Give your best leads to your best sellers only

The moment I write this, I just finished the first day of the #kain2017 conference in Lexington Kentucky in the United States. The first day is always a day when you fight against your sleep because of the time difference, while you want to be keen to experience everything that comes your way. Today was no different. The workshops were fun and good, but there was nothing that really made me think. Before I started the workshops, I visited a Toyota dealer, together with my father who accompanies me at this congress, and I was instantly awake.

BDC / CCC versus an internet department

At this Toyota dealer, a location where more than 200 people work, we were enthusiastically greeted by one of the sellers. It’s a bit weird, four salesmen who are waiting for you outside. But well, that’s how it works here. After a chat, the salesman introduced us to Bill, the sales manager. Bill proved to be extremely friendly and gave us answers to every question. And there were a lot, because I wanted to know how many cars were sold, how many per seller, the number of leads, how many call leads, what the process is, what systems are used and much more.

Bill’s position in the company is sales manager. And that means that you approach each visitor yourself and that you approach the customer at the moment that the purchase doesn’t take place after an appointment with the seller. His only job is to ensure that his sales people start selling more. He does not have marketing or other tasks.

Internet department

I was most curious about how they deal with call and online leads in this dealership. We know that those leads are the best to turn into sales. Both in terms of conversion and in pure numbers. This Toyota dealer has opted for a separate internet department, so no CCC / BDC but a department purely focused on the internet. A good example of the hybrid variant of lead follow-up. The best leads, so call leads, e-mails and online leads, go to a department where only the best salesmen and saleswomen are. It is the employees who have proven to be able to deal with leads in the right way, so not just everyone.

Best leads for top sellers

These sellers are exempt from all other work. They are the top sellers of this dealer company. The team monitors all chances, makes appointments and actually ensures that they follow up in the showroom themselves. According to this company, the big profit lies in this method. No lead or customer wants to be transferred from one seller to another. And that is precisely the danger of a BDC / CCC. A BDC / CCC is an excellent solution for direct mailings, service, follow-up of lost sales and the like, but not always for processing an active lead. These must be followed up by your top sellers, who can actually accompany the entire customer journey. The working method of this successful American dealer is a great example of this.

About Paul de Vries

Paul de Vries became a Key Automotive Spokesperson at eBay (Marktplaats) after selling Nieuweautokopen.nl to eBay back in 2015. Paul is the founder and CEO of the #DCDW Academy and the presenter of the #DCDW Podcast. He is also a by dealers and importers frequently asked speaker in the online automotive industry. Paul is the winner of the prestigious Lighthouse Award 2016 in the U.S.! `Lead the Way op de digitale snelweg’ is Paul’s new book, which can be used as a guide in the online automotive industry. More information is available at: DCDW.nl.