5 tips for better conversion in telephone leads

The most successful car sellers know: the very best lead with the most chance of a sale is the telephone lead. At the same time, it is not only the lead with the highest conversion, but also the lead that is most mistreated within our industry. With #DCDW Call Track Manager, a new service to map and monitor telephone leads better, we see that every day. There is a big difference between the potential of the telephone lead and the realization, and that is a great shame.

Available

Most people who call for more information about a certain car have only one question: is the car of their choice still available. If the car is still available, you would like to make an appointment for a test drive. Sometimes there are some detailed questions about the car, such as the options and some more information about the previous owner. How do you best deal with that as a salesman? At #DCDW we have already listened to hundreds of such conversations and a number of things stand out. Therefore, we will give you five tips to get more conversion from telephone leads.

1 – Take your time

As a dealer you need to make sure that the sellers have time for a phone call.
That sounds logical, but what is the case? In practice we often see that phone calls are accepted by the reception while the salesman is busy with a delivery, sales call or something else. Despite this, the call is diverted, although the attention and focus that the seller needs to have for the phone call is missing at that moment. Such a conversation is the fastest way to lose a telephone lead: instead of a sales call it becomes a kind of answering machine, meant to end the call as quickly as possible. So make sure that the seller has time for a call and if there is really no one available, make sure that you have a call-back request. That is not the best way to go, but still better than a rushed conversation in which the right dialogue with the lead does not start.

2- Thank the customer

Thank the customer for the shown interest. Show that you are happy that the customer has chosen you, your company and your car to get more information. For example, as follows: “Thank you for your interest in our beautiful stock {BRAND} {MODEL}.” And conclude with: “Thanks again for calling the dealer company {NAME}.” In the conversations that we listen to, we seldom hear the sellers sincerely show that they are happy to call someone and thank the customer for that. Not at the introduction and not at the conclusion. Too often it is noticeable that the salesman finds the conversation an annoying break from the work, and that, of course, has everything to do with the previous rule. Give the seller a good conversation, with attention.

3- Know your purpose of the conversation!

The purpose of the conversation is clear to the customer, who simply wants more information. But what is your goal as a seller? Do you want to provide the requested information like some kind of question and answer game, or do you also want to ask the customer something? After all, it is useful to know who is calling, which number they are using, and an e-mail address where you can send more information, photos or a video would also be nice. Your goal must therefore not only be to give information, but also to make a concrete appointment. When someone calls with the question whether a certain car is still available, and you indicate that the car is still there, then make a concrete appointment with the customer for a test drive instead of saying ‘fine’ to answer the question of the customer if he can come along for a test drive.

4- Be aware of alternatives

The core of the call lead is often the availability of a particular car. But sometimes the car where the customer calls for is already sold and it is not said that the car that the customer has in mind is also the car he or she is going to buy. That’s why you always have to ask why the customer is calling for this car. And whether he also considers alternatives in color, execution, price or whatever. After all, nothing is so unfortunate that someone calls for car x, which has just been sold, buys car y elsewhere. While you also had car y, but did not get the idea to present it to the customer as an alternative during the conversation.

5- Always confirm the appointment by mail or SMS

It is a fact that most people who call just want to ask about the availability of a particular car. Your goal as a salesperson is to make an appointment. And then not a half appointment, like a customer who says he will come along on Saturday, to which you reply that he should just call just before he leaves home. No, the intention is that you make a concrete appointment with the customer. Remember that more than half of the customers who make a specific appointment no longer shop until they show up for their appointment. Another advantage is that you know exactly who will come, when he or she will come and for which car. If you sell the car in the meantime, you can propose an alternative because you know who else was interested in that car. The name, telephone number and e-mail address are indispensable for this, so you need to use all five rules at the same time. They will not work apart from each other.

Hundred

To successfully deal with call leads, you must understand that if you can reproduce the process and do it a hundred times, you will be more successful. Give me one hundred call leads and I will implement these steps consistently, make more concrete appointments than a comparable salesperson who can offer the cars for less money or closer by, and be more successful. Consistently going through your process is the key to success. Therefore, use these five tips to deal with the best lead of all – the call lead – in a much better way.

About Paul de Vries

Paul de Vries became a Key Automotive Spokesperson at eBay (Marketplace) after selling Nieuweautokopen.nl to eBay back in 2015. Paul is the founder and CEO of the #DCDW Academy and the presenter of the #DCDW Podcast. He is also a by dealers and importers frequently asked speaker in the online automotive industry. Paul is the winner of the prestigious Lighthouse Award 2016 in the U.S.! `Lead the Way op de digitale snelweg’ is Paul’s new book, which can be used as a guide in the online automotive industry. More information is available at: DCDW.nl.