I get it. We’re in the digital age where Siri and Alexa pretty much run our lives and we would all rather send a quick text or voice message instead of picking up the phone.

But we also want speedy and productive physical interactions especially during a pandemic where the world is nervous to get closer than six feet to one another or simply crack a smile (through a mask).

This means that the phones are now ringing off the hook and believe me, we have the calls to support this statement!

You may say that your sales people know how to answer the phone…but do they know what to say after they finally muster up the courage to spit out their greeting?

If I had a dollar for every time a sales person confirmed vehicle availability BEFORE truly understanding the customer’s needs OR even asking for their contact information, I’d be a rich lady.

So often I hear, “yes we do have some of those vehicles available…do you live close by?” Ladies and gentlemen, this is when our sales people want to ask for the appointment but don’t want to sound too pushy. Therefore, they half-a$$ ask for an appointment.

But we haven’t even taken the time to truly understand what the customer is looking for in that new “Subaru Crosstrek.” We also haven’t gotten all of their contact information. So, with that, the customer could say, “I may stop by later today. Thanks!” We do not know their name, phone number, nor do they have our contact info so that they can ask for us when they come in (if they don’t decide to go to another dealership first).

It seems so simple, yet it’s the ONE thing that your sales people fail to do the most often. Instead of being “too busy” to take the four minutes on the phone to properly obtain contact information and fully understand the customer’s needs, let’s treat them as we would any other customer sitting in front of us.

That initial interaction is so crucial to ensuring the best customer experience possible. Is it worth it to you and your sales people to spend a few more minutes on the phone in order to guarantee a sold vehicle? I think I know your answer.