Managing a Successful Automotive Internet and BDC Department

 

Increasing the success of Internet and BDC departments through effective management is vital to the profitability of any dealership. When running an Internet and BDC Department, management needs to have a thorough understanding of the inner-workings of their dealership and the marketplace. When managers know the market and staff have in-depth training in the processes, call guides, and techniques needed to succeed, your dealership will succeed as a result!

 

Therefore, Internet and BDC department managers need to know what vehicles are selling for, be aware of what the competition is doing, and have great product knowledge. Additionally, management needs to know the best ways to work with today's educated buyers and the most effective way to train staff to do the same. When management is in tune with their team, buyers have all of their expectations met and salespeople close more deals.

 

This blog will help Internet and BDC Managers transform their departments into unstoppable forces who get more buyers in your door each and every month!

Working with Other Departments

 

The Sales, Internet, and BDC teams need to work together well! It’s important to remember that all of these departments have the same goals – setting a lot of appointments and selling a ton of vehicle! These teams need to be in synergy in order to make more deals. Remember, teamwork is at the heart of great achievement! When you take responsibility for the people around you and focus on the solutions, you will have a stronger team. On the other hand, departments that let some healthy competition or rivalries spiral out of control, only damage the profitability of themselves, their teammates, and their dealerships. Consequently, it’s a lose, lose, lose situation.

 

If there are any issues between these departments, Sales, Internet, and BDC Managers can:

• Spend more time in each other’s departments. This gives managers a better feel of the inner-workings of the entire dealership. It also allows for managers to jump in and help with deals, as well as pump staff up!
• Make sure that sales, internet, and BDC processes are both clearly defined to each other. This will strengthen communication and let each team know what is expected.
• Attend each other's meetings. Allow each team to give each other feedback in a friendly, open environment. When everyone is working together, a lot more vehicles get sold!

Building a Bridge by Revdojo

Internet and BDC Meetings

The Morning Meeting

 

A 15-minute meeting with your entire team is a great way to start the morning! Managers can set some goals, do some training, and get everyone pumped up! The key to a morning meeting is keeping it short and sweet. No longer than 15-minutes. If you get the process and steps of this meeting right, it is productive, effective, and helps set appointments. The 15-minute meeting is everything! As a result, your team will come out of the meeting each day knowing exactly what is expected of them and fired-up to get it done!

 

In the first 5-minutes of the meeting, talk about anything that needs to get covered. This is an especially great time to get everyone fired up for the day! For example, this could be successes from the day before, and exciting things that are happening at your dealership. For example, new rebates, incentives, and inventory. The next 5-minutes is a role-play. Your team can get experience with their call guides/processes and the situations/objections they might need to overcome. In the last 5-minutes, get everyone ready for the day. Go around the room and find out how many calls everyone will make, how many appointments they will set, and how many cars are expected to come out of your department.

The Mid-Day Meeting

 

Internet and BDC people all hit those mid-day blues. That's why it's so important to hold a mid-day meeting. This is a brief meeting that combats mid-day lag when staff productivity starts to take a hit. Talk about and celebrate success and attempts. Also, aim to get everyone’s energy up with positivity. Another great strategy is to utilize a something that has been giving someone a hard time, that you know you can demonstrate a win on. When successful, this is a sure-fire boost to your team’s mood. Keeping productivity and energy up all day keeps departments performing to the best of their abilities!

Utilize Mystery Shopping in Internet and BDC Meetings

 

Utilizing Mystery Shop data for a weekly meeting is a great way to get everyone on the same page and keep staff improving. So, gather your team in a room every week and go over and review the new data from the previous week’s mystery shops. This gives your team the chance to review valuable insights and improve. In turn, get your department more effective than ever!

 

For an Internet Shop, go through every single email and voicemail that got sent. Review and listen to them with your team. Have your team discuss the results and go through the process to get everyone on the same page about what to improve. For voicemails, play them and get feedback from the team. It may make people uncomfortable at first, but it will elevate the game of the entire department.

 

For Inbound Call Shops, have your team be prepared with a call guide in front of them. This way, they can listen to their teammates, make sure the person stayed on process, and review how to better improve customer communication. For more information on becoming the master of the inbound call, check out our best practices blog here. If every week, your team listened to all the voicemails, looked at all the emails, listened to your sales calls, and reviewed everything from your dealer to the competition, your team would be more successful!

If you’re in need of the best Mystery Shopping in America at an affordable price – Webinarinc has you covered! Each year, we mystery shop over 25,000 dealerships across the U.S. in order to provide the highest quality data, tips and insights in the industry. Gain the ability to review your team’s performance against your direct competitors and the best-performing dealerships in America! Click here for more information.

Preparing Internet and BDC Teams for Success

 

Of course, an essential aspect of being a great manager is making sure that your team is equipped with the knowledge and tools to succeed. The most successful teams are ready to handle anything with poise and expertise. A great example is making sure your staff have tried-and-true call guides. This offers your team the chance to handle any situation and be able to go for the appointment every time, regardless of the situation. Alongside a great call guide, your department should also have received comprehensive, up-to-date training on effectively using your dealership’s CRM. A team that’s inexperienced in utilizing the CRM will be less organized and miss out on opportunities and sales. Teams that are trained, have the tools, and have an attitude for success will accomplish much more and help your dealership stand at the forefront of the modern market!

Managing a Successful Automotive Internet and BDC Department

Increasing the success of Internet and BDC departments through effective management is vital to the profitability of any dealership. When running an Internet and BDC Department, management needs to have a thorough understanding of the inner-workings of their dealership and the marketplace. When managers know the market and staff have in-depth training in the processes, call guides, and techniques needed to succeed, your dealership will succeed as a result!

Therefore, Internet and BDC department managers need to know what vehicles are selling for, be aware of what the competition is doing, and have great product knowledge. Additionally, management needs to know the best ways to work with today's educated buyers and the most effective way to train staff to do the same. When management is in tune with their team, buyers have all of their expectations met and salespeople close more deals.

This blog will help Internet and BDC Managers transform their departments into unstoppable forces who get more buyers in your door each and every month!

Working with Other Departments

The Sales, Internet, and BDC teams need to work together well! It’s important to remember that all of these departments have the same goals – setting a lot of appointments and selling a ton of vehicle! These teams need to be in synergy in order to make more deals. Remember, teamwork is at the heart of great achievement! When you take responsibility for the people around you and focus on the solutions, you will have a stronger team. On the other hand, departments that let some healthy competition or rivalries spiral out of control, only damage the profitability of themselves, their teammates, and their dealerships. Consequently, it’s a lose, lose, lose situation.

If there are any issues between these departments, Sales, Internet, and BDC Managers can:

• Spend more time in each other’s departments. This gives managers a better feel of the inner-workings of the entire dealership. It also allows for managers to jump in and help with deals, as well as pump staff up!
• Make sure that sales, internet, and BDC processes are both clearly defined to each other. This will strengthen communication and let each team know what is expected.
• Attend each other's meetings. Allow each team to give each other feedback in a friendly, open environment. When everyone is working together, a lot more vehicles get sold!

https://vimeo.com/277364125

Internet and BDC Meetings

The Morning Meeting

A 15-minute meeting with your entire team is a great way to start the morning! Managers can set some goals, do some training, and get everyone pumped up! The key to a morning meeting is keeping it short and sweet. No longer than 15-minutes. If you get the process and steps of this meeting right, it is productive, effective, and helps set appointments. The 15-minute meeting is everything! As a result, your team will come out of the meeting each day knowing exactly what is expected of them and fired-up to get it done!

In the first 5-minutes of the meeting, talk about anything that needs to get covered. This is an especially great time to get everyone fired up for the day! For example, this could be successes from the day before, and exciting things that are happening at your dealership. For example, new rebates, incentives, and inventory. The next 5-minutes is a role-play. Your team can get experience with their call guides/processes and the situations/objections they might need to overcome. In the last 5-minutes, get everyone ready for the day. Go around the room and find out how many calls everyone will make, how many appointments they will set, and how many cars are expected to come out of your department.

The Mid-Day Meeting

Internet and BDC people all hit those mid-day blues. That's why it's so important to hold a mid-day meeting. This is a brief meeting that combats mid-day lag when staff productivity starts to take a hit. Talk about and celebrate success and attempts. Also, aim to get everyone’s energy up with positivity. Another great strategy is to utilize a something that has been giving someone a hard time, that you know you can demonstrate a win on. When successful, this is a sure-fire boost to your team’s mood. Keeping productivity and energy up all day keeps departments performing to the best of their abilities!

Utilize Mystery Shopping in Internet and BDC Meetings

Utilizing Mystery Shop data for a weekly meeting is a great way to get everyone on the same page and keep staff improving. So, gather your team in a room every week and go over and review the new data from the previous week’s mystery shops. This gives your team the chance to review valuable insights and improve. In turn, get your department more effective than ever!

For an Internet Shop, go through every single email and voicemail that got sent. Review and listen to them with your team. Have your team discuss the results and go through the process to get everyone on the same page about what to improve. For voicemails, play them and get feedback from the team. It may make people uncomfortable at first, but it will elevate the game of the entire department.

For Inbound Call Shops, have your team be prepared with a call guide in front of them. This way, they can listen to their teammates, make sure the person stayed on process, and review how to better improve customer communication. For more information on becoming the master of the inbound call, check out our best practices blog here. If every week, your team listened to all the voicemails, looked at all the emails, listened to your sales calls, and reviewed everything from your dealer to the competition, your team would be more successful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5ELQCaC2cI

If you’re in need of the best Mystery Shopping in America at an affordable price – Webinarinc has you covered! Each year, we mystery shop over 25,000 dealerships across the U.S. in order to provide the highest quality data, tips and insights in the industry. Gain the ability to review your team’s performance against your direct competitors and the best-performing dealerships in America! Click here for more information.

Preparing Internet and BDC Teams for Success

Of course, an essential aspect of being a great manager is making sure that your team is equipped with the knowledge and tools to succeed. The most successful teams are ready to handle anything with poise and expertise. A great example is making sure your staff have tried-and-true call guides. This offers your team the chance to handle any situation and be able to go for the appointment every time, regardless of the situation. Alongside a great call guide, your department should also have received comprehensive, up-to-date training on effectively using your dealership’s CRM. A team that’s inexperienced in utilizing the CRM will be less organized and miss out on opportunities and sales. Teams that are trained, have the tools, and have an attitude for success will accomplish much more and help your dealership stand at the forefront of the modern market!