The 4 Things You Need For A Victorious BDC

Aug 29, 2014 | Sales and BDC

Are you looking to add a Business Development Center (BDC) to your dealership, or trying to find ways to make your current BDC more successful? If so, then there are just a few simple “must-haves” that are truly non-negotiable if you’d like your BDC to succeed in the short and long-term.

4 Things You Need for a Victorious BDC
Unsurprisingly, most dealership managers fret over the basics when starting a BDC: workstations, phones, computers, and the like. But while these items are certainly necessary, true success from a BDC comes more from the intangibles than it does from whether or not your dealership uses cubicles or desks for the BDC agents.

The intangibles are so often overlooked that I think it’s critical for your dealership to consider them FIRST — before even thinking about where to place the call center, whether or not to call your BDC agents “Appointment Coordinators” or “Customer Service Reps,” and what phone system to use.

If you want to create a long-lasting, successful Business Development Center that truly drives incremental sales and profits, take a look at the four most important intangibles below:

1. BDCs Must Be Profit (Not Cost) Centers

BDCs are getting better, but they’re still shutting down. The reason? They’re not “developing” anything besides more cost. But instead of shuttering a successful – but costly – BDC, dealers need to work toward profitability with a Sustainable Pay Plan. Read the article.

2. BDCs Must Be Managed Like Call Centers

You may think staffing your BDC with experienced, knowledgeable employees from your existing sales team is a good idea. But you don’t actually need sales people on the phones – in fact, it’s worth your while to enlist anyone but. Read the article.

3. BDCs Must Have Strict Rules For What Counts As A Valid Appointment

A lot of your BDCs costs depend on how your BDC agents are being paid. Will they be credited for an appointment if the prospect shows up a day early, or a day late? If so, you’re not using enough discipline in your appointment scheduling. Read the article.

4. All Sales Managers Must Support And Defend The BDC

The BDC is a valuable asset to your dealership. They help turn internet leads into appointments and inbound calls into car purchases. So why are you treating them as if they are just an obstacle getting in the way of your sales team? Read the article.

Written By Steve Stauning, Founder
Stauning Solutions Group

Steve is the author of Ridiculously Simple Car Selling and Ridiculously Simple Sales Management; as well as a respected automotive industry veteran and founder of Stauning Solutions Group – a leading training & consulting firm. Steve’s consulting work puts him in dealerships nearly every week, working side-by-side with managers, salespeople, and internet teams to help them improve their sales, processes, and profits. Prior to this, Steve served in various automotive leadership roles, including as the Asbury Automotive Group’s (NYSE: ABG) director of ecommerce, the director of the Web Solutions division of Reynolds & Reynolds, and as the general manager of Dealer Web Services for Dominion’s Dealer Specialties. You may contact Steve directly by calling him at 888-318-6598 or via email at [email protected].


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Dealers United is a game-changing automotive company dedicated to helping auto dealers improve their dealerships. We have helped over 6,500 dealers nationwide cut costs, save time, and sell more cars.

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