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A Quarterly Publication For and About Members of the Society of Automotive Sales Professionals Appointment-Based Business: Developing Non-Confrontational Prospects By John Traver It's a fact: more appointments mean greater sales and profits. You can even predict minimum sales by the number of appointments you schedule. Let's do the math. Say there are 10 sales consultants at your dealership, and each of them makes one appointment a day for a total of 10 appointments. Statistically, fifty percent-5-of the appointments will show, and 40 percent of the shows-2-will buy a vehicle. Multiply two sales by 25 selling days, and you've made 50 deals per month. Now let's say these 10 sales consultants each make three appointments a day for a total of 30 appointments. Fifty percent show, but now you have 15 prospects, 6 of whom (40 percent) will buy. Multiply 6 sales by 25 selling days, and you have 150 deals per month. You have at minimum tripled your sales by increasing your daily appointment ratio from 1:1 (one appointment to one salesperson) to 3:1 (three appointments to one salesperson). Your daily appointment ratio is one of your most critical performance measures. Doesn't it make sense to increase the ratio and make every stage of the appointment process work for you? By developing non-confrontational prospects-prospects who want to discuss buying from you-you may turn more no-shows into shows, and more prospects into customers! Stage 1: Scheduling Last quarter, Winning the Race discussed what to say-and what not to say-in selling an appointment on the phone. That initial conversation is key to creating non-confrontational prospects, but you can't get to first base without the right information. Always ask prospects for their daytime-usually work-phone numbers; calling them at home during the workday may be an exercise in futility. We recommend that you also request their "next-best" phone numbers, which might be cell phone numbers or alternate work numbers. And make sure to get prospects' e-mail addresses. E-mail is quick, immediate, and non-intrusive-non-confrontational by its very nature. Stage 2: Recording Take all your appointment activity information and enter it into a data base. Data base recording offers many advantages aside from easy record-keeping; you'll be able to track your confirmation calls and review sales activity at a glance. Stage 3: Confirming This is the stage at which some real gains can be made. It is also the stage where many sales consultants fail to execute. The target effort here is to have the manager call prospects before their appointments and simply thank them for considering your dealership and you. This stage is not designed to corner prospects and get them to commit to showing for their appointments. In fact, it is quite the opposite. It is a step towards humility, acknowledging to prospects that they could have set time aside with many other dealerships (and may have), but your dealership team is thankful for the opportunity to assist them in their shopping process. Here's the way we confirm appointments with prospects: "Hello, Mr. Smith, this is John Traver, manager of Traver Dealership. I'm just calling to extend a hand and thank you for putting time aside with (name of sales consultant). I know this is a crazy process, and you have a lot of options. I'm thankful you've at least considered us." "Do you have a pen handy? I'll wait. My name is Traver-(say it, then spell it), first name, John. Let's make it a point to say 'hi' when you come in." Your manner of handling the confirming stage shows prospects that your dealership is different from many other dealerships. A pleasant, no-pressure confirmation call paves the way for an appointment your prospect is likely to keep. Stage 4: Reception This is that proverbial "next level". Your prospect is showing for his appointment. You want to demonstrate to him that he is special. An electronic sign, hooked up to your recording software and positioned near the receptionist, automatically displays the list of the day's confirmed appointments. When "Mr. Smith" enters the showroom, he'll notice his name in lights. He'll know that you're expecting him and that he is welcome at your dealership. The Non-Confrontational Prospect This four-stage process creates a prospect who is much less confrontational than the usual first-time dealership guest. This prospect can enjoy the process of buying a car from you-and you are free to enjoy the process of selling. John M. Traver is president and CEO of Traver Technologies, Ltd., Houston, Texas.
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