Internet Sales and BDC’s -Creating Group Agreement Equals Moving The Needle
Once a growth plan that ensures a predictable level of success regarding the Internet mission or BDC has been developed, the dealership will need to indoctrinate each staff member into the overall plan and the purpose for the plan. The primary objective here is to create a “group reality”, or team unity. This is different from buy in. Buy-in is a sales job. Group reality means something different. It is actually the basis for the more commonly used and watered down subject of buy-in. Understanding how groups achieve true shared reality can massively increase you sales volume for the long haul as opposed to the short run.
Creating a group reality can sometimes be the most difficult and challenging task an Internet Sales Manager or Dealer Principal will face in launching a new endeavor relating to the Internet or BDC. Every individual at each level of the dealership will have their own unique views and opinions relating to these subjects. One of the first steps I like to take when evaluating a plan for creating group agreement within an organization is to survey the views of each staff member within the organization that will directly affect the eventual success of programs.
Over the years, I’ve found that people who occupy certain positions within an organization tend to share many of the same opinions or viewpoints. For example, if you’re hanging out at the NADA convention and happen to get into a conversation with a group of Dealer Principals regarding selling cars on the Internet or BDC’s, you will tend to see a consistent theme or thought pattern represented throughout the group. They might think differently about it but there are underlining consistencies. On the other hand, if you’re sitting in front of a roundtable of General Managers and bring up the same subject, you will probably get a fairly different read. The viewpoint regarding Internet sales from the group of General Managers will most likely be somewhat consistent from one G.M. to the next, but inconsistent from the viewpoints expressed by the group of Dealer Principals. This division of attitude and outlook can be duplicated on every level of the dealership’s organization. The Dealer Principals have their vision, General Managers have their opinions, Internet Sales Managers have their realities, and so on.
When you have a stable and solid plan and are aware that every staff member will have their own reality on the subject of Internet sales and or BDC’s in general, you will be able to find a way to bring unity to the entire processes and save your efforts before they begin.
To achieve this aim, you must create as much of the same reality between all organizational members as possible. The degree to which each staff member sees the Internet department / BDC and its purpose in the same light as the other staff members will be the degree to which group agreement is reached.
We want to pay special attention to creating group agreement when it pertains to a dealership’s Internet department or BDC for one main reason. Of all the functions and jobs within a dealership, these have the widest range of opinions and viewpoints among its members surrounding its purpose and operation. It is this vast difference of opinions as to the function and potential success of a dealership’s Internet department or BDC that causes its greatest degree of failure.
When a new employee is hired by a dealership to sell cars on the retail floor, they are given clear instructions on exactly how to sell cars step-by-step, from beginning to end. The managers of the dealership train with absolute certainty while discussing with a new employee how they have followed a consistent path to success for decades upon decades, while carefully refining their craft to keep up with the times. Every great retail trainer in the industry knows that a new salesperson will fail or succeed depending upon the degree to which they apply the training they have received exactly as they have received it.
In essence, what we are attempting to do in the Internet department and BDC is to create that same brand of consistent certainty. Even if you are not doing everything perfectly you will still need to learn how to pick a rope and climb it for the sake of the team. In other words, you may find that you will second-guess your online sales practices and internal policies from time to time. Being consistent with an imperfect plan while you adapt, however, increase you odds of long-term success.
When it comes to the Internet and the BDC the key to success is twofold. First you have to have a system that turns shoppers into appointments and buyers that flat out impresses the onlookers. That’s the most difficult challenge. From there you simply pick a rope and climb it.