In today’s world we all know how important the Internet is; we are all aware of the importance of embracing websites, email, social media and more.  All though many of us are making great strides to perfect the email there is a very important element we are missing.  With every stride forward we must go back and remember.The importance of a quality phone call is still as important as ever.   In the high paced dealership environment we must all step back and think before we answer or call a customer.  The few seconds before we pick up the phone are the most important time to ask ourselves the 3 most important questions.  Can I help this customer?  Can I deliver the information they are looking for in a proper manor?  Can I differentiate our dealership in these next couple minutes?    Our BDC, Internet, Sales and Manager team members absolutely have to be able to answer these questions before they pick up a phone.  With the power of education over the Internet customers are choosier than ever.  They know what they want, how much they want to pay, and everything about your dealership before they even submit a lead.What is the best way to perfect the call; let’s answer those 3 “little” questions. 

The absolute most important element we can teach our teams are to simply help the customer.  It sounds like such a simple task, but so many dealerships whom refuse to do it, eliminate the back and forth games.  Just answer the customer’s question.  The customer is just as busy as you, which is why they rely so heavily on the Internet to answer their questions.  They took the time to give you a phone number and ask a question, reward them, help them out.  You have the power to help them, always remember that.The second question, can I deliver the information they are looking for in a proper manner?  Your team needs to be able to “talk pretty”.  Creating polite and empathetic verbiage in your dealership’s culture is beyond important.  We as a team in the Automotive Industry need to break down those stereotypes.  By delivering the information to the customer in eloquent manner makes all the difference.The last question, can I differentiate our dealership in these next couple minutes?  No, I am not talking about giving them the biography of how long we have been in business or that we provide free wifi.  I am talking about delivering a quality phone call that helps the customer by answering the question they implied about and delivering that answer in an eloquent manner.  Believe it or not most of the time the customer will decide whether they want to do business with you from just a call.  Differentiate your dealership from the rest by just teaching your team the simple importance of being polite, empathetic and helpful over the phone.

Please let me know if I can ever be of service.  I love to help team's with their telephone skills and look forward to helping you.