Phone Up Ninjas makes AutoBlog

[Matt DoCampo]

When you start calling dealerships about your next new car, consider this: The salesperson at the other end of the line could be a veritable ninja in the use of the phone as a sales tool.

Jerry Thibeau, a Rochester, N.Y.-based sales trainer, ought to know. In late 2009, he started a company, Phone-Up Ninjas, to build up the telephone skills of dealership staffs.

Thibeau teaches everything from phone etiquette and a "positive and productive" attitude, to scores of sales tips and techniques. One of his specialties is to convert the call-in shopper into flesh-and-blood presence on the dealership floor.

http://autos.aol.com/article/secrets-of-how-car-salesmen-talk-to-you-on-the-phone/

Ninja Alert! Beware of car salesmen trained in the art of phone calls — Autoblog

 

[joe.pistell]

Saw that come thru a few weeks ago. I freaked out when I read the headlines. Then, re-read the whole thing and it wasn't bad at all.

 

[davidmoon]

Ut oh ... I mean, come on people ... it's like the headline "Dog Bites Man." ANY person in ANY type of business who uses the phone to sell is going to be trained.

I'm assuming that they are using those clips without your permission Jerry?

 

[Jake L]

MMMMmmm smells like some nice juicy link love. Congrats Jerry

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Some solid link juice no doubt. I was surprised to see the actual recording of phone coachings included in the article but who cares..

As David points out, every company has form of sales training. For some reason it's the devil when our industry has sales training but it's ok for this ... Beware of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) in Church

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

I was very upset when the AOL article was written the way it was. I was originally informed that it would be a positive for my business. I don't consider these writers to be anything more than scum. I will never agree to do another interview like this again in the future. To see my rebuttal to the original article, please visit this link: Thank you for stopping by to get the real story

The fact that Autoblog took the original article and re-posted it with a new spin is just sad. They did not ask for my permission to use the audio files and I will be speaking with my attorney this morning.

I truly do apologize to those of you who find these articles offensive to the industry. I am just as upset as you are.

My only goal is to help dealers sell more vehicles. I accomplish this goal by teaching salespeople how to be more effective on the phone. There are no smoke and mirrors in what I teach. The techniques I teach have been around for many years. What makes my company different is the way we deliver the training. I am very proud of the fact that Phone Ninjas has helped many increase their incomes by becoming more proficient on the phone.

 

[mspeigl]

My favorite part of the whole article is how the guy talks about how Jerry deceives customers about their intentions. Hey Jerry, did this guy tell you exactly what his intentions were when he contacted you about doing a story????

I have used Jerry for a year and a half and I have watched our appointment ratio go up almost every month. I used to use training companies like Applied Concepts and never had the results or accountability that we have with Phone Ninjas.

 

[DanMorgan]

Way to go Jerry. I saw this last night and couldn't believe what I was reading, to what I have seen on here.

I am far from surprised that the media/article writer put a spin on it that is far from what the original interview(s) made it to be. :thumbdn:

....I was wondering if the audio file on the autoblog article was an actual real customer? I've been through phone training before and the trainer was actually the "customer" calling in.

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

@Dan, We use real audio files from real customers Dan. No need to waste the time of a sales rep when we can just go in call tracking and find a real call. Plus salespeople know when they are being mystery shopped and will act differently.

 

[DanMorgan]