Calling dealerships on a daily basis allows me to speak with numerous telephone operators and hear a variety of hold messages. Although many dealerships view the person who answers the phone and the message played to callers on hold as an afterthought, I assure you that this small detail should not be overlooked. Keep in mind that when someone calls your dealership, the person answering the phone makes the first impression for that caller. Furthermore, what this person hears while on hold also impacts his or her opinion of your dealership. It is extremely important that the first impression and the hold message make a positive impact on the person calling.

In most cases, an incoming call to the dealership is from a customer, a former customer, or a prospect. Regardless of which of these categories a caller falls into, the call is important, especially if it is a prospect calling for the first time. When someone takes the time to respond to your advertising campaign by calling your dealership directly, it is imperative that this call be handled properly. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

·- The person answering the phone should be energetic and pleasant to speak with. The last thing you want to do is give callers the impression that your dealership is a boring, unpleasant place. Remember that the ultimate goal is to get these people into the dealership after the phone call. If a negative impression is made, this person will have no desire to make or keep an appointment. The person calling should get the impression that the dealership has a positive energetic environment.

·- Telephone operators should always use the same greeting: Thank you for calling ABC Motors! My name is _________- how may I direct your call? or, Its a great day at ABC Motors! My name is ___________- how may I direct your call?

·- Train staff members not to hang out around the telephone operators station. Too many times the caller is able to hear background noise and/or conversations.

·- Insist that calls not remain on hold too long!

·- Provide the telephone operator with copies of all advertising and promotions. Many times, a customer will call but the operator has no clue that the dealership has a promotion running.

·- Train the operator what to say and do when calls are received for staff members that have left the company. The operator should never say, He no longer works here. They should say, I am sorry, Bill is no longer with ABC Motors- I will transfer you to Mike who is taking care of his clients.

·- When a call is put on hold, it is the perfect opportunity to play a hold message that explains some of the sales taking place and/or any other positive message you want to relay. All too often, I hear hold messages that consist of a local radio station or some type of easy listening music.

·- Keep in mind that while a person listens to the local radio station, there is a good possibility that he or she may hear one of your competitors radio ads. This person has taken the time to call your dealership, use this opportunity to convince them to do business with you. The last thing that you need is to give your competitor free advertising over your own telephone lines.

Take a close look at how your incoming telephone calls are being handled- keep in mind some of the key points I have discussed in this article. Good selling!

Michael Snider is national sales manager with Voisys (www.voisys.com), offering the automobile industry marketing programs specifically geared toward the special finance industry. He can be reached at 800-438-8642 x102 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .