The Perfect Appointment – PART 5

The Perfect Appointment (PART 5)

TRANSCRIPT:

Are you noticing a trend here? Are you noticing a theme? We keep circling back to our goal. Our one goal. That’s an appointment that shows. This goes for all inbound calls, text messages, outbound calls, chats, any sort of two way. Messenger, whatever communication you’re doing that is two way with a customer. You need to take control and you need to use talk tracks like we’ve just been going through.

See you have one goal and it’s an appointment that shows. Your goal on the phone, text, chat is not to build phony rapport. You can’t do that today with today’s customer. They’re ready to buy. They’re not going to fall for it. Do not conduct a needs analysis. That’s not your job on the phone. You have one job, and it’s an appointment that shows. They’ve already done their own needs analysis, their own feature presentation, their own product selection. They’re ready to buy. You’re only going to blow up your chance to sell them a car if you try to do a needs analysis over the phone.

Don’t try to gather as much information as possible from the prospect. Get the information you need for an appointment. Name, phone number, email address, that’s it. Vehicle they want. That’s it. Don’t try to dig into their trade information, because once you start talking about things like trade, they’re going to go off in a direction. They’re going to think, you know, I only have six more payments. Why would I want to get a new car?

Your goal is an appointment that shows. Let’s treat every call, every lead, every text, every chat like it’s an order. Answer their question and circle back to your goal. Answer their question, circle back to your goal. Answer their question, circle back to your goal. It’s your choice. You can close your phone calls at 8%, which I have clients who let their floor answer their calls. Guess what? Because their floor doesn’t follow the same process that a solid BDC will do, they’re closing their phone calls at about 8%. That means out of every 100 phone calls they get, they sell eight cars.

Guess what? If you’ll follow my talk tracks, you should be able to count on about a 40% or better close rate of your inbound calls. Remember almost every call you’re getting is about availability. They’re ready to buy. Handle the customer the right way, and start closing at 40% or better. That means out of every 100 inbound sales call you get, you’ll sell about 40 vehicles versus 8% or selling eight vehicles. It really is that dramatic.

We use a strong talk track, right? We stay to our goals an appointment today or tomorrow. I really try to get that customer. I told them. That vehicle’s not going to make it through the weekend. I’ve got two test drives open this afternoon. 12:45, 1:15. I stayed on all of that, and I stayed to my goal. Is there anything else that achieves a strong appointment setting? That achieves this first step that we want?

It’s yes, there is something else. We need to get a verbal commitment and a mental commitment from the prospect. Now the verbal commitment is, “Mrs. Jones will you make it for your 5:15 appointment?” She says, “Yes.” That’s a verbal commitment. We need something stronger. We need her to mentally commit to coming in for an appointment. We get this mental commitment through something we call the recap. The recap is not an option.

Again, your goal is not to get off the phone quickly. Your goal is an appointment that shows. If you’re not good with the recap, and we’re going to do the recap in just a second. Then practice it again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again. I deal with so many BDC’s and internet sales people that once they have the appointment set they get scared. Right? Once Mrs. Jones has said, or Mr. Jones. Hey, yeah 5:15 works great. They say, “Great, we’ll see you at 5:15, be sure and ask for me.” Click. They’re so afraid of blowing it up that they want to get off the phone. No, now’s the time to slow it down.

I told this prospect, I said, “We’ve got two test drives open on that vehicle this evening. We’ve got a 5:15, a 5:45, which one works better for you?” He came back and said, “5:15 works great.” This is where we can get the mental commitment by going through the recap in just a second. When you do the recap, and they agree to it. They’re going to feel guilty if they no-show.

By the way, here’s one quick tip to know if you’re doing the recap or not. If your team is doing the recap or not. There we’ll do the recap. That is this, if you’re getting more missed appointments than you’re getting cancellations, then you’re not doing the recap.

Let me take you through what I mean here. Let’s say you have a 50% show rate in your dealership for appointments set. Well, number one you’re setting weak appointments. Why are they weak appointments? Are they too far away? Are you not setting for today or tomorrow? Are you asking weak questions like, when would you like to come in? They say, Saturday, right? You’re setting weak appointments that way. They don’t feel like appointments to the customers. Are you not doing the recap? Well, you’re 50% show rate. Let’s say out of every 10 no-shows of your 50% show rate. Let’s say seven of them just miss their appointment. Just blow you off. They don’t even call. Only three call to cancel or change their appointment. I can tell you right now that you’re not doing the recap enough. You should get more cancellations than you get missed appointments.

Here’s the great news, when you do the recap, you get fewer of both. You get fewer missed appointments. You get fewer cancellations. Again, if you’re doing the recap properly, people are going to feel guilty if they no-show, so they will call you in advance. Which isn’t a terrible thing.

All right. Let’s do the recap real quick, just so we understand how it goes. “Great Mr. Jones, just to recap: We’re going to see you tonight at 5:15 to test drive the 2017 Dodge Charger. Now Mr. Jones, we’re going to get that Charger cleaned, gassed, parked out front so that when you arrive you’re in and out and on your test drive within five minutes. Now Mr. Jones, if anything happens to us or your Charger, we’re going to be sure and call you well in advance so that you don’t waste a trip down here; and all I’m asking from you is that you show me the same courtesy. So, can I count on you for today at 5:15?”

When he says yes to can I count on you today at 5:15, I’m going to tell you, that’s almost a 100% show. An appointment that I set today that I used strong talk tracks on. I did the recap, and I got that mental commitment. The only reason he won’t show today is because something else came up, because you did the recap. That’s how important the recap is. It’s not an option, do not short cut the recap.