It's Game Day

[Jerry Thibeau]

To me Saturday was always game day! If there was one day in the week where you could pull off a hat trick, it was on Saturday. Of course that all starts with having a bunch of appointments lined up for day.

How many appointments do you have today?

Managers, do you hold your people accountable for appointments on Saturdays? When doing a Saturday spiff do you revolve it around set appointments?

If you go home at the end of the day with a goose egg, you only have one person to blame and that is yourself. So get on that telephone and start making some appointments. It's not too late this morning to get started, so call those peeps up, get them out of bed and make some appointments. Forget about that one person that might drive on your lot here in the next 2 hours and start making some phone calls. The best person that can walk through that door today is somebody who asks for you.

Make it happen you budding Phone Ninjas!

I'd start with your unsold customers from the last few months. Try this script: http://scripts.phoneupninjas.com/index_files/Page376.htm

 

[Bruce Novicky]

When I sold, I banked on Saturdays for 2 deals. I figured I could survive off Saturdays and the week was when you made yourself a real income.

Think about it... if you sell about 2 cars every Saturday you only need 1-2 cars during the week each week to be a 15 car salesperson...

Good post Jerry...

 

[JeremySmith]

I have to say, there is alot to debate in this post and its first reply.

While it's true that Saturdays are typically the highest volume days of the week. I think you set yourself up for failure if the majority of your effort during the week is dedicated to setting up Saturday.

It's my belief that alot of people in this business tend to push business off until Saturday during the week rather than seek out opportunities to pull it forward. Therefore busy Saturdays become self fulfilling prophecies. What would happen if we put forth just a little more effort into our follow up calls.

What if we came in to work each day with a plan, not for the results we are looking for, but rather for the effort that we know will lead to said results.

In other words, what would happen even we came to work each day ready and willing to work?

For example: Monday afternoon a customer calls or emails inquiring about the availability of one of your preowned cars. Rather than following the usual phone script and coming away with a Saturday appt, why not offer to bring the car directly to them for a presentation. While not all people will take you up on your offer. Most customers will at least appreciate the gesture, and the contribution that the effort makes to the customer's experience could prove to be the tipping point when decision time comes.

I am convinced that the answer to the question of how do I create healthy growth in my business? is to be constantly seeking out ways to serve more people. Even if that means doing work that doesn't immediately generate a commission.

My two cents!

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

Jeremy,

I preach appointment sooner than later and would strongly suggest anyone making calls on a Monday should attempt to get the customer in today or tomorrow at latest. However, I will tell you that there are a lot of people who can't get in until the weekend. So if there is a day where the appointment volume tends to be high, it's on a Saturday. If a rep comes to work on Saturday and he does not have any appointments, it's because he was unproductive on the phone Monday - Friday. Having a customer tell you they might be in on Saturday is not an appointment. It's needs to be a set time.

One of my first managers would have a Saturday morning meeting and he would ask everybody for their appointments. If you knew what was good for you, then you wouldn't come to the meeting with a goose egg. And they had better be legitimate appointments since he often called to do spot checks.

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

So today I am doing some phone mystery shops for an article I am going to write about how to handle price objections. My issue, I've called two East coast dealers and both calls have gone to voice mail. If your dealership opens at 9:00 AM then your troops should be ready to roll at 9:00 AM. If you find it necessary to hold a Saturday sales meeting, you really should do so at 8:30 and be ready to conduct business by 9:00 AM when your dealership opens. If I was a real customer looking for a vehicle, I am calling the next guy!

Anyone else have some thoughts on the matter?