SETTING UP A CAR DEALERSHIP BDC WAS THE FIRST STEP—NOW MAKE IT BETTER

Setting up a car dealership BDC is a big step into the future of the business, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. BDCs are incredible revenue generators, but your people will need ongoing training to keep their skills sharp. Industry trends are also a moving target, and that means editing phone scripts and improving strategies to maximize its value.

That being said, your BDC should be designed to operate with minimal oversight. You’ve got a lot going on just keeping the dealership running, and developing your team is the work of dedicated training specialists. Is this an investment? Of course, but a great partner can deliver an incredible ROI.

Ideally, the team doing the training should be able to coordinate with your manager to take care of everything so all you have to do is green-light the funds and read the good news in the reports they send. Here’s everything you need to know to keep your BDC ahead of the game.

HOW IS A BDC DIFFERENT FROM MY OTHER DEPARTMENTS?

Unlike the sales department, your car dealership BDC doesn’t really do a lot of negotiating or outright selling. That’s the work of your sales team, but these frontline customer service representatives are responsible for setting everyone else up for success by managing appointments, routing calls, generating leads, and delivering key messaging about the services you offer.

While they’ll wear a lot of hats depending on the nature of the call, a BDC’s work can be broken down into three broad categories.

Greeting customers and channeling inbound calls to the appropriate contact.
Working with sales scripts.
Scheduling appointments

While these things can definitely be improved by your training partner, BDC reps have to have a natural flair for the work. That’s why picking the right person to do the managing and hiring is key to building a better department.

GREETING CUSTOMERS AND CHANNELING INBOUND CALLS

These skills are drawn directly from the skill set your receptionists utilize on a daily basis. Your car dealership BDC will not be replacing them since you always need a dedicated team to meet and greet customers in person, but your BDC reps will definitely be handling most of the inbound calls.

And just like your receptionists, BDC staff are often the initial point of contact customers have with your dealership, and first impressions are everything. Here are a few excellent free training videos led by Nicole Marcellino from Phone Ninjas that will be extremely useful for developing your new team members:

Receptionist training
Inbound calls: 1. The Greeting
Inbound calls: 2. Qualifying a Generic Vehicle
Inbound calls: 3. Qualifying a Specific Vehicle

SALES SCRIPTS

The key to consistent, high-quality customer service and brand messaging is well-crafted phone scripts. If you are not using these, you are undoubtedly leaving revenue opportunities on the table left and right.

Now, we know scripts can sometimes have a bad reputation in the industry. We’ve all had this experience: bored customer service agents robotically mumbling their way through a terrible script without ever giving you the information you need. And yes, if bad scripts are executed poorly they can hurt your business. That’s why it’s so important to work with a dedicated training partner.

When scripts are well-written and delivered confidently, they can have explosive results for your dealership’s bottom line. Here’s what your team needs to keep improving:

Effective scripts written and updated by qualified industry professionals (here’s a great source of free, high-quality scripts).
Regular coaching for delivery and memorization.
Developing the language of the scripts to suit individual styles (with your BDC manager’s supervision).

This ongoing training can be a lot of work for time-strapped owners and GMs. The good news is that there are excellent companies out there that can handle this active coaching process, and because they’re dedicated experts, they can deliver excellent results in 15- to 20-minute weekly or monthly sessions.

SETTING APPOINTMENTS

Most dealerships struggle to convert 20% of their internet and phone traffic to in-person, live appointments. In reality, the average needs to be much higher, especially with inbound customer contacts. Well-run BDCs are averaging at least 50%, and the top training partners can deliver even bigger numbers with the right strategy and focus.

Once again, Phone Ninjas instructor Nicole Marcellino covers everything you need to know with the second half of her series on the secrets of leveraging inbound calls:

Inbound call 4. Obtain Contact Information
Inbound call 5. Ask for the Appointment
Inbound call 6. Drive to Closure
Inbound call 7. Giving Proper Directions (to your car dealership)

With these simple techniques and some positive coaching, your car dealership BDC will make sure your showroom is flooded with interested customers so your salespeople can capitalize.

A GREAT TRAINING PARTNER MAKES IT EASY

Establishing your BDC is a major hurdle to clear, but with the right training partner, it’s easy to keep getting better. This is where Phone Ninjas can deliver incredible value for busy GMs and managers who don’t have the time or expertise to handle the upkeep. We’re an automotive phone training and consulting company founded by industry professionals with decades of sales and coaching experience, and we’ve been working with BDCs around the country to keep them ahead of the competition.

Our best clients are achieving appointment rates up to 80%, quadrupling the industry average, and backing those numbers up with the skills they need to unlock every revenue opportunity. But don’t take our word for it—hear what Christine at Wesley Chapel Toyota has to say about her Phone Ninjas coaching experience.