Last week I worked with a car dealer on electronic communications. Car salespeople are skilled professionals in face-to-face settings, but sales through writing can feel unnatural to them. When they’re working in person with a customer, features, benefits, and counter-proposals flow freely, but in email, the salesperson’s vocabulary drops to just a few works. “Quote attached.”
What makes a strong selling reply to a customer query? The customer needs to feel that she’s been heard, which is why the salesperson must carefully address each of the customer’s questions. It’s no disgrace for the salesperson to show that effort has gone into the reply. “I checked with other dealerships and found the model and color you wanted.” Just as with speech, in writing the successful salesperson presents the strongest sales proposition, supported by relevant features (“low mileage and only one owner”) and details (“fully serviced just last month”). All potential buyers are interested in price, and that figure shouldn’t be hidden. At the same time, the salesperson can set it in the most advantageous context.
Most important, the seller should invite the customer to take the next step toward a deal. (“I can have the car ready for you as soon as Tuesday.”) A firm offer from the buyer is terrific; a good relationship between buyer and seller makes an offer more likely. It’s easier for someone to say no to an impersonal dealership than to an actual dealer who’s written in a engaging, human tone.