The weeks before the dealership are your best window. Here's how to use them.
Car buyers don't wake up one morning and drive to a dealership. They spend weeks — sometimes months — researching. Reading reviews. Comparing models. Figuring out what they can afford. This research phase is when financing decisions are shaped, even if borrowers don't realize it.
For banks and credit unions, this is the window that matters. Once a borrower is sitting in the F&I office, you've largely lost. The dealer controls that moment. But during research? The borrower is open, undecided, and looking for information. If you show up with answers, you can influence where they ultimately finance.
The challenge is that most institutions are invisible during this phase. Their auto loan pages exist, but borrowers researching cars don't find them, don't engage with them, and don't think of their bank or credit union as part of the car-buying process.
Here's how to change that.
What Borrowers Are Doing During Research
Understanding research-phase behavior helps you design engagement strategies that actually work.
They're thinking about cars, not loans
During research, the vehicle is the focus. What model? What features? New or used? What's a fair price? Financing is background noise — something to figure out later. This means borrowers aren't searching for "credit union auto loans." They're searching for "2024 Honda CR-V reviews."
They're trying to understand affordability
Even though financing isn't the focus, borrowers are constantly doing mental math. "Can I afford that?" "What would the payment be?" "Is $40,000 too much?" They want to understand what they can afford, even if they're not ready to commit to a financing source.
They're visiting multiple sites
A typical research journey touches manufacturer sites, review sites, listing sites, forums, and more. Borrowers are gathering information from many sources. Your institution is one potential touchpoint among many — and you have to earn attention.
They're not in a hurry
Unlike at the dealership — where time pressure drives decisions — research happens at the borrower's pace. They have time to explore, compare, and consider. This works in your favor: you don't need to close immediately, you need to establish presence and capture interest.
Why Research-Phase Visibility Matters
Showing up during research creates advantages that pay off later in the journey.
You establish "we're an option" awareness
Many borrowers — even your own customers — don't know their bank or credit union offers auto loans. They assume dealer financing is the default. Research-phase engagement that says "you can finance through us" changes their mental model. They now know there's an alternative.
You create rate awareness
A borrower who has seen your rates has a benchmark. Even without formal pre-approval, they know what competitive financing looks like. At the dealership, this knowledge creates comparison: "My credit union showed me around 6% — what can you offer?"
You capture leads for follow-up
Borrowers who engage with your tools during research but aren't ready to apply represent future opportunities. If you capture their interest — through saved quotes, email scenarios, or callback requests — you can follow up when they're closer to purchase.
You build familiarity and trust
A borrower who has spent time on your site, explored your tools, and found them helpful develops positive associations. When it's time to decide on financing, you're not a stranger — you're an institution they've already interacted with.
Digital Tools That Capture Research-Phase Interest
Your digital experience determines whether you capture research-phase borrowers or lose them to competitors.
Payment-focused exploration tools
Borrowers think in payments, not rates. "What would I pay per month on a $35,000 car?" is the question on their minds. Tools that let borrowers input a vehicle price and see estimated payments — at your actual rates — answer this question while showcasing your competitiveness.
Go beyond basic calculators. Guided selling tools ask about the borrower's situation (new or used, approximate price, preferred term), show personalized scenarios, and help borrowers understand trade-offs between different options.
Scenario comparison
"What if I went with 60 months instead of 72?" "How much more car could I afford if I stretched the term?" Side-by-side comparisons let borrowers explore scenarios and understand trade-offs — keeping them engaged longer and building understanding of your products.
New vs. used guidance
Borrowers often don't know how new vs. used affects financing. Different rates, different terms, different considerations. Tools that help borrowers understand these differences — and show them relevant options based on their plans — reduce confusion and increase engagement.
Educational content
Research-phase borrowers are hungry for information. Content that explains how auto financing works, what to expect at the dealership, how to think about term length — this positions you as a helpful resource while establishing your presence in the borrower's research process.
Lead Capture: The Critical Conversion
Research-phase engagement is only valuable if it converts to something you can act on. Lead capture is how anonymous visitors become actionable prospects.
Save-a-quote functionality
After a borrower explores scenarios, offer to save their quote. "Want to keep this for later? Save your quote and we'll email you a link." This is a natural moment — the borrower has invested effort, and saving feels like preserving that work. In exchange, you get contact information and context about their interest.
Email-this-comparison
Borrowers often research with partners. "Email this comparison to yourself (or someone else)" serves a real need while capturing contact information. The borrower gets a useful document; you get a lead.
Callback requests
Some borrowers want to talk to a person, even during research. "Have questions? Request a callback" captures high-intent leads. These are borrowers actively seeking engagement — the warmest leads you'll get.
Rate alert sign-ups
"Not ready yet? Sign up to be notified when rates change." This captures borrowers who are interested but not ready, giving you a reason to reach back out later.
What makes lead capture work
The best lead capture feels like a service, not a demand. You're offering to save their work, send them useful information, or connect them with help. The exchange should feel fair — they get something valuable, you get contact information.
Reaching Borrowers Beyond Your Website
Research-phase borrowers aren't searching for you. You need strategies to appear where they're already looking.
Target existing customers first
Your current customers are your most reachable audience. Proactive outreach — "Shopping for a car? Here's what financing through us looks like" — puts your auto lending in front of people who already have a relationship with you. Some percentage will engage immediately; others will remember when they're ready.
Life event triggers
Certain events signal likely car purchases: current auto loans nearing payoff, large deposits that might be down payment savings, or (if you have the data) lease expirations. Outreach triggered by these events reaches customers when car buying is likely on their minds.
Digital advertising to car shoppers
Advertising platforms can target behaviors associated with car shopping: visits to auto research sites, searches for vehicle reviews, engagement with car-related content. Reaching these borrowers with "check your rate" or "see what you'd pay" messaging captures interest during the research phase.
Content marketing
Content that addresses car-buying questions — "How much car can I afford?" "What's a good auto loan rate?" "Should I finance through a dealer or bank?" — attracts search traffic from borrowers in research mode. This content introduces your institution while providing genuine value.
From Research Lead to Funded Loan
Capturing research-phase leads is the first step. Converting them to funded loans requires follow-through.
Timely, relevant follow-up
A lead captured during research may not be ready to apply for weeks. But they will be ready eventually. Follow-up that acknowledges where they are — "Still shopping? Your saved quote is waiting" — keeps you top of mind without being pushy.
Multiple touchpoints over time
Research timelines vary. Some borrowers move quickly; others take months. A follow-up sequence that spans several weeks (with appropriate frequency) maintains presence across different timelines.
Warm handoffs to loan officers
When a lead indicates readiness — requesting a callback, returning to apply — the transition should be warm. The loan officer should know what the borrower explored, what scenarios they compared, what questions they might have. Context makes conversations more productive.
Smooth application path
When a research-phase borrower is ready to apply, make it easy. Information already captured shouldn't need to be re-entered. The transition from "exploring" to "applying" should feel like a natural next step, not a new process starting from scratch.
Measuring Research-Phase Success
Track metrics that tell you whether your research-phase strategy is working.
Tool engagement rate: What percentage of auto lending page visitors engage with calculators, guided tools, or comparison features? Low engagement suggests your tools aren't compelling or aren't visible enough.
Lead capture rate: Of engaged visitors, what percentage provide contact information? This measures whether your capture mechanisms are working and whether the value exchange feels fair to borrowers.
Lead quality: Do captured leads match your target borrower profile? Are they actually in the market for vehicles? Quality matters more than raw quantity.
Lead-to-application rate: What percentage of captured leads eventually start an application? This measures whether research-phase interest converts to actual lending intent.
Time from capture to application: How long between lead capture and application? This helps you understand research timelines and calibrate follow-up sequences.
Application-to-funding rate: Of applications from research-phase leads, what percentage fund? If this is lower than other channels, something in the research-to-application journey needs attention.
The Takeaway
The battle for auto loans is often decided before the borrower ever reaches a dealership. During the research phase — those weeks of browsing, comparing, and calculating — borrowers form impressions about what they can afford and where they might finance.
Institutions that show up during research with helpful tools, clear rate information, and effective lead capture establish presence early. They become a known option, not an afterthought. When the borrower is ready to finance, they're already in the consideration set.
Institutions that wait for borrowers to come to them — or that offer only static rate tables with no engagement — remain invisible during the phase that matters most. By the time they show up, the decision is already made.
Research-phase engagement isn't about closing loans immediately. It's about being present, being helpful, and being remembered when the decision arrives.
