Posts Tagged ‘internet’

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Middle Management is Killing Your Internet Sales

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Here is an article I wrote for DealerRefresh – or read below

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.

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Posted in Leadership/Sales Management | 2 Comments »



How Costly is Your Haircut? A Guide to Finding Internet Training

Monday, October 24th, 2011

People view the services they receive in different ways. Some want immediate service so they find those businesses that can help them immediately. Some want high-class service with high-class ratings and results so they call ahead and set an appointment. They recognize they can afford to wait.

This is not meant to be a gripe session or make DealerKnows sound cocky, stuck-up, or ungrateful. We are talking about a rewiring of how dealers should go about considering future partnerships… be it Internet training or choosing where to get their haircut. We believe people should expect more from the service companies they choose and not rush to a decision. Patience, they say, is a virtue.

DealerKnows Consulting certainly doesn’t take on every single dealer client that reaches out to us for training. Several factors come into play before we determine whether or not it will be a fruitful partnership for both parties. However, recently, two different clients that engaged DealerKnows for their training needs turned away because we “just can’t get to the store fast enough.”

Let it be known that DealerKnows Consulting is not Supercuts. If you want to partner with an Internet training company that is obviously in such low demand that they can begin training the next day, I believe you need to reevaluate what you are looking for in a consulting partner. We do typically book out 3-4 weeks in advance, but please understand, that isn’t an indictment of our level of service, but a testimonial toward it. If you walk into a Supercuts for a haircut, to save either time or money, understand that results may vary.

We are more of a boutique salon. Every customer is different and every “stylist” here is well-trained to handle your individual, unique needs. That is why those customers that go to a Great Clips will go to any Great Clips and expect the same, average service. Those dealer clients that chose our salon of trainers in the past are now our evangelists. They wouldn’t go elsewhere.

Does waiting three to four weeks really affect the success of your non-existent Internet operation? It is 2011. I know you want to right a wrong immediately, but you’ve waited a minimum 10 years too long (and we are giving you a few years credit here) to get involved in digital so will another three weeks destroy your business? No. But choosing the wrong stylist might. You don’t wait until your wedding day to go dress shopping or the day of your 20 year high-school reunion to get your hair cut for the first time. Aligning with an Automotive Internet training company is no different. It is a process that you shouldn’t take lightly.

The only negative we’ve ever received (beyond the recent “you aren’t able to get here within the next few days so you aren’t in consideration”) was on the DrivingSales Vendor Ratings page where we have top marks across the board, but one person said a “con” to DealerKnows Consulting was that “you have to book in advance”. When someone is sought-after, I assure you it is rarely a bad thing.

If you are looking for a walk-in type service that will likely deliver fast food results, it is your choice. Understand, though, that you might end up walking out having received a real hatchet job and your appearance will look worse for it. So ask yourself… how costly could a bad haircut be? Sure, waiting a little while and setting an appointment or scheduling an event isn’t fun, but you do it – just like at the doctor’s office, lawyer, accountant, dentist, high-end hotels and restaurants, salons, heck, even fortune tellers – because you realize that they are professionals and you’re putting your livelihood in their hands. You can’t walk up to the gate and buy a ticket to see the Rolling Stones. They’ll be sold out. And you can’t complain about the lousy seats you get on the airplane when you were the last to call about tickets.

So as you look for a service to fulfill your needs, be it Internet training or hairstyling, decide how you want to look and feel when you are finished. Some people apparently want Supercuts. We are not Supercuts.

DealerKnows Consulting – 847-456-5130

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Posted in Blog, Internet Sales Training | 2 Comments »



It’s Not the Length, But How You Use It

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Let’s talk about quality, not quantity.  It is the only true way to measure greatness.  No matter what position you were in, how good you were during it is more important than how long it lasted.  It’s not the length, but how you use it.  To flesh this out, before there are any misconceptions, I must say that how long you have been in your current role at your dealership is not important.  It is what you have been able to achieve.

As I travel around the nation meeting Internet professionals, I’m am starting to see more and more people who are puffing out their chest and walking with a bit of a strut because they are the top dog at their dealership.  They must be great because they’ve been there for so long.  One individual recently told me “I’ve been doing Internet since 1995 so I must be doing something right if I’m still here.”  No.  No, you are wrong.  If you have been exploring (and commanding) this space for 16 years and you are still in the same position, maybe there is still some room to move and improve.  Stagnant water never thinks it’s a tidal wave.
A good friend of mine in the industry always said “Don’t confuse activity with accomplishment.  Just because someone has done the job doesn’t guarantee that they are any good at it.”  In other words, if you want to walk around with that air of authority and confidence, you better have achieved some impressive results.  You better have some statistical, documented data backing up the fact that you are as great as you think you are before you walk around high and mighty.  The longevity in a position does not prove that you have been successful at it.  It just means that you are serviceable.  Just because you have had your Internet title for 10 years doesn’t mean you are an industry leader and captain. It means you’ve been a dedicated soldier.  Don’t go giving yourself medals because you have battle scars.  You need to have been given them for all of your battle victories.
So, I urge you to be open-minded when you attend these upcoming automotive conferences.  Listen and learn at these events the same way even the true industry experts do.  The time of servitude at your dealership doesn’t play a role in how well you’ve performed during it.  Your success cannot be quantified in years, but with accomplishments.  Your 20 years spent in this industry at your desk might have awarded you the ability to come to a conference, but it doesn’t prove that you know all.  For a few days in October, I ask you to become a student. There is always room to grow.

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Posted in Blog, Internet Sales Training | No Comments »



The Right “Man” for the Job?

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Disastrous results occur when a car dealership sales manager hires someone solely based on one small skill-set the position requires rather than look for someone that can handle all the Internet responsibilities.

Starring – Tyler Jennings and Joe Webb

Another DealerKnows Studios production

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Posted in Funny Videos, Videos | No Comments »



The 4 Words That Make Sales Managers Sound Stupid

Saturday, June 25th, 2011

There are four words that are said by Sales Managers around the nation. These four words make them sound stupid. These happen to be the very same four words that are the bane of every Internet Manager and BDC Agents’ existence. They hear it from their Sales Managers endlessly and with each utterance, your Internet team grows a little more frustrated. A little more fed up. A little more disheartened that short-sightedness and small-mindedness runs the showroom. When are we going to get away from the phrase “Just get ‘em in.”

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.

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Planning Ahead

Friday, September 24th, 2010

With the 9th Digital Dealer Conference fast approaching, it’s never too early to begin preparing for the experience.  If you are one of the lucky dealership professionals attending (along with a thousand of your peers), make sure you get everything out of it you need.  To do so, start with a plan.  Either your ownership or you see this conference as a valuable enough learning institution to spend hard earned dollars for you to attend.  So, don’t take it for granted.

Steve Stauning of Kain-Stauning and Pladoogle wrote just last week in his Dealer Communications blog about the five ways to get the most out of the Digital Dealer Conference.  It was a great piece and I want to both add to that list and flesh it out a little more.

It is imperative you attend this conference with a list of goals to achieve because I know the bright lights and loud slots of Vegas can get you off course.  However, this conference is too important to waste.  Again, let me say, you don’t want to take it for granted.

I hear back from attendees often after their trip to a Digital Dealer conference. The first thing their owners and general managers ask is, “What did you learn?”  Before you can answer that, you first need to have questions going into the conference.  So let’s start planning ahead.

What are you currently missing?  What is it you are doing that isn’t generating the dollars that it should?

What technologies are you most interested in exploring?  What new skills would you like to come back with?

Once you’ve answered these questions, go to http://digitaldealerconference.com and look at the agenda.  Read the descriptions and determine which ones you think will most benefit you and your dealership.  Write down a couple for each time slot. There are ten slots with seven sessions each – 70 workshops in total. (There are three general sessions also, one each day.)

After doing this, you’ll want to look at the speaker’s page.  Who is giving that session?  Are they a practitioner (senior management level from a dealership), a trainer/consultant, or a vendor? Does that matter? Watch the speaker’s video and see who you might connect with most while watching.  That is how you can set a game-plan.

For every three sessions you see that involve topics right in your wheelhouse, check one out that you have no involvement with.  This type of ‘big picture’ learning can help you grow in the future.  Get your own agenda set before the sessions begin so you don’t stand there lost in front of the big agenda board trying to flip a coin as to who to see.  In other words, do your homework.  You will be thankful you did.

Next, check out the 80 or so exhibitors that will be in attendance.  (Just click on the exhibitor tab on www.digitaldealerconference.com and you’ll see the list there.)  Surely a few of these have been calling on you for a while asking for a little of your time to view a demo.  Why not set it up there?  When the hall first opens, go and meet those solutions/companies that have been blowing up your phone.  Schedule a specific time for a demo of their product while on-site.  (Often, these vendors give special deals if you sign up on-site so having your ducks in a row and planning ahead could save some cash.)

Then visit the booths of those companies you already use.  If they aren’t one of the “big boys” in the room, they may be willing to give back for your valued patronage and take you out one evening as a little payback.  This is when the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so to speak.

In addition to the sessions and exhibitors, you do not want to miss the Peer Networking Tables that begin and end the conference. You sit at a table with eight of your peers (people from other dealerships) and a moderator. This is a great place to discuss challenges and solutions you may have, as well as picking up new ideas to take back to the dealership.  (As a regular moderator of the Networking Roundtable, make sure to track me down.)

Lastly, take notes throughout.  Write down every new idea and progressive ideology you can from the sessions and gather all of the detailed info you can from each vendor you speak to.  This will save many headaches in the future when you try to remember who offered what service at which price.

So prepare yourself as you would if you were gearing up for a test — especially considering you may be asked to take one when you return.  If you plan ahead, you have the chance to come out the smartest person in the class.

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Posted in Blog, Digital Marketing Conferences | No Comments »



It’s Good to Do the “Get Around”

Monday, August 16th, 2010

One reason study abroad programs are so popular for today’s youth is that it opens one’s eyes up to new experiences and cultures.  Very often, some of our fondest memories in life stem from vacations we’ve taken.  Travel we’ve made.  It’s expanded our thinking and changed our beliefs about how we fit into our world.  Very few things can have as profound an impact as going from place to place.  Getting around.

Each one of our dealerships are their own separate little planet.  As you move from department to department, you pick up life experiences.  Each different department has its own language, its own lifestyle, its own pulse, its own personality.  As it is with most successful GM’s and owners, the more understanding they have about the functions and functionality of each department, the more well-rounded they become in their thinking.  However, to get to know the departments, it takes a little travel. 

Since we are always grooming each individual in our store to be better, it is imperative that you give employees the opportunity to experience life in other departments, if only for a day.  Make it a requirement.  All new hire orientation programs, regardless of the department for which you hired, should insist each candidate spends time in the dealership’s other departments.  Allow your employees (new and current) to witness what it takes to perform the daily duties required of their coworkers from other departments. 

Dedicate one spokesperson (Department Liason) from each department (Sales, Service, Body Shop, Aftermarket, Marketing, Internet, Management, Finance, Parts) and create an internal ‘Study Abroad’ programs where they can see what goes on behind the curtain.  And for dedicating some of their valuable time to the greater good, the Department Liaisons that are taking the shadows under their wing can be promised the first look when a promotion/opportunity comes up in their department.

Not only does it help build organizational rapport, but it gives your employees the chance to see all the work that goes into operating the whole rather than just the section.  If you do right, you hire everyone with the hopes of them being the General Manager of the future.  If this is true, then you must let them travel throughout the other departments  even if just for a few hours a month or a day a quarter.  The understanding of the dealership on an organizational level will be a true benefit to every employee.

You don’t have to distract them from their focus… just let them see through someone else’s eyes.  Their area of concentration will always be their own department, but if you are an employee looking to grow, or a dealer looking to have your employees love the dealership as much as they love their team, then it’s good to do the ‘Get Around’.

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Posted in Blog, Competitive Edge | No Comments »



Do You Have a BDC or a BCC?

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

BDC is one of the most incorrectly overused terms in the automotive retail environment. Far too often, the roles and responsibilities of the employees working in these “Business Development Centers” are doing no developing at all. They are simply the communicating with the customers. And there’s the rub.

From what I’ve seen during my limited time training dealers, most that believe they have a BDC have a team of individuals dedicated to answering the phones and sending emails. Well someone would have to do that no matter what, so in this instance, you have a Business Communication Center. You’ve created one place where the basic back-and-forth with customers is handled.
The Merriam-Webster definition of Communication is “a process in which information is exchanged between two individuals”.

While I was last on the retail side of the dealership world, I was running a true Business Development Center. The definition of Development is “the act of improving, expanding, or refining.” My BDC team had responsibilities that far exceeded the realm of basic email and phone unsold follow up communication that is so customary in many other dealerships.

A BDC must do more. They must develop business… on their own… on behalf of the dealership… by being proactive… with sales AND service customers. A Business Development Center creates their own opportunities while a Business Communication Center simply handles the normal dealership interaction that others within the store can handle themselves.

Your typical BCC team will handle inbound calls, manage inbound leads, respond to those leads, make outbound internet calls, and set appointments from each of those avenues. A BDC team should do everything above and more. They should follow up on behalf of the floor’s salespeople with calls to their unsold customers. This call can be done under the veil of a “customer satisfaction manager” call, asking questions about the customer’s in-store experience just a few days prior with the attempt to bring them back in for an appointment.

A BDC should also make post-sale follow up on behalf of each individual salesperson. Know that this doesn’t exclude the salesperson from making their own thank you call, but it should be done in addition to so as to ensure no customer is unhappy with their experience. You can’t rely on your sales team, not only to make the call, but to be truthful about what the customer stated. A second voice on the phone is always a good idea.

At the same time, I feel it is the salesperson’s responsibility to ask for referrals. Provided the salesperson has built the rapport they should have with their sold customer, it is easier to extract referrals if the customer trusts the person they are talking to rather than someone they haven’t met.

You should be actively marketing to your database through both phone and email communication. There is no better way to do this than having your team handle upcoming loan and lease expiration calls. Calls to lease and loan ending clients of the dealership were very prevalent several years ago, but I think they have gone away over time. And that is unfortunate. There is no better client to earn than a loyal one you are keeping. Make sure that you have a team and process in place to make calls to these valuable customers.

Not only is your Business Development Center your first line of defense when a prospect calls or emails in, but it should also be the backstop of the dealership. No customer should ever be marked “lost”, “inactive”, “upside down in trade”, “unable to finance”, or “bought elsewhere” unless another member from your dealership, namely someone from your BDC, has reached out and tried one last time. You need your team to play the role of first and last person to touch each opportunity when possible.

Recognizing that a real Business Development Center is the voice of the dealership on every inbound/most outbound calls, make sure you use them in such a way. While I was managing my BDC, we didn’t only manage the customer relationships inside the dealership, but managed the dealership’s brand outside it as well. I’m a firm believer in investing your time in the local community. We executed many grassroots marketing campaigns where I sent out my staff out into the public (and usually accompanied) to work events. From shaking hands, giving out litte give-aways and tchotchkes, running contests, setting up booths at fairs, and attending multiple chamber of commerce meetings, there was not much my BDC team wasn’t able to handle. If they can be the voice of the dealership and are trained, not only on scripts, but product knowledge and customer service initiatives, there is nothing they cannot handle. This is what I consider true business development.

So either require more from your Business Development Center personnel or start calling them a Business Communication Center. Don’t overpay for someone just because they can handle a script, send out well-worded emails, or exchange information between two parties. If you are going to pay a premium for “development”, make it worth the dealership’s while. Make them sound in the art of improving, expanding, and refining. THAT is development.

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Posted in BDC/Internet Department Structure, Blog | No Comments »



It Takes a Village – by Joe Webb

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

When a lead arrives, a prospect is born. As the lead ages in the CRM systems of our homes, it must be cared for. Every lead has specific needs and it is the responsibility of the guardians of that lead to nurture it. Rules must be set for the lead to follow and certain requirements are to be enforced. One person should not be the sole guardian of each lead. It takes a village.

To ensure a lead reaches its full potential (sale = adulthood), multiple people within your dealership have to get involved. At different points of every lead’s existence there comes a time where different influences must help it along its way to sale.

Simply put, it cannot just be the Internet Sales Manager’s sole responsibility to manage every lead. This is why a Business Development Center is of such importance to so many dealerships. It gives dealers the ability to have multiple hands on each individual lead. If you do not have the benefit of a BDC, you must bring your management team into the mix. However, with a BDC team in place, you are creating both a front line of defense for your dealership as well as a backstop.

If the initial correspondence with an e-lead is handled by the Internet Sales Manager, then I believe you should have a second stage of communication where a representative from the BDC/management team reach out to the customer under the guise of Customer Relations Manager. If a consumer feels as if they are valued and have the attention of multiple people in the store, they may feel better taken care of. At the same time, the second stage calls made from the BDC/management team will alert you to shortcomings the prospect may have felt they had with the original ISM. Much like a BDC call to an unsold walk-in on behalf of the sales floor, a second ear open to a customer’s needs usually yields eye-opening results.

In another instance, when an appointment is set by an Internet Sales Manager, it is only good business to have an additional person reach out and confirm the appointment. Let’s face it…. Doctors are not the ones calling you back to confirm your appointment, it’s the nurse receptionists.

That is the power of the BDC. More than one person making multiple touches to maximize results. It is a team environment. We must make back-up calls for the sales team to unsold customers, to all sold customers, to all set appointments, to all missed appointments, to all potential customers, to all active leads, to all impending lost customers, and to all lease return customers.
And it isn’t just calls that should be made to these consumers, but emails too. Fit yourself with a strong CRM that allows several people to be prompted/triggered to contact each customer (via phone and email) without the lead changing hands. That is a very important trait to have in any good CRM.

A lead cannot and should not be handled by one. It must be handled by multiple. Don’t let the youthful leads of our generation slip through the cracks of our dealership society by letting them fall by the wayside. Guide the leads using different role models at different times through their life to help them blossom into the sale they deserve the chance to be. To raise a customer from lead to sale, it takes a village.

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Posted in Blog, Internet Lead Process, Internet Personnel, Internet Strategy | No Comments »



Dealer Internet Battle Plan Testimonial – Fuccillo Ford

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

Auto industry speaker, Joe Webb, talks to Chris Reynolds – Internet Sales Manager of Fuccillo Ford in NY – about his experiences at the Dealer Internet Battle Plan and what he will be walking away from Joe’s presentation with.

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Posted in DK Testimonials, Videos | No Comments »



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