Welcome to the final entry in our series on the Top 5 Best Practices for Following Up on leads at your store. We've worked our way through the top 4: "Make Contact Quickly"; "Sell the Appointment", "Don't Pull Credit First" and “Work Your Process.” Next up is one that seems like it’s implied -- #5: “Be Consistent.”

Yes you have a process (see best practice #4), but how consistently do you follow that process? Everyone has off days so make sure your team has the support they need to put in the effort day after day.

Put together store policies that support the process you’ve identified as the best way for your team to bring in prospects and sell cars. Then ensure that they’re being followed by reviewing and enforcing them on the sale floor.

Next, make sure that your team touches every lead – and if there’s only one person working them, you need to have a back-up in place to make sure that none of them slip through the cracks (we’ll get to that in a second).  Use a standardized phone script to set appointments.

If you’re getting email addresses, send professional-looking emails with a uniform look and feel to invite the buyer to make an appointment. The key is to make sure that the message in your phone scripts is consistent with your email copy and make sense when viewed in conjunction with your website – in short that there’s some level of standardization across all of those channels.

You’ve got your process in place, now you and your team need to use it all day, every day.

And there you have it! Our Top 5 Best Practices for Following Up. Keep your eyes peeled for our next eBook on this topic.

Welcome to the final entry in our series on the Top 5 Best Practices for Following Up on leads at your store. We've worked our way through the top 4: "Make Contact Quickly"; "Sell the Appointment", "Don't Pull Credit First" and “Work Your Process.” Next up is one that seems like it’s implied -- #5: “Be Consistent.”

Yes you have a process (see best practice #4), but how consistently do you follow that process? Everyone has off days so make sure your team has the support they need to put in the effort day after day.

Put together store policies that support the process you’ve identified as the best way for your team to bring in prospects and sell cars. Then ensure that they’re being followed by reviewing and enforcing them on the sale floor.

Next, make sure that your team touches every lead – and if there’s only one person working them, you need to have a back-up in place to make sure that none of them slip through the cracks (we’ll get to that in a second).  Use a standardized phone script to set appointments.

If you’re getting email addresses, send professional-looking emails with a uniform look and feel to invite the buyer to make an appointment. The key is to make sure that the message in your phone scripts is consistent with your email copy and make sense when viewed in conjunction with your website – in short that there’s some level of standardization across all of those channels.

You’ve got your process in place, now you and your team need to use it all day, every day.

And there you have it! Our Top 5 Best Practices for Following Up. Keep your eyes peeled for our next eBook on this topic.

I know it's a lot easier to talk to someone about a specific car over the phone, but you have to focus on getting them into your store if you really want to sell them a car. If you're talking to them, they've already raised their hand by applying for a car loan or submitting an inquiry on a piece of your inventory.  Working with them in person is the next crucial step.

In the course of your conversation, be specific on dates and times for potential appointments, ideally in the next 24 to 48 hours. These are car buyers who are looking for someone who can put them into a car today -- they're looking to move quickly, and you have to respond quickly to keep their attention.  Discussing too many details over the phone, such as financing options and terms, will result in fewer appointments.

Once you have them on your calendar, don't leave it up to them to remember their appointment with you. Reconfirm the date and time via email and call them the day of to confirm again. If they don't show, don't hesitate to call them and reschedule their appointment.   

If they do decide to hold off, don't panic. Continue to reach out to them periodically to keep them up to date with offers at your store and keep yourself on their radar. (Email marketing is a great way to do this.) 

Take a look at how you're working now - I would argue that you are more likely to close a deal if you've got someone in your store than not. Do you agree? 

Would love to hear about any exceptions out there.

Join us next week when we dig deeper into Best Practice #3, "Don't Pull Credit First."

Questions? Concerns? Can't wait for the rest of the series? Give us a call  at 800-222-8374 or drop us a line today.

I know it's a lot easier to talk to someone about a specific car over the phone, but you have to focus on getting them into your store if you really want to sell them a car. If you're talking to them, they've already raised their hand by applying for a car loan or submitting an inquiry on a piece of your inventory.  Working with them in person is the next crucial step.

In the course of your conversation, be specific on dates and times for potential appointments, ideally in the next 24 to 48 hours. These are car buyers who are looking for someone who can put them into a car today -- they're looking to move quickly, and you have to respond quickly to keep their attention.  Discussing too many details over the phone, such as financing options and terms, will result in fewer appointments.

Once you have them on your calendar, don't leave it up to them to remember their appointment with you. Reconfirm the date and time via email and call them the day of to confirm again. If they don't show, don't hesitate to call them and reschedule their appointment.   

If they do decide to hold off, don't panic. Continue to reach out to them periodically to keep them up to date with offers at your store and keep yourself on their radar. (Email marketing is a great way to do this.) 

Take a look at how you're working now - I would argue that you are more likely to close a deal if you've got someone in your store than not. Do you agree? 

Would love to hear about any exceptions out there.

Join us next week when we dig deeper into Best Practice #3, "Don't Pull Credit First."

Questions? Concerns? Can't wait for the rest of the series? Give us a call  at 800-222-8374 or drop us a line today.

New month, new blog series. This is a topic that is near and dear to our hearts -- following up on leads.

Sure, we deliver car buyers to you, but we that's as far as we can take it. Then we have to put these consumers into your capable hands and let your sales process take over from there. (Any sales rep will tell you that this is where the real magic happens.)

We've come a long way from our humble beginnings as 1-800-CAR-LOAN in 1989, and during that time we've collected some recommendations for best practices that will give you, our dealer partner, the best results.

Here are our Top 5:

1. Make Contact Quickly
2. Sell the Appointment
3. Don't Pull Credit First
4. Work Your Process
5. Be Consistent

It seems pretty simple, right?

Like most things, it's harder than it looks. Join us for the rest of this month as we dig deeper into each of these 5 best practices.

New month, new blog series. This is a topic that is near and dear to our hearts -- following up on leads.

Sure, we deliver car buyers to you, but we that's as far as we can take it. Then we have to put these consumers into your capable hands and let your sales process take over from there. (Any sales rep will tell you that this is where the real magic happens.)

We've come a long way from our humble beginnings as 1-800-CAR-LOAN in 1989, and during that time we've collected some recommendations for best practices that will give you, our dealer partner, the best results.

Here are our Top 5:

1. Make Contact Quickly
2. Sell the Appointment
3. Don't Pull Credit First
4. Work Your Process
5. Be Consistent

It seems pretty simple, right?

Like most things, it's harder than it looks. Join us for the rest of this month as we dig deeper into each of these 5 best practices.

Protecting an individual’s personal information in a business development center (BDC) is paramount.

When an individual applies for financing, they are expecting that their information will be held confidentially and that it is safe from identity theft threats. The two significant areas where the responsibility for sensitive material management falls in a BDC are in the office and over the phone. Any slack in either area will open up your BDC to so-called Red Flag violations of the legal requirements of the Federal Trade Commission.

BDCs, whether centrally located or in an offsite location, need to be safeguarded in order to protect the consumers that you are working with every day. With technology, especially as it advances, one quick shot of the screen, and someone can steal someone else’s identity.  Situations like this can be easily avoided.

Some simple rules to follow in an office are:

• Lock your computer screens whenever you walk away from your desk.
• Frequently change your passwords, especially when you have a change in staff.
• Don’t allow camera phones in the BDC and face computer screens away from windows or areas where someone can easily see the information on the screen.
• Do not print applications and have them sitting around your office. If you need to print them use the “Lock it up or shred it” rule.

The phone is another area that can make you vulnerable to exposing information about a consumer to the wrong person. On the phone, it is quite easy to do because the only physical verification that you have that you are talking to the right person is the answers that they give.

Some simple rules to follow on the phone are:

• Do not disclose any specifics on the phone.
• Verify with a “what is your…” statement versus a “is your……” statement where you disclose the information and have them verify that it is correct.
• Do not give details about the specifics of the reason you are calling with anyone except the applicant. (This is especially true when you are calling a work number.)
• Do not run an individual’s credit without talking to them and gaining their permission for yourself.

Understanding the entire BDC environment allows you to give the consumers that you work with the confidence in your ability to safeguard their identity. In return, this allows them to have confidence in your store and team, knowing that they are going to the right place that can help.

Remember — I am always here for any questions you may have about BDCs or best practices for working the phones. You can reach me via the comments field below, or check out my contact page here.

Protecting an individual’s personal information in a business development center (BDC) is paramount.

When an individual applies for financing, they are expecting that their information will be held confidentially and that it is safe from identity theft threats. The two significant areas where the responsibility for sensitive material management falls in a BDC are in the office and over the phone. Any slack in either area will open up your BDC to so-called Red Flag violations of the legal requirements of the Federal Trade Commission.

BDCs, whether centrally located or in an offsite location, need to be safeguarded in order to protect the consumers that you are working with every day. With technology, especially as it advances, one quick shot of the screen, and someone can steal someone else’s identity.  Situations like this can be easily avoided.

Some simple rules to follow in an office are:

• Lock your computer screens whenever you walk away from your desk.
• Frequently change your passwords, especially when you have a change in staff.
• Don’t allow camera phones in the BDC and face computer screens away from windows or areas where someone can easily see the information on the screen.
• Do not print applications and have them sitting around your office. If you need to print them use the “Lock it up or shred it” rule.

The phone is another area that can make you vulnerable to exposing information about a consumer to the wrong person. On the phone, it is quite easy to do because the only physical verification that you have that you are talking to the right person is the answers that they give.

Some simple rules to follow on the phone are:

• Do not disclose any specifics on the phone.
• Verify with a “what is your…” statement versus a “is your……” statement where you disclose the information and have them verify that it is correct.
• Do not give details about the specifics of the reason you are calling with anyone except the applicant. (This is especially true when you are calling a work number.)
• Do not run an individual’s credit without talking to them and gaining their permission for yourself.

Understanding the entire BDC environment allows you to give the consumers that you work with the confidence in your ability to safeguard their identity. In return, this allows them to have confidence in your store and team, knowing that they are going to the right place that can help.

Remember — I am always here for any questions you may have about BDCs or best practices for working the phones. You can reach me via the comments field below, or check out my contact page here.