I'm sure pretty much everyone will agree that the hardest part of running any department, is having the right people.  Whether you're in car sales or managing a McDonalds or a bowling alley, having the right people working for you is the most important part of the three P's (Product, People, Process).

With Internet sales I've seen its all to often the make or break difference.  The biggest mistake that can be made is having the wrong person responding to leads.  The most common sacrificial lamb is that poor young guy or girl who the GSM looks at and says this terrible phrase...

Hey you know computers pretty well!  Why don't you work in the internet department!

That's like taking someone who knows how to drive a car and asking them to rebuild a transmission.  Or even someone who knows how to eat and expecting them to cook a 5-star meal, without them ever being trained to cook!

I have to be honest, that's exactly how I got my start in internet.  I'd been working on the line for about a year and a half when our current internet guy left the store.  I honestly almost never saw him and had no idea what I was doing, but thankfully for me, I was still single and didn't have to sell a lot of cars to make ends meet then!  That's enough about me for now, that was 10 years ago and internet sales has changed dramatically since then.  The point is that that new salesperson simply is not qualified to adequately work internet leads.  Here is what an effective internet salesperson should be.

The internet salesperson should be an experienced salesperson, who can quickly and easily function as the salesperson, finance manager, and sales manager.  They need to be able to quickly answer any question, and overcome objections with little to no hesitation.  They need to be able to inspire confidence in them from the customer and create rapport over the phone and through emails.  They need to do this by understanding what the customer is looking for, answering the questions the customer needs to come in without offering more information than necessary, and being able to answer possible questions about ANY aspect of the sale, financing or leasing terms, product questions, availability, trade value and more.

Why?  Because now more than ever the old saying is true, "People aren't looking for a car, they're looking for a car SALESMAN."  They are looking for someone who inspires their confidence and makes them feel comfortable.  When customers feel comfortable, they buy.  If they don't get what they're looking for, or if they hear a bunch of "Um, I dont know, let me talk with my manager" then they move on to the next dealer.

I know this leaves a lot of unanswered questions like pay plans, how much autonomy does management give the department and more, but the point is this.  Your internet department is best served by being the "Special Forces" of your store, not merely bodies in front of the computer.

This is the first and hardest part of having an internet department that can not only sell volume, but make money doing it.  The next step will be what these salespeople need to do to take that internet shopper and maximize their ability to make the deal profitable.  I'll cover that next week!