For many dealerships, internet and phone sales may seem like they have nothing to do with each other. They’re entirely separate sales channels, right? While it’s true they are different revenue streams, if you want to maximize both, they have to be designed to work together and support every path to conversion.
The purchasing habits of car customers are changing every day, and the internet is accounting for a larger and larger portion of the experience. The average buyer does at least 59% of their research online these days, and 1 out of 4 make their first contact with a dealer over the phone instead of walking onto a lot. Overall, internet sales revenue is expected to increase 4.5 times over 2021 sales figures by 2030, and younger generations are increasingly embracing online auto purchasing.
The trends are clear: competitive auto dealers need to focus on integrating online and phone sales tactics that support these buying patterns and deliver new generations of customers a great experience that may not include face-to-face contact. Here’s how to develop a winning strategy that gets your online and phone sales strategies tuned up and firing on all cylinders.
Scripts Find the Customer’s Preferred Shopping Style
More and more dealerships using web-based “build your own car” features and offering parts/accessories and service support on their website. Your phone scripts should help guide customers to these easy-to-use tools to explore and stay connected to your sales pipeline.
The gritty truth is that while automotive internet sales are on the rise, only 11% of these sales happen through dealer websites. There are many third-party options out there, and the numbers suggest that a customer calling you for advice may not be planning on completing a sale with you. Your phone team needs to use the opportunity to drive business through your internal channels and promote the value that your dealership can offer above and beyond the competition.
If customers just have a few quick questions, they will call in for that. Your sales team can’t miss a single chance to establish your business as a valuable partner who can give them a great deal and excellent service and support.
Use Scripts for Live Chat
Many customers still prefer to call, but live online chat options are becoming more and more popular. You should leverage this, as it offers a service some customers love that not everyone has. It’s a great differentiator for any automotive internet sales department that makes the most of your existing resources like phone scripts.
Live chats allow customers to enjoy the benefits of your sales team’s support while letting them pace their experience as they consider questions and explore options online. It can be more efficient for your bottom line as well. Phone agents can only service one customer at a time, while live chat associates can handle up to six. And while you will need to tweak your phone scripts for the live chat environment, they will be similar to the content you’ve already invested in producing and utilize similar sales strategies.
Finally, live chat sessions allow your team to drop links directly into the chat line, making it even easier to guide customers while they explore your website.
Scripts Enhance the Overall Customer Experience
The fact is, for some types of transactions, today’s customers prefer the control and pressureless nature of non-personal interactions. Of course, it’s critical for your phone scripts to include invitations to set up appointments! However, they should also have a backup plan that supports your business if customers want an online experience.
In a recent study on automotive internet sales, 80% of customers rated the trade-in experience as “highly satisfied,” with 70% giving financing options the same rating. Compare that to 57% and 53%, respectively, for in-person sales. Also, 78% of folks who purchased online found it a highly satisfying experience, with 97% of all online purchasers saying they would buy online again. Phone scripts should be ready to anticipate those needs and guide customers to the best sales experience they can have through your business’s online presence.
Phone scripts should also be written to direct people toward your online content libraries as needed. One of the highest-margin sales channels for dealers is their service department. By letting customers know they can explore online, your phone scripts can help connect them with answers, develop brand comfort and familiarity, and make it easier to share deals and promotions.
Maximizing Online Revenues with Phone Scripts
At Phone Ninjas, we have decades of combined experience helping dealerships integrate their online and phone script sales strategies to give customers the personalized experience they want. We’re industry experts who know auto sales inside and out, and we hand-tailor phone scripts to your business to ensure your team capitalizes on every revenue opportunity—whether online or on the lot.
We also evaluate the results of our work by conducting our own mystery shops, then following up with active coaching that reinforces their skills and builds on their success. We’ll even perform two free mystery shops to evaluate your current level of phone and internet customer service so you can see exactly how our training will raise your automotive internet sales.
Reach out today to find out how to get your phone scripts and online content working together to take your business to the next level.
As the COO | Partner of Phone Ninjas, Chris delivers leadership, coaching, and mentorship to 55 team members providing software sales and phone skills coaching. He fosters powerful partnerships and collaborations with leaders across various business sectors, establishing expectations, communicating vision, and escalating performance to maximize productivity and effectiveness.
Chris is an innovation-driven business executive with over 25 years of experience delivering leadership to teams of up to 75 overseeing development, launch, and sale of website lead acquisition, reconditioning process software systems, and technology that support automotive dealerships across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
