phone calls

  1. Marc Lavoie

    I built an AI Agent to answer a dealer's phone

    A couple of weeks ago, I ignored my to-do list and spent a full day building an AI Agent taking phone calls for car dealers. This is the result:
  2. Chris Vitale

    Ninjas Skill Review

    Have you ever noticed when the sales floor goes out for good third-party training that they come back with a pep in their step? That’s because whatever speaker they had got them fired up and ready to go all out for your product. There is nothing better than rekindling that spark and feeling some...
  3. Chris Vitale

    Ninjas Caller ID + Landmark Directions = Success

    Caller ID was created to make everyone’s lives easier. Sometimes in a dealership setting, it does, especially when a customer has a thick accent or a hard time remembering their phone number. Other times (98% of the time), the caller ID is the communication killer that staff should avoid at all...
  4. Chris Vitale

    How Call Scoring Helps Your Phone Agents Improve

    One of the most important things that you need to focus on with your phone agents is making sure that they are performing up to expectations and that their phone conversations are effective. Effective calls lead to more sales, which means greater success for your dealership. One of the best ways...
  5. Chris Vitale

    How are you using Call Tracking?

    Let’s paint a picture. We’re in the showroom, and a customer is starting to get noisy at the other end. Our ears perk up, and the first thing that is audible is, “they told me on the phone that…” The thought crossing everyone’s mind is, what DID they say over the phone? Is this customer...
  6. Chris Vitale

    Ninjas Take it or Leave it...

    “Take it or Leave it” has been a very common theme occurring in the auto industry over the past two to three years. While it seems to be that customers are evolving and adapting to this moniker (or reality), is it something that we should be allowing to stay as a practice in our place of...
  7. Chris Vitale

    Ninjas BDC and Sales/Service Staff: There’s a difference in their phone process… but should there be?

    There is nothing better than a well-oiled machine when it comes to working efficiency. On a dealership level, by that, I mean - everyone has a set of specific tasks, they focus on completing while co-workers perform separate/similar work for the greater good as well. In theory, this is the way a...
  8. Chris Vitale

    Ninjas How to Improve Your Outbound Calling Strategy in 2023

    With the start of the new year, you should be looking forward to what you can do to make 2023 a success for your dealership. While there are endless marketing strategies to employ, having a solid outbound calling strategy should be at the core of your efforts. Whether or not it was successful...
  9. Chris Vitale

    Ninjas 5 Mistakes Sales Reps are Making on Inbound Sales Calls

    The telephone is your most reliable source of leads. Inbound phone calls allow dealerships to gather more detailed information about a customer's needs, resulting in higher conversion rates. Since six out of every ten inbound calls to the sales department have intent to purchase, it's crucial to...
  10. Chris Vitale

    Ninjas 5 Reasons Your Store Needs Phone Scripts

    At first glance, phone scripts may seem like something that isn’t necessary for your calls. Many people feel like they can be more successful if they are allowed to handle calls their own way. However, phone scripts are actually one of the most valuable tools you can use to not only have...
  11. Holly_phoneninjas

    Ninjas Why it is Time to Stop Ignoring Vendors

    Why it’s Time to Stop Ignoring Vendors I get it: sales calls are annoying. They are intrusive and constant, so why is it time to stop ignoring them? Because vendors are highly trained and are up to date on current tech and trends. It never hurts to learn what your competition is doing or how...
  12. Chris Vitale

    7 Good Reasons Your Salespeople Need Coaching

    There are actually over 50 reasons why your Salespeople need coaching. They may not know it; but you do. Their managers know it. Their customers feel it. Even if your customers don’t know what Coaching is, they know how they feel during and after an encounter with an un-coached Salesperson...
  13. Chris Vitale

    Phone Coaching vs. Sports Coaching…. What’s the difference?

    “EXCELLENCE IS THE GRADUAL RESULT OF ALWAYS STRIVING TO DO BETTER.” - Pat Riley, President of the Miami Heat There are obvious differences, of course, and yet many clear similarities, between a sports coach and a phone/sales coach. Sometimes, this analogy can be useful in understanding how...
  14. Jeff Kershner

    Outgoing calls using Click to Call are being marked as SPAM

    When using the Click to Call feature in eLead CRM, our outgoing calls are now being marked as SPAM on caller-id. We never had this issue prior to our Dealer Group switching over to CallSource. Admittingly, I'm not as well versed on telephony as I once was but if we are using our main business...
  15. Alivia Heath

    Alerts in the Background….

    My question to you is, why are we alerting dealerships to everything that their salespeople are doing wrong if they don’t know what to do to fix it!? You know, those text and email notifications you get from your call tracking provider. The ones that tell you that your newest salesperson hasn’t...
  16. Chris Vitale

    A lot up is still an appointment

    Is a customer who did their research online but didn't book an appointment still an appointment? The idea that the customer did their research online – blocked off their schedule and plans on coming to the dealership with intentions to buy - just didn't set an appointment with “you,” is still an...
  17. Alivia Heath

    Are You Just Making Excuses?

    Are You Just Making Excuses? Having been in the car business for nine years now on the vendor side, I have seen it ALL without even having to step foot into a dealership. But when I do happen to mosey on into the showroom (if I can make it in without someone basically greeting me in my...
  18. shaughnessy2323

    Do we focus on the wrong processes?

    April 18th, 2001: I remember it like it was yesterday! I was in a brand-new suit, a lightly starched shirt and was wearing my first Tommy Hilfiger tie. Walking into the training room with perfectly polished shoes about to start my career in the automotive industry was beyond exciting. As I...
  19. Chris Vitale

    How Much Profit Are You Missing on the Phone?

    Did you know that only 27% of the inbound calls result in an appointment? And only 51% obtain contact information? Think about it for a moment. Let's say you have a total of 145 inbound calls for the month. Out of those 145 calls, you set 39 appointments. Of those 39 appointments, only 19 show...
  20. CallingCorbyn

    What process do you have in place to manage missed calls?

    AND how many are you missing daily? Who follows up?