Stan Sher

Company: Dealer eTraining

Stan Sher

Dealer eTraining

Dec 12, 2016

Orchestrate Sales Departments

Imagine that you attend a classical music concert. This concert has a 90 piece (90 musicians) orchestra and a conductor (the leader or guide) that communicates to the orchestra on how to play the next note(s). Now take a look at the sales department of an automobile dealership. The department has managers that usually consist of a general sales manager, one or more sales managers and a team of sales consultants. Much like the orchestra conductor it is the duty of sales managers to guide and lead their team of sales consultants to success. Let's talk about how to "Orchestrate Sales Departments".

 

In some cases a conductor is also the musical director in which case they take on a bigger role than just to guide the orchestra. The musical director is responsible for choosing the program for the orchestra, manage the orchestra and even be involved in auditioning musicians. This is much like a general sales manager that is involved in recruiting for the sales team as well as manages all advertising for the sales department.

So how do we orchestrate sales departments?

The sales managers properly manage a well-orchestrated sales department. The sales management team in this case is very hands on. They are dedicated to constantly making sure that their sales people are always working when at the dealership. This includes making sure that they are following up with their customers and utilizing the CRM. Sales managers are also responsible to be around the showroom to monitor sales people. This is because sometimes they may have to jump in on a TO depending on what is happening in the deal.

 

Another aspect of a well-orchestrated sales team is how the team setup. For example, some dealers are staffing the sales department according to skill set. The automotive retail industry has increased focused on customer retention through data mining. One of our clients at Dealer eTraining built a five person sales team to just work a system called “Auto Alert”. This team specifically works all data mining opportunities that include lease retention, refinancing, vehicle upgrades, selling to customers that visit the service department and more. This is a five person team does the whole process from start to finish.

 

The sales department still has a five person BDC to handle the 1000+ leads and incoming calls. They still have fourteen sales consultants on the showroom floor that takes UPS. The idea of having different people in different roles of the department is to have everyone bring something important to the table. The BDC will focus on having 10-20 appointments daily and 40-50 appointments on Saturdays. The sales consultants will focus on working with the incoming traffic and selling cars. The “Auto Alert” team will focus on following up with the dealership’s database and selling cars to those customers. An orchestra in the same way has people in place to play certain instruments, harmonies and sections in the music that the conductor communicates to them.

 

How do we make it “well orchestrated”?

 

It starts by evaluating what we are working with. What are the skill sets of the people that are working at the dealership? What kind of tools is the dealership using? From there we setup small teams within the general sales department to handle what they can handle best. This is where the BDC or Internet department is created. This is also where the retention or data mining department is setup. Now we take our core sales consultants and train them to properly handle customers by understanding how customers are coming in and how to properly sell them. In some cases depending on the size and budget of the dealership there may even be an in-house digital marketing or social media team too. 

 

The GSM (conductor or musical director) must be fully hands on by guiding; coaching, leading and helping the sales team to be successful. What managers forget is that their individual success and incomes comes from how well their sales consultants perform and deliver. This is why proper leadership is important to the success of the dealership. The goal should be to effectively orchestrate sales departments in dealerships.

Stan Sher

Dealer eTraining

President

3355

3 Comments

Brad Paschal

Fixed Ops Director

Dec 12, 2016  

This is pure gold.  I love it

Ron Henson

Orem Mazda

Dec 12, 2016  

This is good stuff Stan!  Well done!

Dennis Wagner

TheDennisWagner.com

Dec 12, 2016  

This is good stuff. Well done!... Only 1 issue I see is that we have already been doing this for a few years now, some even longer. 

Nicely written and structured. 

Recommended Posts

Genesis of Smithtown

Genesis of Smithtown, a trusted Genesis dealer in St James, NY, offers an extensive selection of new Genesis for sale and used Genesis for sale. We also provide a full range of Genesis parts, accessories, and a state-of-the-art service center to …

Genesis of Smithtown

Genesis of Smithtown

6
19 hours ago

Searchshop

Searchshop offers a wide range of vehicles for sale with financing, trade-in, and online deals. You can find a car for sale, an RV for sale, or boats for sale—all in one place. We simplify the process of finding the right vehicle at the rig…

Searchshop ...

Searchshop

19
3 days ago

Audi Queens

Audi Queens is your trusted Audi dealer in Queens, NY, offering new Audi vehicles, Audi used cars, Audi SUV lease options, and Audi Q3 certified pre-owned models. Explore our full inventory and experience premium performance and service. More …

Audi Queens

Audi Queens

39
June 25th

Frank Leta Honda

Frank Leta Honda, a leading Honda dealership in St. Louis, MO, offers a wide array of new and used Honda cars, crossovers, SUVs, vans, and trucks, all with Lifetime Warranties. Our selection includes the latest Honda models and quality pre-owned …

Frank Leta Honda

Frank Leta Honda

38
June 23rd

INFINITI of Smithtown

INFINITI of Smithtown is your trusted Infiniti dealer in Smithtown, NY, offering a wide selection of new Infiniti for sale and quality used Infiniti for sale. Visit our Infiniti service center for expert maintenance and repairs, and explore the l…

INFINITI of Smithtown

INFINITI of Smithtown

59
May 27th