Jennifer Schrader is the Internet sales and BDC manager at Williams KIA in Traverse City, MI. We were on the subject of reports and how crucial it is for Internet sales managers / BDC managers to track their performance. So I asked her if she would write a quick article on how she came about tracking her performance and how it has benefited her and her department.
Here it is:
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Benefiting from your Reports
Starting in the Internet Sales department for a small buy-here-pay-here dealership with 5 locations I had quickly gained knowledge on how to sell to internet leads. I then moved onto a volume dealership with an increased flow of internet traffic and leads. I had done very well working with the increased volume of leads and was successful with setting appointments and closing sales.
After setting a few sales records for the dealership; I felt the need to track my performance; number of appointments made, shown appointments to customers sold. I decided throw down what was floating in my head into a spreadsheet. Within a short time I had a resourceful report for tracking my MONTH END and a YEAR END SUMMARY results.
I quickly found that tracking; total internet leads to scheduled appointments, kept appointments to appointments sold provide huge benefits and enable you to track your strong and weak key performance areas.
Here are some of the benefits that have been very useful to me and my department.
- Keeps yourself and your team on track
- Quicker buy-in from General Management
- Measuring your success
- Allows you to set obtainable goals
- Determines where improvements are needed:
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- Appointments are down (follow-up needs to improve)
- Kept appointments down (follow-up and more accurate appointment confirmation)
- High shows ~ Low Sales (closing the customer needs improved)
The number 1 benefit of tracking your performance is receiving acknowledgement from upper management while being prepared to answer “the questions”. How many times has your GM or GSM asked you for a number off the top of your head regarding status of your Internet sales performance? With this report there are no questions to be asked; everything is there!
My spread sheet reports have been a huge asset for myself and my BDC. I thought I would share them with whoever is interested. If you’re not already tracking your appointment to sales performance, maybe these will help.
Guest Posting by Jennifer Schrader
Business Development Center Director for Williams KIA