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New Internet Manager Questions

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Catie.B

Catie.B

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Aug 9, 2016
11
2
First Name
Catie
#1
I am not new to the car biz, but new to my position.
I am looking to network and get input on the best practices around. I would like to hear about any good processes (as I am currently renovating ours), lead management tips, overcoming objections, whole nine yards.
I want to hear any and everything vital to the success of an internet department.
Tell me what ya got!
 
#2
Catie, welcome aboard. Looks as if you have a tall order in front of you but you found the right spot for networking and education. DealerRefresh has been around for over 11 years now, so there's a ton of information here in the forums and over on the Blog.

I encourage you to use the DealerRefresh Power Search to search both the dealer forums AND blog around any topic as it relates to sales process, online (and some traditional) marketing, lead management, reputation management, industry vendors, services and technology and overall leadership in the car business.

If you have questions, I would recommend using our search feature first. If don't find a current discussion or best practice article around the topic, then PLEASE don't be shy - post your question here in the dealer forums. I would recommend keeping your questions focused around one topic at a time rather taking a shot gun approach. You'll get more engagement from the community.

If you have any questions around How to Use the dealer forums here, please contact me directly or ask away on the How Do I category and of you have a suggestion, you can post that here.

We hope you stick around and become part of the community.

Jeff


P.S. You can also keep yourself in the loop by following us on Twitter and Facebook!
 
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#4
Hi Catie,

Congrats on the new position!

Earlier this year I was asked to create a sales BDC (hire, pay plan, train etc) for our Toyota Dealership and I know your pain well... We were selling about 220-250 cars per month and prior to this, the leads were all gobbled up by the same greedy 3-4 sales people. We had a terrible response time, an anemic closing % and the low CSI to prove it...It's been awesome having a truly clean slate to work with. Being able to create the culture, the training, the processes and best practices, based on what works has been a lot of fun actually. Way more than I would have thought.

We are currently AB testing our response templates, phone scripts, email blasts etc. so if you come across anything that makes a difference, I'm all ears.

Over the years I've plagiarized...I mean borrowed...lots of great ideas from DealerRefresh, so by coming here I'd say you're off to a great start!

Best of luck to you and your team,

Chris Pyle
 
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#6
Nice story Chris. It's always great to see someone take an underperforming location and turn it around. You hit the nail on the head with the comment about ". . being able to create the culture." That's where it all starts (and can all end) -- an enthusiastic, insightful, innovative and service-driven culture.

Continued good results to you.
 
#7
Thank you everyone! We are located in a VERY rural area and sales were once averaging around 100/month and have currently fallen WAY down with some internal re-alignment. I currently work for two different locations that are are independently owned, two different brand locations. We are new and pre-owned on both sides. I am currently working on our processes and editing templates. We have many typos and to top it off, there are quite a few new salesman, so I'm also trying to create some redneckified scripts that will fit the area.They all have lots of potential but as of now, they aren't very comfortable on the phone and are reading verbatim from old scripts that sounds very stiff. I am open to any insight on templates, scripts, processes, E-Blasts, etc. I created a sale on my second day and seem to be doing well, but I have a rather large order ahead of me. I need to create numbers and make a difference that shows. I am currently the Internet Manager of myself as sales and manager, and one other girl as the service BDC agent. Needless to say, we stay swamped. I have an issue getting the salesman to work their leads appropriately and of course we do take them out of the round robin if they don't cooperate, but some seem to not care and occasionally the ones who do, are to busy to take more. I hate for anyone to slip between the cracks and not get the attention they need. Any tips on a good way to improve the salesman - BDC relationship? Many of them understand I am here to help but to others, I'm just an annoyance. I'm basically all ears on all topics. I apologize for rambling but who really knows where to begin and end on the topic, right?
 
#8
Hi Catie,

It certainly sounds as though you have a big challenge on your plate. First though, I would caution you to avoid trying to "redneckify" your scripts too much. Although the demographics might support the thought, most of your perspective clients would probably want to be marketed to and addressed in the same manner as areas with more urban populations. Although it is always a good idea to give a local flair to your marketing, I have seen the messaging in other markets backfire when they try to use overdone hyperbole slogans like "Eggs and Chevrolets are cheaper in the Country". I would recommend spending some time on the showroom floor and just background-listen to some of the conversations your customers are having with your team members. I think it will give you a keen insight into the language, slang, and temperament of your customer base. Then, you could go back and write your messaging and marketing to mirror what you've heard your customers actually saying.

As for the challenge in getting your sales team to buy in to your program and handle the leads as you'd like them to be done so, that is an age-old challenge in this - and many other industries. For example, think of yourself as a New Manager on a Baseball Team that has had the same manager and/or team philosophy for many years. It is natural to assume that when a New Manager comes aboard the team will most likely have a mixture of emotions regarding their entry into the circle. Some might have some resentment that a Manager they liked has been replaced by you; some might have feelings of caution that you are going to completely change things and radically disturb a comfort zone that they've had for quite some time (and for some of those team members that is the worst possible thing that can happen); some of them might feel like you're just a short-term hire so there's no need to adopt your philosophies because you won't be around long; and still others might look at you as someone who's probably going to rearrange the hierarchy of the sales team - thus potentially threating their position on the ladder. And yes, unfortunately, there might also be those who secretly resent the thought of a female leading a team of what they believe is a "man's world". As a New Manger, you have to take all of those considerations into place as you begin to build and instill your new culture.

So as I don't begin to ramble either, I will end here. If you would like some strategies for working with these challenges, I'd be happy to lend some more suggestions.

Most of all though, don't give up and keep challenging yourself. I wish you great success!
 
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