Digital Dealer - August 2017 - 18

By Matt Waterman
Regional Sales Manager,
AutoLeadStar

// Sales
Strategies

Does Your BDC
Leverage Lead
Data to Increase
Sales?
In the early days of
internet lead departments, BDC representatives held the ultimate
leverage: knowledge.
Dealership websites
presented far less
information than they do
now. Third-party sites had
not yet taken off. Customers could browse and
submit leads online, but if
they wanted to know
exactly what was in stock,
or an accurate vehicle
price, they needed to
actually speak to a

AUGUST 2017

person. Thus, for BDC
reps, the lead follow-up
call was simple: provide
the customer with their
missing information, set
the appointment, and
watch the leads turn into
floor-ups.
For better or for worse,
this exclusive access to
knowledge allowed BDC
reps to stretch the truth,
telling customers what
they wanted to hear in
order to set the appointment. Sure, we have that
vehicle, or can order it

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

right away- even if they
didn't, or couldn't- were
common phrases to bring
customers in the door.
And car shoppers, used
to visiting far more dealerships than they do today
(http://www.prnewswire.
com/news-releases/
new-research-1-in-6-carbuyers-skips-test-drivenearly-half-visit-just-oneor-no-dealership-priorto-purchase-255302891.
html), were more accepting of these practices.
These days, access to

knowledge has shifted
to the customer. With
the help of vast internet
resources, customers are
able not only to educate
themselves, but to understand immediately when
the BDC lacks knowledge, lies about inventory,
or equivocates about
price. Today's car shopper
comes prepared (https://
hbr.org/2016/03/selling-tocustomers-who-do-theirhomework-online), and
expects an experience
guided by their needs
(http://www.v12data.com/
blog/90-car-shoppersprefer-dealership-wherethey-can-start-buyingprocess-online/) - not the
dealership's- so BDCs
that still lack transparency
not only damage their
reputation with customers. They also lose out to
competition willing to be
more forthcoming.
But in the age of
internet data, it's not only
customers who have
more information about
dealerships. Dealerships
also have more information about customers. By
thoroughly reading and
understanding the lead
information that comes
into their CRMs, dealerships can regain leverage:
the leverage to start a
conversation with leads
that is truly valuable and
customized to their interests. In this way, they can
move customers along the
buying process and into
the showroom- and away
from the competition.

https://hbr.org/2016/03/selling-to-customers-who-do-their-homework-online https://hbr.org/2016/03/selling-to-customers-who-do-their-homework-online https://hbr.org/2016/03/selling-to-customers-who-do-their-homework-online http://www.v12data.com/blog/90-car-shoppers-prefer-dealership-where-they-can-start-buying-process-online/ http://www.v12data.com/blog/90-car-shoppers-prefer-dealership-where-they-can-start-buying-process-online/ http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-research-1-in-6-car-buyers-skips-test-drive-nearly-half-visit-just-one-or-no-dealership-prior-to-purchase-255302891.html http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-research-1-in-6-car-buyers-skips-test-drive-nearly-half-visit-just-one-or-no-dealership-prior-to-purchase-255302891.html http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - August 2017