Digital Dealer - July 2019 - 26

C O V E R S TORY: Continued from pg. 25

approximately 400 billion in revenue
in the United States, and that number
is expected to double in five years.
DEALER MAGAZINE: If you had
to limit your BDC tool chest to one
technology, what would you choose?
JASON: Hands-down it would
be our CRM, especially on the sales
side. Not only having it, but using it
correctly. Otherwise, it's garbage ingarbage out. If you don't put the right
info in and work all the processes,
you're really missing out.
VinSolutions is our CRM provider
and we're happy with them. There
are several other good CRM vendors
out there, such as DealerSocket and
eLead. Again, they're tools and a tool
is only good if you know how to use it
properly.
I would say AI technology is a close
second. The value to me is it saves us
from having to do this. AI contacts
customers on our behalf and lets
us know when a customer has been
engaged.
DEALER MAGAZINE: In what ways
to you utilize social media?
JASON: I think it's important to be
active on social media and we do spend
money on it. I have a company that
posts on my behalf and manages our
social media pages. It's hard to track
ROIs on it but it can be an effective
branding tool.
I have three social media
suggestions. First, you have to be
creative in what you post, not just
promotional. If all you post are sales
promotions, people will tune out and
unsubscribe. At least 50% of your
content should be non-promotional:
interesting articles, fun stories about
staff and so on.
Second, video is very important.
YouTube is the second mostused Search Engine, after Google.
It's important to have not only
professionally-made videos but also
to get sales reps and service advisers
involved and have them shoot video
with their mobile phones, do-it26

J U LY 2 0 1 9

yourself type videos.
And third, try Facebook ads, it's
much cheaper than any other paid
search and really gives you the
opportunity to finetune your audience
and target those most likely to engage
with your ads, rather than just a
broad message to everyone. I'm not
recommending replacing your Google
ads, but rather do them in conjunction.
DEALER MAGAZINE: Time to get
personal. According to the Paramus
Honda website, you're an avid sports
fan and play in a weekly amateur
hockey league. What lessons from the
world of sports have helped you the
most in your business career?
JASON: I've been playing sports
most of my life. That history leads to
my competitiveness and my desire to
win at everything I do. I look on my
job as my sport in which I want to be
the best. That to me is winning, by
accomplishing all my goals and hitting
all my KPIs.
The other thing I learned is I treat
my staff as a hockey team. Everyone
on my team has a role to fill, and
everyone has to deliver on that role in
order for the team to be successful. I
teach my staff that they will be more
successful if they help each other out
rather than rely on their individual
talents alone. For example, if someone
is off that day and one of that person's
customers calls in, we expect someone
on the team to handle that customer
as if it was their own, regardless of any
commissions. Everyone fills their role,
and they learn the value of teamwork.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What are the
challenges you've faced in running a
BDC?
JASON: One of the biggest
challenges is attracting and retaining
talent, especially now with the job
market being so good. A few years
ago, I had a lot of qualified people
applying but no so much anymore. The
challenge is in finding the right staff
and retaining them.
Another challenge is communication

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

between departments. Whether it's
sales or service, we rely on transferring
a customer from one department to the
other. From the BDC to the sales or
service department. Passing along the
notes of what transpired so that to the
customer it's a seamless transaction
and they don't have to start all over
again. We're always looking at ways of
making the process smoother.
DEALER MAGAZINE: How does
Paramus Honda ensure a great
customer experience?
JASON: We empower our
employees to take personal
responsibility. If someone calls in with
a complaint, if they have the power to
handle that complaint, we ask them
to do so. Don't pass the buck. That's
one way.
Another way obviously is training.
Techniques you might think are
common sense, might not be common
sense to everyone. So, we train them
on the five-foot rule. If you come
within five feet of a customer, you
make eye-contact, smile and say
hello. These are basics in creating
a better experience and a warmer
environment. One of Lithia's core
values is building customers for life.
The way you do that is by providing a
positive experience.
DEALER MAGAZINE: If you were
not in the car business, what do you
think you'd be doing?
JASON: Playing professional
hockey (laughs). I wish. All kidding
aside, I'm very detail oriented and
love to coach and mentor others,
so I'd probably be in some sort of
sales training or work as a business
consultant, where I could help others
grow and achieve better results. I'm
referred to as the BDC guru. To me
it's all about winning, and winning is
doing the right thing, achieving your
goals and making the others around
you better at what they do.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What one
word best describes you?
JASON: Tenacious. ■
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Digital Dealer - July 2019

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