Closing a sale is not for the fainthearted. It can be a long, bittersweet process that extends to post-sale services. While it pays to acquire new leads, following up on previous clients and warm leads also converts to sales. Follow-ups are also less costly compared to obtaining new leads.
The 5 Best Follow Up Strategies for Sale
Most in the automotive finance and insurance industry are faced with the challenge of maintaining the trust of their warm leads. To ensure that you can attain that sweet “yes” after the sale, here are five best follow up strategies you can rely on.
1. Set the Expectations
Consumers sometimes get annoyed when they receive random phone calls from agents. But surveys have proven that phone calls work better in eliciting direct responses than emails when making follow-ups.
To mitigate their irritation and prevent rude responses, set their expectations in the initial meeting. You can either pre-determine the date for the follow-up call or relay your intention of checking up on them from time to time.
Clients appreciate the gesture of asking for their permission.
2. Adopt the Foot-in-the-Door Technique
The foot-in-the-door technique states that you can convince a person to book a high-value deal if you start pitching low-value deals. For instance, you can sell a $100,000 sedan to a client by first offering an $80,000 model and highlighting the minimal price difference. This sales tactic works best for repeat clients with whom you have already established trust relations.
3. Strike a Conversation
An aggressive sales approach is shunned by some clients. During follow-up, strike a conversation instead of directly asking for a decision.
You can invite the client to a free online webinar for auto finance and insurance, or ask a friendly question to check up on how they’re faring. Finding a conversation opener should come easy when you have already established a rapport with the client. Note details from your previous conversation (information about a new job, new home, family news, etc.) and use this as an in.
4. Know the Right Timing
Keep your clients close, so you know when to make that follow-up call. For instance, offering a client your best deal on sports cars is not ideal when the client is grieving or experiencing work setbacks. Timing is key to closing car sales, including auto insurance products.
5. Ask for Referrals
Your client can respond to your efforts with an outright no, but this should not discourage you. You can still turn this into a positive situation by asking for referrals or by leaving your calling card should they need to change their vehicle in the future.
Learning the Best-Selling Techniques with The Ace Group
It may be challenging to find a trusted automotive consulting products and services company that specializes in finance and insurance. With The ACE Group, you get to benefit from our offering of a wide range of F&I solutions tailored to our clients’ needs. As an industry leader, our expert training and support are not only backed up with first-hand knowledge, but also by years of experience.
For more specialized automotive consulting, give us a call.