NextGen Professional Automotive Sales and Service, is more than just making certain technologies available.  Having all of the technology in the world will not help you when it comes to the human touch, communicating and connecting with customers in a way that not only builds commonality but gives the customer the “I gotta guy” feeling.  The biggest buzz that I have heard in the trenches over the past several months is the underlying concern of a broken internet process.   My first question to each and every one of them is why is it broken?   It is important that you understand the underlying factors of why otherwise when you go to fix it you will come up with a Band-Aid solution that corrects it for the moment, but then reverts back to the same ineffective process that you started with.  Don’t make rash decisions without really understanding what is going on currently, what you would like to see happening and then determine what processes you can put in place to get the desired results.   Viable solutions can be clouded by internal views. It is essential that you keep Intellect over Emotion (I over E) when you are making these decisions and there are many times those of an outside consultation can help give you that unbiased opinion that can truly make the difference.

There is a plethora of opportunities at your disposable before you buy a single lead or spend your money on advertising and marketing, know where you are wasting your marketing dollars and maximize their value.  Below are specific questions that you should ask yourself when evaluating what you are doing currently, whether it be incoming phone calls, fresh internet inquiries or the ever bogged down database that houses thousands of customers that in most cases are rotting their like apples. 

1. What happens with a prospect when they first inquire? Do they receive an initial call and email only?

2. Are they then sent to the sales team if so how often are they followed up with?

3. How many save a deal cases do you have each day?

4. How many prospects do you have in your database that you have not spoken with in the past 30 days?

5.  Are you incorporating techniques such as utilization of human instincts and self conscious?

6. When you have the customer are the phone are you remaining appointment minded or are you giving TMI on the phone giving them the information that they need in order to go and buy the car from your competition down the street?

When consulting and training in the field you could not even imagine how many times when we investigate to find out the answers to these very questions the answer is “ I don’t  know”.  If you too cannot find the answers you may have just hit your number 1 problem ACCOUNTABILITY.   If this is the case with your location it is essential to find a way to track this information.

Next, what specifically are you looking to have happen and what are the results that you want to achieve with your prospects?   Are there specific actions that are missing from your process that would allow you to get the change desired?  Create an action plan to implement the changes that are needed and to create the accountability in place to make sure that the changes remain consistent and are not put in place for the moment and then dissolved as soon as it is too much. 

Detail how you will regenerate your vision into others, what I mean by this is many dealerships are still relying on a few good managers and team members instead of educating the entire organization.  People without information cannot be held responsible, but people with information cannot help but be responsible.  Provide them with a backup plan, just like a loose fitting garment that can be tailor made to fit a man or woman precisely the right way.  Remember any plan without a backup is still just a wish.  That is what skills not just scripts is all about.

As you implement the changes you will see your results increase and sales amplify.  Never forget that with each process you want to ensure that you are making sure to monitor what your customers are saying about you, your competition, our industry in a whole and share with you how so many has been able to achieve the magic of differential of trafficking ROI as well as ROR despite turn over marker conditions of the economy.   Know from the beginning what makes the customer tick, stay in regular meaningful connection with the customers. Content is king.

Track this with your own individual reputation management site.  Word of mouth is the best advertising a dealership can have. Reputation management defense is essential , not only to resolve issues when not if they crop up, but 45% of negative reviews that are posted are from former disgruntled employees that get covered up through the layers of the team trying to cover their own tail.  There is no escaping this tracking and monitoring what is being said is essential.

I look forward to explaining this more in detail at the 12 Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition. Good selling my friends.

Differentiation.   What is it?  I don’t know about you but I am sick to death of people throwing the word differentiation around with no specific, precise course of action.  It is essential that we accentuate specific differences between us and the stereotype of our industry.  From the outside looking in, all dealerships look the same and do the same things in the eyes of  customers.   Find your way to stand out from the masses.

First impressions last a lifetime and you will never have the opportunity to change how you made a new customer feel.  Make sure that each customer is treated with respect and is left with the feeling that they “gotta guy” in the business.  Every time you pick up the phone know that it is your one shot to stand out.  Train your team to sell the sizzle of why the customer should buy from your dealership and not the guy down the block.  Your competition has the same vehicles you do.  If you try to sell it over the phone, you may be just making your closer competition’s job easier.  Make sure that you do not give TMI on the call.  Sell the appointment and the dealerships difference.  Sell the convenience, sell the fact that your service is above all others and build rapport with the customer.  This will not only increase your ROI but your ROR which is what creates customers for life.

Many have requested a copy of the slides from my presentation at Digital Dealer 9 in Las Vegas on "The Evolution of Business Development - The Hybrid BDC".  This download also includes the audio files of example "what not to do" phone calls.

You can grab my presentation here >> www.NewVisionSales.com


 -- Glynn Rodean
866-532-2827

Digital Dealer 9 in Las Vegas was the best Automotive Conference yet! Thank you Mike, Cliff, Greg, Liz and the entire Dealer-Communications / Dealer Magazine Team. Thank you also for all the great meetings and people with whom Tracy, Robert Smith and I had the pleasure of meeting and sharing our experience. -- Glynn

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To my fellow Dealers and managers re: Glynn Rodean at Digital Dealer 9 in Vegas this October..."

Non-buyer follow up, service retention follow up, service decantation follow up, verifying all customer info and gathering all data(email, numbers, etc.) is a must in a car dealership! I can assure you Glynn will blow you away with his process, enthusiasm, and ability to execute the above mentioned. He out does himself in every category!

Louie Herron

Louie Herron Toyota

Milledgeville, Ga

Glynn,

Your organization is top notch. As a general manager you help my dealership achieve a 2800 percent increase in one year. We went to President's Club in that year and that reflects on the processes you helped me implement once I arrived in Columbia. Now in Florida I always come to you for advice and help and watch as the organization I am with now struggle because of not having your vision and drive . My hope is to work with you again once the people I work with realize they don't have to go through these growing pains. I would recommend Glynn to any dealer wishing to drive more traffic, account for their traffic, and have verifiable appointments in front of their sales people and managers.

Good Luck,

Jim Carroll

Firkins Mitsubishi

“Glynn has brought our Live Chat application into the Hybrid BDC and internet sales process to increase the conversion of lead appointments into showroom traffic, sales and higher ROI”, said John Hanger, CEO of Contact At Once. “And nobody is more highly-qualified or better at monetizing new leads than the New Vision Sales professionals. His presentation in Las Vegas will provide helpful insights to attendees.”

John Hanger - President and CEO - Contact At Once!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First Round “Draft Pick”: Glynn Rodean, Founder of New Vision Sales Inc., will be presenting at the 9^th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas.

The Evolution of Business Development – The Hybrid BDC – October 12-14, 2010

DATE: 08/10/10

CONTACT: Eve Paletta-Weaver, 803-802-2124, Eve@NewVisionSales.com

Fort Mill, SC: From its corporate headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina, New Vision Sales Inc. – the automotive call center skills-based BDC leader, announced that Dealer Communications – publisher of Dealer Magazine, the most circulated and read publication in the automotive retail industry – selected Glynn Rodean among the first round of applicants to speak at the 9^th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, October 10-12, 2010.

Glynn’s industry experience and topic, “The Evolution of Business Development – The Hybrid BDC” was selected as a “not-to-miss” strategic first choice to the DD9 Conference lineup. Glynn joins an elite team of dealers and managers who are having great success in their markets, the industry’s top trainers and consultants, as well as the top thought-leaders in the automotive business. Glynn’s presentation will enhance the dealer “PlayBook”, clearly outline the improved sales process and provide advanced tools and techniques for maximum results.

“Glynn has brought our Live Chat application into the Hybrid BDC and internet sales process to increase the conversion of lead appointments into showroom traffic, sales and higher ROI”, said John Hanger, CEO of Contact At Once. “And nobody is more highly-qualified or better at monetizing new leads than the New Vision Sales professionals. His presentation in Las Vegas will provide helpful insights to attendees.” – John Hanger, President and CEO – Contact At Once!

Glynn explains, “I will be sharing a message about what has proven to be the best systems and set ups for Dealerships to integrate the BDC and Internet Sales Department into the Sales Team, hence my topic: The Evolution of Business Development; The Hybrid BDC.”

For interview requests with New Vision Sales president and founder Glynn Rodean, please contact Eve Paletta-Weaver at 803.802.2124 or Eve@NewVisionSales.com.

About Dealer Communications: Dealer Communications’, Dealer Magazine, is read by over 56,000 dealers, internet sales managers, fixed operations managers and service managers and is the best read monthly publication for franchised automobile dealers and the preferred advertising medium in the automotive retail market.

About Digital Dealer Conference: The 9th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition will be held at The Mirage, Las Vegas, NV, October 12-14, 2010. The last conference in Orlando in April drew 559 dealership attendees from 46 states and featured more than 70 companies as exhibitors and sponsors in over 60 booth spaces. Combined, the last two Digital Dealer Conferences drew over 1,100 registered dealers, GMs, GSMs, Internet Sales Managers, e-Commerce Directors, BDC/CRM Managers, Pre-Owned Managers, Service Managers and F&I Managers - every one of them there to learn more about Internet and technology-related issues from speakers and exhibitors.

About New Vision Sales Inc.: Glynn Rodean began a revolution in the automotive call center industry in 1998 when he installed his first Business Development Center. It produced over 400 vehicle sales in addition to improving dealerships’ sales force and in-house call center with training and consulting on calling techniques. Today, Glynn and NVS have helped to significantly increase showroom traffic, sales volume and gross profit by providing an unrivaled skill-based solution to dealers of all sizes. Visit www.NewVisionSales.com to learn more.

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Before you can hire, you have to recruit and that doesn’t mean just placing an ad in the local paper. Recruiting for a business development center (BDC) is serious business because these individuals will represent your dealership to the community. They will be your voice, your first impression. If you hire the wrong people, you could inadvertently ask prospects to shop elsewhere.

I am assuming you have already hired an outstanding business development manager (BDM)— that is, someone who can “show, not tell” other employees how to do their jobs. Hopefully, you have not hired an overpaid data entry clerk whose job is to create reports, as is done in many dealerships. You are ready to hire the business development representatives (BDR). This can be done in-house by a qualified BDM or it can be outsourced. For an inexperienced BDM, you may want to outsource the staffing the first time and have the BDM involved throughout the process. This will allow them to observe what should happen during the hiring process.

The best way I have found to locate good recruits is to run an ad for customer service representatives on various online listing services. The ad should be well written. It should indicate a ground-level opportunity with plenty of room for advancement, and it should offer free skills training. The ad should run at least two weeks before your scheduled training day. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications online or by e-mail only.

Once you have applicants, begin by conducting the first interview over the phone with each person. The only disqualifier during this stage is an inability to communicate well on the phone. If they can’t pass a telephone interview, you certainly don’t need them on the phone representing your dealership. Based on the telephone interviews, invite up to 10 times the number of openings you have to the training camp.

At the beginning of the training camp, which is usually a two and-a-half- to five-day event, only about 50 percent of those applicants who said they would attend will actually show up. This is normal. Some won’t commit to the time, while others are kept away by their fear of the unknown. Either way, they just self-eliminated themselves for their lack of commitment to change.

All applicants should be asked to sign a waiver, which should say something to the effect of: “This training is offered free of charge. You are being considered as a candidate for a potential job opening and if an agreement for employment is reached, you will be paid for the time spent in training on your first paycheck.” This is a very condensed sample. You will need an attorney familiar with the laws of your state to help you draft this properly.

The training camp should cover the general BDC process and involve extensive role-playing. This role-play is, in reality, the second interview. At this point, you will start to eliminate those who can’t grasp what you really do. You want articulate and persuasive individuals who can adjust and adapt to callers in a way that builds rapport.

At the end of the workshop, give a written exam to see how much the applicants have retained. Essay questions are best for evaluating retention. By the time the applicants have completed this process, you will have identified your strongest candidates to hire. Business development team leader (BTL) candidates will rise to the top during this process and can be hired to manage three or four BDRs.

In addition to the previous skills, I look for basic typing skills; 30 words per minute is fine as long as they are comfortable on the computer. Applicants must possess a willingness to learn, be flexible in their work schedule and be willing to work on a production-based pay plan. This does not mean that they are commission-only. BDRs need a base rate per hour with incentives for meeting and exceeding goals.

BDRs are not expected to meet the clients, nor would I recommend it. We have all done it at least once. We speak with someone multiple times on the phone, but we have never met them. Then, one day you have the opportunity to meet them face to face, and when you do, they are nothing like you expected and you are disappointed. The same thing happens with your BDR. Once a BDR meets a customer, the mystique is lost. If the BDR doesn’t meet the customer, they can become the customer’s advocate to some degree. This also allows the BDR to follow up with customers and correct flaws in the sales process. This is something that doesn’t work well if the customer and BDR have met in person.

The last thing I feel is important in the hiring process is to know why this job is important to the applicant. Anyone with an average IQ can be trained to do the job. The best hires boil down to their level of motivation and determination to succeed.

Hiring the right people for your BDC is not as difficult as it sounds, but it does take time, patience and training. However, isn’t that true with all positions in the dealership? Make the time to find the right employees now.

Often, when dealers are contemplating starting a business development center (BDC) in their dealership I am asked, "Who should run the BDC?" The question I should pose to that dealer is: how good do you want your BDC to be? A business development manager (BDM) is directly responsible and accountable for maximizing sales and profitability of the BDC to agreed levels of performance. To achieve top performance, you have to hire top talent.
Before you begin searching for the right BDM, you will need to understand the proper dealership personnel structure once you implement a BDC.

Sales Department BDC
Dealer Dealer (or GM)
GM BDM
GSM BDL
Sales BDR

Notice that the BDC is not a part of the sales department. It is a separate department accountable to only the highest level of management in the dealership. This means you are looking for a top-level manager. Applicants looking for a $40,000-a-year job are not your candidates. You should expect this person to earn $60,000 or more a year, depending on your market.

Your new BDC will adopt the attitudes, work ethic and beliefs of its leader. If you put someone in charge who doesn't project the image you want for your dealership, your dealership image will change over time— the individual in charge will not! Regardless of whether you have already hired or have yet to hire this individual, the candidate needs to have the attitude, work ethic and beliefs of the dealership owner. The BDC will become the voice of your dealership in the community. What do you want it to sound like?

In my opinion, the person who should be running your BDC is the absolute best communicator you know. Notice I didn't say the best communicator currently on staff. You may not have a top performing communicator on staff yet and will have to hire this person. Also, notice I said communicator, not talker. Communicating and talking are not the same.

This individual will work with those directly in his or her department, but they will also interact with those individuals who mean the most to you— your customers. The BDM will also communicate with the sales department and finance office in reconciling appointments and sales. Therefore, the BDM must be a team player for the dealership, not just the BDC.

The BDM must be able lead by example. This person's communication skills should be so strong that he or she is capable of taking any customer T.O. in the BDC to secure an appointment. Additionally, if a business development representative (BDR) or a business development team leader (BDL) is absent, the BDM must pick up the slack on the phone so production does not fall off. The BDM is the "show me" individual in the department, capable of demonstrating to any employee how to properly manage a call which leads to an appointment that shows.

The BDM is responsible for all staffing, scheduling and reviewing compensation and incentives for all BDC employees. He or she must be able to hold those they supervise accountable and, when necessary, reprimand less-than-outstanding performance. A BDM must be a coach and trainer orchestrating twice-weekly training sessions for all BDC employees. Additionally, he or she must be able to encourage competition while maintaining unity and teamwork in the BDC.

The BDM must know, or be properly taught, the telemarketing laws in your state and adhere to all Do Not Call regulations. Adherence to these laws must be a priority for the manager (and anyone making calls) because the last thing you need is another door for plaintiffs' attorneys to come knocking on looking for an "issue."

As the old saying goes, "You can't manage what you don't measure." So, last but certainly not least, are the BDM's productivity measurement duties, which include:

• Assure all scheduled appointments are solidly confirmed

• Assure a minimum of five appointment shows per BDR each day

• Monitor incoming calls and appointment-to-lead percentages daily

• Hold team leaders responsible for daily outgoing calls

• Make and take T.O. calls and demand improvement

• Obtain new customers and raise CSI

• Create good public relations consistent with effective use of time

• Constantly update and purify customer records

So, I'm back to my question of how good do you want your BDC to be? If you want your BDC operating at benchmark levels of five appointment shows per BDR each day, you have to search for and hire the best communicator to run your new department.

I am told that in the early 70's, finance offices were not in every dealership. They were just beginning to pop up here and there. Today, almost every dealership has a finance department that is responsible for their own production separate from the sales department. A similar thing started happening a few years ago with Internet departments. Now many dealerships have Internet departments separate from the traditional sales staff. Today, business development centers (BDCs) are in the same evolutionary realm. At what point should your dealership make that paradigm shift? That depends on your motivation.

Several factors motivate dealers to implement a BDC. Some of those factors include their customer base, sales lead volume, advertising dollars spent and basic trust. Any one of these factors by itself may be enough to drive you to invest in a BDC, but when you combine the force of the four factors, it usually becomes a question of why haven't you already implemented a BDC, not a question of should you implement in a BDC.

Motivator #1–Effectively Mine Current Customer Base

It's no secret that it is easier to retain a customer than to acquire a new one, but does your dealership have a systematic process of staying in contact with your customer database? More importantly, does your dealership have a set procedure for contacting specific demographics within your customer database? For example, if Chevrolet releases a new incentive on Tahoes, do you have a process to facilitate contact with Tahoe owners whose vehicles are two or more years old? How about Trailblazer owners that might want to upgrade? Maybe even customers who have purchased used Explorers in the last three years are ready to purchase again.

If you have a BDC in place, you can contact all of these customers to set appointments for your sales staff without any additional advertising expense. In fact, letters expressing potential equity in their vehicles can develop an extensive response with appointments that show and sell.

What about customer follow up? Are you one of only a handful of dealers who can honestly claim their sales staff does follow-up effectively? Only about 10 percent of salespeople are outstanding at customer follow-up, yet most dealerships relegate customer follow-up to the sales person. A BDC can conduct the proper follow-up to keep your dealership at the forefront of every customer's mind, while asking for referrals. This keeps your sales staff doing exactly what you hired them for
– selling vehicles.

Motivator #2–Effectively Handle Sales Lead Volume

I hear many dealers complain about lead volume. I also hear trainers explain to dealers that it is not about the volume of leads received, but what you do with each lead. How are your leads handled? Is every lead handled professionally with the intent to set an appointment? Dealer principals I speak with would like to say that every lead gets the same attention, but in reality, few dealers can say that truthfully.

A BDC ensures that every lead, regardless of its source, will receive the same level of non-prejudicial professionalism.

The attention a lead receives is generally proportionate to the need and desire of the individual handling the lead on that specific day.
A BDC ensures that every lead, regardless of its source, will receive the same level of non-prejudicial professionalism. Each lead is contacted with a single goal in mind: set an appointment for the customer to come to the dealership.

Motivator #3–Effectively Spend Advertising Dollars

The more money you spend on advertising each month the more accountability you need. Incoming call sourcing is just one piece of ad dollar accountability. Incoming call tracking allows you to know how you generate incoming call activity, not what you do with that activity. A BDC makes outgoing calls on your behalf and tracks not just the lead source, but appointments kept and ultimately sales.

Knowing how you are generating sales from ad dollars spent and the cost of those sales will allow you to quickly adjust your expenditures. For example, in the chart to the left, Ad Source 2 had a very high percentage of shows to leads; however, a very small percentage of those shows converted to sales, which makes it the second highest in ad dollars spent per sale. With this type of information, you can make informed decisions on where to spend your advertising dollars.

Motivator #4–Trust

While the above factors all are important, the main determining factor in deciding if you need a BDC is trust in your salespeople. Do you honestly believe that your salespeople will call every lead and follow-up with every customer regardless of how they feel the chances of a sale may be? A BDC does what your sales staff won't or can't do – follow up calls, referral seeking, owner base mining and keeping your dealership in the forefront of every customers mind.

How many of these motivators do you need to motivate you to increase profits? A successful BDC can grow with your dealership. It is possible to start small with one person and grow. What it takes is a foundation of commitment, processes and skills—not scripts.

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In today's market, many dealerships are leaking money. They are unknowingly minimizing, rather than maximizing, the effectiveness and profitability of their marketing efforts. The source of this leak is a brilliant invention more than 130 years old. It is also the instrument used for endless marketing efforts, oftentimes by some of lowest paid (and least trained) employees in a company. I am referring, of course, to the telephone. The good news is this leak can be repaired.

In recent years, the term BDC has been discussed (or cussed) extensively. Most people understand that BDC is an acronym for a Business Development Center. However, the role and function of a BDC varies by dealership as much as the different models made by manufacturers. BDCs are so underdeveloped in many dealerships that they are often confused with a Customer Service Center. The only thing these two departments have in common is that they both use the telephone.

A customer service department utilizes Customer Service Representatives (CSRs). This position is generally one of an order-taker and is often responsible for fielding complaints. Probably, the CSR you are most familiar with is employed by your cell phone company. The last time I had to endure a call with my cell phone carrier's customer service department, I shared with my CSR that she need not read the script or repeat everything I said. She immediately said; "Ok Mr. Rodean, so what you are saying is you don't want me to repeat everything you say. Is that correct?" I was astonished.

Unfortunately, cell phone company CSCs aren't always different from CSCs in dealerships. Many dealers who rely on CSRs to handle leads and phone ups don't seem to realize if they sound fake, insincere and scripted to us; it probably does to customers as well.

Now, before you believe I have anything against CSRs, please allow me to clarify my position on the subject. CSRs can serve a purposeful role in a dealership. They can improve CSI, make confirmation calls for service appointments and field customer concerns. They are not, however, persuasive in their role and by nature cannot fulfill the job description of a business development representative, or BDR.

The main function of a true BDC is to maximize the effectiveness and profitability of marketing efforts. This is done by well-trained (and managed) BDRs through effective communication skills and rapport-based influence and persuasion. From my experience, the telephone is the "front line" of the car business. First impressions create perception and we all know perception is 99 percent of reality.

In many dealerships, management turnovers prevent lost deals from mishandled customers, but what about the ones who were never called and convinced to come in. A BDC is designed to transmit a sense of ease, comfort, trust, excitement or urgency and should validate the choice to visit the dealership.


Month after month, dealers spend tens of thousands of dollars on leads and TV, radio, direct mail, and Internet advertising. Then, they invest a fraction of that on fielding and follow-up of the calls those efforts generate. It is like having a sales prevention department! It is a frustrating dilemma for dealers. Most are ambitious and willing to spend on marketing yet disheartened by low results. This often leads to trying several different lead sources, advertising systems or companies and ultimately, turnover in personnel. A BDC turns leads into appointments that show and sell, or at the very least, show and tell—tell you what, if anything in your sales, process has room for improvement. The BDC is also responsible for all floor up and phone up follow-up. These efforts are coupled with extensive reporting that clearly define the ROI on each lead and advertising source.

Investing in a BDC ensures consistent communication with your customers. Skilled and prepared professionals make and take your calls. A BDR is not likely (or allowed) to judge who can and can't buy a car or who is and isn't ready to buy a car. Their focus is only on establishing rapport and persuading customers to visit the showroom (or bring them back) to allow the sales department to close more deals.

An effectively managed and accountable BDC has 10 times the scrutiny as any other department and therefore has the potential to outperform every other department. It's a hard concept to visualize for most, but imagine if every sales opportunity on the floor was scrutinized like every call in a well-managed BDC. What if there were ongoing mystery shopping calls, daily one-on-ones with managers, public displays of excellence, constant role playing and ongoing training in your sales department? This type of scrutiny in the BDC causes improvement in not just the BDC, but in the sales and finance department because it often clarifies the pros and cons of any given process.

Fear of expense is the primary objection to a BDC. I can appreciate the concern because there is no cheap way to create, train and manage a quality department. The problem is it tends to be far more expensive NOT to effectively develop the department because if you don't, someone else surely will.

Dealerships that recognize a BDC as a separate department of the dealership with its own individual accountability will excel with the telephone. Dealers who do not recognize it as a separate, accountable department, but try to implement a BDC, are unlikely to succeed in maximizing anything but expense and frustration levels. From my experience, a successful BDC is built on a foundation of commitment, processes and skills-not scripts.