BDC to salesperson process

[sryan]

Current process:

I am a 1 person BDC. Handle 140-180 leads a month, price all new cars, handle all the digital marketing with the dealership. Current process is, lead comes in, I set appt, let management know what's going on with customer prior to his arrival, customer comes in, and I hand to a salesperson.

Owner now wants:

customer come in, have customer meet with desking managers FIRST and then they hand off to a salesperson.

I personally think the "reverse TO" is a bit outdated so therefore I am interested in what you guys have to say. I think in today's market people want to come in deal with someone who knows the product 100% and just buy a car without having to meet everyone in the dealership

What's everyone's take on this?

Thanks so much

 

[Alex Snyder]

We actually switched to the model your owner wants back in 2006. We also had the sales managers confirm the appointments. Both practices are :thumbup: :thumbup: ....the customer felt very involved and negotiations went so much smoother!

I can appreciate where you're coming from though. A few of our BDC reps really hated the extra work it put on them to make sure sales managers actually did what they were supposed to.

 

[BHavican]

We use the reverse TO at our store and I confirm the appointments ("This is Bill, one of the managers at...") and it works a good amount of the time. The only time we have an issue is when they're swamped at the desk but then whoever upped the costumer will come to the BDC we'll do the hand off.

Since we switched to that system we've seen an increase in our appointment completion ratio. I think people appreciate the idea of being able to come in and meet the manager. Plus we have a nice script that builds value in why we set it with the manager. Furthermore it lets them know from the beginning that our BDC rep won't be the one to sell them the car preventing any sadness in the transition. Finally, making the confirmation calls myself not only shows that we care (manager calling) but also allows me to collect feedback on the customer experience.