When your sales team makes outbound calls, do you feel like they are closing as many deals as they should be? Unfortunately, it is not easy connecting with people on the phone due to everyone’s skepticism of telemarketers, but when a call is connected, is there a set of best practices that are followed across your team? Best practices include providing accurate and relevant information, properly transferring calls, not leaving contacts on hold for too long, and pushing the conversation to go to the next level.
There may be times when you connect with a prospect when you did not think they would pick up. You may find other instances when someone is ready to close on a deal even before they have ever stepped foot in your dealership. All that matters is that you are ready to act. Preparation for any type of call scenario is key.
These best practices for your car dealership’s outbound call strategy can help improve your team’s call rate and boost overall car sales.
Best Practices for Car Dealership Outbound Calls
A Script is Not Always the Best
Many car dealerships have developed a set script for their sales team to utilize on outbound calls. Maybe there is a new service to push, a new line of vehicles, or maybe there is just a seasonal special and what is currently on the lot needs to go! Regardless of what the script is, what happens if the conversation takes a detour and your salesperson is not equipped for that? Sales scripts can be extremely beneficial for a salesperson, but there should be a certain level of dependency on them. If there is too much reliance, the salesperson will struggle in face-to-face conversations since they are typically fed their sales lines. It also can feel unnatural to have canned responses in a conversation that is light and flowing. There is nothing worse than a salesperson who feels the need to stick to a script when they know if the conversation took a minor detour, the sale would close in an instant.
Creating a script for your sales team that acts as guardrails is a favorable option. It helps guide a conversation but also leaves it open enough to where your sales team can interject with their sales expertise. It allows your salespeople to do what they were hired to do. Sell your cars!
Stop Asking for Numbers
How many times have you been on a sales or support call with another company and they asked you for your phone number in case the call got disconnected? If they called you, why would you need to give them your phone number? The same should be said for your car dealership’s outbound call strategy.
When your salespeople get on the phone with a prospect, they need to build rapport and focus on the topic at hand. Help your prospects answer their most pressing questions and determine how you can help solve their problems. The goal should be to gather as much information as possible and to schedule another call with them. This way your conversations are all about the prospect and they are spoonfeeding you information, rather than your sales team poking and prodding just to keep them on the phone for more than a few minutes.
Be Professional and Upfront
When making calls, your sales team needs to be professional and upfront with whoever is on the other end of the call. Being professional should be easy, but being upfront is often something sales coaches try to delay. Being upfront sets the stage for the rest of the call. It tells the prospect who is calling, where they are from, and what the purpose of their call is. Prospects are more likely to provide personal information to someone they believe to know rather than someone who has yet to provide their name and the company they work for.
Being professional means that your team is polite and respects the prospect’s time. Your sales team should be able to listen to body language over the phone and determine how the call is going. If the prospect is rushing to answer questions and provides short responses, the salesperson should take note and look to wrap up the conversation sooner than later. Being professional and upfront will go a long with the success rate of your outbound call strategy.
Your Personalized Call Center
Market Doctors is a premier digital marketing agency for car dealerships. We understand the importance of conversation and provide an in-house call center for your car dealership. We become an extension of your car dealership’s sales team and answer questions about events, sales, services, and any other information that your customers request. We handle the easy questions so your team can focus on showroom activity to drive more sales.
Get a free quote today to start improving your car dealership’s outbound call strategy to drive more sales. We implement best practices for car dealership phone calls and have transformed dealerships across the country.
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