With the constantly shifting car market, it is more important than ever to focus on the things that will make your dealership successful and allow you to continue business as normal. While there are plenty of things that you can do to keep your inventory up to date, it is just as important to invest time and energy into making sure that your employees stay up to date as well. Ensure they’re getting the coaching they need to succeed and keep your dealership running smoothly.

What Does Coaching Do?

Many people use coaching and training interchangeably, but there is a difference between the two that you need to focus on with your team. Training focuses on teaching your team information that they need to do their job. This could be focused on the systems they use, what you sell, or other information they need to complete a sale successfully. Active coaching focuses on teaching them the skills they need to be successful in real-world situations. This is often led by the coach - someone with experience and the ability to teach that experience to other people. Coaching your employees prepares them to adapt and deal with the demands of their jobs without feeling overwhelmed or unsupported.

How Often Should You Coach Employees?

The frequency of your coaching will depend on your employees, their individual needs, and the challenges your dealership is facing. The most important thing is that your coaching should occur regularly. Even the most experienced employees need support from their supervisor and team, and providing them with that support is a great way to keep them from feeling burnt out at their job. For newer employees, it may be helpful to have coaching sessions a couple of times a week. More established employees should have coaching weekly, perhaps not the same frequency as new hires. It is also beneficial to schedule coaching sessions for the whole team at least once a year to brush up on skills and try out new things.

What are the Benefits of Coaching?

The biggest benefit of coaching is seeing your employees be more successful at their job, which contributes to your dealership's overall success. Engaged sales reps should be able to set appointments for your dealership 80% of the time, which can bring in a lot of business. Additionally, coaching allows you to work closely with your employees and get to know them, what they do well with, and what they struggle with. These insights into your team allow you to recognize achievements and provide growth opportunities. Coaching also helps your team feel supported and valued. This is incredibly important, as feeling appreciated at work is one of the best ways to reduce turnover. With the constantly shifting job market, it can be hard to find solid employees, so holding on to the ones that you already have is a great win for your dealership.

How to Evaluate Coaching Success

Coaching without an end goal won’t accomplish everything you need it to. When your employees are working with a coach, make sure they take the time to identify specific outcomes that this coaching should help them with and set benchmarks to evaluate this progress. For dealership agents, appointment setting is one of the biggest skills that coaches can help with. You should have stats on how they are doing before the coaching, which will allow for specific goals for improvement. Ensure you’re following up on these goals and providing additional coaching and training to give them the tools they need to succeed.

The importance of coaching your dealership employees, especially phone agents and sales reps, can’t be overstated. While you may be lucky enough to hire some natural salespeople, most of them will need at least a little support to reach their full potential. With coaching, you can easily get them there.

Do you need help with your coaching? Click here to see what we can do for you!

With the holidays in full swing and plenty of shopping happening, it’s important for your dealership to get in on the action to close out the year with a bang. Cars are a fairly popular Christmas gift, so it is up to your dealership to find a way to get the maximum value out of this time of year.

Get Involved in Charity

Nothing promotes goodwill and a better impression of your dealership than using your resources to give back to the community, especially during the holiday season. There are plenty of ways for you to get your dealership involved that don’t take much effort but make a huge difference. You can host a food drive for the local food bank, participate in a toy drive, sponsor needy families, or even pledge a percentage of your monthly profits to a local charity. Your dealership is likely in a central location that many people know, so you can set up collection boxes for multiple charities. This allows people to make all of their donations at once and helps the charities have a well-known location to direct people towards. While the aim of participating in these charities should always be to give back without conditions, having more foot traffic at your dealership can provide more opportunities for sales. Additionally, advertising your charitable partnership can build a lot of goodwill in the community that can get you on potential customers’ radars.

Run a Special Event

Everyone loves a sale, so now is the perfect time to have a holiday-themed event! In addition to the normal Black Friday sale, you can host a December sales event to draw people in. The winter holidays often give people an excuse to buy something they’ve been thinking about for a while, so you need to be at the top of the list for people buying a car for Christmas. It’s also a colder time of year for many people, and they may find themselves longing for heated seats and steering wheels or other bells and whistles that make the cold drive more bearable. Make sure to get the word out about your sale and make the shopping experience a memorable one for them as well. You can even designate specific days during the month when there are extra perks to draw more people in.

Host a Contest

Getting people onto your lot and test-driving your cars is a great way to get them closer to making the purchase (the feel of the wheel will seal your deal), and having a contest or sweepstakes can sweeten the deal for those who are on the fence. You don’t want to have everyone entering if they aren’t going to bring in business, so if you decide to host a contest, it would be wise to make a test drive or a conversation with a sales rep part of the entry requirements. You can even give them more entries for larger actions, like actually buying a car from your dealership. There are plenty of prizes you can offer that would attract people, including cash, free oil changes, discounted tires, or other services your community cares about. You can also give away gift baskets.

Increase Customer Service

Shopping during the holiday season can be fun but can also become very stressful, especially on busy weekends. The experience you provide at every touch point for your leads and customers can make a huge difference for them and can do quite a bit to portray your business in the best light possible. While they may have to deal with a few Scrooges, it’s important to stress having the highest possible customer service from your employees during this time. When customers feel valued and taken care of at every stage, they are more likely to purchase from you and return in the future.

All of these strategies can have a great impact on the number of December sales you can close. Make sure to choose the ones that fit the best with your dealership rather than trying to implement all of them at once. 

Want to work on your phone agents’ customer service skills? Click here to see how our active coaching can help you!

The telephone is your most reliable source of leads. Inbound phone calls allow dealerships to gather more detailed information about a customer's needs, resulting in higher conversion rates. Since six out of every ten inbound calls to the sales department have intent to purchase, it's crucial to optimize them to close more deals. 

However, despite the rise in phone leads, phone performance is not necessarily keeping up. Many businesses are struggling to convert inbound phone leads into sales, largely due to a lack of proper training and resources. The inbound sales call is one of the most important aspects of sales and one of the most difficult to master. The good news is there's a huge opportunity to improve.

Here are 5 mistakes that sales reps make on inbound sales calls and how to avoid them:

Making a Bad First Impression

Making a bad first impression on an inbound sales call can negatively affect a company. Sales reps should strive to create a positive customer experience by listening to the customer and avoiding being too pushy or aggressive. Unfortunately, sales reps often jump right into their pitch without taking the time to introduce themselves properly or build rapport. This can be off-putting to customers and turn them off from the conversation. Avoid pressuring the customer into making a purchase and instead focus on building a relationship and understanding the customer's needs. It's also important to be mindful of the customer's time.

Failing to Ask the Right Questions

Asking the right questions can help uncover a customer's needs and wants, allowing you to tailor a car and a deal that is right for them. It can also help to learn about any potential objections or hesitations they may have. It's important to ask questions to better understand what they are looking for in a car. 

Lacking Confidence

When making an inbound sales call, remain confident and stay positive. Try not to be intimidated by the customer's responses, but use them as an opportunity to build rapport and engage in a meaningful conversation. Being confident in your abilities and knowledge of the vehicle you're selling is key. An automotive phone training script will help you cover all your bases and appear confident. Remember that even if a call does not result in a sale, it can still be a valuable experience. Use the call as an opportunity to learn more about your customer, their needs, and the marketplace. It's also a chance to gain insight that you can use for future calls.

Giving Away too Much Information

While answering your customer's questions immediately may seem helpful, it’s better to wait and try to save any details for when they come in and see you. If a customer receives too much information from a dealership over the phone, it can make them feel overwhelmed and unmotivated to visit the dealership entirely.

Not Setting an Appointment  

A well-trained and engaged sales rep can drive a 60% appointment set rate, with 50% of appointments showing. Setting appointments allows you to get face time with your potential customers, build relationships, and eventually close a sale. Plus, your customer is less likely to pick up the phone and call another dealership if they already have an appointment scheduled. When setting the appointment time, focus on what’s most convenient for your customer. It's also a good idea to walk them through what to expect. The more you prep them, the more likely it is to be a successful appointment.

By avoiding these mistakes and investing in the right tools to maximize phone performance, sales reps can ensure that their inbound sales calls are productive and successful.

Want to improve how your dealership handles inbound phone calls? We have the coaching experience and tools you need!

Generally, when someone thinks of customer service for a company functioning out of one singular building, they assume it should be the same across the board. When it comes to a dealership, however, customer service can vary based on the job and its purpose. Not saying that it shouldn’t be excellent no matter the department; however, each department functions differently. Some interaction is B2B, other interactions are front facing to the public, and a large portion of interactions are completely phone based.

When it comes to the latter, we need to be sure that our customer service is top-notch because when we are on the phone, there is always a possibility that we will never see that customer step foot in the store if we make a poor impression. Communication is the key that can make or break the success of any company; therefore, it should be consistently fine-tuned to ensure each associate is up to par with the company’s mission both over the phone and in person.

It is a given that excellent phone skills in the sales department are crucial since most dealerships have another same-make competitor close enough to earn their business. They need to be organized and educated on their product and what they can do for their customer at all times. But the fixed ops department is just as important. Some say the dealership doesn’t make money until a car is sold; however, retention is earned in the service department. While each department knows its worth, they are all crucial to keeping each other afloat. And Fixed-Ops need not forget that their competitors are literally attached to their sales cohorts’ competitors as well.

Having a friendly and helpful sales department will never make up for a fixed ops department that is “super busy” and terrible on the phone. While everyone is working to do more with less (staff included), we must remember that this period is just that. Demand for service and vehicles is high, and customers’ wallets are thin, but what won’t change is time. We as an industry need to remember that even when things are weird, customers will remember how they are treated. The pace in service and parts is always faster, but that doesn’t mean its service should have an excuse not to be excellent on the phone as well. A common misconception for a fixed-ops department is that the customer “needs” them. That can change if they are not met with competence and compassion before they even step in the door because, at the end of the day, everyone is still in the business of customers AND their cars.

While the pace and volume of each department are different, what doesn’t differ is the need for a process and consistent customer service over the phone. When the dealership holds a high standard for customer service across the board, the business benefits as a whole; both Fixed Ops and Sales should have a specific process to practice to continue to ensure that their customers’ needs are met efficiently and professionally. Management should also keep this underlying tone present in day-to-day operations; when the entire team upholds the organization’s mission together, everyone thrives, customers included. 

Using video to engage sales prospects is an effective way to provide information and enhance the customer experience. By creating engaging and informative videos, car dealerships can showcase their inventory, highlight features and benefits of specific vehicles, and even offer virtual test drives. This can help car dealerships position themselves as a trusted source of information and a go-to destination for car buyers.

Let's explore some of the reasons why your dealership should use video communication along the customer journey.

Build a Personal Connection 

Video is a powerful tool for car dealerships looking to jump-start and maintain the customer relationship. By using video chat or recorded video messages, dealerships can provide a more personalized sales experience, answer customers' questions, and address their specific concerns. It also offers greater transparency and feels more inviting to potential buyers. This can build stronger relationships with customers and increase the likelihood of making a sale. 

Showcase the Vehicle

Another way to use video to engage sales prospects is to offer virtual test drives. Using video chat, the salesperson can take the consumer on a virtual tour of the vehicle, showing off its interior and exterior features and highlighting key performance capabilities. This can give potential customers a feel for the vehicle without having to visit the dealership in person. 

Dealerships can also engage sales prospects by creating short, informative videos highlighting the vehicles in the dealership's inventory. These videos can be shared on the dealership's website and social media channels and can be tailored to specific vehicles or target audience segments. For example, a dealership could create a video that showcases the safety features of a particular SUV model, and target it to families with young children.

Reach More Leads

Customers are turning towards online sales to access more car inventory and find the dealers they want to buy from. This is especially beneficial for smaller dealerships that may have previously struggled to compete with larger, more established competitors in their local market. With the ability to reach more customers online, dealerships can now target a wider audience and potentially increase their sales and revenue. Using video can help streamline the car buying process and make it more convenient for customers.

Confirm Their Appointment

Video is an effective way to confirm an appointment for a car dealership because it allows the customer to see and hear the confirmation directly from the salesperson. This personal touch helps build trust and establish a connection with the customer, making them more likely to follow through with the appointment.

Using video for appointment confirmation also allows for a quick and easy way for the customer to verify important details such as the appointment date, time, and location. This eliminates any confusion or miscommunication and ensures that the customer arrives at the dealership on time and prepared for their appointment.

Say Thank You

Dealerships can also use video messaging to say thank you after a successful sale and at any time. Customers and prospects alike want to feel valued and respected. A thoughtful video message can be easier and more cost-effective than sending snail mail. Keep in mind that you don't need a sale to express your appreciation. Holiday greetings, birthdays, and special promotions are good occasions to reach out with a short greeting and thoughtful message.

Overall, using video to engage sales prospects at a car dealership is a powerful way to provide information, enhance the customer experience, and drive sales. By creating engaging and informative videos, car dealerships can showcase their inventory, highlight key features and benefits, and offer valuable advice and tips to potential customers.

Phone Ninjas can help with video and phone sales techniques for your automotive dealership. Check out our Automotive Phone Training or Active Coaching Services and see how Phone Ninjas can help you!

At a dealership, we are responsible for doing everything we can for our customers. Sales and Service are set up to make a profit in their respective departments; however, sometimes their paths cross when it comes to assisting a customer to the fullest extent in an all-too-common situation… When to keep servicing and when to upgrade.

The sales department’s job is to move units; the service department’s job is to maintain those units. Sales would love to see a car turnover every 3-ish years, while service would like to see customers keep their cars for 10 or more years. While the average consumer keeps their car for a happy medium of 5 years, there is a fine dance that each department performs to keep their workflow moving. The big question here is, when does service finally say it’s time to visit the sales department for a new vehicle, and how should they broach that subject?

The customer with a 3-year-old car in a lease is an easy send-up to sales if they are talking about it, especially with most dealerships using an Exchange/Upgrade Department. The car, that’s about 5 years old, is starting to need maintenance and turning into a tricky sell. Each customer has their preference and [most of the time] has a plan for how they would like to handle their vehicle. Responsible customers plan maintenance charges into their budget and continue to move forward with their current vehicle until it doesn’t make sense or their timeline is up.

Then there are the customers with older cars that are starting to cost more money than they’re worth. A great sell for most service departments; however, where do you draw the line? With a dealership, customers range from working with disposable income to spare down to fixed incomes that amount to peanuts, and the customer is asking to pay in installments. It's up to the service department, tech, and advisor to present all of the options to the customer when it comes to extensive work on an older vehicle. The tech should be willing to present all valid options for repair to the advisor, and the advisor needs to work to build a strong rapport with the customer. This all comes down to excellent customer service. When it’s time to have this conversation, the customer should be comfortable, even considering the potential for a lengthy repair OR moving forward with a new vehicle. It’s also highly recommended that the advisor be comfortable with at least one salesperson to work with regarding a handoff. Customers are comfortable when they are confident in the next step of the process based on a smooth handoff and palpable comradery amongst departments. Customer service needs to be the main priority amongst both departments, as it is the tie that binds the two together.

But let’s take a step back. The handoff is important. However, the presentation of all viable options in service is even more important. Customers should be given clear options on both repairs or pursuing something new. Advisors in the game for the long haul know that their ability to sell is important, but customer retention is even more important. A good advisor has confidence in themselves when they recommend a new vehicle; their customer will continue to come back and service with them again. Another aspect sometimes overlooked is the client’s recommendation to friends and family. These things come from excellent customer service, and sometimes an advisor says, “it’s time to move on” or “this repair is worth it.” Giving the customer all options, presented in non-biased terms with the will to answer questions in a factual and straightforward manner, is always going to be the way to go. When the customer asks for their personal opinion, a great philosophy to work by is that the “truth will set you free.” Give it to the customer straight up and know that they are doing their best, in the customer's best interest, and they have done everything they can. Plus, as a bonus, the truth doesn’t change. By telling the truth, you don’t have to “remember” anything, as your answer will be the same for the same situation.

At the end of the day, it’s time to suggest a new vehicle when the customer is open to the option based on their current situation and vehicle needs. An advisor will only know that if they are learning their customers and focusing on their customer service skills first, ensuring that ALL viable options are put on the table when it’s time to discuss their vehicle. A customer service-centric dealership will always weather the test of time over the ones hyper-focused on their bottom line.

Doing right by customers is the best policy and always drives positive results in the bottom line. 

What Does the Future of the Automotive Industry Look Like?

The automotive industry may feel like it is in constant flux, but there is actually a lot more stability than you might otherwise think based on the news reports. That doesn’t mean that the industry isn’t experiencing some major developments. Technology is constantly changing how the world operates, and car dealerships and the automotive industry are not exempt from the effects of technology. Luckily for your dealership, the technology changes happening in the automotive industry are focused on positive changes that can only improve things.

Digital Sales

Customers are turning towards digital sales to access more car inventory and find the dealers they really want to buy from. The rise of technology allows dealerships to expand their reach and find customers all over rather than just in the local region. Not only does this require better marketing efforts to reach those customers, but it also requires dealerships to have a more robustly trained customer service and sales team to ensure that they can adequately serve these digital customers. Rather than relying on their traditional sales methods, they need to develop sales methods for customers that aren’t on the lot like normal.

Custom Builds

With the current shortage of used vehicles, many more people than normal are buying new cars to keep their primary form of transportation, and they figure if they are spending that much money, they might as well get exactly what you want. In fact, some dealerships report that their custom or build-to-order car sales are up to a third of their sales now. Custom building a car is a little more expensive than normal, but when people have the money, they will often choose that option. As a dealership, you can benefit from this trend by educating and assisting potential customers with this process. While customers can customize their car online, for someone newer to this process, it can be helpful to walk through the customization with someone knowledgeable about their specific car and what each option means for them.

Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles are not as popular as some people may have hoped, but hybrid vehicles are a great option for the more environmentally conscious. Many car companies are prioritizing hybrid vehicles as a great option to improve vehicle efficiency and reduce their environmental impact. Consumers prefer hybrid cars because they are more efficient than regular gas cars, which is a huge win with the recent surge in gas prices. Electric vehicles are also enjoying a significant amount of popularity, even though the infrastructure needed to support them is still in the early stages. Hybrid cars are a good step in the right direction while the needed infrastructure is created.

More Connectivity

These days, it is standard for cars to come with connected systems, such as driving assistance and remote emergency services. Many car companies also provide apps that customers can use to remotely activate their cars, provide information about needed maintenance and recalls, and provide other help. As a dealership, you can also use technology to connect to the used cars that you have on the lot to understand the condition they are in and monitor any needed repairs, so they are ready to sell whenever someone wants to buy them. Smart cars are becoming more common, and the information they provide the car companies can also give the dealerships an edge in understanding car purchasing patterns and determining prices.

Understanding the future of the automotive industry and how that affects your dealership is important to ensure that you are prepared to take advantage of all of these changes. They can be positive changes, but they require you to adapt to the future. Make sure you look into these trends in more depth to understand what you need to do and how your dealership can ensure that you are at the top of your game for your customers.

Need to improve your sales and training for your customer service team? Check out our active coaching services to ensure everyone is at the top of their game!

Nowadays, finding a way to retain your customers is an important part of the business. Car prices are rising through the roof, and not building the loyalty of your customers can be a quick route to losing them. Building loyalty for your dealership can be difficult since people aren’t buying cars as regularly as they buy other products, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible to do. Using the right tools is important to focus on to ensure that your customer retention is as effective as it can be.

Better Communication

Customers care about how you communicate with them. Having open and honest communication with your customers makes you someone that they feel they can trust and allows you to have difficult conversations when you need to. When it comes to your phone agents, having them properly trained to communicate with your customers and deal with their concerns is important. Phone scripts are an important way to ensure that they don’t miss out on important conversation steps and give them the tools to deal with difficult customers. The biggest thing to remember is that customers want to be heard and understood, especially when it involves things like their car. When you can provide that for them, it goes a long way toward earning their loyalty.

Innovative Marketing

Marketing is often thought of as a way to bring in new customers, but it is also an important step for keeping your current customers coming back. The loyalty phase on the marketing funnel includes follow-up emails and phone calls about new services you offer, sales that are currently happening, and reminding them of everything your dealership has to offer beyond just selling cars. You should also keep it interesting. If you only ever send emails, they may stop paying attention. Social media campaigns, events, and other engaging marketing tactics are an important part of keeping customers engaged and returning to your dealership repeatedly.

Solid Customer Service

The customer service that you provide as a dealership goes beyond the sales experience that customers have. Many people have come to see dealerships as a one-stop shop for everything to do with their cars, which means you need to make sure you are providing quality service every step of the way. From phone calls and communications to car repairs and maintenance, all of this should be conducted with the highest level of customer service. The ultimate goal is to earn the repeated business of your customers, especially if your dealership sells both new and used cars. Having loyal customers not only means that you will have their business, but they are also likely to recommend you to their friends and family. In addition to providing quality customer service, you should make sure that you are constantly striving to improve your customer service. New methods of helping customers are being suggested all the time, so keeping up to date with things is important.

Fun Perks

While perks aren’t the only thing people are looking for in a dealership, they provide a good option to sway people and keep them engaged with your dealership. Loyalty events can easily double as marketing events and provide options for those perks. You can showcase new cars, serve great food, and have drawings for fun prizes at these events. You can work with local businesses to provide these prizes and get the community engaged as well. Additionally, some dealerships will offer free car washes, snacks, and entertainment while you wait, or anything else you can think of. When people enjoy their time at their dealership, even if they are waiting for car service, they are more likely to become loyal customers.

Using all the tools at your disposal is one of the best ways to ensure that you and your business can weather this volatile car market. While prices may be higher than many people want, making sure you have a loyal customer base can help you weather anything coming your way. Customer loyalty can trump almost any storm.

Want to improve how your dealership handles phone calls? Check out our active coaching services and see how Phone Ninjas can help you!

At first glance, phone scripts may seem like something that isn’t necessary for your calls. Many people feel like they can be more successful if they are allowed to handle calls their own way. However, phone scripts are actually one of the most valuable tools you can use to not only have successful phone calls but also to improve the overall reputation of your dealership. 

IMPROVE SALES CALL TRAINING

One of the most difficult parts of developing a team is ensuring everyone is properly trained and empowered to do their all. Phone scripts allow you to have a set training method with a proven success rate. Rather than hoping that the person picks up on what you are sharing with them or trying to get them to replicate something that is only successful with the right personality, you can rely on a script that has been personalized to your dealership and sales process. Phone scripts will also speed up the onboarding process, which allows you to have fully trained sales agents in a shorter amount of time.

BRING IN MORE LEADS

The point of having sales agents on the phone is to get appointments set that will lead to more traffic at your dealership and more cars sold. To make sure that every phone call has the best chance of becoming an appointment, you want to make sure that they are getting their questions answered and that they are being placed appropriately in the sales funnel. Phone scripts guide your sales agents through this process and ensure that each phone call is appropriately categorized. While it would be nice if every phone call led directly to an appointment and then to a sale, some people need a few more touches than that. Using a phone script will help sales agents make the right call about what a potential customer needs to become a solid prospect.

GET ALL THE INFO IN

Even the most seasoned sales agent can have off days, and there is a lot of information that needs to be conveyed on phone calls. Nothing is worse than the feeling of hanging up a phone call and realizing that you forgot to share crucial information or forgot to ask some of the most important questions. Phone scripts guide sales agents through the conversation step by step and give them reminders about all of the points that they need to hit to be successful. They can also help them remember what information they need to collect and help keep it organized. The prompts that come as part of the phone script also help everything flow smoothly, rather than jumping from topic to topic.

BOOST PROFESSIONALISM

The reputation of your business is affected by every interaction a customer has, and phone calls are one of the best ways to either boost or ruin that reputation. Having professional sales agents is a great mark that many people will remember. Phone scripts help create a uniform experience so that everyone is on the same professional level. They also boost the confidence level of your agents. There are few things that make a sales agent sweat more than being asked questions that they aren’t sure how to answer. Using phone scripts helps them find the answers at any moment, which keeps them feeling sure of their abilities and representing your dealership in a professional manner.

SAFEGUARD YOUR BUSINESS

In addition to keeping your reputation as a solid dealership intact, phone scripts also set boundaries for your sales agents and keep your business safe. People tend to take anything said by a sales agent as the gospel truth, and any stray comment could end up committing your dealership to something you don’t actually do. While you don’t have to honor anything that is contrary to your business practices, angry customers often make it easier to just give in. By using phone scripts, you can set boundaries and easily allow sales agents to reference policies, procedures, up-to-date sales information, legal information, and anything else they need to keep the information they share accurate.

Phone scripts carry many benefits for your dealership that you really shouldn’t be going without. Not only does it make your job easier, but it also assures that everything will run smoothly for the sales team without too much oversight. This will allow you to focus on other areas that need more hands-on attention.

“You might be interested in a new vehicle and we’d possibly like to buy yours” said the sales consultant I overheard while my car was being serviced. Sure, it could be a “one-off” opening line for a voicemail, but this line was used multiple times for the new vehicle they were trying to sell. To make matters worse, the ending of the calls was “so, um yeah just figured I’d give you a call you know, and ugh yeah let me know.”

Let’s be serious - if the customer were to listen to this voicemail, they’d most likely pass it over, right? It doesn’t sound very appealing, you know?

It’s voicemails and calls like the above that continue to plague our industry. The way your Sales Consultant or BD Agent presents the offer can make or break your chances of selling the customer a vehicle.

So, despite continuing to live in a world where inventory is low and used car pricing is through the roof, having good phone skills is still required. 

This also isn’t saying they're not a good Sales Consultant, either. What this is offering is that even your best Sales Consultants still need refresher courses on best practices to effectively handle phone calls and voicemails.

But, all too often, our response to the above voicemail is “well they're not good on the phones so we just have a BDC handle the calls.” But really? Do they all not have phones on their desks? What about in their pockets? Do their business cards have phone numbers on them?

Sure, you might have a BDC handle calls – who could also benefit from a refresher course – but just like in today’s experience, the Sales Consultant was the one handling outbound calls and leaving voicemails. Not the BDC.

Even if your Sales Consultant only makes a few phone calls – those phone calls still count. Every phone call, no matter who's making the call, should be handled with the same level of etiquette. Every phone call that’s not handled with proper phone etiquette is potentially a missed opportunity. How many opportunities are we willing to throw away because we didn’t want to train our Sales Consultants or BD Agents?

Take 30-seconds, complete a complimentary Stealth Test and see what it can do to help build strong phone skills for your Sales Consultants and BD Agents.