by Doug Doolin
(Sales Associate at Lincoln/Mercury of Olympia)
This is what I say when cold calling orphan customers. Please know that I have taken bits and pieces from others and developed a word track that I am comfortable with.
Hello, is this Mr. Customer (use the customer’s name here)?
This is Joe Sellsalot (use your name here) from Lemon Motors (use your dealerships name here). The purpose of my call, Mr. Customer, is to see if you are still driving the ’78 Citrus Special (use the year, make, model of the car this customer last purchased from your dealership).
You are? Great! (If they say “No”, simply ask them what they are currently driving and proceed)
Do you have a moment for a few quick questions?
1. Is the body and paint in good shape? No dents or rust?
2. How is the engine performing?
3. About how many miles do you have on the car now?
4. Is it still returning pretty good gas mileage?
The reason that I’m interested, Mr. Customer, is that our business has changed a lot in the last few months and we’re selling more used cars than ever. We have a need to place your ’78 Citrus Special on our lot for immediate resale. If I could show you figures on your car toward a new or newer car that would make a lot of sense to you, would you be interested in looking?
Great! When would be a good time for you to bring your car in so we can see it?
You have to be able to just talk. People love to talk about their cars. You also have to be able to pickup when interrupted. Don’t give figures over the phone no matter how tempting. It will almost always backfire. Remember, this person is coming in because you called them. It is very important to build rapport and just visit with him or her before you take them out to show them a car. Also remember, you already know what they drive, how many miles they drive, what they like about their car or what they don’t like. So go slow and enjoy making a new friend.