I was first introduced to the “Dealership BDC” module back in 2000 under the watch of a gentleman by the name of Chuck Barker.  As a salesperson, I spent a 90-minute shift in that department each day and couldn’t wait to get back out on the lot and sell a car.  In order to be on the sales floor come Saturday, I also needed an “x” amount of confirmed appointments throughout the week.  I know this will not make sense to any of us now, but I was not a fan in the beginning.  It didn’t take long however with some coaching, call guide practicing, appointments being set and selling those appointments that I was hooked.

The BDC/Internet department has certainly come a long way since then and so much is going on within it.  The one thing that hasn’t changed is that there are still phone calls coming into this dealership.  Although I am involved with much more now than in the year 2000, I am not afraid to get in the mix and take a customer from start to finish in the showroom, jump in the F&I seat, or take that very important phone call and sell an appointment along with the rest of my BDC/Internet staff.  I am a salesperson.  I don’t claim to be the best, but I certainly strive to keep the importance of the call I take at the very top and do what I can to make the appointment happen.  I can become so much better and more consistent.

Consistency is important and without a guide and plan in place, it is hard for the human brain to keep on track by “winging” a phone call.  If your staff is “winging” the dealership’s phone calls, I suggest you stop immediately and get a new process in place.  I consider myself a “student of the process” and always want to be better at what I do so I decided to share a couple of calls with you of mine, which is the significance of this post title.  If you like them, hate them, want to critique them please do so.  We are all here to learn and I certainly encourage all of your comments.  Very brave of me, I know.  Enjoy.

New Car Call

Used Car Call

I was first introduced to the “Dealership BDC” module back in 2000 under the watch of a gentleman by the name of Chuck Barker.  As a salesperson, I spent a 90-minute shift in that department each day and couldn’t wait to get back out on the lot and sell a car.  In order to be on the sales floor come Saturday, I also needed an “x” amount of confirmed appointments throughout the week.  I know this will not make sense to any of us now, but I was not a fan in the beginning.  It didn’t take long however with some coaching, call guide practicing, appointments being set and selling those appointments that I was hooked.

The BDC/Internet department has certainly come a long way since then and so much is going on within it.  The one thing that hasn’t changed is that there are still phone calls coming into this dealership.  Although I am involved with much more now than in the year 2000, I am not afraid to get in the mix and take a customer from start to finish in the showroom, jump in the F&I seat, or take that very important phone call and sell an appointment along with the rest of my BDC/Internet staff.  I am a salesperson.  I don’t claim to be the best, but I certainly strive to keep the importance of the call I take at the very top and do what I can to make the appointment happen.  I can become so much better and more consistent.

Consistency is important and without a guide and plan in place, it is hard for the human brain to keep on track by “winging” a phone call.  If your staff is “winging” the dealership’s phone calls, I suggest you stop immediately and get a new process in place.  I consider myself a “student of the process” and always want to be better at what I do so I decided to share a couple of calls with you of mine, which is the significance of this post title.  If you like them, hate them, want to critique them please do so.  We are all here to learn and I certainly encourage all of your comments.  Very brave of me, I know.  Enjoy.

New Car Call

Used Car Call

I will be the first to admit that I am usually in a hurry and want results immediately.  In our industry we all seem to want immediate results right?  It can be discouraging for many of us with that mindset and it affects more than we know in both our personal and business lives.  I am going to take a moment and write on how over the last 100 days, being in a hurry kept me from having success with a product I am using:  Autotrader’s “Trade-In Marketplace.”

This is not a “pitch” by no means.  All of us here use DrivingSales.com to share best practices to help the entire industry get better at what we do and I wanted to share something working for me.

I want to first share a few points of being in a hurry that have helped me refocus and take a different approach:

• Try to figure out why you are in such a hurry.
• Pinpoint the triggers that often influence you to lose patience.
• Look for patterns.
• What processes do you have in place now?
• Write these down on a scrap piece of paper or whatever to embed in your mind.

After I assessed the above, I then took the next steps:

• Change your attitude, relax and overcome these bouts of impatience.
• Let go of anything you have zero control over.
• Remind yourself that some things take time and keep focus on the BIG PICTURE.

Now in regards to the “Trade-In Marketplace” leads, it definitely was our approach and process in converting these leads into appointments.  This is not to be combined with how we use it in the showroom. Coming from the BDC/Internet world, we have been approaching these leads in the wrong manner.  I am accustomed to receiving a lead, followed up with a personal response via email / video and then an immediate phone call or text unless the client requested email communication only.

With the above approach, I encountered very little contact and think many others witnessed the same.  I became discouraged because I am eager, in a hurry if you will, to make contact and close the appointment.  Now I am not saying that I never made contact with any but the percentage was much lower than the others.  It didn’t make sense.

I then realized, which was tough for me that these leads have to be higher up in the sales funnel. Really?  They are online, took the time to enter their information, and are not ready to buy now? I will say yes.  They aren’t much higher up the funnel but definitely are.  So what did we do to change our results?

• AUTO RESPONDER – we killed it to all incoming “TIM” leads.  I know everyone has their opinions on auto responders; we use them except on this program.

• PERSONAL RESPONSE – not extensive, simple, to the point and lightening fast.  Many I am in contact with haven’t truly selected a vehicle to replace their current vehicle with.  I wanted more responses and achieved them with this:

Hello Chris,

I recently received notice that you are looking to sell your 2007 Infiniti FX35.  Is it still available?

I see you received an electronic quote. I now have the "real time" ability to get you the most for it by allowing millions to see it and bid.  During your visit it will take only minutes and is a guaranteed.  This, without question, will ensure you get the best value.

I will be in the office until 9PM and look forward to your call, text or email.

Regards,

Chris Costner

                757.289.1860 wireless / text

                ccostner@greenbrierlynnahven.com

FAQ's http://goo.gl/jy02u

• TEXT (if applicable) / PHONE CALL (only if landline phone)  –

Hello Chris – this is Chris Costner following up on my recent email on the availability of your 2007 Infiniti FX35 – still available?

These two subtle adjustments in our approach have increased contact dramatically.  Now its time to overcome the normal objections we all hear and close on the appointment.  This was the point with these leads I was looking for and didn’t get to it with normal, “Thank you for choosing…” approach used with other opportunities.  In addition, with my experience, bringing the client further down the sales funnel immediately.

I have had more contact, appointments set, shows and deliveries over the past two weeks than I have had since inception.  Will it work for you? 

Good Selling Everyone.

I will be the first to admit that I am usually in a hurry and want results immediately.  In our industry we all seem to want immediate results right?  It can be discouraging for many of us with that mindset and it affects more than we know in both our personal and business lives.  I am going to take a moment and write on how over the last 100 days, being in a hurry kept me from having success with a product I am using:  Autotrader’s “Trade-In Marketplace.”

This is not a “pitch” by no means.  All of us here use DrivingSales.com to share best practices to help the entire industry get better at what we do and I wanted to share something working for me.

I want to first share a few points of being in a hurry that have helped me refocus and take a different approach:

• Try to figure out why you are in such a hurry.
• Pinpoint the triggers that often influence you to lose patience.
• Look for patterns.
• What processes do you have in place now?
• Write these down on a scrap piece of paper or whatever to embed in your mind.

After I assessed the above, I then took the next steps:

• Change your attitude, relax and overcome these bouts of impatience.
• Let go of anything you have zero control over.
• Remind yourself that some things take time and keep focus on the BIG PICTURE.

Now in regards to the “Trade-In Marketplace” leads, it definitely was our approach and process in converting these leads into appointments.  This is not to be combined with how we use it in the showroom. Coming from the BDC/Internet world, we have been approaching these leads in the wrong manner.  I am accustomed to receiving a lead, followed up with a personal response via email / video and then an immediate phone call or text unless the client requested email communication only.

With the above approach, I encountered very little contact and think many others witnessed the same.  I became discouraged because I am eager, in a hurry if you will, to make contact and close the appointment.  Now I am not saying that I never made contact with any but the percentage was much lower than the others.  It didn’t make sense.

I then realized, which was tough for me that these leads have to be higher up in the sales funnel. Really?  They are online, took the time to enter their information, and are not ready to buy now? I will say yes.  They aren’t much higher up the funnel but definitely are.  So what did we do to change our results?

• AUTO RESPONDER – we killed it to all incoming “TIM” leads.  I know everyone has their opinions on auto responders; we use them except on this program.

• PERSONAL RESPONSE – not extensive, simple, to the point and lightening fast.  Many I am in contact with haven’t truly selected a vehicle to replace their current vehicle with.  I wanted more responses and achieved them with this:

Hello Chris,

I recently received notice that you are looking to sell your 2007 Infiniti FX35.  Is it still available?

I see you received an electronic quote. I now have the "real time" ability to get you the most for it by allowing millions to see it and bid.  During your visit it will take only minutes and is a guaranteed.  This, without question, will ensure you get the best value.

I will be in the office until 9PM and look forward to your call, text or email.

Regards,

Chris Costner

                757.289.1860 wireless / text

                ccostner@greenbrierlynnahven.com

FAQ's http://goo.gl/jy02u

• TEXT (if applicable) / PHONE CALL (only if landline phone)  –

Hello Chris – this is Chris Costner following up on my recent email on the availability of your 2007 Infiniti FX35 – still available?

These two subtle adjustments in our approach have increased contact dramatically.  Now its time to overcome the normal objections we all hear and close on the appointment.  This was the point with these leads I was looking for and didn’t get to it with normal, “Thank you for choosing…” approach used with other opportunities.  In addition, with my experience, bringing the client further down the sales funnel immediately.

I have had more contact, appointments set, shows and deliveries over the past two weeks than I have had since inception.  Will it work for you? 

Good Selling Everyone.

I have been running across articles and video over the past month or so that dealers now are “forced” to look at their service drive for vehicles because of the big shortage of used vehicles unable to be found from trade-ins or auctions.  My initial thought is if a dealer had a process in place for working current service customers, they may not be faced with the inventory problems they talk about.

A big concern of mine is that I have also ran across quotes of dealer personnel explaining once vehicles become easier to obtain, their plan is not to put as much effort into working the service drive.  Are you kidding me? A majority of the customers in the service department have already met you, liked you and purchased from you.  I cannot even try to imagine taking the service drive out of the “bag of opportunities” and sure hope other dealers wouldn’t either.  Also for those attached to the sales department that currently do not have a process in place for working the service department, it is time to get one going. 

A well thought out process for service will give you a better chance to recapture the customer or gain a new one.  Also reducing your selling and marketing expense, increasing your sales volume and increasing your preowned inventory. 

Keep in mind that we never want this approach to be overwhelming to any of our customers in service waiting on their vehicle.  One of the easiest ways to keep the relationship warm with those who have purchased from us already is to meet them in the service department whenever they are in.  Even if they purchased just six months ago, how hard is it to walk back and say hello, ask how things are going and even answer a question or two they might have? This will not only make it easier for you when you are ready to remarket on a future service visit but will also make a positive impact regarding loyalty further down the road.  Each “touch point” or “moment of truth” is key throughout the ownership period.

Many CRM systems will show the service appointments scheduled for the following day and the next few steps will require a little effort the night before but are well worth it:

• Print list of service appointments for the following day and make note of which customers purchased from your dealership and those who haven’t.
• Make note of which of those customer’s that did purchase from you still have their salesperson working for you.
• Purchase details from prior purchase are great to have.  Now if they purchased six months ago, working a new deal may not be the best idea.  Seasoned loans or leases can also show if any “cancelable products” are available to help make deal.  (F&I managers don’t worry, you will get another shot at selling more products.)
• Service appointments without a prior purchase from you should be treated the same as those you plan to present a new or newer vehicle to and work figures.

Now we have all the necessary information for each customer to get the right game plan together.  If the plan is to present a new or newer vehicle to them and work a deal I like to continue with the following the night before:

• EMAIL (if possible): Explain whom you are and that you understand they will be in for service the following day.  It isn’t bad to note that it is hard to find quality preowned vehicles and that theirs could be worth more than they think.  Continue to explain that rather than waiting in the service lounge for their vehicle work to be completed, you would like to show them a new or newer vehicle of their choice and present no-obligation figures to help pass the time.  Who can argue that?
• PHONE CALL:  Follow up after the email with a phone call to help reinforce the content sent and to help set the stage for the following day.

I believe this approach is more effective than doing an appraisal when the vehicle comes in and leaving a “we want to buy your vehicle” voucher on the dash for the customer to see when they are leaving. How many of them are going to cancel their next set of plans to spend even more time at the dealership to find out more information?  I would say not many of them.  Or even better, walking up to the customer sitting in service and hitting them up with what I stated above out of nowhere.  Get ready to hear “NO” more than ever I promise.  The biggest reason is that it is very “pitchy” delivered on the fly and nobody took the time to explain ahead of time catching them off guard.  Immediately putting the customer in a defensive frame of mind.  It is about the process, approach and delivery.

As we all know there will exceptions just as in anything else but having a solid process in place and sticking to it will result in better results.  Of course this isn’t the only way and I am sure many dealers out there have some great processes as well.  My reason for sharing is that I believe this variable should not be absent from our everyday business.

Good selling.

I have been running across articles and video over the past month or so that dealers now are “forced” to look at their service drive for vehicles because of the big shortage of used vehicles unable to be found from trade-ins or auctions.  My initial thought is if a dealer had a process in place for working current service customers, they may not be faced with the inventory problems they talk about.

A big concern of mine is that I have also ran across quotes of dealer personnel explaining once vehicles become easier to obtain, their plan is not to put as much effort into working the service drive.  Are you kidding me? A majority of the customers in the service department have already met you, liked you and purchased from you.  I cannot even try to imagine taking the service drive out of the “bag of opportunities” and sure hope other dealers wouldn’t either.  Also for those attached to the sales department that currently do not have a process in place for working the service department, it is time to get one going. 

A well thought out process for service will give you a better chance to recapture the customer or gain a new one.  Also reducing your selling and marketing expense, increasing your sales volume and increasing your preowned inventory. 

Keep in mind that we never want this approach to be overwhelming to any of our customers in service waiting on their vehicle.  One of the easiest ways to keep the relationship warm with those who have purchased from us already is to meet them in the service department whenever they are in.  Even if they purchased just six months ago, how hard is it to walk back and say hello, ask how things are going and even answer a question or two they might have? This will not only make it easier for you when you are ready to remarket on a future service visit but will also make a positive impact regarding loyalty further down the road.  Each “touch point” or “moment of truth” is key throughout the ownership period.

Many CRM systems will show the service appointments scheduled for the following day and the next few steps will require a little effort the night before but are well worth it:

• Print list of service appointments for the following day and make note of which customers purchased from your dealership and those who haven’t.
• Make note of which of those customer’s that did purchase from you still have their salesperson working for you.
• Purchase details from prior purchase are great to have.  Now if they purchased six months ago, working a new deal may not be the best idea.  Seasoned loans or leases can also show if any “cancelable products” are available to help make deal.  (F&I managers don’t worry, you will get another shot at selling more products.)
• Service appointments without a prior purchase from you should be treated the same as those you plan to present a new or newer vehicle to and work figures.

Now we have all the necessary information for each customer to get the right game plan together.  If the plan is to present a new or newer vehicle to them and work a deal I like to continue with the following the night before:

• EMAIL (if possible): Explain whom you are and that you understand they will be in for service the following day.  It isn’t bad to note that it is hard to find quality preowned vehicles and that theirs could be worth more than they think.  Continue to explain that rather than waiting in the service lounge for their vehicle work to be completed, you would like to show them a new or newer vehicle of their choice and present no-obligation figures to help pass the time.  Who can argue that?
• PHONE CALL:  Follow up after the email with a phone call to help reinforce the content sent and to help set the stage for the following day.

I believe this approach is more effective than doing an appraisal when the vehicle comes in and leaving a “we want to buy your vehicle” voucher on the dash for the customer to see when they are leaving. How many of them are going to cancel their next set of plans to spend even more time at the dealership to find out more information?  I would say not many of them.  Or even better, walking up to the customer sitting in service and hitting them up with what I stated above out of nowhere.  Get ready to hear “NO” more than ever I promise.  The biggest reason is that it is very “pitchy” delivered on the fly and nobody took the time to explain ahead of time catching them off guard.  Immediately putting the customer in a defensive frame of mind.  It is about the process, approach and delivery.

As we all know there will exceptions just as in anything else but having a solid process in place and sticking to it will result in better results.  Of course this isn’t the only way and I am sure many dealers out there have some great processes as well.  My reason for sharing is that I believe this variable should not be absent from our everyday business.

Good selling.

I doubt there will be any argument from anyone engaged in social platforms that they are finding themselves pursuing topics and posts of interests from others they know.  I find myself doing it numerous times a day on a very broad spectrum of topics.  Why do we do it? What compels us to click that link our friend or family member posted twenty minutes ago? The number one reason hands down that link was shared or liked is content and for dealerships today, this means we all need to work a lot harder to engage with their audiences with our social content.

I started thinking about social efforts or the lack thereof and cannot stress enough that there has to be a plan in place especially with the content we deliver.  Without one, I can promise the results will be wasted efforts and we all work too hard for that to happen. If we want our dealerships and brands to be more relevant in the social community, we need to deliver genuine content that will connect to our audience without coming across as too promotional or pushy.  If your content is right in your social platforms, it will definitely be more effective than any traditional website because of the peer interaction and word of mouth.  Please understand I am not saying social is the only medium we need to focus on, but for those in the game, this approach is key.  Always make an effort to deliver your content in a conversational manner, which will increase audience engagement from those who find interest in it.  If you find little engagement with your posts, they may be coming across as too promotional.  Without any conversation, you have nothing.  So don’t think just because you posted something to Facebook, Twitter or any other platform that it is reaching other’s interests. 

Here are a few ideas to help deliver the right content:

• Make sure your content is genuine and tells a real story.
• Know your target audience.
• Avoid being overly promotional.
• Don’t over complicate and keep it short. Quicker your audience can view and understand the better.
• Keep a conversational tone.

Remember that our dealerships and brands are best known with our social presence online.  It’s time to get real with our audience and stop wasting time posting arbitrary links and content that even we don’t care about.  How can we expect engagement from our audience if we could care less about the content we posted.  It’s time we stop making those “feel good” posts and get real.

That is my simple take on social content.  Would you suggest anything different?  I encourage anyone reading to share his or her thoughts.  I would like to hear if any others agree or disagree.

I doubt there will be any argument from anyone engaged in social platforms that they are finding themselves pursuing topics and posts of interests from others they know.  I find myself doing it numerous times a day on a very broad spectrum of topics.  Why do we do it? What compels us to click that link our friend or family member posted twenty minutes ago? The number one reason hands down that link was shared or liked is content and for dealerships today, this means we all need to work a lot harder to engage with their audiences with our social content.

I started thinking about social efforts or the lack thereof and cannot stress enough that there has to be a plan in place especially with the content we deliver.  Without one, I can promise the results will be wasted efforts and we all work too hard for that to happen. If we want our dealerships and brands to be more relevant in the social community, we need to deliver genuine content that will connect to our audience without coming across as too promotional or pushy.  If your content is right in your social platforms, it will definitely be more effective than any traditional website because of the peer interaction and word of mouth.  Please understand I am not saying social is the only medium we need to focus on, but for those in the game, this approach is key.  Always make an effort to deliver your content in a conversational manner, which will increase audience engagement from those who find interest in it.  If you find little engagement with your posts, they may be coming across as too promotional.  Without any conversation, you have nothing.  So don’t think just because you posted something to Facebook, Twitter or any other platform that it is reaching other’s interests. 

Here are a few ideas to help deliver the right content:

• Make sure your content is genuine and tells a real story.
• Know your target audience.
• Avoid being overly promotional.
• Don’t over complicate and keep it short. Quicker your audience can view and understand the better.
• Keep a conversational tone.

Remember that our dealerships and brands are best known with our social presence online.  It’s time to get real with our audience and stop wasting time posting arbitrary links and content that even we don’t care about.  How can we expect engagement from our audience if we could care less about the content we posted.  It’s time we stop making those “feel good” posts and get real.

That is my simple take on social content.  Would you suggest anything different?  I encourage anyone reading to share his or her thoughts.  I would like to hear if any others agree or disagree.

After coming back from a short holiday break and getting back to business I wanted to share what I recently discussed with our sales staff as we approach the final days of selling for 2011.  It isn’t anything new, just more of a “back to basics” session.  I thought it was important as many of our sales staff are close to hitting big bonuses, grabbing a place in a quarterly contest or at the very least may need a couple of units to make or break their paycheck.  The bottom line, emotions are higher than ever and we can’t let it get the best of us while conducting business with our valued customers.  I am not discouraging being assertive when selling, I am discouraging being aggressive.

We all know that when selling we need to be confident when engaged in conversation, be unafraid to ask questions and not be discouraged by a customer saying no.  It is very easy to come across as aggressive to the customer during these interactions when we really should be assertive.  Coming across to the customer in an aggressive way will certainly leave a lasting negative impression.  We want them to be excited during their shopping experience and positive about the vehicles we are presenting without letting our own emotions get in the way.   I refer to this as the “emotional season” as everyone is affected by other’s actions more than ever so we all need to be careful with our approach.

Having an assertive approach when selling isn’t portrayed as aggressive.  It’s about asking the right questions and communicating the right information with confidence to the customer.  The customer will certainly remember this and will be impressed with the presentation of the vehicle.  Remember aggressive sales tactics will not win the dealership sales.  It will ultimately ruin the reputation of the dealership.

The good news for those salespersons in our dealerships that present aggressive behavior on occasion, can be unlearned.  If we can get all of them to adopt the assertiveness sales skill, we will sell more vehicles with higher CSI scores.  Here are a few assertive behaviors versus aggressive behaviors that work great for role-play and don’t take up much time.  Concentrate on facial expressions, body movement and voice volume:

“Enthusiastic” vs “Fake”

“Genuine” vs “Manipulative”

“Direct” vs “Intimidating”

“Respectful” vs “Harassing”

“Understanding” vs “Uninterested”

When a salesperson is engaged with the customer, have them think of a family member being in the customer’s shoes.  This is an easy way for them to adjust their behavior if finding themselves anxious and off track.  It takes skill to put someone at ease and feel comfortable.  Until that happens, it will be very hard to close a car deal, as we all know.

We are professionals.  If we take our time, give the customer a chance to talk and then in a confident way show how we can help we will reach our goals much faster.  Here is to a strong close for everyone reading for 2011.  Have fun and good selling.  See you in 2012.

After coming back from a short holiday break and getting back to business I wanted to share what I recently discussed with our sales staff as we approach the final days of selling for 2011.  It isn’t anything new, just more of a “back to basics” session.  I thought it was important as many of our sales staff are close to hitting big bonuses, grabbing a place in a quarterly contest or at the very least may need a couple of units to make or break their paycheck.  The bottom line, emotions are higher than ever and we can’t let it get the best of us while conducting business with our valued customers.  I am not discouraging being assertive when selling, I am discouraging being aggressive.

We all know that when selling we need to be confident when engaged in conversation, be unafraid to ask questions and not be discouraged by a customer saying no.  It is very easy to come across as aggressive to the customer during these interactions when we really should be assertive.  Coming across to the customer in an aggressive way will certainly leave a lasting negative impression.  We want them to be excited during their shopping experience and positive about the vehicles we are presenting without letting our own emotions get in the way.   I refer to this as the “emotional season” as everyone is affected by other’s actions more than ever so we all need to be careful with our approach.

Having an assertive approach when selling isn’t portrayed as aggressive.  It’s about asking the right questions and communicating the right information with confidence to the customer.  The customer will certainly remember this and will be impressed with the presentation of the vehicle.  Remember aggressive sales tactics will not win the dealership sales.  It will ultimately ruin the reputation of the dealership.

The good news for those salespersons in our dealerships that present aggressive behavior on occasion, can be unlearned.  If we can get all of them to adopt the assertiveness sales skill, we will sell more vehicles with higher CSI scores.  Here are a few assertive behaviors versus aggressive behaviors that work great for role-play and don’t take up much time.  Concentrate on facial expressions, body movement and voice volume:

“Enthusiastic” vs “Fake”

“Genuine” vs “Manipulative”

“Direct” vs “Intimidating”

“Respectful” vs “Harassing”

“Understanding” vs “Uninterested”

When a salesperson is engaged with the customer, have them think of a family member being in the customer’s shoes.  This is an easy way for them to adjust their behavior if finding themselves anxious and off track.  It takes skill to put someone at ease and feel comfortable.  Until that happens, it will be very hard to close a car deal, as we all know.

We are professionals.  If we take our time, give the customer a chance to talk and then in a confident way show how we can help we will reach our goals much faster.  Here is to a strong close for everyone reading for 2011.  Have fun and good selling.  See you in 2012.