Sunday, March 7, 2010

handling the auto sales phoneup


Your ability to handle phone-ups professionally will be the determining factor for gaining additional sales per month. Individuals calling for information on the phone should be handled just like a prospect walking through the door. How you deal with their questions and concerns will be the determining factor for getting an appointment. Here are some strategies that will help make taking a phone-up more profitable: Treat every phone-up like a walk-in customer -
In the past when there were fewer carlines and business was booming, prospects were flocking to the dealerships by the busloads. Salespeople didn't have to take phone-ups as seriously as they need to now. Today, when people callhe dealership, it's because they are usually very busy, and need to gather information before they spend their valuable time shopping around. Treat these individuals with the same respect as you would prospects walking through the door. Answer the phone with enthusiasm and a sense of urgency -
People on the other end of the phone can't see what you look like. All they know of you is how you sound. So, when you answer the phone, sound like you're glad they called. Now comes the important part. You need to give them a sense of urgency to come into the dealership. You can accomplish this by saying the following:Salesperson: Thanks for calling. This is Mike, how can I help you?Prospect: I'm calling to see if you have any "X-Cars" in stock?Salesperson: Oh, are you calling on the "X-Car" sale/promotion?Prospect: No, but what is the "X-Car" sale about?Salesperson: For the next several days, we're offering some of the finest deals on virtually every "X-Car" in stock. Would this be something you'd be interested in? Have a fluid, steady paced presentation -
I believe that if you want to be more successful, you need to start scripting your presentations. Most salespeople don't like canned presentations because they sound like they're reading them off the page. The only reason they sound canned is because salespeople don't practice them. The more you practice, the more fluid they become. If you want to make more money in sales, you can't just say whatever comes out of your mouth and expect it to work. You need to have a planned presentation for each situation that produces results Remain in control by asking questions -
Your prospect has an agenda when he/she calls on the phone, and will likely want to stay on that agenda for fear of being taken advantage of by the salesperson. You can gain the control back by asking the prospect questions. This keeps the prospect involved and at the same time gets you the information you need to do your job professionally. Strive to set an appointment with everyone -
Do not answer the phone just to provide information, or to act as the liaison between the prospect and the dealership. If you're going to take the time to answer the phone, go that extra step and try to set an appointment. If you can convince your prospect to come in and see you, you have moved one step closer to making the sale. Now, I have salespeople tell me, "Mike, I don't have trouble setting an appointment, I have trouble getting them to keep the appointment." Once you've set the appointment with your prospect, solidify the appointment with these three questions:1. Now, is there any reason why you wouldn't be able to keep this appointment?2. Will you be writing this appointment down in your appointment book, or would you like me to call you ahead of time to remind you?3. If for some reason you can't keep this appointment, would you at least give me the courtesy of a call so I can put someone else in your time slot? Log every phone-up -
When you take a phone-up, you should log information on every prospect you talk to. At the very least, you should obtain a name and phone number for follow-up purposes. Then every morning, review all phone-ups to see what deals you may be able to put together. Follow-up by phone within 24 hours -
No matter what the situation is, you should follow-up with every prospect within 24 hours. Keep in mind that if the prospect called you, he/she may be calling other salespeople at other dealerships. If you have a name and phone number, this prospect is yours. You're the one who wants the sale. So, don't let this person get followed-up by another salesperson first. Send a follow-up letter -
If you were assertive enough to also get an address, send the prospect a 24 hour follow-up letter. This may just be what separates you from every salesperson he/she calls.

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