DealersEdge Professional Forums

Hi guys. I recently got hired to be the main Internet guy at a new dealership in Long Island, NY. I have never worked as an Internet Manager before, and I was wondering if I could get some tips.

First off, we are going to be using ADP DealerSuite. I have NEVER used this program before. Is there any place on the net that can give me some tutorials on the program itself? Is it fairly easy to use and setup?

Secondly, should I go with an OEM site, or do you guys think I should find a template, and work from there? Or even have the dealership go out and have someone design it?

Thirdly, and most importantly.. pay. I am getting $400 a week base. And then $15 for every appt I make, and $30 for every 10 that show up, and $40 for every 20 that show up, plus some bonuses here and there. Also, I am told to not sell the car. Basically, once I get a lead from the site, I make the appt.. and I simply hand them off to the Sales Manager once they arrive. Is that common practice? Is that a good thing? Or is that a bad thing? The pay is what really has me curious, because as I said.. I've never been an Internet Manager before, and I want to know if I'm getting screwred or not! Or if I got offered a good deal!

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Texas guy - from another Texas guy, but closer to home in Dallas, it sounds like you are just acting as a BDC appointment setter. In that case you have a pretty good pay plan and they are giving you good advice -- Don't sell the car, sell the appointment. Unless you get authorized to sell the cars though, you won't make much money. The big keys for your success are lead volume and tools available. ADP's system is not ideal for lead management, do you have proper training? Do you have a good website that is generating leads? Are you buying any 3rd Party leads like from Dealix or AutoTrader?

Texasguy, ADP has lots of free courses available on the Web Suite applications that you can take right at your desk (these are called coach training and the utilize an Internet connection to a 'net meeting' style class as well as an 800 number with the live instructor). The classes can be seen at www.dealersuite.com or there is an extensive training catalogue available that outlines all of the courses. If you send me your dealership name and your name I can have one sent to you.

Good luck.

Hi Texas Guy:

Don't overlook the manufacturer for some advice. Most now have interactive training courses that should be useful. In my opinion, 3rd party sites will get you the most bang for your buck. Just remember to be as timely as possible in replying to any internet requests. You might want to set things up so you get an alert (pager/phone) when a lead comes in. Good luck and remember, have fun!

Linda

Linda Graham Hansen
Auto Dealer Focus www.autodealerfocus.com

Hello. I have been an internet director for a little over five years one dealership for 3.5 years. Until headhunted and ventured out. However, I used to be a call center director for inbound and outbound call centers for 9 years prior. With my tenure I have built a few internet depts with Huge Success. Setting appointments,"painting a picture" for the customer of what we can do for them!. Building staff from 2 to 8 and running a true 12-14 internet close. Taking the phone ups. And my last month with a staff of 8. We had 436 show with 187 sold. And I have even went to do start ups at other dealers. I have got soem great no to low cost Ideas that will completely blow up your department. Lead providers are great.. if you use the right ones! You need to be able to track your results with accurate results. Any questions or help please email me at jnw202020@hotmail.com

jman those are pretty impresive numbers. Questions:
1. were those 487 kept appointments internet leads, phone ups, or a combo?
2. What % of the total opportunities (leads) that you had did those 487 represent?