The primary objective of the car dealer BDC is to get them in the door because they can’t buy a car over the telephone. People that call into an automobile dealership are looking for information, it could be questions about service, it might be about your store hours and it might be about a particular car that they are looking to purchase. Here at CarSalesProfessional.com our focus is primarily about the person that wants to buy a car.
When they call into the dealership and they ask questions about a certain vehicle or if they are looking for a particular trim level, model or color it is because they want to make a deal. They are no longer in the shopping mode, but they are in the buying mode. The way that the BDC handles those particular phone calls can make the difference between getting a customer in the door and the opportunity to sell them a car or send them to a nearby competitor.
The Car Dealer BDC is Part of the Marketing Chain
The car dealer BDC needs to be much more than a receptionist that answers the phone, they are the next step in the marketing channel that creates the need or desire for the customer to come to your dealership. Car dealers spend untold thousands of dollars each and every month on marketing of all types. Whether it is print advertising, radio, television or Internet marketing and all of this advertising is designed to get the customer into the dealership or at least call the dealership. When the potential car buyer calls in and the call is handled poorly the potential loss to the dealership, not to mention the car salesman or car saleswoman working the floor could be anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.
Having a trained and professional person answering the sales phone is absolutely critical today. Having an enthusiastic BDC team member with a positive attitude can make a big difference in the bottom line. Whether you realize it or not the potential car buyer that is on the other end of the phone is either qualifying you or disqualifying you as a dealer where they want to spend their hard-earned money. The wrong attitude, the wrong answer or an unprofessional demeanor will cause that potential customer to call the next dealer.
Sales BDC or Dealership BDC
Some dealerships operate their sales BDC department along with the Internet Sales Department and others combine their receptionist with their BDC department that handles service parts and sales. In my experience I have found that a BDC department that primarily handles sales or one that works with the Internet department is usually the most effective. When the sales department BDC or the Internet department handles incoming sales calls they are usually better equipped and better trained to get the customer into the showroom. These departments typically have incentive programs and pay plans that reward team members for making appointments and getting customers to show for their appointments.
Second to having the potential car buyer in the show room is the telephone and when the person that answers that phone has a smile in their voice, the knowledge, experience and people skills that are required for a good BDC representative the chances are that customer will show up in your showroom. This is the way that today’s automobile dealership creates floor traffic and ultimately car sales. I am not talking about being helpful in answering every question in detail including the ones that will cause them to seek out another dealership, but being helpful in providing the right amount of information without causing the customer to look elsewhere.
The Effective Car Dealer BDC
Internet leads are great and represent potential customers, but when the customer calls into your dealership it is because they have chosen you. So handling them and their request for information properly can make or break the automobile dealer in the long run. It all comes down to getting them in the door so your sales staff has the opportunity to (Earn Their Business) sell them a vehicle. After all the current statistic tells us that 85% of car buyers today purchase a vehicle that is somewhat different than the one that they were planning on buying. Most of that 85% is based on the color of the vehicle so why would you turn someone away simply because you might not have a certain car in a certain color. I’m not talking about the car dealer BDC lying to a customer because that will usually come back and bite you, but I am talking about talking to customers and giving the potential car buyer reasons to visit your showroom.
Later, Fresh Up on the Lot
KB
The BDC or Business Development Center
Whether they come through the Internet or the BDC Car Sales Closing Techniques are the same.
