What’s the first step of a call? This is easy because any great salesperson knows it’s always the same–to set up an appointment! Why are appointments so important? Because appointments lead to sales. Going into every interaction with an appointment mentality is the best first impression you could ask for.
Mastering Dealership Phone Skills
Now that you have your appointment mentality, what’s next? It’s time to make that goal happen over the phone. Mastering phone skills is key to success in sales. In today’s day and age, convincing a customer to come into the dealership can be difficult.
Maybe they’re too far away or don’t feel they have the time to do so. The specifics don’t matter. What does matter is that your job is to make them think they’re missing out by not showing up.
They will first want to know the best price, and you’re going to help them. The correct response is to begin by saying that you understand their situation. Every customer appreciates a salesperson that is on their side. By doing this, you’ve immediately established why you’re here. You’re going to prove that you’re willing to help no matter their circumstances.
Ask The Right Questions
Now is your chance to look like the hero! You get to ask the fantastic four questions.
- What type of car do you have?
- What’s the color?
- What year is it?
- How many miles are on the car?
The key to these questions is to keep your excitement levels maxed out! Over the phone, your voice is the only thing the customer has to gain a perception of you. Because of this, tone of voice is everything!
By keeping your enthusiasm at a consistently high level, your customers’ interest will follow suit. These kinds of things are easily matched over the phone. If you’re excited to sell a car? They’re going to be excited to buy a car!
When They Ask What Their Car is Worth…
Eventually, you’ll get to the point where they ask what it’s worth, which is the perfect spot for you to be in.
Reply with these questions:
- When was the last time you had the car professionally appraised?
- Let’s start there. Are you more available to bring it by now? Or later today?”.
Many salespeople get deflated talking about a trade as time goes on. Again, the customer’s tone will do the same. It’s important to know how the customer feels about you as a salesperson.
If you sound like you start to lose interest, then you’ve already lost the sale. Letting your tone dip will make the customer think you’ve found issues with the trade and will start to push away. You are not going to let that happen! Remember, the goal is to get them into the dealership!
Overcoming Objections
What if they resist your initial offer of an appointment? Don’t give up! The next step is to offer them a time to come in!
Continuing the conversation by saying, “I understand, but is there a way you can bring it by at 5:15 tonight?” will make the customer wonder why you offered a time. The trick is that you’re not promising anything. However, this is incentive enough for them to make the trip.
Another way to keep your customer’s interest is to say, “I have a manager who loves these vehicles, and I think he can do better, so I want him to be here while you’re here. Do you think you can make that happen?”
Even bringing up the concept, “Would you spend $5-10 to save about $500?”
Not only does the customer see that you’re persistent, but they also know it’s because you want to help them! With that base? Making appointments will done in a flash!
For More Tips and Tricks
Ready to take your appointment set rates and appointment show rates to the next level? It all starts with that first phone call, and that’s where we come in. At Phone Ninjas, our expert dealership phone training has led many businesses to increase appointment set rates by over 80%!
We offer 1:1 feedback to the sales team, mystery shoppers, and even workshops. Training is boring, we’re not. We provide valuable guidance to help your team increase sales.
