Why texting a lead works better than calling it first

A new lead comes in. The salesperson calls. It goes to voicemail. They leave a message nobody listens to, mark the lead "attempted", and move on. The shopper never hears from the store in a way that suits them.

Text first, call second

Most shoppers would rather get a text than a surprise call from a number they do not know. A text sits in their inbox until they are ready. A missed call is just a missed call.

So flip the order: send a text within minutes of the lead coming in, then call — ideally after they have replied, or later the same day.

Make the first text specific

Canned texts get ignored because they read like a robot wrote them. A specific one gets answered.

• Ignored: "Thanks for your interest in our dealership! A product specialist will be in touch."
• Answered: "Hi Sarah, it's Mike at the store. The grey 2023 Tucson you asked about is here and ready to see. Would after work today or Saturday morning suit you better?"

The good one has the shopper's name, a real person's name, the exact vehicle, and an easy question with two choices.

One specific text beats three generic calls.

Get consent and compliance right

In Canada, commercial texts fall under Canada's anti-spam law (CASL), and US stores have their own rules. Before you scale texting:

• Make sure your lead forms include clear consent language for texts.
• Identify the store and the person in every message.
• Honour "STOP" immediately and keep a record.
• Keep texts about the shopper's actual inquiry, not blast promotions.

Check with your compliance person or CRM provider that your setup handles opt-in and opt-out properly. This is not optional.

Keep it human

AI can draft the first text and suggest replies, and it should. But a person needs to send it and answer what comes back. A shopper who replies "is the price negotiable?" and gets a robotic answer is gone.

What to measure

Track reply rate on first texts and time to first reply. If reply rates are low, the message is too generic. Then compare appointment set rate for leads that got a fast text versus those that did not. The lead leak calculator shows what that gap is worth.