At the risk of being lambasted by my more distinguished and experienced colleagues, I'm posting one of my responses to an internet lead.  My goal is, first and foremost to get a response; and secondly, to see if the possibility exists to make a sale.  While it's unconventional, I feel that it stands out from the bland, scripted responses that consumers usually get from other salespeople.  Because I want to learn from others in this business, I welcome your comments and constructive criticism.

Dear XXXXX,

Thank you for your inquiry on the 2014 Fusion.  I sincerely appreciate your interest in our products and our dealership.

I believe God holds a special place in Heaven for those who show kindness and courtesy toward car salesmen.  Maybe it's just me.  I also believe God is a Ford guy, but I digress.

The bottom line is, if you've decided you want a Fusion, please let me know how you'd like to move forward.  I promise I'll make your experience fun, enjoyable and hassle- free.

If you're still looking/ shopping/ thinking about it, that's OK, too.  It really is.  However, I'd like to know that as well.  That way, I can keep the sweet but aggressive folks at the call center from interrupting your life with endless phone calls and e- mails. 

In either event, I wish you all the best, and look forward to hearing from you soon.  Feel free to respond by e- mail or just give me a call.

Sincerely,

Al

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Comment by steven chessin on August 19, 2014 at 2:39pm

Al - It is too bad that stores do not have lead management / lead generation training.Ideally each salesman should have 10 leads per day and they are no even close to this.

SPEED is vital to develop if you are going to be able to manage 10X the leads you can now - PLUS - doing lead generation also !  Speed dictates what you can and cannot say more than political correctness or creativity. A proper response tells both the customer and the sales manager everything they need to know about the car - the customer - and the next action.

Comment by William Phillips on August 19, 2014 at 11:46am

shift the focus from your lack of ability and grasp of selling, to spelling, your grasping a staws of the talent you don't have. LOL !!!!!!      ROTFLOL????????    clearly demos where you spend your time . 

Comment by William Phillips on August 19, 2014 at 10:56am

Don't have time to look at your profile, its not relevant.  NO SHAME.  Your evolving political correctness is evident and has no place here, get in a different business.  Find your next King Obama march and have at it. The shame is that you think your something, with NOTHING to back it up.  The chip you identify is ALL YOURS, mine is against people without common sense, of which you have demonstrated a clear your lack of.  Get back to work, sending your politically correct emails, I will sell them all cars as you email.  

Comment by William Phillips on August 19, 2014 at 10:37am

Since your response to the comment means it must fit. I am not ashamed of what has no impropriety.  Move your comments to an etiquette forum.  This is about selling cars, something you must spend very little time doing, and I don't have time to teach you that either.  

Comment by William Phillips on August 19, 2014 at 9:21am

Obviously some Obama loving, left leaning people commenting.  Larry's correct.  Its an email for GOD's sake.  Why should it matter if your a Buddhist, Muslim or Satanic worshiper.  We don't have to taylor messages to be politically correct.  Throw political correctness in the trash where it belongs.   Those who take offense and focus on such things have the issue.  Read your money, it says in GOD we trust. Whoops, if your liberal you probably don't make enough of it to read it, and want mine, and you have time for this all day.  Back to work real car people. 

Comment by Larry Hayes on August 19, 2014 at 8:30am

I'm infuriated by Sharon's response! Let it be known that I am not a bible thumper, however, this is just a response to an internet lead people. It's called thinking outside of the box. It floors me that in this day and age, so many people get butt hurt by the simplest of things. Put your big girl pants on and and move on already! If you don't like what you read, stop reading it. I applaud you Steve! Great job on thinking outside the box.

Comment by steven chessin on August 18, 2014 at 3:27pm

"My goal is, first and foremost to get a response; and secondly, to see if the possibility exists to make a sale."  Al - let me challenge that. "If there is a possibility to make a sale" ...

Do YOU make that call and sale ? And even if YOU are (incorrectly) charged with making the sale you will need to get the customer on the phone anyway. So THAT is the goal. Getting the customer to the phone or directly into the store. Not e-penpal-ing.

 The GOALS you perceive, assume, or have been told are incorrect. And there ARE other goals you do not know about because they were not taught. Look at what William wrote :

"Emails should drive people to the phone, so they can be sold."

Maybe you are too young to remember when customers only had two flavors - before texting and tweeting became the way people communicate   ... and think they can buy. Like-it-or-not, buying a car requires DIRECT TALK -- at least on the phone - at best face-to-face". Customers today might be out-of-the-comfort-zone actually talking or physically coming in  - but until they can buy cars on Amazon  - it is what it is. Some might argue "relationship building communications". No. We are not that needy or desperate. We reached-out and they can take our hand or not. And if not, our assistant will tap them again at some point on her "re-engage" schedule.

Also - I thought about what Sharon said. She is 1/2 right. A question DOES need to be asked in some emails  - but  - not YOUR emails. Because, your job is to  respond to the customers' response to such questions by your assistant. And if you do not have an assistant who asks these questions -- for you  -- your store's bdc process is deficient for lacking this filtering process.

This is an advanced-level concept that this is not the right time to get into. YOU are in-between the assistant's questions Sharon suggests and the phone sales talk William does.

DEFINING GOALS AND ROLES of the various steps in lead management and lead generation is a specific hierarchy where there should not be a sloppy over-lapping of marketing / bdc / internet sales / inventory management / social media / I.T. / and many other distinctly defined specialties. Of course, EVERY store does exactly that to limit HR expenses - and it is easiest to assign too many roles to salesmen since they get paid by commission - and have plenty of "downtime"  ----- so this is the first choice !  But salesmen make very poor specialists in all of these other skills. The money saved on HR sacrifices sales. So many stores remain stuck in the 80's instead of capitalizing on the opportunities this generation of internet sales presents.  Its an industry-wide problem   -- and the very reason you are un-clear of your own most basic responsibilities - as whoever told you what to do was guessing.      

Dealer Elite itself   -- is all about trying to teach dealers that every step in the old-fashioned process has been taken-over by specialist tech and individuals - both in-house and out-sourced - and that the old ways are as obsolete as my classic car. 

Comment by William Phillips on August 18, 2014 at 10:38am

I regularly bang the drum about being creative to get yourself noticed.  Nice work!!!!!   I would nix the email offering.  They will do that on their own and its NOT what you want, and it DOESNT sell cars.  I have data beyond reproof that says we sell email generated leads 8 to 1 on the phone, not by emailing.   Emails should drive people to the phone, so they can be sold. Thats what we do, sell not exchange information.  

Again NIce work 

Comment by Sharon Hill on August 18, 2014 at 10:04am

I heartily agree with Russ about the call center comments. And the response a closing question might well prompt. 

Comment by Russ Simmons on August 18, 2014 at 9:37am

I agree with a few of the others.  Religious entities don't belong here, it gets a bit long and the part about the aggressive call center and endless interruptions adds negativity.  I like the soft approach but would add a direct question near the end to prompt a response.

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