Does your BDC Prepare the Customer for a Productive Visit?

The goal of a customer visiting the showroom is to have a productive experience. In order to do that, they have a checklist of information and research to complete prior to visiting a dealership. When your BDC agents help your customer complete their pre-visit checklist, the sales team can be prepared and deliver a great experience.

Many dealerships have their sales team working internet leads and following up with uncontacted customers, but this model is almost always stressful and ineffective for both the reps and the customers.

If your sales team is working leads, following up with contacted and uncontacted customers, taking walk-ins, and completing appointments in the showroom, they are bound to be spread thin. The customer in front of them will always be the priority, pushing all follow-up and unworked leads onto the backburner. This can lengthen response time, decrease engagement, and ultimately lead your customer to take their business elsewhere.

The sales team is dedicated to forward movement, constantly looking for growth. They should be prepared to handle any customer who walks through the door and know exactly what they need to do and say to close the deal. The problem is, due to our more aggressive automotive forefathers, the general public has a negative stereotype associated with sales reps.

In an aggressive market, a customer typically has 3 to 5 dealerships to choose from. Receiving calls, emails, and texts from five separate dealerships can be overwhelming, and customers tend to feel like they are being pressured into purchasing. If your sales reps are reaching out to your customers, they are trying to get them to come in so they can sell the car, and your customers can tell. This is where the BDC comes in handy.

The sales BDC is an extension of the sales team. A well trained BDC agent can answer questions about vehicles, check availability, overcome objections, and schedule appointments without ever urging the customer to purchase a vehicle. This takes away the pressure and allows your customer to feel like they are in control of their car shopping process. Customers who feel served, not sold, are likely to give you an opportunity to close a deal.

Your processes and scripts should take an informative approach as well as persuasive. If your customers see your BDC as a resource, they’re more likely to address reservations, questions, and concerns. The more your customer reveals to your BDC agent, the more information your sales reps will have to customize their approach.

The result is a prepared customer and a prepared sales team, a true win–win.