Automotive News - October 25, 2021 - S9

OctOber 25, 2021 | 9
ACURA COLUMBUS, DUBLIN, OHIO
Dealer big on virtual sales manager
Productivity grows
among sales staff at
Acura dealership
Published in Automotive News Feb. 22, 2021
Laurence Iliff
liliff@crain.com
J
ust a year ago, the idea of adding a virtual
sales manager - who worked from
home and monitored showroom traffic
via online cameras - would have
earned a chuckle from John Connelly, owner
of Acura Columbus in Dublin, Ohio.
Today, the chuckle would be over how well
it's working.
Connelly can't imagine operating without
the store's " VSM, " in the rapidly evolving lingo
of pandemic retailing. The longtime dealer is
now also interested in hiring a virtual finance
and insurance manager, and maybe even a
virtual service representative. Maybe even
one who lives out of state.
" If this would have come up a year before, or
even six months before, we would have said,
'That's crazy,' " Connelly told Automotive
News.
That changed last March as it became clear
the coronavirus was threatening the survival
of businesses that relied mostly on in-person
sales. Dealership staff began brainstorming
ways to keep selling vehicles through existing
digital tools - and new ones.
" When the VSM idea came up, we thought it
could be perfect, " Connelly said. " Once we discussed
it, within the first day, we were thinking,
'Wow - this is going to work perfectly.' "
The VSM position, filled by 20-year store
veteran Jay Barger, was critical to keeping the
store's growing digital operations running
smoothly.
" Everything can be done digitally, " Connelly
said. " He can see everything in the store because
we have cameras everywhere. He has
access to our DMS. And he has experience.
That gives us great flexibility when we need
the most help, when we need an extra manager
to desk a deal or to be active on our social
media and answering texts. "
Some tasks still have to be done at the store, of
course. Barger coordinates with on-site staff to
take photos or videos of vehicles for potential
buyers, or to prepare an in-store test drive.
But over the past year, Barger has visited the
dealership just once - to drop off his own
lease return.
Acura Columbus owner John Connelly said having a virtual sales manager gives staff flexibility.
Even that could have been done with the
dealership's pickup and drop-off service.
Making the transition
The transition from the showroom floor to a
virtual presence has been remarkably smooth,
Barger said.
" I can create an experience similar to the
showroom by online chatting, texting or a personal
phone call, " he said. " I make the customer
as comfortable as possible and give
them as much information as they need to
complete the transaction. "
Acura Columbus offers online purchase and
at-home test drives, but Barger can also interact
with customers who are in the dealership
through video chat, text or a phone call.
One advantage of not being physically in the
store is the ability to work on multiple deals
without leaving one customer hanging when
another arrives. An additional advantage is his
availability outside of normal business hours.
" I basically put myself on call 24/7. Anytime
a call comes in, I'll take it, " said Barger.
The VSM is not a temporary position, Connelly
said. It's the beginning of an expansion
of at-home work.
" He's my virtual sales manager and he's never
coming back into the store, " the dealer said.
The results have been impressive, Connelly
said. Sales staff productivity has increased
from an average of 10 cars per month to about
14. Total sales of new and used vehicles at the
Acura dealership were 1,269 last year, nearly
Ohio Acura dealer John Connelly's
experiment with a virtual sales
manager is working so well, he's now
thinking of virtual F&I and service.
matching the pre-pandemic figure of 1,313
deliveries in 2019. Sales of new Acuras increased
in 2020 over the previous year, Connelly
said.
That's a big win, given the steep drop in sales
activity last spring and a 13 percent drop in
sales of new Acura vehicles nationwide in
2020.
" Our Internet sales are 60 percent of our
sales, and our VSM has his hands in all of
them, whether it's talking with a customer or
texting or arranging vehicle videos, " Connelly
said.
Having a virtual F&I manager is the next logical
step.
" The technology is there. You can have
somebody who doesn't have to be in Columbus,
Ohio, " Connelly said. " It helps probably
to have them in the same time zone because
of scheduling. "
A virtual F&I manager could serve both inhome
and in-store customers through video
chat, Connelly said.
" I think a lot of customers would love the
opportunity to be at home, relaxed and see
our offerings. A more informed customer is a
better customer for us. They are willing to do
more and feel better about the whole process. "
Virtual service?
Going forward, Connelly said a virtual service
consultant could also make sense.
" The person answering those questions
wouldn't have to be sitting in my store, " the
dealer said. " And since we do a lot of service
pickup and drop-off, they can schedule that. It
really opens up the possibilities. "
Offering remote work opens up the talent
pool geographically, Connelly said, and could
attract sales and service workers who simply
don't want to sit in a dealership all day. m

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