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Comment by Cory Mosley on February 26, 2015 at 5:04pm

Great feedback guys! Thanks for the share!

Comment by steven chessin on February 25, 2015 at 3:49pm

Cory 

In this totally common situation I asked all my reps how they would respond. The best of them - a former Verizon telemarketing trainer for 20 years picked-up the phone and set an appointment in 30 seconds.

Everyone laughed and she said, "I don't have time for this email BS ! If there's a phone number I call - and if there isn't my email to them is to get their phone number". 

When I began in the 1st gen of bdc - Cobalt / Lexus used to teach, "If the customer wanted to talk they would have called so respond in the format they used to make contact". I never accepted that and always want to move the customer to the next level of communication. The inherent strength of direct talk or video email (as Steve Duff mentions) make all text formats "Plan-B". If you cannot even move the customer to a showroom meeting -  or at least phone - you do not have a customer. In this case I would send them a video. And then forward their file to a sales manager to call them - after they refused every attempt to bring them-in.   

Keep this in-mind. 80% of the time the customer is on the wrong car. I had a customer send a "give me your best price bid " by email on a Camry. The next day he bought the last left-over Avalon for less. The customer might be trying to buy a used car with no warranty for 48 months of payments when they can drive away with a new car for lower payments at 60-84 months or a lease. That is not my decision to make VIA EMAIL NEGOTIATING. My teams gets them in at the highest possible stats so they can work-it-out in the showroom.I respect that the showroom sales process has been polished for 100 years but the 15 year-old internet appointment process is far from perfected at most stores.

Comment by Steve Duff on February 25, 2015 at 10:54am

Some things I would add to this. First off, before you hit send, step back, take a breath, then come back and read the entire email before you hit send. You can't retrieve an email once it's sent!

Second, always keep at the top of your mind the fact that the written word comes off different than the spoken word. It can come off exactly opposite of the intention you put behind it when writing it. Using the example in the video, a face to face conversation would include hand and facial gestures that might be a sort of plea for understanding of our position. Phone conversation can do much the same with proper voice inflection. But the written word is cold. Stone cold. Unless you seriously nuance it.

One way the reply could have been written would have been to FIRST, THANK THEM FOR THEIR OFFER, no matter how ridiculous it may have been. Some (most?) of the public still has the perception that dealers are making 5 or 6k on a deal or more. So they lowball very hard to see where it will land. Keep that in mind. Then write "...however we are unable to accept that offer. I would very much like the opportunity to see if we can meet somewhere in the middle, could you come down to the dealership and let us work with you? Would you give me that opportunity? I would really like to help you meet your needs to the best of my ability. Would this afternoon be convenient or perhaps in the morning? Thanks again for the opportunity.

Remember you'll snag more flies with honey than vinegar as the saying goes. It's true!