When stepping foot into dealerships week after week to train new clients, I hear one of three statements from General Managers and dealer owners:
“I don’t know if I have the right people back there. “
“I don’t think they are doing the right stuff back there.”
“I have no idea what they do back there all day long.”

First off, I do find it amazing, as I pull phrases out of my head while typing, that the term “back there” pops up so often. Isn’t it time we give the BDCs and Internet staffs of our industry a more suitable, front-of-the-dealership, work environment? How many of your Internet departments and BDC’s are in the back of the bus? Oops. I’m sorry. I meant “back of the dealership”? Do you keep them back there so they can be undisturbed throughout the day and have quiet time for all their ‘monotonous multitasking’ or is it to be more ‘out of sight, out of mind’?

With that rant over, let’s look at these three scenarios.
1) You don’t know if you have the right people back there.

Who hired them? What criteria were you looking for? What was their orientation like? Have you provided them all of the training to prepare them for their position? Do you listen to their requests for new technology? Or do they maybe just want more seamless communication with your sales management team and need you to facilitate it?

All of these questions must be answered internally (or reviewed by a trained practitioner) if you truly want to know if you have the right Internet team leading the department into the future.

2) You don’t think they are doing everything they could be doing.

Quite possibly, you are right here. This is something that almost every trainer/consultant will admit after reviewing an Internet team’s process. There are cracks in every foundation. The question is, do you know where to look? Do you have a process, tool or technology that monitors your Internet team for you? Inevitably, when you do the same thing over and over and over, day in and day out, (read: monotonous multitasking), you will lose some of your focus and your passion for what you are doing. Leads can start to look less like customers and more like words on a screen with no value so ensure they are always recognizing the cost of the customer lead. Give your team all of the motivation to perform at a high level, but most importantly, TRAIN them so they understand what the right daily duties are. Then measure.

3) You don’t know what they are doing back there all day long.

Have you provided them a job description detailing their duties and your expectations of them? How do you measure them? If you are being provided reports – as is one of the chief duties that coincide with all of their monotonous multitasking – are you pleased with their performance? Do you even know what metrics they should be achieving? While it is up to them to complete their tasks competently, it is up to you inspect their performance and hold them accountable. If you need to know the metrics you should be achieving, don’t worry about industry standards at first. Just focus on improving upon your past month’s numbers. Every month.

So… what DOES your Internet team do in their room all day long? Know that the position of Internet Sales Manager/Director consists of many small duties (that are major ordeals if not done correctly) repeatedly.

• They answer the lead, but have to do it quickly.
• They must answer all of the customer’s questions, but must do it thoroughly.
• They must send out the perfect email, but must do it in a way that it gets through spam filters.
• They must answer the phones promptly while smiling, but must do it in a way that leads to an appointment while still capturing the customer’s information.
• They must respond back to customer replies, but often have to remove themselves from behind a computer to get the correct information they need.
• They must keep a vigil eye on multiple tools and CRM pages to ensure they are properly engaging every customer every time. (Leads don’t stop coming in when the store closes it’s doors.)
• They must answer questions for salespeople – as Internet managers have become the Mall Information Centers of the dealership world.
• They must solve IT problems and bugs in the system daily, even though they have no experience with IT. (Information Technology and Internet Sales are two entirely different gifts.)
• They must gather data and reports from multiple sources in a myriad of amalgamations, but they must simplify them enough so they can be graded on them.
• They must answer an unending stream of calls from vendors, though they have no final decision-making power usually.
• They must actively seek solutions to problems, vendor ticket issues, qualms, and process breaks, all while fielding calls from others in the dealership asking questions about the very same tools.
• They must complete a number of other issues.

And they must do this every day. Every time. With zero discrepancies. THAT is why the “monotonous multitasking” of your Internet team should not be overlooked as anything but the requirements of their positions. Give them credit for the balls they keep up in the air while juggling a myriad of other tasks asked of them.

Those individuals who can take on several tasks simultaneously to this extent, all while sitting in front of a computer for the majority of the day, are some of the most valuable employees you can bring into your organization. Being adept at monotonous multitasking is a true skill. It is not a problem with your team’s work or work ethic.

An Internet shopper is caught off-guard when he attempts to push for additional discounts after agreeing to an Internet price with the car dealership’s Internet Manager. This comedic video shows what would happen if Dateline NBC’s Chris Hanson shows up and puts a halt to the customer’s efforts.

Starring:
Joe Webb
Arnold Tijerina
Bill Playford
David Hudson
Written by Joe Webb
Directed by David Hudson

Why only three?” I asked.

Then they told me how the only reason they gave three stars was because the salesperson kept trying to make them feel bad after the sale.

“Feel bad? After?” I asked. It turns out their salesperson kept saying over and over “My manager is really upset at me for selling the car this low.”

“My manager is pretty pissed off he has to let for of this car for the price you got online.” ETC. Etc.

We’ve all heard this before (and if you’ve been doing this for a while, you may have even had a manager tell you to say something similar to a customer.) Allow me to say that, in today’s world, saying these unnecessary statements AFTER the deal is made is only begging for negative reviews.

After hearing this (and laughing a little), I asked myself, ”Why?” Why does this still go on? Why did it go on in the first place? I’m sure, in all of the sales I’ve made and customers I’ve closed, I’ve even said this to a customer before. Why would anyone do this? I’ve never heard of a customer relenting and saying – “Okay, then just raise the price $400 more. I don’t want them feeling bad.” Or “You shouldn’t get in trouble for it. How about we add on a few hundred more just in case.” NO. That’s insane.

As a manager, if you accept a deal… live with it. Urge your salespeople to deliver top-notch customer service after the sale and hope for returning service department traffic. Or don’t accept it. You aren’t a guilt-trip artist. You are a sales manager. It doesn’t work anyway and you should recognize that it doesn’t do any good.

If you tell the customer this to cover up the fact that you are gouging them in the wallet, then why mention anything? It is akin to having a royal flush in poker on the draw and then immediately saying “Wow. I’ve got nothing. What a terrible hand of cards. I hope you folks don’t take advantage of my miserable hand here.” NO. That’s stupid.

If you are a salesperson and this is a tactic you’ve tried, ask yourself what good it could possibly do. There are several phrases that we are accustomed to saying or hearing that are No-Need statements. There simply is no-need to say them so why say them at all. If you know of any other “No-Need” statements, I’d love to hear them.

We are now a 2012 cooperative.  All of your efforts are being spent to achieve profit and success in the year 2012 and beyond.  That is your goal.  Your focus.  To achieve online sales dominance in the new year.  Nothing can stand in your way… except decision makers.
Look at where we are technologically in 2012.  Mobile is fully adopted by society.  800 million plus are on Facebook and engagement on social sites is growing.  There are over a billion tweets a week.  Your television is connected to the Internet.  So is your 7 year old.  So is your 70 year old grandmother.  Data from online resources drives the majority of advertising decisions.  Except, for some reason, in dealerships.
I have a request of you.  If you are one of those nose-down, shovel-full winners that have been embracing Internet sales for years, selling cars from A-Z, delving into digital media, and begging for buy-in with little to no backing from management… Get Out of Dodge.  Leave.  Pack your bags and find another dealership home.
We are in the realm of a 2012 world.  A digitally connected and socially linked online world.  If your ownership/management/decision-makers don’t realize this today… now… you have no other choice than to jump ship and swim for shore. If they can’t recognize the world has 100% changed (not ‘changing’, but ‘changed’ – past tense), then there is no hope for them and no hope for your position there.
Yes, we know the sayings – “the grass isn’t always greener” or “the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t”.  Hogwash.  Things in life ALWAYS get better eventually if you work hard enough to ensure they do.  You may also think, “there aren’t any jobs available around me.”  Once again… Phooey.  Ask any consultant like myself (or attend any 20 group) and you will hear dealers clamoring for someone who knows what they are doing both in front of a customer as well as behind a computer.
Internet sales skills are worth their weight in gold right now.  If lead management, online selling, and eCommerce are what you do best, yet you don’t have the support where you currently sit because of a lack of understanding from the powers that be… Get Out of Dodge.  You’ll find a better fit.  You’ll be happier.  And someone will appreciate the dedication and passion for the craft that you bring to their store.

“It’s in the way that you use it,
It comes and it goes.
It’s in the way that you use it,
Boy don’t you know.
And if you lie you will lose it,
Feelings will show.
So don’t ever abuse it.
Don’t let it go.”

As countless dealers create FB (and G+) pages every day, they need to develop a posting and sharing strategy and it MUST be tied in to what you are doing on the ground within the community. There are six primary ways that I see dealers posting on the social sites:

1) C.R.A.P. – an acronym developed by my friend Eric Miltsch where he believes in posting Coupons, Reviews, And Pictures. This also includes service specials and fixed ops discounts.
2) Celebrating your Customers – this is the posting of customer testimonials, pics of happy customers, and milestone purchases/services/mileage images.
3) Celebrating your Employees – this is the posting of reviews, employee biographies, videos, personal accomplishments, and more to endear your staff to your followers.
4) Celebrating your Community – Sharing your involvement in local events, charities, and organizational activities in and around your primary market area. Your goal is to align yourself with important aspects of local goings-on and act as a valuable, participating member of the nearby community.
5) Trivia – Since your social prowess is determined by the amount of engagement you have on the social pages, many dealers post questions asking the opinions or their fans. (ie – ‘What was the best Christmas gift you ever received?’ Or ‘Where is the best place to eat barbecue?’) Any way to get others to comment or elicit a response.
6) Being an Extension of the OEM – This is where dealers share information about the newest models, concept cars, third-party validating reviews, and OEM-style material that helps further the brand, but not so much the dealership.

So you are at a Crossroads. You don’t have to decide right now. Wait until After Midnight. Whichever way you choose, I urge you to listen to some Clapton and recognize that your success will be based on “the way that you use it”.

If you are only utilizing one of the strategies above (which is what most dealers are doing), you need to Reconsider Baby. Instead create a plan to post using ALL of the tactics above. Tell the Truth, you don’t have as many Lay Down Sally’s walking onto your showroom as before so you need to begin reaching them in a contemporary fashion. My guess is that if you look at your most recent posts on FB, with The Shape You’re In, it’ll take Five Long Years to see any reward from your current strategy.

If you aren’t involved in social networking at all, you’ll be Standin’ Around Crying Tears in Heaven and Groaning the Blues without a franchise because these are the places the public is turning for information. Only those that develop a social marketing plan From the Cradle will look Wonderful Tonight. There is a way to be the Cream of the crop while marketing your dealership socially and that is to be a little like Clapton.

eCommerce Director of Southtowne VW, Bryan Armstrong, shares his success with his factory lead closing ratios after just one month utilizing the DealerKnows Consulting follow-up process method and automotive email templates. His store experienced over a 12% closing rate increase on those pesky leads. Listen to Bryan’s endorsement.

“Left message, LM, LM, LM, LM, Flip to Lost, Flip to Dead, Flip to Bought Elsewhere, LM, LM, LM”.

Essentially, this gentleman had no desire to call a single customer back, but was more dedicated to simply getting his workload off of his plate for the day.   He was throwing away opportunities to both interact with his current clients and, in some cases, sell a car.  This is happening at your store too.

There are three things I know about the majority of salespeople in our industry.

1)  They will work their pay plan.  Whatever it is, they’ll work it.
2)  They won’t follow-up with their customers

3)  They won’t follow up with their customers.

I see managers hypocritically hold BDC and Internet teams to a high standard of number of calls made, number of appointments set and shown, but I find it amazing how they don’t hold their own sales team (those that they actually manage) accountable.  In my experience, the lowest probability of accountability happens on the showroom floor.  Your sales managers are around your salespeople so often, they easily overlook everything they aren’t doing.  You could almost remove the word “manager” from their title at all.  This needs to stop.

Salespeople won’t make their calls on their own.  They just won’t.  Even if you ask them nicely or schedule the call for them in the CRM and demand them to make the calls, they will find a way to push off, put away, hide, falsely complete, delete, bury, or kill that action scheduled for them.

You MUST actively train, track, and hold accountable your team to ensure they are making all of their follow-up calls, unsold calls, sold calls, lease retention calls, birthday calls, anniversary calls, bird calls, cat calls, or any other calls you have scheduled in the CRM for them.  Otherwise, without being held accountable, they will almost always take the path of least resistance, cycle through their day’s tasks and eliminate their opportunities to connect with a customer.  They simply don’t have their feet held to the fire enough.

There are systems out there (PBX boxes, call monitoring/recording software) that can increase the likelihood that accountability will become part of your showroom (and management) process.  Whether you invest in the technology, the people, or the training, you must demand that your entire sales team performs the duties asked of them in the CRM.  It is not just your livelihood; it’s theirs as well.  They just aren’t held accountable enough to realize it.

A customer who shopped online gets more than he bargains for when he visits a car
dealership showroom.
Starring:  Timmy James, Arnold Tijerina, Joe Webb, and Bill Playford
Written and Produced by:  Joe Webb
Directed by:  David Hudson

Another Joe Webb "Car Guy" Production

This doesn’t hold true for all, but it will hit the nail on the head for many.  Your middle management is killing your Internet sales.  Not in a good way.  Not like “Wow!  You guys are killing it!”.  No.  They are hurting your online sales efforts.

How?  What they don’t know, WILL hurt them.  DealerKnows fields many calls from dealers, but even more from their Internet personnel.  What we continue to hear is the pushback your Internet Sales Managers and BDC teams are receiving from the sales managers in your stores when trying to fulfill their job duties.

I previously detailed one of the primary ways in my blog titled “The 4 Words That Make Sales Managers Sound Stupid”.  Those four words?  “Just get ‘em in.”  Without preparing your BDC agents and ISMs with any information, they are expected to coerce a researched, interested party into the store with no value to give them.  Needless to say, the “hallelujahs”, “thank you’s” and “TESTIFY’s” we got through email was great.  That is just one way your managers are hindering your online sales.  Many have no willingness to (or understanding why) give out information to the customers before coming in.  This tactic is killing you.

Another way?  If the sales management insists on handing over a new Internet price for every…single… lead… rather than a researched, validated price structure for all models that the ISM can be trusted to speedily calculate and hand over, then they are hurting your online efforts.  Timing is key.  If your Internet team has to go for them every…single….time they have a new lead and want to give out a price, you are slowing down the response time and likely giving the manager the ability to choose the Internet pricing they give that day, on that car, off the top of their head.  This is killing your response time.

Want to hear more?  Micro-managing.  Who do your sales managers think they are to brow-beat an ISM over their closing ratio, their pricing, or worse off, their customers when they are letting the salespeople run wild on the showroom floor?  If your sales managers are constantly asking your ISMs “What is going on with this lead?”  or “Whatever happened to the folks interested in the…?”, but are not enforcing ANY of the sales folks to call back ANY of their customers that have been in, then they are hypocrites  and they are killing your Internet team’s motivation.

• What are some other ways your sales managers are destroying an online foundation in your store?
• Demanding to handle inbound calls/leads/etc for your store, rather than your BD team, so they can remain in control, yet are unwilling to call to confirm appointments.
• Not demanding the sales team to make appointments as well.
• Not reinforcing the use of the CRM on the showroom.
• Not requiring the sales team to source customers properly.
• Not forcing the sales team to obtain a customer’s email address.
• Taking their sweet, old time to get pricing, availability, truthful spec info and more to their Internet team so they can then pass it on to the interested party.
• Not getting pricing up on the newest pre-owned cars that hit your lot.
• Not supporting new digital initiatives in the store that might help them win ZMOT, while at the same time, not listening to how their sales team handle calls.
• Allowing the salespeople to handle calls.
• Not training the salespeople to handle calls.
• The list goes on
• And on
• And on…

I know I am preaching to the choir here because there are more ISMs and Internet Directors reading this than there are dealer managers and owners likely.  (Sad that the group most thirsty for information and willing to learn and progress are often the ones with the least amount of power to do so.  As is in life.  Still shameful.)  However, if you are a dealer owner or GM, I strongly urge you to open up the blinds, let the light in, and ask your Internet team what they NEED and WANT from the middle management at your store to improve their job performance and the numbers.

Too many great people in eBusiness positions are scared of speaking up for fear of causing waves in the water, but if prompted and protected, they will give you the keys to untold sales.  Look at the hierarchy of the people in your store and make sure the sales managers are not stifling the productivity of your Internet team.  Or keep the blinds closed and watch as they kill your Internet sales one by one.