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

Your CRM is there for a purpose.  For the longest time we allowed our sales teams to carry a notepad in their back pocket to keep track of their customers.  We would trust that they would pull it out once a day, flip through the past few pages, review what needs to take place, and have the necessary notes stored in able to then follow up with the store’s customers.  If not this way, then you had them log all of their opportunities onto an Up Sheet that you would hope they visit once a day to complete some follow-up.  Obviously, these methods fall slightly short of being an “exact science”.

So CRMs (a good CRM anyway) has allowed us to determine the time intervals that are best to follow up with our clients.  They let us choose what method of communication (phone, email, text, etc) to trigger the sales team to utilize.  A CRM gives us the ability to alert our team when a new lead arrives or action actions that must be taken.  We can build out intricate follow-up processes that continue long-term, based on several variables, even when different events occur in the customer’s lifecycle, consistently, on-going, every time.  Well that is all well and good, but it still takes someone to perform a little “dealership day care” to keep the sales and Internet teams using the system to its fullest.

There are two things that salespeople are known for:

Working their pay plans and

Not following up with customers the way they should (or at all)

It’s not their fault.  Our industry seems to magnetically pull in those with self-diagnosed ADHD and lets them run wild in between our walls.  Your sales team loses focus, stops dedicating their energy to the task at hand within the CRM and goes off on a tear about something else.  It requires your Sales Managers to wrangle them up and get them back on point.  This is where your CRM’s dashboard comes in handy.

I often ask dealers, “How do your Sales Managers manage your sales team?”  Let me tell you, nowadays there are no right answers to this question without the words “ensure” “utilizing” and “CRM” in them.  Your managers should be keeping a watchful eye on the CRM dashboard throughout the day to ensure your team is utilizing the CRM to its fullest and actually completing the tasks scheduled for them.  Then your dealership must make it financially rewarding (or punishable) to do so.  If it is 2pm and you see Jimmy drinking his Red Bull and laughing on the showroom floor, take a look at how many of the day’s tasks he completed.  You will see only one of two scenarios.

a)  He’s made only 2 of the 33 scheduled follow-up calls for the day (yet he has time to ham it up with the folks on the floor) or
b)  He made ALL 33 of his day’s calls, somehow miraculously between the times of 9:05am to 9:09am.  Oh yeah, and he left messages on every call.

Your managers must begin “managing” their teams and holding them accountable.  Whether utilization is tracked, measured, and spiffed upon, or simply browbeat into the team, they must start making the calls and emails required of them.  If you want to sell more cars, get your teams to honestly make the calls prescribed for them.  Simple as that.

While your Internet team can fall off the wagon too, it is likely because they can get overwhelmed if they lose any time for the day.  A few leads are missed, an alert isn’t received, a customer comes in that takes more of their time than expected, and there is no catching up.  Unlike the sales floor where the salesperson can just not take a customer for the day and get through all of their overdue tasks, the Internet team has opportunities that pour in…. and never stop pouring in.

The reason our Virtual Dealer Training program was created in the first place is because dealers don’t have the staff or the time to track what their Internet teams are missing. You need someone to perform Dealership Day Care for your Internet teams.  Your Internet Director/eCommerce Director/BD Manager often doesn’t have the time to monitor all email correspondence, but, believe me, it is necessary.  Do you know what your staff is emailing to your customers?  Are they answering their questions?  Are they NOT calling and NOT following up with them?  The CRM allows you to catch these things, but only if you are looking.  While our teams are much more mature than children, they need constant guidance (and positive reinforcement through training) to keep ahead of the class.

It is time dealers do a little Dealership Day Care on behalf of their sales and Internet teams.  You need to maximize the opportunities you are receiving and the only way to do that is to monitor, police, measure, and motivate your teams… through the utilization of your CRM and through consistent training and management.

When I train a dealership on-site, the first thing I do is impress upon their BDC and Internet Managers that their daily duties are greater than the tasks built out for them in the CRM. I believe that your BDC knows what is expected of them. They know they must answer the phone quickly with a positive tone. They understand the importance of asking either/or questions and going for the appointment. They see the value in being researched and giving the customers the answers to their questions.

The problem they have? They don’t do it every time because they don’t see the value and importance of each opportunity. Over time, leads become so customary that the people handling them don’t attach a true dollar value to each one. As time goes by and leads pour in, they become impersonal to some. It is not difficult for a BDC agent to overlook the importance of every lead and every appointment set, but the sales team is hit noticeably hard when the floor traffic slows down. You, as a manager, dealer principle, and owner must connect the dots and relay the big picture to your appointment-setting team. Sure, you can say that their job depends on it, but I like bringing things a little closer to home. Everyone can be empathetic.

Explain to your team that you know they have the skills to execute their job at a 10 on a 1 – 10 scale, but also know that they don’t perform that way for every opportunity. For every time they give an effort of a 5, they are likely costing the salesperson on the floor a chance to provide for their family.

I tell them “Your efforts, and the energy level and enthusiasm you bring to each and every call or lead opportunity, determines whether or not “Greg” on the floor has to look his son in the eyes while at Target shopping toward month’s end and explain to him why he can’t buy him the toy that he so desperately wants. He has to look like less of a person sometimes in his child’s eyes only because the BDC didn’t give their best effort every time to drive in all of the traffic they could have.”

It is not scripts or tools or templates all of the time. It is the abundance of opportunities that go unvalued. One less appointment set means nothing to your BDC team, but one less sale here and there can mean the world to a salesperson. And to their family.

Relay this. Make sure you put a heaping of thought on your BDC’s shoulders and they understand the ripple effect. Their bad mood or lack of energy and focus truly has an impact on how a good person lives their life. Hopefully they will take more ownership of each and every gift they’ve been given.

Melissa Roberts, a former Internet Sales Manager and BDC Manager in Worcester, Massachussets, had recently been a Phone Coach for DealerKnows preferred training partner, Phone Ninjas before coming aboard the DK team.  As Phone Ninjas is a service utilized by DealerKnows, Melissa already had advanced knowledge of DK’s core philosophies and training regimen.

Joe Webb of DealerKnows states “I actively sought Melissa for our Virtual Account Manager position.  Having someone of Melissa’s caliber that has experience navigating dealerships’ CRM tools and websites is imperative for our clients.  I reached out to my good friend, Jerry Thibeau, owner of Phone Ninjas, and we felt there was an amicable way for her to jump aboard the DealerKnows team.  Melissa is a phone guru, alright, but her primary goal will be keeping a watchful eye on what our clients are doing and helping truly mentor and train them on the best Internet sales processes around.

A woman in a male-dominated industry such as the car business isn’t always a sought-after task, but Melissa has been very successful on the retail side.  In just three years as an Internet Manager, she personally handled all Internet sales inquiries for a multi-line auto group with two locations.  While there, she increased the online sales traffic at Diamond Chevrolet by one hundred percent, online service traffic by 300%, and overall Internet sales by 100%.  In the past, she created and managed two separate dealership Business Development Centers.

“People like Melissa, with her history of achievements and dedication to being meticulous and passionate about her craft, don’t come along very often and I am excited to bring her onto our Virtual Team.  I also imagine that her experience will lend well to handling much of the software implementation we do for our clients so I expect she’ll have the title CRM guru before too long.” Bill Playford, VP of DealerKnows and partner of the Virtual Dealer Training position jokes.

DealerKnows is constantly growing their team and is always looking for talented individuals with true, documented success in retail automotive.  As one of the leading training firms in the market, Melissa Roberts will be in a position to truly positively affect dealers on a one-to-one basis for the foreseeable future.

Melissa is excited herself when she says “From the moment I saw the DealerKnows Team in action in 2009, I knew I would soon be a part of it.  Not just their best practices beliefs, but the method in which them continually work with their dealer clients in a very hands-on way is a breath of fresh air in our industry.  I look forward to adding my expertise to an outstanding team of great people.”

1) Determine the hierarchy of the store. Who will this person, in a new department, be reporting to? Often anyone from sales managers to salespeople believe they can delegate work to someone in the Internet department while the top stores usually have a director or GM as the only entity that presides over the Internet team. Decide who is in charge of what and this will help you understand the type of candidate you need to hire.

2) Develop a pay plan based upon your goals for the Internet department/BDC and reward these specific metrics. What specific tasks must they complete and how will it drive business? Beyond sales goals, do you want them to achieve a certain level of contact made/engagement? Will you be thrusting inventory duties, website responsibilities, or, social/video tasks upon them? If so, build out the pay plan with escalating levels of income predicated upon their success with these initiatives. The structure of this position (A-Z, appointment setter, Director) will help determine the pay plan.

3) Create a written, detailed job description specifying all duties, expectations, hierarchies, necessary skills, and intended earning potential.

Once you have this framework for their position, you understand how to begin looking for the right candidate.

Nowadays, we all know this was a joke because the average response time took forever and still to this day in the industry it is well over an hour (and over 4 hours in some locations). Live chat (and, in some lesser cases, mobile) has overtaken email as a way to be instantly gratified with information.

However, if you are outsourcing your chat, know that the person representing your dealership does not have the ability (or knowledge or authority) to answer many of the customers’ questions. Moreover, what makes their BDC any better than yours? Be careful whom you get into bed with when it comes to outsourcing your chat.

Here is just one example from one of my dealer clients of an outsourced chat company and their inability to work with the customer. (The exchange below has not been altered except for removal of the dealership name and number.)

Chat Conversation:
John: It’s a great day at [Dealer Name]! How may I help you?

Visitor195794: Im looking at the 2008 volkswagon jetta. do you have a cash out the door price?

John: Alright.

John: Let me check that for you.

John: May I have your full name please?

Visitor195794: Brett

John: Nice to have you with us, Brett.

John: One of our sales representative are the best person to discuss pricing with.

John: Let me have one get back to you.

John: For that may I have you email address and contact number please?

Visitor195794: I cant get that info from you ?

John: I’m sorry, I’m not authorized to discuss pricing. Let me have a sales representative get back to you on this and hopefully work something out with you.

John: May I have your email address and phone number please?

Visitor195794: dont understand why that cant be discussed?

Visitor195794: thats how i purchased my last car

John: Because I’m not the right person to discuss the pricing.

John: However you may contact at 866-555-5555 regarding prices.

John: Is there anything else I may help you with?

Visitor195794: guess not

John: Alright.

John: We appreciate you considering (Dealer Name). As soon as we have the exact information you are looking for, we will get back in touch with you promptly. Thanks and have a great day!

Visitor195794: no sence in having the chat feature. if you cant discuss price

I couldn’t agree with the customer more. Now, understand that if you don’t have a dedicated BDC or Internet team sitting in front of their desktops all day long, then handling live chat yourself isn’t an option. In that instance, an outsourced chat provider is the ONLY direction you can go, rather than frustrate the customer by continually ignoring and missing their chat requests. But if you DO have that team structure in place, I strongly recommend that you hand chat over to your team.

A good chat should be handled like a good phone call. You must validate the customer’s question, thank them for contacting you through the medium, give them a personal benefit for handing over their contact information to you, capture the info, and answer their questions as quickly as possible while setting up the upcoming call/email/appt with the customer. Who better to handle chat for your dealership than the BDC that handles the inbound phone leads?

Essentially, outsourcing your live chat has the potential to go against everything the medium supposedly offers to the consumer – instant gratification.

I know many of you are smiling right now because this phrase, this idiotic phrase, single-handedly is the most ridiculous request told to you daily.

In an effort to give a customer information that will bring them into the showroom floor, the Internet Manager states things such as,
“The customer wants to know if we have any in stock?”
“Just get ‘em in.”

“The customer wants a price on the vehicle they asked for.”
Just get ‘em in.

“The customer wants to make sure they can get approved before they drive in from 3 hours away with their family after attending a funeral.”
“Just get ‘em in.”

Now do you see how stupid this saying is? As a Sales Manager, do you take a TO, sit down in front of the customer and say, “Just buy the car.”
But I want to know the payment.
“Just buy the car.”
I’d like to drive it first.
“Just buy the car.”

No. you don’t say that, because that would obviously be a stupid thing to say. You give the customer reasons to purchase from you. You must provide information to them that assists in their decision. You have to understand that online shoppers, those people speaking to your Internet and BDC teams, are seeking the same information, and you need to allow your staff to deliver it to them. I’m not advocating negotiating through email and phone, but at least educate your staff as to how to overcome those questions. Your role as manager is to provide some insight and word tracks to your team so they understand to how to address the customers’ specific requests and earn the right to ask them into the store.

In 2011 (as it has been for some time), both in-store customers AND Internet shoppers have needs. They need information before they make a purchase. They need their questions answered before they make a decision. Your sales management team must learn to empathize with the Internet shopper (and their BDC team) and recognize that people in search of answers aren’t just going to come in if you refuse to give them the answers.

My manager said you can come in and he’d be happy to help you with that.
Did he give me a price like I asked?
No, he didn’t. But I’m sure he’ll make you a great deal as we are a large dealership that does our best to earn a customer’s business.
Good. Then what’s the price?”
(5 minutes later)
To the manager: She wants to know a price.
“Just get ‘em in.”

This circle jerk occurs on your showroom floor in the (lack of) communication between your Internet team and your Sales Managers EVERY DAY.

Sales Managers need to stop sounding stupid, start addressing customers’ questions, and put their Internet and BDC team in a position of power with transparent information or they will eventually hear “Just pack your bags” because you cannot survive in this marketplace with these idiotic, flippant requests to your Internet or sales team. It doesn’t work like that anymore. If you are unwilling to say to a customer “Just buy the car” without giving ANY information, value or benefit for them to do so, then you have not a leg to when trying to defend the phrase “Just get ‘em in.”

That is all.
Signed: Joe Webb and Internet Managers/BDC Agents everywhere.

Question:

Dear Joe,
Our BDC agents set a lot of appointments, but when the customers show up, they keep falling into the wrong salespeople’s hands (or are simply taken away and never introduced to anyone on our Internet team).  How do we make sure that they ask for us when they come in?

From
Juan R.
Connecticut Dealer

Answer:

What?  Skating from the Internet department still happens?  Say it ain’t so…. J

Great question, Juan, and it is something that many BDC’s struggle with.  It comes down to structure, discipline and management.  Many of these you have limited control over so I will give you just a few word tracks your team can use to make sure that all of the appointment-setting they do pays off for them.

First off, when setting an appointment, your BDC team needs to do a few things…

1)  Ask the customer to write down the name of the Internet sales specialist they are coming into see.  (Or, at the very least, a trusted sales manager should be the inbound customer’s point of contact.  If all else fails, while it isn’t ideal pulling a BDC agent away from the phone, have them ask for them personally.  More on that later.)

2)  Tell the customer in a somewhat hushed tone as if it’s important “I’d rather you speak to one of our Product experts that help our Internet customers rather than just a salesperson.”  Sounds harsh, but it works like a charm.  Now you are making it seem as if the customer has a true advocate at the dealership waiting for them opposed to an adversary.

3)  Whenever your BDC team sets an appointment, send out an appointment reminder email with a picture of the Internet team member or sales manager they should ask for when they arrive.  Putting a face with the name is imperative and they’ll visualize working with that employee specifically.  If the customer has given you permission to text them information, this works even better over text.  (RFID tags aren’t prominent or widely used yet, but this will solve everything in the future….stay tuned on that technology.)

4)  Let the customer know that to ensure they receive, “not only the best price, but best experience possible, make sure to ask for a member for our Internet team.  They’ll come get me so I can personally shake your hand for stopping in.”  Now you are guaranteeing, not only a higher level of customer service, but personal attention and adulation as well.

And here’s one more intuitive way to remind people who to ask for when they arrive….

Get a white easel board and put it at the front of the store.  (If you have the technology for a digital display, by all means, do that as well.  However, it may not grab the attention the way a digital screen/monitor can, but a white easel board will suffice for most dealerships.)  At the top of the board, it should say “DEALER NAME wants to thank (Customer’s first initial and last name) for stopping in and working with (Salesperson/Internet Salesperson’s 1st name).  At the bottom, it can say – “Let us know when you arrive!”  Next to the salesperson’s name, you can have little magnetic pics made of their faces (or icons/pics if using a digital display).  When a BDC agent sets an appt, they can either walk down and write it on the board next to the salesperson’s name and pic or enter it into the Appointment calendar online that feeds to the monitor.

Hope this helps.

Joe Webb

For those that know me, they know that, above and beyond my crazy and comedic sensibilities, I pride myself on being a family man first.  Well, in 2 months, my wife and I are proudly expecting our 2nd child.   So here is the contest:  If you can guess (on your 1st guess) right here on this thread the weight of my child at birth, YOU will get to star in one of my next comedic car sales videos I film.   Just leave your comments at the bottom of this post!
I’ve included the current guesses I received on my Facebook page post for this contest below.

Rules:
1)  No hints should be shared by those that know anything.
2)  It must be made within a week of this post.
3)  t must be exact – not closest.  This isn’t Price is Right rules.
4)  If, for any reason, a weight is already taken by another guesser, feel free to choose that same weight.  If for any reason the person is unable to make the video shoot, you will be chosen.
5)  Logistics will be worked out later.  Whether we will come to film near you, you will come to us, or we will film in a centralized city, it will be decided on later.
6)  My goal is that these videos will debut during one of my speaking sessions at a fall automotive conference.

Good luck.

In order of guesses,

• Arnold Tijerina ‎8lb. 10oz.

  Friday at 8:29am · Like
• 

  Brent Durham ‎7lbs 11oz

  Friday at 8:34am · Like
• 

  Terry Powell ‎7lbs 14oz

  Friday at 8:42am · Like
• 

  Ed Kiel ‎1st, congrats 2 three of you, 7lb, 4oz.,, oh yea, and beautiful.

  Friday at 8:48am · Like
• 

  Ryan Green The baby will be a healthy 7lbs 15oz, and if it’s a boy you should go ahead and name him Chevy (you know you want to!).

  Friday at 9:39am · Like ·   1 person
• 

  Allison Corado CONGRATULATIONS!! 6lbs 8oz! So excited for you!

  Friday at 9:48am · Like
• 

  Kevin Frye ‎8lb 5 ounces, and named after me…

  Friday at 10:07am · Like
• 

  Tim Webb ‎8lbs 1oz of Homegrown happiness!

  Friday at 10:21am · Like ·   1 person
• 

  Paul Jimenez ‎7 lbs. 6oz

  Friday at 10:29am · Like
• 

  Tony Kimbro ‎7lbs 8.5ounces

  Friday at 10:32am · Like
• 

  Eric Miltsch ‎7lbs. 7.5oz.

  Friday at 10:40am · Like
• 

  Tanesha White ‎6lbs 8oz and you should want me in your skit anyway!

  Friday at 10:42am · Like
• 

  Aaron Kominsky ‎7 lbs 3 ounces

  Friday at 10:50am · Like
• 

  Craig Shogren Not a car industry folk, but still like a contest….7 lbs 1 ounce

  Friday at 11:10am · Like
• 

  Kaleb Curtis I’m not in the car industry, but I’m a sucker for pool bets. I’ll go 8 lbs 2 ozs

  Friday at 12:02pm · Like
• 

  Stan Sher I would say 8 pounds 8oz

  Friday at 12:43pm · Like
• 

  Ryan Green I think these videos need to be classified as an all new genre. How about “Informative Automotive Sketch Comedies” or “Infocarcoms”

  Friday at 1:15pm · Like
• 

  Aj Maida Stan Sher stole my number…he has been known to telepathically read mens minds…the rules clearly state that there can be no clues…therefore Stan should be summarily dismissed for using his superpowers

  Friday at 1:31pm · Like ·   1 person
• 

  Manny Luna ‎7lbs 7 ounces If I win I would like Stan to co-star please…

  Friday at 1:32pm · Like
• 

  Aj Maida Ok all that being said and even though I can’t use my own birth weight on a post started on my birthday because Stan cheated I’m going to go with 8 pounds 7 Oz.

  Friday at 1:33pm · Like
• 

  Daniel Kortmann ‎9/11 that fateful weight

  Friday at 2:01pm · Like
• 

  Tim Webb April 3 eight lbs 13 oz

  Friday at 3:06pm · Like ·   1 person
• 

  Richard Lucy Weightless on the International Space Station.

  Friday at 3:55pm · Like
• 

  Edward Shaffer ‎8lbs 4oz

  Friday at 4:17pm · Like
• 

  Sean Stapleton ‎7.9

  Friday at 10:51pm · Like
• 

  Bill Playford ‎9lb 3oz (I’ll be in the video anyway)

  Saturday at 8:45am · Like ·   1 person
• 

  Tim Jennings ‎8.3 my friend

  Saturday at 9:08am · Like
• 

  Jessica Adp Fielding ‎8.6 oz

  Saturday at 9:10am · Like
• 

  Eric Hippen Pretty awesome! How about 7lbs 11oz

  Saturday at 9:56am · Like
• 

  Glenn Pasch ‎7 lbs 5 oz

  Saturday at 1:20pm · Like
• 

  Bill Goodfriend Congratulations first of all. My guess is 7lbs 6.5oz. : -)

  18 hours ago · Like
• 

  Suthida Singharuksa ‎9 lbs 8.2 oz

  12 hours ago · Like
• 

  Debbie Hall His Grammy says,, 9 lbs 4 oz:)

  12 hours ago · Like

Allow me to explain the two.

Technology-driven people work for those dealerships that have decided to employ the more advanced technologies in their dealerships in a hope that the tools will help make the sales team stronger. This tends to be a top-down philosophy where management makes it a point to cause the culture shift to the progressive and online.

People-driven technology is where the dealership focuses on the utilization of the tools they employ. They don’t bring in the most advanced technologies, but still with those “oldies-but-goodies” platforms that salespeople are comfortable with because the user interface hasn’t changed in years. Dealers anticipate the culture of the store will grow to be more technologically-sound over time as the skills of the employees increase naturally from usability.

Let’s keep this centered on CRMs (though websites can certainly be part of this discussion later). I ask you, do you think that to succeed in the online marketplace, it is better to have cutting edge technology at your store where the employees don’t use many of the functions or is it better to have old-faithful CRM on the desks because the employees know it well and use it to its fullest – even if its fullest isn’t all that great?

I see both sides. I can admit that technology-assisted people, if the software is set up correctly, should outperform people-assisted technology because the better tools allow for more contemporary contact methods with today’s consumers. Strong technology helps take much of the human error out of the equation. Progressive tools will work for you instead of you working hard to make the technology work. (Yes, you don’t have to remind me that management should reinforce the importance of CRM utilization.)

On the other hand, putting in a progressive, new-age, comprehensive CRM or desking software can sometimes be an albatross around the neck of your sales team and destines them to fail. Before you consider switching from an old system to a new, shiny object, ask yourself if the sales team is maximizing the technology they already have. If not, you could likely be in for more of the same (but with a much higher cost for the new tools). Feeling like you need the “latest and greatest” to be successful is a common pitfall that affects sales team morale and your budget, if you don’t train your staff on the importance of the technology.

The technology you employ in your store – New or Old – Futuristic or Dated – should assist with both accountability AND management (if used correctly). Your dealership is your livelihood and the tools AND training you give your team will determine their success and their paycheck. A soldier doesn’t go into battle without first knowing the intricacies of their weapons. A sales team is no different. They must learn those tools or management must make it a requirement to do so. Let me know your opinion. Do you think, in today’s world, a dealer can afford to live without the best tools available? Or is it better to focus on improving how you use what you have and go without some of the new and improved functionality and power?