There is a little blue folder buried in another folder on my laptop labeled “Bad”. I created it years ago and its contents have grown over time. Since DealerKnows works with dealerships to improve their phone skills, we’ve obviously listened to countless phone recordings and have heard the good, the bad, and the ugly. The truly “bad” ones I keep in this folder, far outside the threshold of acceptability live here, but let’s not talk about the worst 1% of calls. Let’s discuss that middle 80% that the average dealership agent gets away with making and the roadblock questions they ask that kills appointments.
Before we dive into that, let’s just be honest with ourselves that beyond a dynamic greeting – which should be the easiest aspect of a salesperson or BDC agent’s phone skills – everything from their ability to qualify the customer (without over-qualifying), capturing quality contact info, going for the appointment, handling objections, and closing the call all need work. But just like this isn’t about bad calls, it isn’t about the fundamentals of handling sales calls either. No, this is about roadblock questions and why they seem to be creeping into phone recordings every day.
What is a roadblock question? It’s just a phrase I created for no reason other than to selfishly make it my own. (I don’t think it has the sticking power of “fetch”, but here I am anyway.) A roadblock question is a question a BDC agent or salesperson asks unnecessarily either in the middle of a good call or even after they’ve locked down an appointment with a caller which blocks forward momentum or derails their appointment completely. For some inane reason, agents feel the need to get more information from them, and over-qualify the customer into a lost appointment.
When role-playing with the dealer personnel I’m training, I hear these common (and wildly superfluous) roadblock questions, and, in typical-ME fashion, immediately make that role-play a learning lesson of comedic proportions. It’s a great way to get salespeople to realize how asking the wrong question carries them away from an appointment just as fast as the right one lands it.
The most common roadblock questions I hear dealership personnel ask on sales calls (whether they be before setting the appointment or (gulp) after setting the appointment are…
Do you have a trade-in?
Are you paying cash or financing?
How’s your credit?
Want me to send you a credit application before you arrive?
Here is a quick breakdown on why these are roadblock questions and why they suck:
Do you have a trade-in?
So often I hear this asked and unless the customer has balked at a test drive appointment, there isn’t a need to asking if they have a trade-in. It doesn’t further the deal knowing in advance. Typically, the moment I hear salespeople ask a caller if they have a trade, the customer answers yes and immediately follows it up with something to the tune of “how much will you give me for it?” What is more frustrating is when sales managers ask to find out if a prospect has a trade, as if their answer will impact their appointment show rate. Simply put, unless you’re inviting them in for a trade appointment specifically, there is no need to have this information in advance.
Are you paying cash or financing?
Unless your goal is to sell the vehicle over the phone, rather than selling an appointment, this isn’t necessary. Asking premature questions about deal structure takes a prospect away from the thought of an in-store visit and into that of an online or virtual sale. This information is better to be gathered just prior to pencil than appointment.
How’s your credit?
This is the epitome of a question asked on the phone solely to over-qualify the customer, or rather to improperly allow salespeople (and management) a way to determine if it is even worth their time to spend in-store time with them. Everyone who has worked with subprime customers knows they’ll often tell you their situation in advance if there is a problem anyway, but asking in an ill-timed manner just throws up a roadblock to them coming in. May require said salesperson to do more than necessary in advance. Which often leads salespeople to asking…
Would you like me to send you a credit application before you arrive?
The COVID and inventory shortage culture that permeates dealerships gave salespeople and BDC agents the false impression that customers’ options were limited to do our control of inventory, so they still try to take the easy way out and preemptively assess the likelihood a customer can purchase without putting in the work of building value or demonstrating product. Dealers no longer have that luxury and we can no longer seek the direct-to-sale, easy way out that so many grew accustomed to.
In the end, asking the wrong question is just as much a part of phone skills training as is overcoming objections. These are just a small smattering of the questions salespeople and BDC are asking that steers them away from an appointment. Asking ill-timed, premature, or nonessential questions that don’t lead to the primary goal of a sales call is akin to placing a roadblock in the middle of a highway you need to drive along. Don’t get overzealous with attempting to sell a car over the phone, and don’t seek out more information than is needed to set an in-store appointment. The sale will come, so long as you can stay on the road.
I’ve been writing around phone skills and sales call handling for almost 20 years. Even 10 years ago I wrote a blog talking about some of the ill-gotten phone tactics used then (a few that are still use today). Do you know if there are holes in your phone script?
