5 Tips on Bringing in More First-Time Callers

1. Gifted salespeople need to know how to control the conversation. If a first-time caller contacts your shop with a variety of questions, your advisors need to take control immediately. Answering the phone with a professional, helpful tone is a must. Your advisor’s greeting should include an enthusiastic, open-ended question to start the dialogue with the caller. For example, “Thank you for calling Elite Auto Repair, this is Jen, how may I help you?”

2. The one asking the questions is in control. Advisors must take control of the conversation by asking at least 5 fact-finding questions relative to the caller’s concern. If your advisors do this properly they will be able to establish that there are a lot of unknowns and that the caller’s best option is to bring the vehicle in for an inspection.

3. Be sure to eliminate dead air. Your advisors not only need to ask at least 5 fact-finding questions but need to ensure they avoid dead air by seamlessly flowing from question to question.

4. Take notes, and repeat statements made by the caller. Make sure your advisors are taking notes! When your advisors repeat the caller’s statements back to them, the caller will understand that your advisors are paying attention, taking notes and genuinely care about their concerns. Repeating the caller’s statements will also help your advisors control the conversation because when a caller is listening, they can’t speak at the same time.

5. Record your calls for review. The only way to confirm that your team is handling your callers the right way is by listening to their call recordings. By having your advisors listen to these recordings as well, they’ll be able to hear where they’re doing well and where they need to improve, so these recordings are priceless learning tools.

These tips were provided by Jen Monclus, the industry acclaimed sales trainer that heads up Elite’s Masters Service Advisor Training Program.