Online selling is a relatively new concept for the automotive industry here in the Philippines and as pioneers in the space we’re developing more and more content to better help educate dealer frontliners and the upcoming generation of Internet Sales Managers (ISM) to understand what it takes to convert a digital inquiry into a real-world showroom appointment.
To expand on our recent top 5 tips to make more online car sales article we thought we’d show by example the kinds of responses that are making and breaking the success thresholds of sales agents.
For the purpose of this article, we’ll use a very standard question that is asked by car-buyers using AutoDeal.
Hi, i’d like to request a quotation for the Mitsubishi Mirage GLX 1.2 Manual Transmission, 20% Downpayment, 5 years to pay. Also do you have color red in stock?”
A simple straight to the point price inquiry with a specific question regarding color availability. Let’s now identify some example of poor responses that take inspiration from some real world mistakes that sales agents are currently making.
Response 1: The “I Don’t Have Time For You” reply.
Hi po. P106 DP, P9,046 monthly, yes we have red. Tnx”
Aside from the fact that the reply is not even a full sentence, there are several other things which are terrible with this kind of response. Here are just a few reasons why this kind of reply could be an immediate turn off for a prospective buyer.
- 0% Effort - the buyer has gone to the effort to make an inquiry for your product. The response doesn’t even indicate that you are grateful for they're interested in your product. Maybe another dealer or agent will be?
- No Opportunity to engage in dialogue - the agent has answered the question but has not engaged the buyer in dialogue. The fact that the customer is making an inquiry about price shows that they have interest in the vehicle, why not invite them to the showroom to see the model in person or to schedule a test-drive?
Note: If you have limited time available to respond, you can use our Message Template, punch in the SRP, Downpayment and Monthly terms and we’ll automatically generate a very polite and customer-friendly response in less than 30 seconds. You can then edit and add your responses to specific questions.
Response 2: The “I’ll talk to you later” reply.
Hi sir, thank you for your inquiry, I will send you an email later with your quotation”.
The agent has good intentions by acknowledging and thanking the customer for their inquiry. However, there response is completely ambiguous. What time will you contact me later? Why can’t you send me a reply now? These are just a few of the questions that a buyer is going to ask themselves when they receive such a message?
If they’re asking a question that you don’t immediately know the answer to, then answer part of their question. For example: “Hi sir, thank you for your inquiry. You’ll find in attachment a copy of the pricing quotation you requested, we’ve got a great promo happening right now if you’re able to make a downpayment before the end of the month. Regarding our available colors, please let me check and get back to you by 5pm today. Also sir, are you available this week for a test drive?”
Response 3: The ‘I won’t give you what you asked for” reply
Hi sir, I will call you. what’s your phone number?”
First off, in most cases, the customer’s phone number will be directly in-front of you in their lead-details. If they haven’t submitted a phone number, it’s probably because they either don’t want to be called or are unavailable to take a call. 20% of our inquiries are also from Overseas’s Filipino Workers (OFW’s) who prefer to transact through digital means. (hence the reason they’re inquiring through AutoDeal.)
Always give the customer what they’re asking for. There’s nothing wrong with calling the customer (we actually encourage it), but a quotation needs to be sent through digital means.
Response 4: The ‘Ideal’ Reply
Hi Sir, thanks for inquiring about the Mirage GLX MT. My name is Frankie, Sales Consultant here at Mitsubishi Manila.
Regarding your inquiry, please note below the financing terms requested:-
Price: 533,000
Downpayment at 20%: 106,000
Monthly for 60 Months: P9,046
I’d also like to add that this month there is a P50,000 Discount for buyers who make a reservation before the end of the month. The reservation fee is P10,000.
Regarding your color inquiry, I have checked and we currently have 12 units of red Mirage GLX MT’s in stock.
Are you available any time in the next week to visit our showroom located at 10 Jupiter Street, Makati to take a look at the unit in person. We can also schedule a test-drive. Please let me know if this will work for you?
For further inquiries please feel free to contact me here on AutoDeal or give me a call on 0917 111 1111.
With Regards,
Rexter Urquiola,
Sales Consultant
Mitsubishi Manila.
So what’s right with this reply?
Agent expresses thanks for the inquiry.
Agent takes time to detail as much information as is needed for the kind of inquiry.
Agent responds to the specific questions of the customer.
The agents adds in additional value proposition by outlining a promo.
The agent creates dialogue by asking the customer if they’d like to visit the showroom and/or book a test-drive.
The agent responds in a manner that is polite and approachable.
Remember, sales won’t happen without effort. Build rapport with your prospects to ensure the best probability of success.
