How do you find a GOOD Internet Manager?

Replies to This ADM Discussion

Permalink Reply by Philip Zelinger on January 30, 2008 at 6:33pm

Still lookinng for suggestions - or even managers! My dealer clients are in need and I need someone to make me look good. Any ideas or people out there?

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ralph Paglia on January 30, 2008 at 7:22pm

Phil,

One of the most challenging roles I had to fulfill on a daily basis during my tenure at Courtesy Chevrolet was Head Hunter/Recruiter/Hiring Manager responsible for maintaining a staff of over 22 Internet Sales Specialists and 24 Customer Service Representatives in our BDC. One of the important lessons i learned about recruiting the best possible candidates was the significance of a documented and well written, thorough and detailed Job Description and Pay Plan. I had great success in using Jobing.com in Phoenix, but i believe they may be fairly regional to the Southwest USA. I am attaching a few job description examples that ADM members can download and use as a starting point to edit and revise in creating these important documents for their dealerships or the dealers they serve.

Attachments:

• BDCteamLeaderPayPlanTemplate-v2.xls, 85 KB
• Customer Service Representative v4.doc, 46 KB
• ISS_JobDescriptionTemplate_v5.doc, 109 KB

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Philip Zelinger on February 1, 2008 at 3:04pm

Thanks Ralph, I will add your pay plans to my growing arsenalof best practices! On an about face on the issue - same problem but a different perspective - how do you protect yourself from guys like us stealing your home grown staff? I know the easy answers like to keep your staff empowered, involved and compensated or vested annuities like 401k's and annual bonuses based on longevity that are lost if they leave. Any other wisdoms to share?

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mark Dubis on February 1, 2008 at 4:51pm

Maybe we are looking at this the wrong way. There are lots of great auto internet sales people out there in the wings waiting to just show off their talents. I believe the problem lies with the dealers and their managers that do not really know what they want and then do not offer the compensation, respect, and authority that a person in that position should have.

Dealers need to prepare a detailed job description of what they really want that person to do, whay they will pay (hopefully 2/3 will be a good base salary) and they need to give that person the responsibility and the budget authority to do the job right with the right vendors and team to make it happen.

Not long ago I wrote and article about why Internet Departments fail. ( http://dubisgroup.com/articles/TopTenReasons-Failure.html) It covers the basic shortcomings in the management team at the dealership.

My test on whether you want to work for a certain dealership. . . Is a least half of their sales team been employed with that dealership for three or more years. If not it says the store doesn't know how to manage their people and they have the wrong people in managment positions.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Philip Zelinger on February 5, 2008 at 6:08am

Thanks Mark,

I always look to the top for the answer and often find that the problem is in the priority of keeping staff rather than replacing them. Unfortunately, it often takes just a couple of bad months or a fight with a manager to lose a valued employee. I guess the answer is - there is no answer. Just a never ending battle to keep the team together and not put all of your eggs in one basket with any key employee that is not an invested partner.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jeremy Gould on February 20, 2008 at 7:50pm

Awesome article Mark. That really hits home for a lot of my clients too.

The real problem is the fact that 90% of dealership management I talk to doesn't understand the "internet" or "technology" so they don't want to commit to it. Instead they can relate to the "good old newspaper" that nets them almost no ROI yet costs hundreds of thousands every year. It's easy for them to comprehend a piece of paper with ink on it. Many are afraid that they will make a bad decision too because they tried it once and got burned. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about those "Tent Sales" and "Invitation Only Event" deals. I have not heard of a single dealer in my area making any money on one of these sales (most actually lose money) but they continue to do them over and over and over and over and over again.

Doors are going to be slamming shut at an alarming rate if these managers and/or dealer principles don't wake up quickly! I know what is starting to happen in Detroit, the rest are not as far behind as they think. The manufacturers would love to have a reason to shut your doors. Just one less dealership to worry about in the consolodation plan.

Need I ask the question of why dealers spend 80% of their budget on print, radio, and tv when 80% of their customers actually come from the internet? Duh!

If anyone figures out a way to get through to the rock-headed managers let me know!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Terry Holbrook on February 7, 2008 at 9:50am

The auto industry offers tons of sales training. As sale people become sales professionals they soon realize they can parlay their new found talents outside the auto industry and in more cases then not gain better hours, a more professional enviorment, a more consistent or even better pay plan which may or may not include residual income. The dealerships who offer these things and are professional in nature do keep top sales professionals.

You always here, "everyone is replaceable". This may not be as easy as most people think. I have GM's on a daily basis asking me if I know of any good ISM looking for a job. They usually hire a computer guy who can't sell or a sells guy who is lost in the eCommerce enviorment.

On the Internet side I think that most GM's realize they need to be better in the eCommerce world but do not or will not establish a budget that would attract a top internet guy. When the GM and eCommerce Director do see "eye to eye" great things usually happen at that store.

Ralph's pay chart got me thinking a bit. Why would you want a person with the lowest amount of training, education, job experience and income (traditionally speaking) working all of your incoming leads in a BDC situation? Why not have the best of the best working those leads?
Just trying to think outside the box a bit here.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Philip Zelinger on February 16, 2008 at 10:49am

Thanks Terry, I have already been preaching that the the Internet/CCC-BDC Manager of today is the GSM of yesterday. Maybe that is the answer - to advertise for - and hire a "GSM" and then define his duties to prioritize the virtual showroom. I will try reviewing my inventory of resume's for GSM's and see if I can find someone who is willing to stop living in yesterday so we can all move into tomorrow.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Terry Holbrook on February 18, 2008 at 7:21am

Philip,

You are looking in the right place. There are some here!

I talk to GM's daily that are looking for ISM.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dennis Rushing on February 20, 2008 at 6:20pm

Phillip,
The biggest problem of course for any dealership that finally lands a great Internet Sales person, Manager or Director usually ends when the pay plan does not meet the amount of skill and effort required to do the job. In all of my years dealing with Internet Sales and the privlege of meeting and working with the "elite" in the country, I can tell you now that there are only about 150 - 200 maximum "true" Internet Sales Managers in the entire country! If you realize how many franchise dealers there are and divide.... Well, you do the math.

It takes years to develop a proper Internet Sales Manager, but success is only obtained when they are trained by experience and proven ability. I have found that it is usually the GM and Desk Management teams that squash what could be the super star they are looking for. If you can't get one of the "Elite" for your clients consider other alternative systems to install that will overcome the shortfall and not leave the dealership at the mercy of when the "guy" leaves or when he simply does not exist.

If pay plan is not the issue, then the dealership policies of the rules of engagement concerning Internet cusotmers usually come into play sooner or later. If you look to the "GSM" you will most likely find an old school mentality that will spell the end of the program before it can get off the ground.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Philip Zelinger on February 20, 2008 at 7:38pm

Thanks for confirming what I also observed. I think the GSM of yesterday is the biggest obstacle to the opportunities that the internet represents for tomorrow. I have designed several pay plans based on inter-department "bottom line profit" goals and shared income based on idividual contributions that are designed to pay the people that do the job the lion share but also compensate the one's that may normaly challenge the internet department just enough to stay the heck out of their way! If you have any examples of what we obviously agree is the answer I am sure that I, as well as all of our ADM friends would appreciate it!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Terry Holbrook on February 21, 2008 at 8:30am

I observed an operation that worked VERY well. Over 200 units a month internet and fleet combined. What they had to do was make the Fleet/Internet separte from sales. The Director reported to the GM, worked all of his own deals. The department was also paid on Parts and Service revenue generated by their customers vin#'s. All employee's in this department were paid by the Director. Basically a dealership inside a dealership.

The GSM and Sales Managers still got rewarded from their efforts with MPA money or other volume programs.

The point is they left the right person alone to go out and get the goverment contracts, hire who he wanted and make a ton of money for everyone. Most dealerships would not take that risk because they have been put together by many '"golden child" type salesman before.

▶ Reply to This

• 1
• 2