Establish a Time Line For Your First Dealer's Visit
| Establish a Time Line For Your First Dealer's Visit |
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During this phone call, you must outline a specific agenda that details exactly what you would like to do in a specific amount of time. To schedule the appointment, you should ask the salesperson how long it would take to test drive the car while having the trade-in appraised. (All of this can be accomplished in about an hour or less, however it is important to ask the salesperson this question and let them respond with a time-frame.)
The salesman may reply “It will take about an hour”. Then you should schedule an hour long appointment. It is best to use the salesman's time estimate. It makes them more responsible when they try to prolong the appointment.
Most importantly, the customer must set the appointment to finish at a specific time. Keep in mind, this is this first step in establishing control of the sale, if the customer doesn’t establish control from the beginning the salesman will.
Also, you must have a good reason to leave at that specific time. Keep in mind, at the end of the hour long appointment the salesman will attempt to prolong the process to sell a car. Salespeople will test the customer’s time restraint every time. Therefore, be prepared with an excuse to leave after the “hour long” appointment.
Remember, salespeople control the process using the “Car Salesman's Seven Steps to a Sale ”, meaning despite what the customer says they will try to move
 through the steps, one by one, all the way to the sale.
This first appointment will only allow the salesman to get through step four (the test-drive), but remember, the salesperson will attempt to move the process to step five, the “Write-Up”. Without a reason to leave at a certain time, you will be caught making excuses, while the salesman will be saying “if you buy today we will make you a once in life-time deal”
Remember, your objective is to test-drive the vehicle, determine the ACV from a trade appraisal, and obtain the dealerships Buy-Rate.
Important, a customer should not ask for the buy rate over the phone or mention that they know what it is. Getting the dealer’s buy-rate is the trickiest piece of information to obtain. Dealers will almost always “Bubble” the customer over the phone.
The appointment should go something like this:
Customer, “Would there be some one available to help me test drive the car on Thursday”
Salesman, “Sure, I can help you”
Customer “How much time would it take to test-drive the car and have my trade-in appraised”
Salesman “About an hour”
Customer “Will you be available at four o’clock?”
Salesman “yes”
Customer, “Great, I have a meeting at five-thirty, so I must leave by five o’clock.”
The customer now has a professional appointment set with the salesman. Salesmen are not used to this kind of customer or “Up”. Customers usually just walk in and the first salesperson to greet them has the opportunity. Hopefully, by setting an appointment, the salesman will be prepared with the vehicle ready for a test drive when you arrive.
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