1. A telephone receptionist answers and places the prospect on hold while searching for an "available" salesperson.

2. All too frequently the prospect remains on hold and is forced to listen to a repetitive advertising message, loud music or a ringing extension that is not answered. When the call returns to the switchboard, the operator responds, "Who were you holding for?", and the prospect is again placed on hold. The prospect becomes irritated, senses incompetence, and often hangs up in frustration.

3. If the prospect perseveres, he/she is commonly greeted by a salesperson who provides short general answers to specific questions, fails to obtain the customer's name and telephone number and rarely secures an appointment. The salesperson often leaves the impression that his main interest is to quickly terminate the conversation in order to return to someone or something more important than the caller.

TaKtiKs-trained salespeople or Business Development Center (BDC) sales counselors skillfully manage telephone conversations in a courteous and professional manner by executing a prescribed game plan. The net result is a mutually beneficial exchange of information between both parties, which increases the likelihood of:

• A positive first impression of salesperson
• A comprehensive profile of prospect: full name, numbers, confirmed appointment, vehicle details, and source
• A dealership visit
• A SOLD vehicle or vehicles
• Higher grosses
• Higher C.S.I.
• A solid foundation upon which a long-term relationship is built
• More repeats and referrals