Internet Mgr best practices

I am looking for any advice from anyone who has experience with succesful internet departments.

Our dealership operation currently does not have one person who is responsible for all leads or internet activity as a whole. We currently have three of our 10 salespeople who handle all of the leads that come in. As you can imagine between lot traffic and other daily activities our “internet team” is busy with a lot of other things than responding immediately and consistently to our leads.

Our closing ratio is not good at this point and we know we need to make changes.

 Thus brings the question of what to do?

 Do we hire one individual that can handle all of the leads and also monitor the websites (GM and Chrysler) to update incentives?

 Does this person handle all internet activity and make it their own?

 Do we pay a salary with bonus levels based on performance?

What have you found to work or not work?

Thank you for the help!

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Permalink Reply by Jason Mickelson on October 23, 2013 at 10:30am
Joe is right, sounds daunting. Give me a call. :)
Permalink Reply by Steve Richards on October 23, 2013 at 9:04pm

The consumer is ever more frequently demanding that ALL negotiations be COMPLETED prior to them arriving at the dealership. Certainly in the metro markets in which I work (DC/No.VA & Atlanta) this is the trend. While I love the "appointment setter" concept with an intro to a "floor sales person", I don't think the consumer gives a damn what I love. We’ve built our sales processes around what we (or at least the manager of the moment) loves for years. The consumers want something else. The internet department is going to give way to the internet dealership, sooner rather than later. Maybe your store is in a locale where the internet coverage is spotty, but if your customers have smart phones, even lack of internet coverage won't matter. If you don't think your sales team can handle the internet/smart phone customer, get new sales people or coach up those you have. If you and your sales team can't negotiate in cyber space, learn how to. There is still more we DON'T KNOW about the internet shopping process than what we do know.  Don't be fooled by the so called industry internet "experts", no one is an expert in this space yet. The customer has TrueCar, ZAG, Costco, and the likes working for them, and most sales people have a sales manager using 1988 sales tactics on their side. Who would you bet on?

Permalink Reply by CoDy Seguin on October 24, 2013 at 3:53pm

Well said !!

Permalink Reply by mattsmolik on November 19, 2013 at 1:13pm

Thank you Steve this is so true

 

Permalink Reply by William Phillips on October 24, 2013 at 5:33pm

Hi Aaron 

BDC,Internet Dept and Sales staff doing it, will all work.  NONE of them hold advantages over the other, anyone telling you different is motivated by their own ability or experience level.  Don't manage any of them and they all wont work. NONE of them work on autopilot. Centering any of them around a single manager is trouble brewing.  One issue with one person and your process implodes. Desk managers in the store should be trained first how to watch it, and held accountable for the process management if they are paid on the business.  

My preference is to train and hold ACCOUNTABLE the sales staff to handle a client anyway they approach your store. Or start a news paper department if you run ads, start a Radio department if you do radio commercial, and then start a mailer department if they come that way.  The insanity that a few people in this industry with limited managerial experience in a store think that you need a department to handle clients who bought a computer and communicated with it to the dealership. really says a lot about their talent level of actually being able to run a store.   These departments are out dated and the thinking of old school car guys. Here's news, most of them are failing, but hiding behind a vail of "I have a special talent "

A seminar wont fix it, the savior you hire with the secret formula wont either. CRMs in this market are almost ALL sub par at giving you the ability to correctly manage e-commerce.  You need a process based and born on math and facts and accountability to make it function every day.  Place that process in the CRM of your choice, or what you have,  and school the staff on how to follow it. Then hold the managers you have accountable for enforcing it and daily training it,since they get paid on it.

My company does this, and has done this for 11 years for dealers.   We are the only vendor that will guarantee the results.  We are take what you have and make it work.  We wont suggest you spend your way to a solution. There is no automated method to this solution, its all just hard work.  

If your interested in the road less traveled to sustained success at this, call me.

Bill Phillips  949-374-2750   Automotive Internet Management Inc.  

 

Permalink Reply by William Phillips on October 25, 2013 at 2:45pm

Making the excuse that your sales staff cant handle leads quickly enough and that they are the only ones who butcher calls says you know nothing of how to train anyone but those who don't sell.  Listen to a BDC person get beat at a conversation that goes deeper than an appointment set, and your will understand why they fail.  BDC departments are in decline nation wide and this is why that ship sank years ago.  Your staff needs less leads to work because they have some walk in and they ARENT THAT BUSY.    Wishful thinking.   Yes BDC's can work, but they by far are NOT the best solution for a store.  

If you trust sales staff to handle your walk in customers face to face but wont let them handle any one who sends an email your not in touch with todays world of smart phones and tablets. These same sales people who someone thinks cant handle leads will run to their smart phone or ipad when they want something personal for themselves.  Speed and response time is a 15 year old metric that has nothing to do with success in todays communication with consumers.   You have to be consistent with intense outbound because they are busy, and transparent with information, without becoming an information source that cant sell. BDC reps can't desk deals or know product well, which must often be done, right NOW when they are on the phone. You cant call the client back because they are on the phone with a correctly trained sales staff that knows product and selling more than an appointment. The one they called next while waiting on your BDC to get someone with more knowledge to call them back with an answer.  

the answer is to train sales staff, monitor their volume of opportunities (no matter how they come) and hold them ACCOUNTABLE for your process. 

Whats frightening is needing a department with added EXPENSE to be able to train a sales staff to do their job.  Handle clients no matter what they walk in with, email with, or call with.  

you have my number if you cant do this, I can do it,  and train it, and it ALWAYS works cost effectively because I know how to manage a store. 

so lets hear some more excuses that equal more expense to solve a training issue.  You all have a bunch, I have heard them all and I will only run out of time to answer it, not the knowledge to argue talentless answers. 

No insult intended to anyone on this blog, my opinions and thoughts are generalizations to a subject matter.  

Permalink Reply by Steve Richards on November 28, 2013 at 2:49pm

Love your honesty. Thank you.

Permalink Reply by Doug Davis on October 26, 2013 at 8:54am

Aaron, we have been involved in the internet business for over a decade.  Obviously, this hasn't been a priority for your dealership.  If this business isn't important for the dealer principal, why would your salespeople feel differently? Without commitment from the top brass, this will continue to be a train wreck.

Permalink Reply by Scott Harris on October 26, 2013 at 9:53am

Hi Doug,

I am courious you stated you have been in the internet business for over a decade, what dealership you work for?  

Permalink Reply by Doug Davis on October 26, 2013 at 10:07am

Scott, when I said "we" have been in the internet business for over a decade, I mean dealerships.  Personally, I have been in the car business for over 40 years and have held every position in a store from a salesperson to the General Manager.  My passion was the internet.  I ran the volume internet department for Group 1. Prior to that, I was with the VanTuyl organization.   I retired back in August.

Permalink Reply by Steve Richards on November 28, 2013 at 2:49pm

Spot on. If the dealer thinks the internet is a passed fad, train wreck occurs.

Permalink Reply by William Phillips on October 26, 2013 at 10:34am

I agree with Steve!!!!!  On Target 

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