We are interested in general trends in Lead Form submission in the
Automotive Industry; specifically on car dealers? websites, automotive
classified websites and vehicle manufacturers? websites.

Definition of a Lead Form: Companies solicit information from
consumers on their website by asking them to provide contact
information (name, phone number, email address, etc) on a Lead Form.
This allows the company to contact the consumer with information
specific to the consumer?s area of interest. For example, a vehicle
manufacturer would ask a web visitor to submit a Lead Form for more
information on a new model. The manufacturer would then have a
customer service rep or salesperson contact the individual directly,
usually with the intention of converting to a sale.

***The Question***
We need to know how successful the use of Lead Forms has been over
time (trends). A complete answer will address the following: Has the
percentage of Lead Form completion increased or decreased over time
and why? Are consumers today more or less likely to supply contact
info on the internet than in recent history? How willing are consumers
to give out their phone, email and address (individually if possible)
in exchange for information? Are there any research companies out
there that track this specific information?

*Note: You must supply sources for your information. Thank you very much!

<Automotive industry lead generation.
The data shows that the number of leads generated via the internet has
increased over time. In 1997 dealers received an average of 43 leads
per month. By 2005 the number of leads had risen to an average of 205
per month.

Data sources:

American International Automobile Dealers collects information on the
number of internet leads generated and internet sales. They provide a
monthly snapshot which details the number of internet leads. The
reports are free for participating dealers. An annual subscription
costs $135 per month.
http://www.aiada.org/idealerdata/media/iDealer_Data_brochure_WEB.pdf

Internet sales leads during November 2005, were 420. The average
international nameplate dealership saw 2,262 new vehicle internet
leads November YTD  and 536 used vehicle internet sales leads.
Approximately 17% of new vehicle internet sales leads were culled from
dealership websites, 22% came from manufacturer websites and 54 % from
lead generators. The closing rate for new vehicle internet leads
November YTD was 7.6% (171 vehicles) and for used vehicles was 12.4%
November YTD compared with 11.2% in the previous year.
The webpage has a link where the full data set can be downloaded. (Source: AIDA).
http://www.aiada.org/article.asp?id=56342 

According to this article two-third of leads come from third-party websites.
Total new vehicle internet sales leads
August ? 344.4
April ? 112
New vehicle internet sales leads from dealer websites
August ? 78
April ? 14.4 (Source: AIDA)
http://www.aiada.org/images/idealerdata/Oct_2005_Aug_data_formatted.pdf

In the first four months of 2005, the average international auto
dealership received 466 new vehicle leads from lead generators,
compared to just 136 from manufacturer websites and 123 directly from
the dealership?s website, according to the iDealer Dashboard.
http://www.aiada.org/article.asp?id=42543

2005
A survey of 100 dealerships by Black Book Online found that 55% of
dealers said 10% of sales are generated from internet leads. 78% say
internet importance is growing. 92% predict internet sales growth over
the next year. 65% say they want more leads from their dealership
website. (Source: Dealers embrace Internet use. Ralph Kisiel.
Automotive News. September 26, 2005.)
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050926/SUB/509260742&SearchID=73230839013568

According to Shawn Disbrow, manager of the Internet Sales Department
at Crevier BMW-MINI, the largest BMW dealership in the United States,
the close rates on internet leads are generally seven percent, but
leads from kbb.com (Kelley Blue Book) are almost 18%.
http://www.aiada.org/article.asp?id=42002

According to Jupiter Research, 22% of all new car sales will be
internet generated in 2004.
http://www.aiada.org/article.asp?id=28287

The Auto Web Connection survey conducted a study of Western
Pennsylvania?s automobile dealers in 2003 and  found that they are
receiving an increase in leads over the previous year.
15-25 leads a month ? 29%
25-50 leads a month ? 16%
50-75 leads a month ? 18%
over 100 leads per month ? 25%

44% of respondents said that internet leads have increased since last
year and 27% felt that the volume of internet leads was the same.
In order to view the figures you need to register with the site.
(Source: Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association.)
http://www.pittsburghauto.org/GPADA/main.cfm?section=Survey

2003
The 2003 Dealer lead survey was conducted during November by CarsDirect.com.
25% of dealers manage 200 internet leads per month. Close rates are
20% or better. (Source: CarsDirect.com).
http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=27587&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=490692

2001 and prediction for 2006
According to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), in
2001, the average dealership generated 13% of new car sales from
Internet leads, but dedicated only 5% of its advertising budget to
Internet marketing and advertising.
According to Julie Ask of Jupiter Media Metrix (JMM), ?Nearly one in
three new car purchases in the U.S. will be an Internet-generated sale
by 2006,? representing approximately 5.7 million cars, or 32% of all
new car deals.
http://www.dealix.com/corporate/shownews.aspx?pressID=283
http://www.dealix.com/pdf/BusinessCaseforInternetSalesLeads.pdf

2001
According to a study by J.D Power and Associates, dealers receive 21
new-vehicle internet leads from their own websites.
http://www.jdpa.com/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=121


A 1997 study by the National Automobile Dealers Association found that
nearly 30 percent of all U.S. dealerships have Internet e-mail
addresses and report an average of 43 leads from the ?Net each month.
The average dealer sells an average of 2.5 more new vehicles and 1.6
more used vehicles per month because of their ?Net accessibility?.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/comcom/newsletter/edition14/page04_en.htm



---------------------------------------------
Giving personal information.
I have found studies from 2005, 2002 and 1998 that show how likely
people are to give different types of personal information.

The 2005 Online Permissions Survey, sponsored by Dotomi Inc. provides
a comparison of the type of information that people will give to
trusted and new sites.
The summary below is for new sites.
Home telephone 91%
Address 82%
Business telephone 87%
Email address 79%
The study also includes figures for information such as mother?s
maiden name, date of birth, hobbies, marital status, clothing size,
information about family memgers, date of a special event, credit card
number, income information, debit card number, social security number,
reading interests, nationality and bank information. (Source: Dotomi.)
http://dotomi.com/newsevents/articles_5.html

A 2005 survey carried out by Princeton Survey Research Associates
International (PSRAI) has found that consumers are becoming less
trustful of websites due to identity theft issues.
30% have reduced their overall use of the internet
53% have stopped giving out personal information on the internet.
54% of online shoppers are more likely to read a site?s privacy policy
or user agreement before buying.
29% have cut back on how often they buy on the internet.
Source: Leap of Faith: Using the Internet Despite the Dangers.
http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/pdfs/princeton.pdf 

The 2002 survey found that 73% were not averse to giving their email
address name or other personal information to a website. Most of the
experienced users (those online at least three years) have given out
this type of information (84%) while just under half (47%) of those
online for six months or less have done the same. People who don't go
on e-commerce sites show more reluctance to give personal information
(only 50% have done so) compared to those who visit these sites (81%
have done so). Source: A Matter of Trust: What Users Want From Web
Sites. Princeton Survey Research Associates. April 2002.)
http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/dynamic/web-credibility-report-a-matter-of-trust.cfm#credit


A 2002 survey by Jupiter Media Metrix found that 82 percent of online
consumers are willing to provide various forms of information in
exchange for something as modest as a $100 sweepstakes entry.
The percentages that would give particular types of information were:
Email addresses ? 61%
Full names ? 49%
User name and password ? 36%
Phone numbers ? 19%
Household incomes ? 18%
http://retailindustry.about.com/library/bl/02q2/bl_jmm060302.htm

This survey carried out in November 1998 found people willing to give
the following information.
Email address ? 76%
Age ? 69%
Full name ? 54%
Postal address ? 44%
Income ? 17%
Phone number ? 11%
Credit card ? 3%
Social security ? 1%
(Source: Beyond Concern: Understanding Net Users? Attitudes About
Online Privacy. AT&T Labs-Research Technical Report TR99.4.3. Cranor,
Reagle & Ackerman.)
http://www.research.att.com/resources/trs/TRs/99/99.4/99.4.3/report.htm

The Identity Management Survey found that over 70% of consumers will
share information such as their name, address, postal code, phone
number, account number or give the answer to a security question to an
unsolicited call or email. (Source: Privacy Association.)
https://www.privacyassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=116

US Internet Users? Attitudes Regarding Registering at Web Sites, October 2004
Do not like registering because I have to give personal information,
but will do so if it is necessary to obtain content or information
really wanted ? 71%

Never or almost never register even if I?d like to access content on
the site because I have to five personal information ? 15%

Like registering my information on Web sites because it allows the
site to remember me and to customize the content I receive when I
visit it. ? 14%
Source: TRUSTe, Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS), October 2004.
http://images.eversave.com/Images/prospectiv/images/whitepaper/Prospectiv_Customer_Acquisition_Whitepaper.pdf>


<Search strategy:>


<"internet leads" automobile respondents>
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22internet+leads%22+automobile+respondents>

<consumers "personal information" survey percent>
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2005-17%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=consumers+%22personal+information%22+survey+percent&btnG=Search>

<consumers  "online forms" respondents name "phone number">
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2005-17%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=consumers++%22online+forms%22+respondents+name+%22phone+number%22>


<Hope this helps.>

This is a well-written and well-researched answer. Thank you!