380Today's customers expect and demand a fantastic experience. From initial research to the showroom visit, delivering a great experience at every touchpoint will give you a distinct advantage over your competition and help you win deals.

My last blog, 7 Tips to Turn Sales Calls into Customer Appointments, covered seven strategies sales associates can use to drive exceptional calling experiences that earn more appointments.

This blog picks up where the last left off with 7 tips sales associates should use after scheduling the appointment and during the appointment to create showroom experiences that lead to closed deals. After all, the experience customers have when they show up for their appointment can be the difference between signing on the dotted line or leaving the vehicle on your lot.

1. 1. Log Every Detail in the CRM

Your dealership CRM is there to help you sell more vehicles. Use it! Immediately after scheduling the appointment, enter all of the customer's information. Include the preferred communication channel, current vehicle, vehicle of interest, must-have features and options, and any personal details, such as the number of family members. Don't wait until the end of the day to create customer records. Time is the enemy of details.

1. 2. Prepare Alternative Vehicles

General showroom statistics from NADA studies reveal that 85% of customers make up their minds to purchase a vehicle before leaving the house. The majority of your customers want to buy when they come in. But what if the initial vehicle of interest doesn't live up to expectations? Always have alternative vehicles in your back pocket. Pull similar vehicles with more and fewer features and a pre-owned option. 

1. 3. Schedule Appointment Reminders and Make a Confirmation Call

Sometimes customers simply forget. That’s why scheduling an automatic appointment reminder in your CRM and giving the customer a reminder call the day before the appointment increases the likelihood of customers keeping appointments. Some customers may reply by saying they need to change the time. That’s fine. It’s better than not showing at all.

1. 4. Create a Special Moment

After buying a home, a vehicle is often the most expensive purchase customers will make. It’s a big deal. Make it special for them. Display their name and VIP status on a prominently placed appointment board. Provide a few toys or art materials if kids are coming along. Prepare a bow if the vehicle is for a special occasion. Take a video or photo of customers with their new vehicles. All these little touches go a long way towards creating relationships and experiences customers will remember.

1. 5. Listen to Your Sales Call

Listen to the recording of your sales call right before the customer walks in the door. It will remind you of the details, the tone of the customer's voice, and the rapport you built. When the sales call is fresh in your mind, you can pick up with the customer where you left off and continue to build a relationship.

1. 6. Get Your Team On-Board

Sales is a team sport; lean on your team when you need to. For example, you have a customer coming who is concerned about financing. Loop in your F&I manager before the appointment so he or she can go out and speak with the customer on the floor. Always introduce customers to your service advisor. This shows your dealership is prepared to offer a full suite of services and can help increase customer retention and loyalty.

1. 7. Improve Your Game

Not every sales call will result in an appointment. Continually improve your game by listening to two to three sales calls each day to pinpoint what worked and what didn’t. If you miss an opportunity, talk to your management. It may be worthwhile for your sales manager to re-engage if you missed something on the initial call. 

The experience customers have during their appointment can be the difference between leaving your lot in a new vehicle, or just leaving your lot. Master these seven tips to create great showroom experiences that lead to more closed deals and loyal customers.

More than ever before, customers are turning to the internet to research and shop for vehicles. This shift in behavior makes phone calls even more critical. Instead of visiting the dealership to ask vehicle questions, shoppers are turning to their phones. 

In my last blog, “7 Steps to Take Before Every Sales Call,” I covered how, to have a fighting chance of setting appointments and closing new customers, you have to start every sales call armed with a plan to deliver an exceptional customer experience. I shared seven steps that sales associates should take to prepare for calls and to earn more appointments. 

Leading on from that, the experience customers have on the call itself can be the deciding factor between visiting your dealership or hanging up and calling the next store listed on Google. In this blog, I will share seven tips sales associates should use during sales calls to set more appointments and earn more revenue.

1. 1. Prepare for the Call

Sit up straight, take a deep breath, and smile before picking up the phone. When you smile, your voice sounds brighter, friendlier, and more confident. Those qualities are likely to help you make a great first impression on the caller. Also, prepare your greeting. Answer every call with "thank you for calling," your full name, the dealership name, and the name of your department. End with a friendly, "How can I help you today?"  

1. 2. Answer All of the Caller’s Questions

This sounds like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many sales associates try to pin-down an appointment in the first couple minutes of a call or try to get any information to add customers to the CRM. Stop the clock too early, and you'll stop the transaction. Instead, answer every question and take notes, so you can have a complete record of the customer's wants and needs. Studies show that the actual customers will ask to set an appointment 74% of the time when all of their questions are answered. When some questions go unanswered, that rate drops to 48%.

1. 3. Ask About a Current Vehicle

Asking about a current vehicle builds rapport and helps you start to make connections. It’s proven that sales associates who discuss the caller’s current vehicle at least 50% of the time have appointment set averages north of 60%. You’ll also learn what the customer likes and dislikes about the vehicle. This is helpful when recommending vehicles on your lot.

1. 4. Make it Easy

The less effort a customer has to put in to get questions answered or issues resolved, the more they want to do business with you. According to a Harvard Business Review study when customers reported “low effort” with a company, 94% would purchase from that company again. Don’t make customers jump through hoops to do business with you. Know where to quickly find information about the vehicles on your lot, stay up to date with rapidly changing incentives and specials, and be prepared to transfer calls to your mobile device and physically set eyes on a vehicle of interest if needed. The goal is to satisfy the customer’s needs with one call.

1. 5. Earn Contact Information

Build rapport before you ask for complete contact information. When you answer questions and really listen, you’re putting the customer’s needs first. They will be more likely to see you as an ally, and therefore more willing to share personal details. Ask how to spell both first and last names. Show respect by asking if you should use the customer’s first name, or if Mr. or Mrs. is preferred. Always ask for the best communication channel, and repeat phone numbers and email addresses to ensure you have the correct information.

1. 6. Practice Active Listening

Listen twice as much as you talk, and truly listen to the customer. Don’t think about what you’re going to say next. Ask questions to encourage customers to open up. If they like a particular vehicle, ask them why. Confirm and clarify what the customer means and takes notes along the way. Don’t rely on memory. You’ll lose trust and respect if you ask customers to repeat information multiple times.

1. 7. Ask for the Appointment

After you’ve answered every question and built rapport, ask for the appointment. Suggest a few days and times and let the customer decide. Be helpful but never pushy. Once the appointment is scheduled, send a reminder through the customer's preferred channel. You can also follow-up with useful information such as a walk-around video of the vehicle of interest, or a list of what to bring with them to the dealership.

The experience consumers have during sales calls can make or break a sale. Master these seven tips to shape a great customer call experience that will lead to more appointments and deals.

Shaping great customer experiences and setting more appointments begins with one of the first critical moments, the phone call. The first impression of a call is more important than ever. After all, it’s a lot easier for consumers to hang up the phone than walk out of a dealership.

To have a fighting chance of setting appointments and closing new customers, you have to start every sales call armed with a plan to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Here are seven steps sales associates should take to prepare for sales calls and earn more appointments.  

1. 1. Know Your Goal

The goal of every call should be to set an appointment, not to sell a vehicle. Trying to stop the clock too early often stops the transaction. Instead, focus on the customer’s needs and how you can meet them. This produces a reason for the customer to visit your store. According to the 2019 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study, nearly half of today’s consumers only visit one to two dealerships before buying. If you can give them a reason to come in, there’s an excellent chance they will buy from you.

1. 2. Do Your Homework

Be prepared to answer customer questions completely and transparently. Studies show consumers set an appointment 60 percent of the time when they receive clear answers to vehicle questions. Of course, it’s next to impossible to memorize every detail of every vehicle on the lot. Know where to look for information so you can answer questions quickly and completely. Take ownership of what’s on your website – including frequently changing specials and incentives – to give accurate answers on the first call.

1. 3. Be Ready to Walk the Lot

Many customer calls are about vehicle availability. They've seen a vehicle on your website and want to know if it's still for sale. Be prepared to transfer the call to your mobile phone, so you can walk out and physically set eyes on the vehicle. There’s no better reason to arrange an appointment and visit your store than knowing a vehicle is confirmed by you to be there, ready for a test-drive.

1. 4. Define Your Value

What sets your dealership apart from the competition? A no-hassle sales process? A faster in-store experience? Define and hone your elevator pitch and believe in it. Your customers will hear the confidence and enthusiasm in your voice and believe in it too.

1. 5. Respect the Call

Most dealerships are busy places buzzing with background noise. Show respect for every inbound caller by transferring calls to your mobile phone and finding a quieter place to talk. After all, this is an essential conversation for customers who are considering a significant purchase. They will hear it in your voice if you are distracted or having a difficult time hearing.

1. 6. Be Prepared to Take Notes

Be ready to listen and take notes so that you can react to what the buyer says. Never make customers repeat themselves. It’s annoying for the caller and signals that you’re not listening. Carry a pad and a pencil, or a tablet, at all times. Don’t rely on typing information into the CRM as some systems are slow. Never rely on memory alone. The minute you hang up the phone and turn to another task, that critical customer information may be gone forever.

1. 7. Plan for Busy Times

Sales meetings and customer appointments keep you away from ringing phones. Plan for unavailable times, so your store doesn’t miss out on a sale. Don’t rely on voicemail. Many customers will simply hang up and call the store down the street. The sales manager can dedicate one or two people to hop out of sales meetings when the receptionist has a sales call holding. During busy times on the floor, the receptionist should ring all phones round-robin style. The first associate to pick up takes the inquiry.

Take the time at the beginning of each day to prepare for customer sales calls. Time spent up-front can shape a great customer experience and earn you more appointments and more sales.