Chris Vitale's Blog (86)

Increase Customer Retention

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…

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Added by Chris Vitale on November 22, 2022 at 1:30pm — No Comments

What is Active Coaching? Why’s it so important? How’s it so effective?

It’s a check and balance, something that we do on a regular and ongoing basis with our athletes, whether they’re just starting out in T-ball or all the way up to our professionals. A coach is there to lead players through drills and game-time scenarios. Athletes practice regularly to maintain their already honed skills and work on improving skills that may need some work. With that being said, why wouldn’t we…

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Added by Chris Vitale on November 15, 2022 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Appointment Setting 101

When you work in customer service for a dealership, one of the goals you may have is to set appointments for people to come and test drive new cars. If you are new to the dealership, this may seem like a waste of time, especially if there are people walking in to buy a car regularly without an appointment. However, appointment setting is one of the most valuable ways you can contribute to the dealership’s…

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Added by Chris Vitale on November 15, 2022 at 10:00am — No Comments

5 Reasons Your Store Needs Scripts

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…

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Added by Chris Vitale on November 9, 2022 at 11:30am — No Comments

Goals don't mean anything without proper training!

Anyone can have work-related goals, but not everyone will achieve them. To achieve goals, we have to better ourselves. And to better ourselves, it takes practice and training.

 

So, while we often try to motivate our Sales Consultants and BD Agents by asking about their goals, we aren't always assisting them,…

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Added by Chris Vitale on August 29, 2022 at 12:25pm — 1 Comment

"We didn't get that lead..."

Have you ever pulled one of your Sales Consultants or BD Agents into your office because a lead didn’t get answered? And that lead just so happened to be a mystery shop? And instead of your Sales Consultant or BD Agent saying, “we did miss this one, and I will get with the team to review our process,” they said, “we didn’t get that lead”? 

If you don’t think this happens, then you’re losing…

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Added by Chris Vitale on July 17, 2022 at 3:00pm — No Comments

What tools are going to get us through this next period of uncertainty

The most important thing a sales associate can do for a customer right now is listening to their needs. Customers have been shuffled through the proverbial cattle shoot recently; with the current market availability and the automotive industry needs to remember that this is just a period were moving through, not an industry standard. There have been insane markups and a “take it or leave it” mentality that will cripple the dealerships that have adopted this mindset as permanent. …

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Added by Chris Vitale on June 29, 2022 at 9:01am — No Comments

Excellence and consistency – How crucial it is to have both when navigating today’s market anomaly

If the current economy is worrying anyone else, welcome to the madhouse. This isn’t the first-time interest rates have traveled north and buying power and disposable income are low, however when things like this happen businesses struggle to stay afloat. The only thing that’s different this time around is we are also navigating the tail end of a global pandemic that has turned many industries on end and shuttered businesses in its wake.…

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Added by Chris Vitale on June 27, 2022 at 4:13pm — No Comments

DEALERS: STAY ON TOP DURING AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

What Experts are saying:

We all know that the mix of low inventory and higher prices on vehicles has affected sales. The world, after all, doesn’t revolve around gross alone. What wasn’t expected was an 11% drop in new car sales from April to May. This has some experts concerned about an upcoming economic downturn. “The market appears increasingly concerned about the economy, inflation, rising interest rates, and a recession,” Joseph Spak, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said in a…

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Added by Chris Vitale on June 24, 2022 at 4:36pm — No Comments

First impressions still matter!

We’ve been dealing with strange times in the automotive industry recently with chip shortages and an insane gross market. This is not only creating tension for both the customer and the sales associate, but it’s straining an already tumultuous relationship that exists between customers and salespeople. 

 

Therefore, first impressions are…

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Added by Chris Vitale on May 20, 2022 at 10:14am — No Comments

Practical Application of Ongoing Coaching and Training

You never hear a prize fighter say he fired his trainer directly after he won the championship belt, right? Well, that’s the whole reason why it’s important to continue coaching and training of the salespeople and BDC employees. Even after they seem to have mastered the phone and their appointment set rate is off the charts, continued coaching and training are paramount. This is what keeps them sharp! …

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Added by Chris Vitale on May 19, 2022 at 1:44pm — No Comments

Automotive Trends in a Post-Covid World

It’s no secret how much COVID-19 changed the automotive business. Many dealerships were shut down for months on end and others had such restrictive business practices that made it difficult to function. We’re now in a post-Covid world, and many things have changed within the automotive industry. While it’s still unclear as to whether these trends are here to stay, they have changed the face of the industry. …

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Added by Chris Vitale on May 19, 2022 at 1:36pm — No Comments

Knowledge is Power

Make no mistake about it, car dealers have an uphill battle to fight when defending their reputation. The sleazy used car guy character is still top of mind for consumers when making a purchase. And it is no fault of their own. 95% of all sales are made at the dealership, but most of that research now begins at home. Consumers will tell you the #1…

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Added by Chris Vitale on May 17, 2022 at 3:34pm — No Comments

Selling Service via the Telephone

Selling work over the phone is something that has been done since service centers opened, and this goes for independent centers as well as dealerships. Most advisors love it when they can sell work over the phone as it gives them the upper hand. There is nothing better than when an advisor actually has a minute to breathe and works through a quote, put the numbers together, and presents a well-organized “package” to their customer who isn’t tapping their foot in the waiting room.  This…

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Added by Chris Vitale on May 16, 2022 at 3:35pm — No Comments

Servicing Virtually

Servicing your vehicle has been an age-old activity for anyone who owns or drives a vehicle. With today’s world and technology advancing, we’re gathering new tools to enhance our daily lives on a regular basis. This includes technology in our vehicles, so why wouldn’t it carry over into service.  

Virtual service has started to take hold in…

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Added by Chris Vitale on May 16, 2022 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Customer Lounge: Friend or Foe?

You’ve had one customer on a test drive, your next appt just showed up an hour early, and somehow you were the only “available salesman” when a family just walked into the dealership… what do you do?

That answer is easy, you start juggling! Get them comfortable in the customer lounge, tell them to enjoy a warm or cold beverage, or snack, and here is…

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Added by Chris Vitale on May 9, 2022 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Now that we're at sticker, why don't we stay here?

I remember it like it was yesterday, the first time a car was discounted to make a deal. It was 1932, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Big Red Ewing accepted $1,450 “out the door” for a brand new 1933 Studebaker Dictator that stickered for $1,466 Plus TTL. Now, whether or not that’s true, I cannot say. But I’m sure it went down just like that. …

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Added by Chris Vitale on May 6, 2022 at 11:49am — 1 Comment

7 Good Reasons Your Salespeople Need Coaching

There are actually over 50 reasons why your Salespeople need coaching. They may not know it; but you do. Their managers know it. Their customers feel it.



Even if your customers don’t know what Coaching is, they know how they feel during and after an encounter with an un-coached Salesperson. It’s not pleasant nor very efficient.



Here are seven reasons why Salespeople need Coaching, why Active Coaching is the best, and some suggested solutions.…

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Added by Chris Vitale on March 2, 2022 at 1:16pm — No Comments

Top Reasons to Listen to your Service Calls

Customer service is extremely important. We get that. But one thing we might not notice, or suspect is that not everyone is good on the phones. In fact, some of your best Service Advisors could be the absolute worst on the phones! Just because you’re great in front of a customer doesn’t mean you have the skills necessary to replicate that via telephone. And…

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Added by Chris Vitale on September 9, 2021 at 4:14pm — No Comments

ENHANCE YOUR DEALERSHIP’S CONVERSION RATES

ENHANCE YOUR DEALERSHIP’S CONVERSION RATES WITH CAR SALES PHONE SCRIPTS



In the age of social media and Zoom, is the old-fashioned phone call outdated? If you’re in the auto sales business, absolutely not.

The humble telephone is still your most reliable source of auto buyer leads, whether you’re taking inbound calls from curious shoppers or reaching out to your call list. A well-trained and engaged sales rep…

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Added by Chris Vitale on August 23, 2021 at 12:07pm — No Comments

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