Does your dealership need a Business Development Center (BDC)? I can assure you that even the smallest dealership can benefit from a BDC. I have worked in the Auto Industry for two decades, and I haven’t found one instance where the store has not benefited from having a dedicated and professionally trained phone ninja speaking to their customers. To be fair, I have also witnessed many badly managed or improperly structured BDC’s that eventually failed. A poorly organized BDC is a source of contention for the entire store and usually a giant money pit as well. That does not need to be the case!

Answer these 20 questions for yourself.

1.      Are your sales people making their follow up calls?

2.      Are your sales people willing to call an Internet Lead until they buy or die?

3.      Are your internet leads answered in under 15 minutes?

4.      If a showroom customer leaves without buying, is anyone calling them to flush out the objection and get them back in the door?

5.      Is your orphaned owner database getting the attention it deserves?

6.      Does your store have a clearly defined and perfectly executed process for contacting lessees throughout their term?

7.      Are your inbound sales, service and parts calls answered more than 95% of the time?

8.      Does your sales staff stick to the script and use the proper rebuttals on every call?

9.      Do you have a dedicated person standing by to take a live telephone T.O if someone needs help?

10.  Are you providing your sales people with all of the tools and support that they need to properly work the phones?

11.   Is your internet closing percentage less than 15%?

12.   Do you have enough staff to call through the marketing, manifest and inactive customer lists every 30 days?

13.  Do your service advisors have time to upsell customers in the drive?

14.  Do 60+% of your R.O’s have a recommended declined service on them?

15.  Is anyone calling through the list of recommended declined services every 4-6 weeks?

16.  Are your service advisors able to provide regular status updates to their guests?

17.  Is anyone calling the long list of customers with open active safety recalls?

18.  Are your service advisors able to do a thorough check-in and exit interview with each guest?

19.  Do the service and sales appointments get a confirmation call from a live person?

20.  How much do you think all of those NO’s are costing you?

The number one reason why most BDC’s fail is because the volume the store was selling before the BDC is the same volume the store is selling after the BDC, with the addition of a giant new wage expense. Most BDC’s end up being cost centers and are not developing any NEW business. My passion in life is to teach dealers how to create and develop brand new business and increase overall store profits year after year after year.

This is accomplished through the use of sustainable pay plans, proper recruiting, hiring and training, better templates, proven word tracks, daily task assignments, most important KPI’s to track, telephone skills to learn and teach, intense management and an overall culture of growth and positivity. Whether you are building a BDC from scratch, or reevaluating your existing structure these question can help you move forward with confidence.

Properly managed the BDC can be a true profit center, the energetic hub of your store, and a high powered machine that thrives on constantly raising the bar and driving new fresh traffic into your Sales, Service and Parts Departments.