There is a lot of conversation surrounding the appointment. Namely, how to ask for the appointment when corresponding via email. So much conversation that it becomes confusing - leaving you asking yourself where do I ask for the appointment?

It does not have to be as complicated as we make it, no? If the customer has inquired on a vehicle (especially for pre-owned), they have interest. So if they have an interest in the vehicle, and have not asked specifically to come in for a test drive (boy do we like it when they do!!), then we need to ask them!

Perhaps s/he has not set up a time to come in on the said vehicle because they are unsure of who they’d work with (planning just to stop in randomly), or they have inquired on three or four different vehicles. Forgetting which one they inquired on when you are calling, which is all the more reason to sell the appointment in the email!

We all know the customer who inquired online - the one that never answers your calls or texts - that shows up randomly is also the customer that becomes agitated because they were not waited on fast enough! That could have been avoided had we asked for the appointment. Making sure that we ask for it in the right way.

What we do not want to do is try to sell the vehicle online before the customer has test driven the vehicle. Making the customer feel as if s/he has to commit to purchasing that vehicle before their arrival, which makes them uncomfortable. Instead, we sell the opportunity to purchase a vehicle. Offering them a fast, fun, and hassle-free experience!

Here are some quick tips on how to ask for the appointment:

• “Thanks for your interest in (insert vehicle) we sincerely appreciate the opportunity to earn your business with (insert dealer). The (vehicle) is available. Speaking of available, are you available now or later today for a test drive?

• As special thanks for taking the time to come in for a test drive, we will give you a $25 gift card

• We have several excellent options available (Insert other options including vehicles others have viewed that are similar). Speaking of available, are you available now or later today for a test drive?

The appointment should be the focus along with your value statements. If s/he responds back with “I am not able to come in” objecting your email, then they might not have gotten the information they were hoping for, which means you have to start at square one and ask for the appointment again.

They might ask for price, availability, payments, etc. which allows you to start your needs analysis. Inquiring as to whether they want to focus on their payment or overall price range. Once you have answered their question, you can ask a question. Keeping the conversation balanced! This should lead to more appointments! Sounds simple, yes. But when we get busy and start hammering out emails to keep that lead response time low we often forget about the core basics!

How do you ask for the appointment? How do you handle objections via email?

Let's keep the conversation going on email templates! Has anyone had results yet?