Latest activity

Dan Sayer · May 5, 2025

paulzubrys said:
The KPI Delusion: Why “More Calls = More Sales” Is a Managerial Fairytale
It’s not a volume problem. It’s a lead quality problem. Your salespeople are throwing spaghetti at the CRM wall—and you’re applauding them for the splatter.

I think you're directing this in the wrong thread. Your point is valid and you should just create a new thread on the topic. For those not wanting to open your link:

In his blog post, “The KPI Delusion: Why More Calls, More Appointments, and More Demos Don’t Always Lead to More Sales,” Paul Zubrys critiques the overemphasis on activity-based Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in sales environments. He argues that metrics such as the number of calls made, appointments set, or demos conducted can be misleading if they don’t correlate with actual sales outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

Activity vs. Outcome: Zubrys emphasizes that high activity levels don’t necessarily translate to increased sales. Focusing solely on activity metrics can create a false sense of productivity.
Quality Over Quantity: He advocates for prioritizing the quality of interactions over the sheer number of activities. Meaningful engagements are more likely to lead to sales than numerous superficial contacts.
Misaligned Incentives: The blog highlights how emphasizing activity KPIs can lead to behaviors that don’t align with sales success, such as making calls just to meet quotas rather than to engage potential customers effectively.
Effective KPIs: Zubrys suggests that KPIs should be outcome-focused, measuring metrics like conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and actual sales figures to provide a more accurate picture of performance.

Overall, the post calls for a reevaluation of how sales performance is measured, advocating for KPIs that truly reflect success rather than just activity.

Volie isn't advocating the outbound calls you refer to in your post. Rather they're great at focusing that outbound activity towards hand raisers as well as campaign lists that have some value prop to the customer. They're also experts on managing the inbound side of that coin. Start a new thread @paulzubrys and I'm sure you'll get some discussion because I couldn't agree more that more calls don't equal more sales in the context that you spell out so well. Thanks.

joe.pistell · May 3, 2025

Alex Snyder said:
You should elaborate more on this!

***PROMPT***
You are my car shopping assistant. Find me the 3 best Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE AWD (Plug-in Hybrid) under 15,000 miles. I want the lowest miles possible. clean carfax. I want it well equipped with a good price. I prefer to buy it from a toyota dealer with good reviews. Search some where within 50 miles of 13029.

Watching AI Robots Go Car Shopping

Alex Snyder · May 2, 2025

joe.pistell said:
my $0.02
AI will create a totally new car shopping UX and it'll hit critical mass and replace lead gen by 2027.

You should elaborate more on this!

Alex Snyder · May 2, 2025

EmmaTully said:
I'm curious - what do you think is the key to making AI feel more personal and less canned from your experience with dealers?

Data and tuning. The more data the AI has to work with the better it will respond. And the ability to tune the responses based on the data are key.

Many times the data fed to the AI is a First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, and a vehicle of interest + some dealership info. The AI doesn't have as much to go on to make a really good first response to that lead. However, the AI that receives click-path information and/or a translation of what that customer did before submitting the lead mixed with some historical purchase or service data can change the whole response!

One of the reasons we (FRIKINtech) started working with you (Hammer) was your willingness to not only ingest all the data we were compiling on a lead, but also to tune the responses the AI put out based on that data.

It was shocking to me how few companies were willing to do this. Seemed like a no-brainer and the results speak for themselves.

Dan Sayer · May 2, 2025

Rick Buffkin said:
Just curious if anyone here has a solid current Internet Sales Manager pay plan. With everything thats going on inside of todays dealerships, just looking for what you guys think is a good guide. Now a days everyone is a Internet customer so should the Internet Manager be paid like regular sales managers do? Just looking for some examples and curious what you guys think.

Define the role. "Internet Sales Manager" can be:

1. How I started in auto. I was the "Internet Sales Manager" but that meant I was working all web leads cradle to grave, on my own, managing the site, lead sources, worked my own deals (no desk) but I was also selling and being paid on those sales as a commissioned sales person. I managed no one. This would be a rare role today.

2. Leading an Internet Sales Department of cradle to grave sales people.

3. Leading the BDC or Internet Sales Department of appointment setters.

Currently, I have seven Sales Managers (desk, TO, finance, appraise) that have titles of "Sales Development Manager" who champion their store's Internet and Phone performance because we have the floor open for all salespeople to take Lot-Ups, Internet Leads, and Phone Ups. They're managing lead flow, performance review, and holding accountability on process weekly. They do not like being called "Internet Sales Manager" because to them, that traditionally feels like a "not a real sales manager" role (example 1-3).

Regardless, if 30-40% of your Sales are coming from Internet (which they should) you should be making sure the person running that department is a legit baller and has the authority to hold everyone accountable and should have a seat at the sales manager table for the purpose of making Internet a priority. I think you pay them like a manager as well. In my experience, if you pay them off Appointment metrics, it drives a wedge between them and the floor. "You need to close better" "Your appointments are wear-outs" "You didn't log the visit" and all other mudslinging diminishes when someone in job example #2 and #3 is rowing in the same payplan structure as the sales managers. My two cents.

Dan Sayer · May 2, 2025

I used Volie when I still had a large remote Sales BDC and we did go through a couple of tools until we found Volie. Absolute no-brainer for scalable BDC teams, remote or in-house. High volume lead handling and high volume inbound and outbound phone capability with campaign integrations and CRM connectivity. There is really nothing like it out there for HUMAN BDC teams! Scott is a pretty smart guy (and his kids are the best) so please make time to watch today and come with questions!

joe.pistell · May 2, 2025

my $0.02
AI will create a totally new car shopping UX and it'll hit critical mass and replace lead gen by 2027.

Alex Snyder · May 1, 2025

Glad to see you on here, Emma! I'll vouch for the Hammer team as we work very closely with them.

And I'll respond by saying that the largest complaint we hear is that a dealer has already tried an AI and didn't like the way it generically spoke to their customers. After digging into that, the usual suspect(s) are the names of the tools they tried.

DrewAment · Apr 30, 2025

Login to view embedded media View: https://www.instagram.com/p/DF-G40rA0Hr/
<< like they can advertise in CA??

Seems like not to long before the other OEMs do something similar.

Tallcool1 · Apr 29, 2025

California IADA California IADA ::

www.iadac.org

Get ahold of these people right here.

Good Luck and welcome!

Clint

Alex Snyder · Apr 29, 2025

kylewilliam said:
A great deal, especially if you're primarily considering it for the money. The $5,000 (or $4,000 with the rebate) out-the-door lease for an Ariya is a solid offer, especially for an EV. The stage 2 charger and low lease payments add extra value. Just be sure to check the lease terms, such as mileage limits and any potential maintenance costs, to ensure it fits your needs. If everything aligns, it could be a smart financial choice!

Are you a bot?

All of your DealerRefresh posts are like this. Bumping old threads with generic stuff. You're over a year late to this one.

joe.pistell · Apr 28, 2025

This is month #3.
Today, I ask AI for a hard one: "Find me the 3 best Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE with under 15k"

***PROMPT***
You are my car shopping assistant. Find me the 3 best Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE AWD (Plug-in Hybrid) under 15,000 miles. I want the lowest miles possible. clean carfax. I want it well equipped with a good price. I prefer to buy it from a toyota dealer with good reviews. Search some where within 50 miles of 13029.

We have a talk, AI finds 3 locally, all are over 15k. I ask AI to look nationwide, ***Total AI Compute time: 13mins · 48 sources · 140 unique searches*** We settle on "DCH Brunswick Toyota" (100's of miles away, they have shipping)

LOOK: AI Asks me: "Let me know if you’d like me to connect you directly with a salesperson, pull the actual window-sticker PDFs, or get a firm shipping quote"

I simply had a discussion, AI worked it hard. See the entire AI discussion thread here: https://chatgpt.com/share/680efbf3-c7f4-8006-952d-ffe60342e8f7

joe.pistell · Apr 28, 2025

Every 30 days, I go car shopping with AI. Today, we're at DEFCON2.

DEFCON 2 represents a heightened state of military readiness, indicating that an attack is expected, but not imminent

AI is not fully ready for prime time, but, the structure is there. The bleeding edge of Pioneering dealers see this coming. @Ryan Everson is one.

IMO, by 2027, your customers will have personal AI shopping assistants that follow them through the ENTIRE purchase journey.

Car-Shopper “Jobs to Be Done” (high-level)

Define Needs & Budget
Clarify use-case, must-have features, and comfortable payment/price ceiling.
Product Research
Compare makes, models, trims, reliability, ownership costs, incentives.
Inventory Analysis
Locate VIN-level vehicles that match specs; check mileage, condition, and pricing.
Dealership / Seller Evaluation
Vet dealer reputation, transparency, service ratings, and distance/shipping options.
Vehicle Evaluation
Arrange test drives or third-party inspections; validate comfort, performance, and feature fit.
Deal Structuring & Negotiation
Align on price, trade-in value, incentives, out-the-door numbers, and timeline.
Finance & Insurance (F&I)
Secure financing or lease terms, choose add-ons (GAP, service contracts), finalize paperwork.
Delivery & Setup
Take possession, verify documentation, set up connected-car services, schedule first service visit.

Just over the horizon, so fundamental is the charge that is manifesting, the entire dealer org will need to reinvent itself.

I'm in AI 3-4 hrs a day. My startup has pivoted to use 'AI Compute' as it's merchandising engine. Watching all of this, I bet that by 2027, AI will have hit critical mass and it'll be topic #1 at #DMSC27 and I bet @brianpasch will be riding this wave.

Alex Snyder · Apr 26, 2025

Ford said:
California, with < 5% of Ford’s global sales, creates 80% of Ford’s global consumer warranty litigation costs.

joe.pistell · Apr 26, 2025

Lurkers, not sure what AI can do for you? (I hear this a lot)
I made this AI PROMPT for you: Paste this into AI (prefer paid AI, but free Claude.ai 3.7 is amazingly good)

***begin***
ROLE: Executive AI Onboarding Specialist GOAL ? Help a non-technical executive spot quick-win AI uses with clear business payoff.
----------------------------------------
STEP 1 — INFORMATION INTAKE (FIRST REPLY ONLY) Ask exactly: “To suggest AI ideas that fit you, could you share 1. Your first name 2. Your company name —or just your industry if you prefer 3. Your professional title Thanks—this context lets me tailor recommendations precisely.” Pause here. Do not continue until the executive responds.
----------------------------------------
STEP 2 — DESK RESEARCH & DRAFT PROFILE After receiving the intake data: • Summarise the company (industry, size if public, market niche). • Infer the executive’s likely responsibilities from the title. • List 3–5 current industry trends / challenges. • Flag any GAP: items needing clarification. Format: Markdown headings + one 2-column table for quick scanning.
----------------------------------------
STEP 3 — PROFILE CONFIRMATION Ask the executive to confirm/correct their profile and supply: • Company size (employees or revenue) • Main business lines • Tech-stack maturity (basic | moderate | advanced) • Top 3 business priorities • Biggest operational pain points Do not continue until confirmation is received.
----------------------------------------
STEP 4 — AI OPPORTUNITY SHORT-LIST Present 3–5 candidate AI applications in a table: | Use-Case | Expected Impact ? | Effort / Complexity ? | Notes | Request the executive to rank them.
----------------------------------------
STEP 5 — SOLUTION DEEP-DIVE For the top-ranked 3: outline • Plain-language solution description • Key inputs & resources needed • Anticipated business outcome (quantified where possible) • Risks / dependencies
----------------------------------------
STEP 6 — 30-60-90-DAY ACTION PLAN For the highest-priority solution: • Month-by-month milestones • Stakeholders / owners • Success metrics • Decision gates for expansion
----------------------------------------
COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES • Use business-friendly language; avoid jargon. • Prefer concise paragraphs, bullet points, and tables. • Be transparent about limits of available information. • Do not move to the next step until the current one is completed and acknowledged

***end***

joe.pistell · Apr 26, 2025

AI is helping our team build a Feature Scoring System, an algo named "Treasure Hunter Score".

joe.pistell · Apr 26, 2025

Ryan Everson said:
Currently heading up a full refresh of one of our large centralized BDCs. Launching a non-automotive CCaaS platform next month - kind of a CRM/CDP hybrid with a super powerful journey builder and seamless AI + human agent workflow.

Yup, knew you'd be blazing trails. Wish Garber Auto Group stock was publicly traded

Mico Silver · Apr 25, 2025

Login to view embedded media View: https://youtu.be/w-3tr0H6Nzo

A discussion on implementation of video in car dealership marketing efforts.
1. Introductions - Chris Richter and Mico Silver, Digital Operations Consultants with Shift Digital
2. SEO basics: business profiles: Google Business profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing. Model pages, meta titles and descriptions
3. Original content: Guerilla/content marketing
4. Can a marketing agency do it for me?
5. Actionable plan for a dealer:

• Create content (video) consistently
• Incentives for content creators: spiffs, exposure, video promotion
• Post it on Social media with back links
• Post it on your website: research, VLP, VDP
• Use content in email communication - first response, follow-up, email marketing

flosho · Apr 24, 2025

Fascinating discussion, albeit a little off topic.

Who's got a suggestion for dealer website providers in 2025 for independent dealers?

So far I've been looking at DealerOn, Autofusion, Dealer.com as well as some recent page suggestions of DealerSync and Overfuel. No Demos yet.

DrewAment · Apr 23, 2025

George Nenni said:
Any updated advice on this thread? Have a customer looking for the best inbound AI call handling, that integrates well with XTime and VIN Solutions?

IMO - Inbound service appointments are better handled by TRAINING the customer. Most customers would prefer to book the service appointment online vs. calling.

Had a smaller store call and ask for advice - The service advisors were being inundated with appointment calls. They did not have the budget for hiring a service receptionist, and the "AI" service solutions were also way to expensive for what they offered.

So - the setup was == when a customer called and "pressed <number>" to book a service appointment - we moved the call into a 45 sec "hold" were we played music and every few seconds said "did you know you could book your service appointment online at xyzdealer.com" .. music music .. "did you know you could book your service appointment online at xyzdealer.com" ... music music .. "did you know you could book your service appointment online at xyzdealer.com" etc etc. If they hung out for the 45 secs, they were transferred to the advisors like normal.

Cost the dealer was about $100 to have the recording done (they wanted a "professional" voice).

And, did you know what happened? We had about an 80% drop off rate during the message, but a 300%++ month/month online appointment bookings over the next couple months. According to the service advisors, the calls that did hold to speak with them, were more "high level" detailed type appointments that the online service scheduler couldn't handle.

Sometimes, AI is a solution looking for a problem.

flosho · Apr 23, 2025

Jeff Kershner said:
Thanks for the wake-up call Alex. I've always been a 1 previous owner buyer with zero accidents, but anymore it really narrows the search results. So now I take the time to comb through the CarFax and see what the possible damage was.

Dealers taking extra time to describe the history, maintenance, reconditioned items for passing inspection on these older 100+K miles vehicles will WIN OUT!

Interesting that you could be in the car business and hold this sort of requirement for buying a car. No offense as it's just personal preference. But anyone that is in the car business has to have seen "1 owner accident free" trade-ins that are BEAT TO CRAP meanwhile the 4 owner car with a previous fender bender and 110k miles is a total cream puff. These numbers are all just partial data points to consider the current condition of a vehicle.

Rob · Apr 23, 2025

George Nenni said:
Our experience with Impel has been positive, their chat tool performs at or above peers from a consumer engagement perspective, their acquisition of OutSell was smart and will deliver the CDP foundation many would envy, we're cheering for new tech innovators and aggregators! Too much old tech still living in auto digital.

Glad it’s working for your stores. My experience with them was that they ARE the old tech. Some might even say ancient tech.

George Nenni · Apr 23, 2025

Rob said:
Everything I've ever used from Impel has been tragically buggy, dated, and WAY more trouble than it's worth.

They haven't shown me a single thing to make me think whatever they have cooking will be different.

Our experience with Impel has been positive, their chat tool performs at or above peers from a consumer engagement perspective, their acquisition of OutSell was smart and will deliver the CDP foundation many would envy, we're cheering for new tech innovators and aggregators!

Too much old tech still living in auto digital.

Rob · Apr 22, 2025

Leonard Person said:
(I resemble that remark Alex.) I spoke with JP Petrovay from Impel about this yesterday. Impel will roll it out EOY or early in 2026.

Everything I've ever used from Impel has been tragically buggy, dated, and WAY more trouble than it's worth.

They haven't shown me a single thing to make me think whatever they have cooking will be different.

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The KPI Delusion: Why “More Calls = More Sales” Is a Managerial Fairytale​

Car-Shopper “Jobs to Be Done” (high-level)​

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The KPI Delusion: Why “More Calls = More Sales” Is a Managerial Fairytale

Car-Shopper “Jobs to Be Done” (high-level)