The Evolution of the BDC: Has your dealership evolved?

Evolution of the bdc

Evolution Of The BDC: Has your dealership evolved?

A few years ago I performed speaking sessions at multiple conferences including Internet Battle Plan and Digital Marketing Strategies Conference. I even was a guest on a webinar for Dealers Edge. This was and still is a very hot topic. Year after year I find the same car dealers talking about embracing this part of this business. They say that it is the most important part of their business and that they invest more into advertising. What they do not say is why is they continue to replace people in the Internet or BDC department of their dealership. They lie to themselves and point the blame on the lack of quality of people that they hire. They do not admit that they do not understanding the real function of this department.

It is the lack of understanding that leads them to make drastic changes. I decided to record a segment of my presentation to share with automotive industry professionals to better understand the concept. It is my hope as a training services provider to educate and provide proper guidance to dealers and general managers across the retail automotive industry with this important topic. What this video describes might be very eye opening but it may open lots of horizons. Here is the video...

Does this make sense? Do you understand the evolution of the BDC and why it should be practiced a certain way? Please leave some comments and share this with the industry. Keep in mind that having a BDC is not for every dealership. There are dealerships that want to make their sales people do BDC work. This is actually a great idea assuming that they set it up the right way. Let's help our business grow instead of fall.

1 member likes this

Comment

You need to be a member of DealerELITE.net to add comments!

Join DealerELITE.net

Comment by steven chessin on January 17, 2017 at 2:42pm: There are dealerships that want to make their sales people do BDC work.

I am sure they believe that bdc is doing work salesmen used to do for themselves -- when there were "real salesmen". The problem with the line of thought is that a "real bdc" does things real salesmen never did or never did well.

The definition of business development became watered-down to lead management by dealers that only used that part of it --- which then caused a vacuum for retention marketing and inventory merchandising ----etc. When a dealer asked me to have my team take-over service satisfaction calls I asked him how my team would find time for - and get paid for tele-marketing.? He did not have an answer. That's like having master techs doing oil-changes. Appointment-setters are to valuable to use that way. ---- In a proper bdc department the manager knows what other activities beyond lead-management can --- and cannot --- be performed at any given moment. There is a balance --- if there aren't enough leads coming-in --- let's create some !!

How ? My "go-to" lead generation technique is SPECIAL OF THE DAY. Just look at your current "SPECIALS" page. Do you have a current special. The local diner does !! Is that the job of marketing or sales ? I don't care ---my reps need more bonus money so I need to make their phones ring today. Does that make bdc a marketing entity --- well --- yes it does --- and salesmen do not do that.

Comment by Richard Karlson on January 16, 2017 at 4:49pm: There is great information here, Thank You. I am a big believer in the BDC department that is set up to win. However you can not miss anything along the process and nothing gets me more than dealerships who let people without skills control that destiny. It costs to much to have some raise their hand not not be the best. The prospect will seek out no less than three other dealerships. Knowing your product and inventory is one of the steps to being a professional. Making an appointment with a customer who is enthusiastic to buy is easier than just a lead.

Comment by Richard Karlson on January 16, 2017 at 4:45pm

Comment by Richard Karlson on January 16, 2017 at 4:40pm

Comment by Mark Handlon on January 16, 2017 at 9:08am: Good morning Stan,

              Great article! I believe that accountability from the top down and the bottom up is the focal point of the BDC. If everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing and they are accountable for their actions, there is no reason for a BDC to fail.

              Training the entire staff and measuring the performance of that training is also important. Constantly training and exploring different techniques will only enhance the bottom line.

               Whether it is the BDC representative or the sales person who engages the customer initially will determine if the customer will consider offering you the opportunity to earn their business. If either are not trained properly your chances of success will diminish. The old sane is "You never get a second chance at making a first impression".

                Thanks for sharing your wisdom!