Dealership sales glossary.

A

• All-party consentA legal standard under which every participant in a conversation must consent before it may lawfully be recorded.
• Appointment confirmationThe contact made before a scheduled visit to reinforce the time, the person and the reason for coming in.
• Appointment set rateThe share of real sales opportunities that end with a scheduled visit, calculated as appointments set divided by opportunities.

B

• Back-end grossThe gross profit produced in the F&I office from financing reserve and protection products.
• BDC (business development center)The team or department that handles a dealership’s inbound calls, internet leads and text follow-up, with the goal of setting appointments.
• Be-backA customer who leaves without buying and later returns to the dealership, either on their own or because follow-up brought them in.
• Buying signalSomething a customer says or does that indicates real purchase interest, such as asking about availability, payments, timing or a trade.

C

• Call scoringJudging a sales call against a written standard, ideally as observable pass or fail items rather than a subjective rating.
• Call trackingAssigning unique phone numbers to marketing sources so a dealership can attribute inbound calls, usually with recording attached.
• Callback requestA customer explicitly asking to be called back, which creates a commitment with a name and a time attached.
• Closing ratioThe share of sales opportunities that result in a delivered vehicle, usually reported per salesperson and per store.
• Conversation intelligenceSoftware that reviews recorded calls and message threads to surface signals, gaps and coaching moments for managers.
• CPO (certified pre-owned)A used vehicle sold under a manufacturer program that adds an inspection and extended factory-backed coverage.
• CSI (customer satisfaction index)Manufacturer survey scores measuring how customers rate their sales or service experience at a dealership.

D

• Dealer groupA company that owns multiple dealership locations, often across several brands and sometimes several states.
• Dealer principalThe owner or controlling operator of a dealership, named on the franchise agreement with the manufacturer.
• Dealership CRMThe system where a store logs customers, leads, notes, tasks and follow-up activity through the sales process.
• DeskingStructuring a deal at the desk: building the numbers, terms and payment options presented to the customer.
• DMS (dealer management system)The dealership’s core system of record for deals, inventory, accounting, service and parts.

E

• Equity miningScanning existing customer and loan records to find people whose situation makes a trade attractive right now.

F

• F&I (finance and insurance)The dealership office that arranges financing and presents protection products after the vehicle deal is agreed.
• Follow-up gapA promise or request inside a conversation that was never answered, such as a callback, a payment number or an appraisal figure.
• Front-end grossThe gross profit on the vehicle itself, before finance and insurance products are added.

G

• GSM (general sales manager)The manager who runs the entire variable operation of a dealership, including new and used sales, the desk and F&I.

H

• Hold timeHow long a caller waits on hold, in a queue or during a transfer before reaching someone who can help.

I

• Internet sales managerThe manager responsible for digital leads, online inquiries and the team that answers them before a customer arrives.

L

• Lead response timeThe time between a lead arriving and a real person making meaningful contact with that customer.

M

• Missed inbound callA sales call the dealership never handled: rang out, went to voicemail, was abandoned in a queue or died on hold.
• MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price)The price a manufacturer suggests for a new vehicle, shown on the federally required window sticker.

N

• No-showA customer who agreed to an appointment and did not arrive, and did not cancel beforehand.

O

• One-party consentA legal standard under which only one participant in a conversation needs to consent for it to be recorded lawfully.
• Opportunity callA two-way conversation with someone who could buy a vehicle, where the dealership had a genuine chance to invite them in.
• Out-the-door priceThe total a customer pays to drive away, including taxes, title, registration and dealer fees.

P

• Payment quote over the phoneGiving a customer a monthly payment figure by phone or text before a credit decision or a completed deal structure.
• Phone-upAn inbound sales call from a potential buyer, treated as an opportunity in the same way as a walk-in.
• Price objectionA customer’s stated resistance on price, which often stands in for a different concern such as trade value or payment.
• PVR (per vehicle retailed)Average gross profit per vehicle sold, reported as front, back or total depending on the store.

R

• Recorded-line noticeThe disclosure telling a caller that the conversation is being recorded, typically played before the call reaches a person.
• RooftopA single dealership location, used to distinguish one store from the group that may own several.

S

• Service-to-salesTurning service department visits into vehicle sales opportunities while the customer is already at the store.
• Show rateThe share of set appointments where the customer actually arrives, calculated as appointments shown divided by appointments set.
• Spouse objectionA customer deferring a decision until they speak with a partner or another person involved in the purchase.

T

• T.O. (turn over)Handing a customer to a manager or a closer, either to keep a stalled deal alive or before the customer leaves unsold.
• Test driveThe demonstration drive, the point in the process where a shopper starts treating the vehicle as theirs.
• Third-party leadA customer inquiry bought from an outside listing or referral site rather than generated by the dealership itself.
• Trade-in appraisalThe dealership’s valuation of a customer’s current vehicle, which requires a physical inspection to be firm.

U

• Unsold follow-upThe ongoing contact process for customers who showed interest or visited but did not buy.
• UpA sales opportunity, and by extension the customer attached to it: a walk-in up, a phone up or an internet up.

W

• Walk-inA customer who arrives at the dealership without an appointment, greeted by whoever is next in the rotation.
• Word trackA short agreed phrasing for a recurring moment in a conversation, such as asking for the appointment.