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BDC Call Help!!!

mattingly77

Lot Lizard
Sep 29, 2015
9
0
First Name
Marc
I am working to get better in the area of outbound phone calls. We currently only have one BDC rep and myself as the Internet Director. My focus is in a hundred different areas so the rep makes most of the unsold follow up calls. Currently we are handling internet leads, no response follow up, unsold floor traffic. Our CRM is old and not that great we are changing soon. All of that being said here is my issue. I do not feel that my rep is making contact with enough people and or setting enough appointments. Can any of you lead me in the right direction here. The crm does not offer a report that will tell me how many people were actually contacted vs left message. Appointments are very low. I thought of creating a tick sheet so I could get a little more information, not sure if that will work. Any best practices would be great. Should I see a fair amount of appointments set from these no response internet leads when they are being called almost everyday?
 
Hi Marc,

I try to track everything and if the CRM doesn't do it the way I want, I'll figure out a different way; so using a tick sheet might be a good way to track things until you get a better CRM. Without knowing a breakdown of the type of calls or leads your responding to, a general goal to strive for per rep would be 100 calls, 30 contacts, 15 appointments, 7-8 shows, 3-4 sold. If you start by tracking those, you might be able to find where the inefficiency is. For example, if your rep is making 100 calls but not getting enough contacts you might want to start investigating if you're getting multiple numbers, calling at varying times, leaving effective messaging, getting quality leads, etc.

My suggestion would be to start tracking everything and then see if you can pinpoint any deficiency based on those results.
 
Are you in the same room as your reps? That's one of the best ways to manage activity. Just be present and hear the calls/voicemails being made. If your CRM doesn't have a report, you can create a simple tracker using a spreadsheet or even use paper.

We use a shared spreadsheet where they tick their activities throughout the day. This information is displayed on a giant television screen in our BDC so everyone can see where they stand for the day (it also promotes some competition). Then, and this may be overkill, I transfer these numbers to a white board at the end of the day.

They will do what you inspect, not what you expect.
 
Thanks guys good info. I wonder if there is an issue also the type of message we leave on VM. It just feels like we should get more return phone calls than we currently do. I am all about experimenting. Having been away from the dealership for 5 years things have changed a bit so I am working to get back on track
 
If your CRM is holding you back from proper accountability, you should start shopping for another CRM.
With that said, very few admittedly are able to track contact made %, but using some of the right methodologies will be able to raise your overall contact made % to 60%. (You mention the voicemail messages may be holding you back from engagement. Here is an article I wrote for DR highlighting that same issue. I call it my "Ferris Bueller tactic.")

If a CRM change is not in your future, a tick sheet is the short term fix. The others above are right. You should still be sitting in and around your BDC to ensure the proper tactics are used. And, more importantly, that the calls are being truly made. You may also want to see if a PBX box would integrate with your CRM to track both outbound calls, as well as the length of those calls.
 
There is so much information and help material available you can quickly become overwhelmed.

I would encourage a long term plan (1 year) with defined milestones you reach along the way. Begin with the end in mind. What are your sales goals (monthly - quarterly - annually) then use your current metrics to determine what it will take to reach your goals, then increasing your goals as your metrics improve.

A CRM is like a bag of golf clubs. If you aren't swinging well then your clubs aren't holding you back, your swing is.

A good CRM is important but it won't make your calls more effective. I would place implementing a better CRM 6 or 12 months down the road as you see your metrics improve.
 
Is your rep using the right script when calling? Go to my website and download free scripts. When leaving voice mails, do not leave all the info. It's: "I have great news for you, please call me at... If I don't hear from you this afternoon, I'll try you again later today." Can't get them by phone, try making a personalized video message like this one:

One of my employees helped her make that video and they work!