simple… there’s less brokers competing for them during those times. Furthermore the average joe works 9-5 M-F, so it makes sense to contact them when they are off work.
How to Fail
Everyone thinks they’re a winner. The odds are already stacked against you along with the age old fact that 80% of businesses in general fail. So don’t make it worse. Companies engaging in the following practices are often forced to close their doors within 3 months or less.
- Burn customers. In no time you’ll rack up bad reviews which will surely hurt your business. A Google search of your company’s name with results full of bad reviews is a tell-tale sign you’re going out of business if you haven’t already. Lose your Merchant Account… GAME OVER!
- Burn truckers. Great way to earn bad ratings on Central, or worse, earn a claim against your bond. Lose your bond, and you’ll get kicked off of Central. GAME OVER!
- Burn lead providers. There’s only a handful of lead providers, and word spreads quickly. You’ll be breathing through a straw when no one will sell leads to you. GAME OVER!
- Purchase 250 cheap leads or less, then complain about the quality of “cheap leads” right away without allowing ample time (weeks/months) for deals to close. Short term rookie mistake right there. You’ll get squashed like the cockroach you are by the competition. Closing deals often happens in waves. 250 leads or less doesn’t give you the chance to catch that wave of success.
- Wait until snowbird season to buy leads. This is without question the most competitive time of year. It’s a bloodbath. Inexperienced brokers get crushed like the cockroaches they are. Furthermore there aren’t more leads to go around. In fact, there’s significantly less people moving their cars, but there’s a flood of brokers competing for their business. This causes widespread lead shortages. Lead providers are often sold out. So secure your lead spots before September, and plan on holding them thru April.
- Use e-mail instead of a CRM. CRM’s can be pricey but the numbers don’t lie. Statistics show that brokers who use e-mail to manage their leads don’t last very long. See our list of auto transport crm providers
- Ignore your bottom line Most small business owners, especially auto transport brokers, don’t know their numbers. Most don’t crunch the numbers correctly or at all. Most brokers fail to factor in basic overhead such as rent, employee commissions, software costs (CRM/Load Boards), phone service, licenses, insurance, web design, web site maintainance, web hosting, tech support, lead costs, etc. Keep your eye on the prize!
Advertise on Google without decades of professional advertising experience.
There’s 1 million ways to advertise wrong, and only 1 way to do it successfully (enough). Advertising on Google is by far the most risky crusade any business can embark upon. Even very experienced advertisers have a hard time staying above their bottom line. Advertising is very expensive, unforgiving and can be extremely risky.
Beware getting suckered in by the $500 Google Ads credit for spending $500 offer!
The moment you setup your business listing on Google, they’ll present you with a $500 credit when you spend $500 to advertise. What a great offer right?
By the time you realize how quick $500 is gone, and how much your Credit Card was charged, you’ll see your life flash before your eyes. is not uncommon to burn through $500+ on Google Ads in just 1 day (let alone a few hours).
I know what you’re thinking… I’m a broker, so obviously I’ll charge back on Google.
Burning bridges with Google is a foolish proposition. With so much reliance on Google business services (search engine listings, maps, e-mail service, etc.) you’ll live out the rest of your days drinking your food through a straw should you go down that road.
Facts:
Advertising accounts for more than 80% of Google’s revenue.
Statistics show the Google Ads average conversion rate is 2-3%.
This means 100 clicks results in 2-3 leads
If your average cost-per-click is $5, 100 clicks is $500.
Therefore each lead costed $166-$250.
Then you have to close the lead… and the average broker closes 5% of their leads.
If you’re extremely lucky in this scenario, and you close 1 lead, you still spent $500 to close 1 deal.
1 sale is worth about $150.
That’s a $350 LOSS!
Most businesses don’t know their numbers and quickly find themselves financially ruined beyond repair.
There’s no such thing as Exclusive leads.
Even if a customer fills out a lead on your site, they will quickly fill out a quote on other sites and contact competitors as well. Price shopping is the norm, and nowadays because it can be easily done with just a few clicks.
Google Ad Specialists will contact you relentlessly claiming they wish to assist you with your campaign. But know this…
Google Ad Specialists specialize in one thing and one thing only.
Grooming you to extract as much money as possible from your wallet. They are Google’s sales force in disguise, and YOU are the lead. The ad platform is designed to do the same as well. The ad platform constantly presents you with misleading advice to get you to spend more money. It’s designed like a slot machine.
Credit Cards
Most lead providers don’t accept credit cards. Truckers do not accept credit cards either. This is due to the high risk of credit card fraud/abuse brokers are known for. Furthermore truckers and most Lead providers don’t have the means to accept credit cards.
What to Look Out For
- Any lead provider that badmouths another lead provider. This is a huge red flag.
- Beware of lead providers that own and operate brokerages, and resell you their used leads. Read the reviews to find out who you are doing business with.
Conclusion
Not everyone is a winner. Purchasing leads is at your own risk. You need to be held accountable for your your sales skills (or lack thereof), and any of the countless other variables on your end.
You can please some of the people some of the time… at the same time… not everyone is a winner.