3 Successful Strategies to Avoid No-Shows

Have you ever put a great amount of energy into chasing a high-quality lead and confirming an appointment just for them to not show up?

No-shows are a pain point even the best salespeople have faced. Fortunately, leveraging effective communication strategies prior to your customer’s appointment can increase your chances of them coming into your dealership. Here are three proven tactics your agents can implement into their phone calls to ensure your hottest leads show up for their appointments.  

Set Firm Appointments  

Understanding the difference between a firm and a soft appointment is key to setting up a successful appointment over the phone. We previously covered how to set up a firm appointment in the first article of our newsletter. As a refresher, confirm a specific time and date for your appointment. Customers are 3x more likely to show up for a firm appointment vs. a soft appointment. Use the Whittle and Shepard technique by asking A/B questions to narrow down an appointment time without overwhelming your callers.  

Here is a word track to try the Whittle and Shepard technique!

Set Clear Expectations  

Properly preparing your customers on what to expect when they come into the dealership helps put your callers at ease leading up to their appointment. It’s normal for customers to feel overwhelmed while trying to buy a car, especially if it’s their first time. This applies to Service visits as well. Many callers have no knowledge of what repair their car needs and what that process entails. By providing the right information upfront, such as the cost of service and the estimated time it will take to complete, helps establish trust with the customer. They should also be frequently updated on the status of their vehicle and given the opportunity to ask further questions.  

Send Personal Video Reminders  

Establish rapport early on with potential customers by leveraging multiple forms of communication such as phone calls, texts, and emails, if given permission. This gives the customer more flexibility on how they’d like to communicate with your store. You can take it a step further and send personalized video messages to customers. These video messages could include a Sales Manager walking through a few cars a customer may be interested in or confirming an appointment. The experts at Qvale Automotive use video as a tactic to engage with customers and provide a customized experience.  

If you’d like to discover how Fixed Ops Technology Process Manager, Drew Benson, leverages texting and video messaging, read his article “The New Age of Service” in our new edition of the CRISP Quarterly Magazine HERE!

Setting firm appointments, providing clear expectations, and leveraging multiple forms of communication are a few creative ways to prevent one of the biggest pain points at your dealership. The caller experience is critical in bringing customers to your doors. Inviting every caller into your dealership provides more opportunities to leverage these strategies and hopefully increase conversions. 

If you have other tips for avoiding no-shows, leave a comment below for our Car Wars community!