The Internet Sales Department is the most important sales department in a dealership. The way people research, communicate, shop and make purchases has completely changed. While business is currently very good, dealerships have to make sure that good business does not create bad habits. Now is the best time to invest in automotive sales training, and technology such as call tracking. This will not only create and further develop good habits, but it will also have them prepared for changes in the automotive industry down the road.
The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast Presents:
Interviewing A Dealer Group Executive Who increased Revenue By Over $5 Million Per Year: Karen Rodriguez
This week on the Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast, Sean V. Bradley, CSP interviews Karen Rodriguez, the Director of Operations at Doral Automotive Group, a 3 rooftop automotive group in southern Florida. She discusses her secret weapon that help turn Doral Lincoln in Doral, FL into the 3rd largest volume Lincoln dealership in the nation.
Joining them on today’s interview is Kelly Koliopulos, the Sr. Director of Sales for CallSource, as a subject matter expert on CallSource’s call tracking, lead management, and business analytic solution. They discuss how CallSource became Karen’s secret weapon and helps her automotive group sell an additional 60 units per month and generate over $5 million in additional revenue each year.
About Karen Rodriguez
Karen Rodriguez is the Director of Operations for the Doral Automotive Group, a 3 rooftop automotive group in southern Florida. Karen graduated from the University of Miami with an accounting degree, worked as a CPA, then she transitioned to the dealership, working in the automotive industry for eight years now.
After working in every department of the dealership, she eventually went to the NADA Dealer Academy and started working as the BDC Manager for almost six years and made tremendous progress. She helped the Doral Automotive Group grow from one store to three, purchasing Ford of Kendall in Palmetto Bay, FL two and half years ago and just recently opening their third location, Lincoln of Cutler Bay in South Miami Heights, FL. Today, Karen is the Director of Operations, overseeing the three stores that combine to sell about 800 – 900 vehicles each month.
About CallSource & CallRevu
CallSource and CallRevu is the industry leader for call tracking, lead management, and business analytic solutions. CallRevu Acquired CallSource’s automotive division in September 2021. However, CallRevu does not intend to eliminate any of CallSources technology, people, or services. Instead, CallRevu plans to combine the best of both businesses to advance its technology and provide a higher level of service to automotive dealerships.
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Show Notes: The Importance of Automotive Sales Training & Call Tracking
The Importance Of The Internet Sales Department
The Internet Sales Department is the most important sales department in a dealership. The way people research, communicate, shop and make purchases has completely changed. This is especially true in the automotive industry since the COVID-19 pandemic. With this in mind, the Internet / BDC Managers and Directors have to be real managers. They have to be extremely talented sales managers, if not the most talented sales manager within the dealership. With the current trends in the automotive industry, the Internet / BDC Managers and Directors of today are going to be the most successful GMs and dealers of the future.
The Need For Automotive Sales Training
The lack of inventory and vehicle availability is an issue on every lot. This makes every customer and lead extremely important. Dealerships and the staff need to be super focused on every opportunity. Spending tens of thousands of dollars each month on advertising, social media, and leads, automotive dealerships can’t afford to drop the ball on any single prospect.
Karen has noticed that people are shopping more. Not just across the same brand, but also across multiple brands. They are shopping more because they are trying to see where they can find a car. Karen receives leads from customers who would have never sent a lead for her brand. However, given the new vehicle inventory crisis, Karen has been given exposure and an opportunity to earn their business. If those leads are not properly handled, they will continue to shop and buy a car from somewhere else.
Call Tracking Technology Will Aid With Automotive Sales Training
Karen uses CallSource, recently acquired by CallRevu, to assist her and her auto group. They are an inbound and outbound call recording, tracking, lead management and analysis tool in both English and Spanish for automotive dealerships. Every dealership is going to have mishandled calls. This problem is the amount of time it takes to find and address them.
One of the biggest benefits of utilizing CallRevu is that it takes the time to find these calls out of the equation. If the call did not result in an appointment or was mishandled, the CallRevu sends an alert to the dealership right away. This provides an extremely quick and expedited alert to the management team so they can reach back out to the customer right away.
Identify Problems & Create Solutions With Phone Tracking
One of the most common things Karen found is the mishandling of the call from the receptionist. Sometimes they are overwhelmed by the dealership’s call volume. This leads to the receptionist not fully listening to what the customer is saying. They are just trying to find out what department they need to send the call to. By utilizing CallRevu, Karen was able to identify this as a problem and put the proper fixes into place. Now, after 2 rings, the calls automatically reroute to the BDC.
Call Tracking & Recording Technology: CallRevu
Live Analysts For Phone Call Tracking
The most valuable part of CallRevu’s services is that they use live human analysts. Most other companies tend to use artificial intelligence, which in theory may sound like a good idea. However, with it comes to phone conversations, you need to have that human element involved. With live human analysts, CallRevu has a higher level of accuracy. As a result, CallRevu has a higher level of utilization from sales managers and other dealership employees.
Simple Approach
CallRevu also separates themselves from the competition because they keep it simple. Dealership employees have so different dashboards and platforms they have to log into at any given time. Of these logins, the CRM is the most important system for all dealership employees. CallRevu solves this problem through integration. CallSource has impeccable integration with automotive CRMs. This allows dealership employees being able to find all of the reports and calls within the CRM.
Partners, Not Venders
CallRevu sets themselves apart from the competition through relationships. CallRevu is not your typical vendor. The type of vendor that you rarely hear from, with interactions only happening when you call them or submit your cancellation. CallRevu is much different than that. They want to be partners with their customers. They take a lot of time understanding the process for each of their dealerships, along with the challenges they have. From there, they collaborate and work together to help them solve their problems.
The Importance of Automotive Sales Training & Call Tracking
Automotive Sales Results
Each day, Karen receives approximately 20 – 30 alerts from all three stores. These alerts are handled by Karen and the management team and at least two of them get converted. While some of these sales may have happened anyways, by utilizing CallRevu, it guaranteed it.
Over the course of a month, Karen averages a total of 60 conversions. Currently, gross profits are through the roof due to the inventory crisis. Using an average PVR of $7,000, these extra 60 units per month results in a gross profit increase of roughly $420,000 each month. To put that into perspective, that is a net lift of 720 cars and over $5,000,000 in gross profit each year.
While this is for three locations, the average net lift for each store at the Doral Automotive Group is 20 sales and $140,000 in gross profit. Again, to put that into perspective, it is a net lift of 240 cars and roughly $1,680,000 in gross profit each year per. On an ROI standpoint, even if the results were a fraction of Karen’s, the return on investment would still be through the roof.
Automotive Service Results
With the inventory crisis, the service department is more important than ever. Kelley and CallRevu’s data shows that 40% – 50% of service calls were not being answered across all of their clients. With this data, CallRevu worked with each dealership client and identified if the issue was with a process change within the store or another factor. From there, they worked together and looked at internal and external BDC options to help manage this process. The results were incredible. By working with each dealership individually, Kelley and her team immediately saw that there was both an increase in CSI, and a 17% increase in service ROs.
Karen started utilizing CallSource for fixed operations three months ago. Like the rest of CallRevu’s clients, Karen too saw positive increases. Most notably, Doral Automotive Group increased their service outbound call connection ratio by over 10%.
Automotive Sales Training & Call Tracking
Why Does CallRevu & Phone Tracking Work?
The main reason that CallRevu works so well is because they make it so easy. CallRevu will tell you what went wrong on the call. In most cases, Karen and her team don’t even need to listen to the calls, as they know exactly what the issue with the call was. This makes it a much quicker and easier process.
CallRevu Aids With Automotive Sales Training
Additionally, from a training standpoint, it eliminates a ridiculous amount of time. Sales managers and trainers typically spend a lot of time looking for good and bad phone calls to grade and coach on. Now, they no longer have to. CallRevu identifies that information for you.
Automotive Sales Training Advice
While the inventory crisis is limiting the amount of cars the dealerships can sell, business is currently very good. Gross profits are through the roof and dealers are selling what they have very quickly. Kelley fears that dealerships may become complacent. She fears that good business will create bad habits. Then, when the market flips and inventory is more readily available, these bad habits will hurt dealerships and their people. Kelley’s best advice is that dealerships should not be pulling back financially on training and technology. Now is the best time to take advantage of training and technology. This will not only create and further develop good habits, but it will also have them prepared for changes in the automotive industry down the road.
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Automotive Sales Training & Call Tracking Resources
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The Millionaire Car Salesman Podcast: is the #1 Resource for Automotive Sales Professionals, Managers, and Owners. Also, join The Millionaire Car Salesman Facebook Group today!
The Against All Odds Radio Show: Hosting guests that have started from the bottom and rose to the top. Also, join The Against All Odds Radio Show Guests & Listeners Facebook Group for the podcasted episodes.
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CallRevu & Callsource: The industry leader for call tracking, lead management, and business analytic solutions.
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CarNow: Sell more cars now! Not only is CarNow.com. the market leader in tailored digital solutions, but they are built to help dealers sell more cars.