You will probably get several answers to this question depending upon whom you ask at the dealership. However the real answer is that the Internet Sales Manager does everything and then some at most dealerships. It wasn’t very long ago that the Internet was simply a way to make some extra sales, but today the Internet is the sales department. That’s right; over 90% of car buyers are spending a considerable amount of time online looking for a “Price Quote”, the “Best Deal” and all the information they need to go to their local dealer and not your dealership.
The Internet sales manager or sales managers are responsible for keeping the dealership in the game. Depending on how a dealership structures their Internet Sales Department dictates the different duties that must be completed. Sometimes the Internet sales manager handles limited number of leads to keep them from “cherry picking” and other times they must handle all the leads. Sometimes there is an Internet Sales Director that manages the sales managers, or a BDC Department along with their other duties of setting pricing levels, keeping the website up to date while making sure they comply with the automakers standards. This type department structure is simply to supply the showroom floor with traffic and the floor car sales people take over.
Internet Sales Manager Duties and Structure
Regardless of how the Internet department is structured the Internet sales manager is what drives traffic to the dealership. They handle leads promptly, take and make calls, prepare price quotes, and spend countless hours just trying to get a customer to visit the dealership. A simple invitation to a fresh lead to come in for a test drive is not cutting it today. The Internet sales manager needs to provide just the right amount of information, build rapport, and create a bond before a customer will even consider visiting the dealership.
Again, depending on the structure and the duties performed by the Internet sales manager theses duties may even include desking deals, working out payments, figuring out-the-door numbers, lease numbers, accessories and warranty prices. Internet customers want everything you will give them and more, but what they do with that information? More times than not they take that quote and information to their local car dealership and buy a car.
Just Get Them In is What the Internet Sales Manager Does
If an Internet sales manager has to get pricing and work out deals with the GSM their typical answer is “Just Get Them In”. They don’t want to be bothered they just want showroom traffic and sales. When floor traffic is down all fingers get pointed at the Internet Sales Manager or Internet Sales Director. They want to know where the customers are and because the Internet is where car buyers go to shop for cars the Internet Department must not be doing their job.
In order to drive more customers to the dealership through the Internet the Internet sales managers have to keep working, quoting calling and providing information. When online customers are shopping for cars all of their focus on is price because that is all they know and think about. If your new car pricing is not competitive you need to adjust your pricing. Things can and often do change once you can get the customer in the dealership, but the Internet Sales Manager does an untold number of tasks in the average day to get them there.
Later, Fresh Up on the Lot or in CRM
KB
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