I think the most important factor when discussing ways of converting leads to appointments is not what you say to close the sale, but how you say it. I don’t know how many times I’ve called a shop to initiate contact and was greeted by an irritated, rude, or otherwise negative-sounding person on the other end. The way a conversation goes can very well make or break the sale. It’s important to remember that whoever is answering your phone is most often the first point of contact a customer has with your auto glass shop. If a customer is greeted by a rude, hurried representative, the customer isn’t going to be left with a good feeling about your company, which can make or break the sale.
Building rapport with every customer is a key component in closing sales. I’ve found that if you establish a connection with your customer early in your conversation, then the customer is more inclined to do business with you for a few key reasons: you’ve established commonality between yourself and the customer, you’ve let them know you’re a real person, not just a windshield-replacement-quote-generating-robot who could care less about their personal needs, and they have a positive memory to associate with your company. Building rapport can be as easy as a quick discussion of the weather, asking how their day is going, or even by asking how their glass was damaged. Chances are pretty good that the customer is going to be shopping around, and it goes a long way to make that little extra effort to help them remember your company. If I’ve made a customer laugh or tell me something about themselves, I know they’re going to be far more receptive to and impacted by what I have to say from that point on.
When all else fails, remember to keep smiling. You won’t be able to build rapport with all customers— some people just aren’t interested in small talk. What I’ve told my employees for as long as I’ve been in the auto glass industry is just keep on smiling. If you smile while you talk, and make an effort to sound as upbeat and friendly as possible, it will make closing the sale significantly easier. Smiling helps keep the tone of your voice friendly and enthusiastic, which will help customers feel more at ease and, again, it will help customers put a positive association with your auto glass company’s name.
