In past articles I’ve shared my belief that the best way to immediately improve sales is simply getting better at what you do with existing leads, particularly interacting with customers. Statistics show that well executed communications with the car shopper drive more dealership appointments, visits and ultimately, more sales.
Voicemail might be the most overlooked form of customer communication. When a customer returns your call they are basically saying, “I like what you’ve said so far and want to learn more.” There is nothing better than a proactive customer inquiring about how you might be the car-buying solution they are looking for.
Given the fact that time is your greatest commodity, when customers call you back, you have a far greater chance of selling more cars as it saves you from having to chase them down. With that said, I want to share ideas on how to increase returned phone calls and stop wasting valuable time making multiple calls to speak with a prospect maybe just once.
Over time, salespeople were lulled into believing that the purpose of a voicemail is to convey information. Not so. If you deliver all of the information, the customer no longer has a reason to speak with you and you need to engage in conversation to set the appointment. The purpose of a voicemail is to arouse enough curiosity to have consumers want to return your call. Too often salespeople are not prepared to deliver an effective message and when given the opportunity to speak deliver an afterthought, something totally unrehearsed and at times irrelevant, resulting in unreturned calls.
To get the job done you need to deliver a dynamic, call to action voicemail; one so targeted to the buying motivations of the customer that they immediately perceive benefit just by having the opportunity to speak with you.
The keys to this voicemail are:
- Keep the message less than 30 seconds to accommodate a short attention span
- Speak the customer’s language – what’s in it for them?
- State the specific benefits of speaking with you as it relates to the information they requested
- Tell the customer to “check your e-mail,” letting them know you delivered the information they requested in the manner they preferred
- Request a specific call to action
Example of a script for leaving a good voicemail:
Hello_____,
_____, my name is _____with _____. You requested information on _____ , which I forwarded to you via e-mail. I am following up to make sure you received the information and be available should you have any questions. I was hoping for a chance to speak with you. You see, I not only specialize in working with Internet customers like yourself, but also with _____. When I saw what you were looking to accomplish, I thought we would be a great fit in getting you the right answers up front. As a matter of fact, I recently assisted three others with (make/model requested) and they were amazed with the results. They were a bit disappointed with what others were able to do and were pleasantly surprised how we were able to help them get the right car at the right price and made it seem so easy.
If I could ask you to please pick up the phone and return my call, I’ll share how we can do the same for you. My direct line is_____ and my cell phone number is _____.
If I don’t hear from you, I’ll try back a bit later as it is my responsibility to get your questions answered, but in the meantime, I ask that you please read my e-mails, and when you do please give me a call right away. Working together, I am sure this will be the easiest car purchase you’ve ever enjoyed.
Again, my name is_____ with _____. My direct number is _____ and I hope to hear from you soon.
I look forward to working with you, _____!
Try this example or write your own in the language you are comfortable with. Rehearse it and be prepared to leave a quality message each and every time, and then, listen for the ringing phone.
