How to use AI to follow up with car buyers (without annoying them)

A buyer asks about your 2021 Toyota RAV4 XLE on a Saturday night, gets an answer, then goes silent. That buyer is rarely gone. They may be comparing three dealerships, waiting to talk it over at home, or checking what their trade-in is worth. The dealership that keeps showing up with something useful is often the one they end up visiting.

AI makes follow-up easier to keep up: it drafts each message from the vehicle details, sends it on time and logs it with the lead. But it only runs the plan you give it. Here is that plan, whoever sends the messages.

Start with a first reply that makes follow-up possible

Good follow-up starts in the very first reply. Three things matter:

• Answer the question they asked. If the buyer asks about kilometres, give the kilometres before anything else.
• Ask one question back. A question about timing or a test drive keeps the conversation going.
• Get a way to reach them, and their OK. First messages often arrive in Messenger or through a website form. Ask whether text or email works better, and note in the lead what the buyer agreed to.

Example of a first reply on Marketplace:

Buyer (Marc)Is this still available?

Your dealershipHi Marc, yes, the 2019 Ford F-150 XLT is still here. It has 98,000 km and the tow package. Would you like a walkaround video, or would you rather book a test drive?

Then save the conversation as a lead in your DMS or CRM, with the vehicle, the channel and anything the buyer said about trade-in, financing, budget or timing. Gathering those answers is the job of lead qualification, and it gives every follow-up something specific to talk about.

A follow-up rhythm that doesn't annoy buyers

Annoying follow-up usually has one of two problems: too many messages too close together, or messages with nothing new in them. A simple rhythm fixes both.

A few rules keep it polite:

• One message a day at most. Never two unanswered messages on the same day.
• Texts during business hours. A text at 11 p.m. is an interruption. Email can wait in the inbox.
• Their channel first. If the buyer asked for email, don't switch to text because it's faster for you.
• Their language. Reply in the language the buyer wrote in.

What each follow-up message should say

Every message needs the same five pieces: the buyer's name, the vehicle, one new thing, one easy question, and who is writing. Keep texts to three or four lines. The examples below are illustrations; the buyer and the details are made up.

Example, next-day text:

Hi Marc, it's Julie from your dealership. The F-150 XLT is ready for a test drive. Would tomorrow at 5:30 or Saturday at 10 work better?

Example, day 3 email:

Subject: The F-150 XLT you asked about, on video

Hi Marc, here's a 45-second walkaround of the 2019 F-150 XLT, inside and out, with the full details attached. If you'd like to compare, we also have a 2020 F-150 XLT with similar kilometres. Should I hold a test-drive time for either one?

Julie, your dealership

Example, day 7 text:

Hi Marc, Julie again. Are you still shopping for a truck, or would you rather I stop sending updates? Either answer helps.

Example, when the vehicle sells:

Hi Marc, the F-150 you asked about just sold. We have a 2020 F-150 XLT with similar options. Want a few photos?

Example, real news a few weeks later:

Hi Marc, the 2020 F-150 XLT we talked about has a new price. Would you like the details by email?

Leave out pressure ("today only"), made-up urgency ("three people are looking at it" when nobody is) and price negotiation in writing, which belongs with a person on your team.

Text or email: pick the right one

When in doubt, ask the buyer which is easier. Either way, a text or email that promotes a sale falls under Canada's anti-spam law (see the consent section below).

When to stop, and when to slow down

• The buyer says no. They bought elsewhere or changed plans: thank them and stop. A short, friendly reply leaves the door open.
• The buyer asks you to stop or unsubscribes. Stop on every channel, not only the one they used, and note it in the lead. According to the CRTC's CASL FAQ, an unsubscribe request must be processed without delay and no later than 10 business days after it's received. There's no reason to take that long.
• The buyer goes quiet. Don't stop cold after day 7; slow down. Keep the lead in your DMS and come back only with real news, and only while you still have consent.
• The buyer is ready. When they ask about a final price, a trade-in value or financing approval, hand the conversation to a person.

Where AI helps, and where a person takes over

AI is good at the parts of follow-up people forget: sending the day 3 email on day 3, following up the lead that came in at 10 p.m. on a Sunday, writing in the buyer's language, and logging every message with the lead.

A person should take over for:

• Price negotiation. Buyers get the advertised price in writing; any discussion happens with your team.
• Trade-in values and credit decisions. These need a person and, for credit, your lenders.
• Complaints and unhappy buyers. A calm reply from a person matters more than a fast one.

If you use a general assistant such as ChatGPT or Gemini to draft follow-ups, keep customer details out of it: write "the buyer" instead of a name or phone number, and add them yourself before sending. Check every fact against the vehicle before anything goes out. Our guide to using ChatGPT at a dealership and our list of AI prompts for car dealers go further.

Consent basics for follow-up texts and emails

In Canada, follow-up texts and emails that promote a sale are commercial electronic messages under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). According to the CRTC, each one needs three things: consent, identification and an unsubscribe mechanism.

• Consent. Under the Act, an inquiry about a vehicle generally creates implied consent for six months, and a purchase or lease for two years. Express consent, where the buyer clearly agreed, doesn't expire until they withdraw it. The CRTC's guidance on implied consent explains how the periods work.
• Identification. Name your dealership and include contact information. When that doesn't fit in a text, the regulations allow a clear link to a web page that has it.
• Unsubscribe. Every message needs an easy way to opt out.
• Proof. The CRTC says the sender has to prove consent, so record in each lead when and how the buyer agreed.

Quebec dealers also have provincial rules on how buyer information is collected and used. Our guide to AI and privacy at Canadian dealerships covers PIPEDA, Quebec's Law 25 and CASL in more detail. This section is general information, not legal advice; ask a lawyer about your own case.

How DriveGood AI handles follow-up

DriveGood AI, Drive Good's own AI for vehicle dealers, runs this kind of plan for you. It answers buyers in Messenger, on Marketplace and on your Facebook page right away, day or night, in English, French or Spanish. It asks about trade-in, financing, budget and timing, books test drives in your calendar, and follows up every lead by text and email until the buyer answers.

• Every conversation is saved with the lead in your DMS, so your team can read what was said before calling back. See the Drive Good DMS.
• AI or a person, your choice. Replies can come from DriveGood AI, from your team, or both, and Drive Good's BDC service is available on request.
• Nothing to log in to. DriveGood AI works in the background; you see leads, booked test drives and reports.

DriveGood AI comes in the Drive Good package, along with Facebook Marketplace, ads, your website and the DMS. Meet DriveGood AI, or read Drive Good's article on following up with buyers who stop answering.