When a new lead hits your CRM, does your BDC team ask the shopper if they are already a VIP customer with your dealership? How about a fresh up; do your salespeople ask?
Up to 60% of service drive customers did not purchase their current vehicle from the servicing dealership.
Service drive customers should never be treated as a fresh lead; they are customers actively doing business with your dealership. There is likely a reason if they didn’t purchase their current vehicle from you. Maybe it was the price, maybe you didn’t have the right color, or maybe it’s because no one asked for their business the right way or at the right time.
With tools like SERVICEiQ by FRIKINtech, your team automatically knows when a lead was in the service drive, their motivations and goals, and what their desired outcome is, such as “I want a trade appraisal” or “I want to buy this car”.
Change your talk tracks and you can create instant rapport and build trust by simply identifying the shopper as a current VIP customer and thanking them for their business.
1. ALWAYS start with a Thank You:
“Hello, Mary. This is Cassie from ABC Motors. Thank you for allowing us to service your 2019 Toyota Camry. We appreciate your business.”
Say what? You’re calling to thank me for servicing my vehicle? That’s new! Go on….
2. Now tell them WHY you’re calling:
“I sent you an offer to purchase your vehicle. Did you receive it?”
No matter the answer here, acknowledge and continue with…
“As I’m sure you’re aware, vehicles like yours are in high demand and we’d love to make you an attractive offer.”
3. Now put the thought in their head (yes, be a mind reader):
“Have you been thinking about upgrading or just selling your vehicle?”
The reality is, almost everyone right now has been thinking about selling their vehicle or trading up. If you send them a legitimate offer, they may respond with something like, “I wasn’t thinking about doing either until I got your offer.”
4. Now make it easy for them to say yes!
“Now really is the best time to sell your vehicle at top dollar and I’m not sure how much longer that will last simply because supply and demand will decrease as inventory increases with new production. This means in a couple of months your Camry might not be worth as much as it is right now.”
5. Go for the appointment:
“Mary, I know you were just in service; however, my manager wasn’t able to give your Camry a thorough appraisal when you were here. Would you be able to swing by the dealership today for 15-20 minutes so we can give you a solid offer? You can either take the offer, or leave it, but at least you’ll walk away knowing how much your vehicle is worth.”
6. End it with another Thank You (even if they say no, they are still a dealership customer for service and you need to maintain a good relationship):
“Thanks so much for your time today, Mary. We’ll see you today at 2:45. When you arrive ask for Brad, he’ll be waiting for you. We appreciate your business and thank you again for allowing us to service your Camry.”
Arm your team with this talk track, add in a few conversational pieces like wants, needs, etc. to keep them engaged, and you’re sure to get more hand-raisers in the door for vehicle acquisition.
And please, stop sending your green peas into the service drive to have this conversation. The majority of the customers waiting for their car even if they have interest will respond with “I’m not interested” when approached face to face directly by a salesperson. (Think about when you’re shopping for something, what is your typical reaction when someone asks if they can help you?)
Give your VIP customers the time and space to engage when and how they want with an automated offer to sell their vehicle or upgrade to something new. Then watch what happens, it’s magical. [Admit it, you know I’m right]
For more tips and talk tracks for mining the service drive, download our free guide here.
