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Most leads don’t buy on the first contact — in fact, the majority of automotive sales close only after five or more touchpoints. Funnels take care of those follow-up touchpoints for you by automatically sending a pre-written sequence of SMS messages (and optionally emails) over days or weeks. Once a lead is enrolled, your team doesn’t have to lift a finger until the prospect is ready to talk. Funnels keep your dealership top-of-mind without adding to your team’s daily workload.

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How Funnels Work

A funnel is a series of messages tied to specific time delays. When a lead enters a funnel, Dealer Funnel starts the clock and delivers each message at the interval you define. For example: The funnel pauses automatically the moment a lead replies, so your team never sends an automated message into an active conversation.

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Creating a Funnel

1

Open the Funnels section

Click Funnels in the left navigation menu. This is your central hub for viewing and managing all funnel sequences.
2

Create a new funnel

Click Create Funnel in the top-right corner of the page.
3

Name your funnel

Give the funnel a clear, descriptive name that identifies its purpose and audience — for example, New Lead - 30 Day Follow-Up or Appointment No-Show Recovery. A good name makes it easy to assign the right funnel at the right time.
4

Add your first message step

Click Add Step and configure the first message:
  • Delay: Set when this message sends relative to enrollment (for example, immediately or 1 day after enrollment).
  • Message text: Write your SMS copy. Use personalization variables like {{first_name}} to make the message feel one-to-one. Keep each message concise — one clear call to action per step.
  • Email (optional): If your account has email enabled, toggle on an email version for this step.
5

Add additional steps

Click Add Step again to build out the rest of your sequence. Repeat the process for each touchpoint, spacing the delays to create a natural cadence across 7, 14, or 30 days.
6

Activate the funnel

When your steps are complete, toggle the funnel to Active. Only active funnels will enroll leads and send messages.
Create separate funnels for each lead source rather than one generic funnel for everyone. A shopper who submitted a form on your website has different expectations than someone responding to a radio ad. Tailored messaging by lead source consistently outperforms one-size-fits-all sequences.

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Enrolling Leads in a Funnel

You have three ways to get leads into a funnel — choose the method that fits your workflow.

Automatically by Lead Source

Go to Settings > Lead Sources, open a source, and assign a funnel to it. Every new lead that arrives from that source enrolls in the funnel the moment they enter Dealer Funnel — no manual action required.

Manually from a Conversation

Open any conversation, find the Lead Detail panel on the right side, and click Assign Funnel. Choose the funnel from the dropdown. The lead begins the sequence immediately from Step 1.

During a CSV Import

When importing a lead list via CSV, the import wizard includes a funnel assignment step. Select a funnel and every imported lead enrolls automatically once the import completes.

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How and When Funnels Stop

Funnels are designed to be smart — they stop sending when continuing no longer makes sense. A lead exits a funnel in any of the following situations:
  • The lead replies: As soon as a lead sends any inbound message, the funnel pauses and the conversation moves to your active inbox for a human to handle.
  • The lead is marked Sold or Dead: Changing a lead’s status to Sold or Dead immediately removes them from any active funnel.
  • The funnel completes: When the final step sends and no reply is received, the funnel ends gracefully. The lead remains in your system and can be re-enrolled in a new funnel (such as a long-term nurture sequence) at any time.

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Personalizing Funnel Messages

Personalization variables pull lead-specific data into your messages automatically, making bulk sequences feel like individual outreach. Use these variables anywhere in your message text: For example: “Hi , this is from . I saw you were interested in the — still looking?”

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Viewing Funnel Performance

On the main Funnels list, each funnel shows key performance metrics at a glance:
  • Enrolled: Total number of leads currently in or who have passed through this funnel.
  • Response Rate: The percentage of enrolled leads who replied to at least one funnel message.
  • Appointment Rate: The percentage of enrolled leads who booked an appointment.
Click on any funnel to see a step-by-step breakdown, including how many leads received each message and how many responded at that step.
If your account has double opt-in enabled, leads must confirm their consent before receiving any funnel messages. A confirmation text goes out first, and the funnel only starts after the lead replies to opt in. Check with your administrator to understand whether double opt-in is active on your account — if it is, make sure your first funnel message acknowledges the opt-in flow so leads aren’t confused.