New To The Industry

[penpoint]

Hello All. This may not be the correct category for the post. If not, I apologize in advance.

I'm not in the automotive industry, but it is something that has long interested me. I'm thinking about a career change (currently in retail grocery) and have an opportunity to interview next week for an Internet Sales Manager position at a local dealership.

It is a small dealership in a small town and I believe the internet department is a one-person thing. At least their web site only shows one individual for the internet sales department and he is listed as the Internet Sales Manager. (I guess he's gone now and didn't update the site before leaving)

Anyway, I'm not at all sure what types of questions I should be asking at the interview. Of course, I know the things that I am concerned about (compensation, benefits, support, etc), but I was wondering if anyone might have any suggestions as to questions or topics I might need to address at a first interview. I realize that is a bit broad and general in nature.

The other thing is - is it a wise decision to try to break into this industry at 54 with no previous experience? I have a lot of knowledge, experience, and savvy concerning the internet and internet marketing, including developing websites, SEO work, and a good bit more. However, just reading some of the posts here at the forum I can see there's a whole lot more to it than just knowing your way around the internet.

I appreciate any thoughts anyone might like to share.

Regards,

Bill

 

[bzweifel]

Just know that It's basically the equivalent of enlisting in the Army @ the age of 54 years. Except there is no bootcamp. You get handed a rifle with the instructions "shoot that way"... or as General Patton put it, "Just drive down that road, until you get blown up".

 

[mcampo2501]

Blake is right. There really aren't that many dealers out there that are going to do the training necessary to make you successfully. The other part of this is that "internet sales" is a broad field. I've had internet sales on my business card for years. When I first entered into internet sales I was merely a floor salesman that got my leads over the internet. Today I run a department and am responsible for marketing. With your background in SEO and web design you would probably be a great candidate for intenet sales at a small dealership like you have described. If I were you I would go to the interview and ask for a very specific description of what they want you to do, and how your success will be measured. Will you be setting up appointments for salespeople? Will you be showing cars for the customers you bring in? Will you go through the whole sales process? Will you be responsible for the website and digital marketing? Any inventory marketing? What you bring to the table might not be exactly what this dealer has in mind. Go to the interview. Find out what they want you to do and how much they want to pay you to do it. If you think you can go in with what knowledge you already possess and make a difference, I don't think it could hurt to give it a try.

 

[penpoint]

Thanks for the input, Mike. Solid point about "...how success will be measured", I had not thought of that. I'll add it to my list of questions along with some of the others. On the positive side of things, I am a quick study and am able to learn and adapt very quickly. So, I guess it's a matter of sorting out their expectations and the potential for me to deliver on those expectations, as you intimate.

Great line, Blake - "Just drive down that road until you get blown up." Unfortunately, it wouldn't be the first time.

Thanks again for the feedback, guys.

 

[benmynattnissan]

Bill,
OK I will apologize up front for such a long response. Here is my take a bit of my story from some one who walked into a dealership 8 years ago having about the same experience as you do to day and teaching myself when interent was just starting to get big in the dealerships. 8 years ago I worked for a mom and pop franchise ford dealer in a small town in upstate NY most i knew about interent was better know how to use it (i am also that generation and erra at the time early 20s) the mom and pop place taught me a ton in the business which makes me so sucessfull today as a BDC director back up F&I this position can be very rewarding $$ wise you will have to be patience though. You will have ups and downs good and bad you in time you will learn what works what doesnt what sales reps to learn from and which ones not to and over the years every one in the business is guilty of creating there own bad habits its just finding them and fixing them. the auto business is picking back up its one of the few places that when times are great with little to no education can you make 45+++ a year however some days the hours are very long each dealership is different along with each manager no one runs the same in this business but at the end of the day its all about putting wheels in the street cause we at the dealership arent married to those parked ones on the lot. Best advice I can give you is if all possible link up with a well rounded BDC person that you can go to anytime and bounce stuff off of ask questions and learn from this postion sounds like what i do today i control everything when it comes to internet computers and technology along with sales customers and so on so forth along with work with all 8 sales reps 2 desk managers one f&i manager the key is effective communication. I will be more than happy to be a point of contact for you if you choose to take this position but just know this is just like retail and some weeks you will do 70+hours 6-12hour days (Job security if you can prove the success)
~Tina~

 

[penpoint]

Tina,
Thanks for the reply. Long responses are okay when they contain good information. Yeah, this seems like a job that screams for good networking and a little mentoring, at least for someone new. At least there are more resources available now, such as this forum. And I've always been one to go out and find the information I need instead of just waiting for someone to drop it in my lap.

Long hours? Guess I've been in retail for so long it seems like my middle name. I spent 18 years running our family's bakery/donut shop.

Anyway, thanks again for the reply and I'll definitely be contacting you if this clicks.

Regards,

Bill

 

[benmynattnissan]

Bill like some one else said make sure you know what they expect from you what is the dealerships over all goal are they open minded to changing stinkin thinkin and willing to spend $$'s to make your life easier and the sales floors life easier if its traffice they want what kind of traffice do they want and are they willing to see whats currently working drop whats not working and try something new which will cost them $$ lastly find out how its ran do you do take care of the customer from start to finish or do you make an appointment and roll it to the sales floor or do you hand out the internet leads fresh to the sales floor and manage how they are following up with them

 

[joe.pistell]

Hello All....

I'm not in the automotive industry, but it is something that has long interested me. I'm thinking about a career change (currently in retail grocery) and have an opportunity to interview next week for an Internet Sales Manager position at a local dealership.

It is a small dealership in a small town and I believe the internet department is a one-person thing.
Bill

Bill,

The car biz is a great recession proof industry, cars are everywhere, every minute they travel, cars are wearing out and as a bonus, everyone needs to drive a car to work! This equals lots of DEMAND!

We all know the internet is the shopping tool that everyone uses. The vast majority of your stores customers will have seen your dealers web site prior to purchase.

Thats the good news.

Selling cars is a team sport, Your pay and success will be driven by the players above you. You need LOTS of support to succeed. Training, inventory, flexibility to experiment with merchandising ideas (incl'ing promoting your FACE and name and local history).

Prepare yourself for some culture shock.
The car biz is has a "franchise sign" out from that insulates owners and managers from the consequences of moronic thinking. I have found that most managers were sales reps that upgraded into management with ZERO management skills (or training). All sales reps gather in huddles on the lot bitching about how bad the managers are. This creates a manager that NEVER has an original thought for fear of being be-littled by their sales team and this same manager is the 1st to tell the world how idiotic your ideas are.

Also, the sales team is not a team. Comissioned reps are not rewarded for honesty or team play. Reps see the business as a zero-sum game. When they get a bigger piece of the pie, someone elses gets smaller. Again, Honesty and integrity are not rewarded. You will invest 250 hours a month to make phone calls and emails designed to haul in that shopper and the shoppers HATE to reciprocate for fear that it'll comprimize their negotiating position. This "stealth shopper" will arrive on your lot, un announced and the other sales reps are REWARDED by hiding stealing your shopper.

From a digital marketing/merchanding point of view, I'd like you to know that the single most important success factor in the web site is the SIZE of the inventory. You're from the grocery/food biz, you know shoppers like choices! That means if your dealer is NOT a SUPERMARKET, then it helps if they are a specialist... 99% of small dealers are not. So, you have a Small town & small inventory, this produces lots of repeat customers and very little out side traffic. To make matters worse, to those outside visitors (who don't know your dealers name), once they see the small inventory they are likely to bail from your web site fast.


Thoughts?
Don't limit yourself to "internet sales". Allow yourself the freedom to "work the sales lot" freely.

 

[benmynattnissan]

Joe, Bill, All, Again 8 years at this 3 dealerships one of them was HUGE (no not billy fuccillo for all who know him) the other two small. Question Bill What is the backing brand of this dealership ford, mazda, nissan, honda? are they paird with multi backers toyota scion? where they are selling multi brand new cars caddy buick gmc for example. As for some of joes comments above. I agree and disagree i have seen the bicker the fighting the chaos where no one is working with one another and I have seen where everyone is a team player. As for the skating you out of your customers in a small dealership that doesnt get a lot of lot traffice i feel for the sales not to starve those net leads need to be turned over they are just like house deals and your pay cant be tied into the sales pay if you are threat to them and there pay yes they will skate you everytime however if they see you as a assest and there to help the dealership grow and sell more cars and sees that your new inexpierence "Green PEA" Ideas are proving themselves they will start to follow and do as they are asked and now you guys are cranking out the units aka cars. It can be a cut throat business however if its small town often times not as cut throat as jim has stated i saw alot of what jim has stated in my bigger dealership that i worked at and hated every bit of it and I will never go back to a big company such as hedrick group crown group i commute 50 miles one way to work because I love where I am and the people i work with and work for. bill i remember you asking about pay again each dealership pays bdc managers differently here is how my pay scale is set up i get a garuntee of x amount of dollars a week (its not pennies but its not millions however i would say its a amount that i can survive on if i didnt make anything more and i would make way to much for welfare services) at the end of each month based of the internet sales ROI report of totaled sold units new and pre owned before any deductions (cost of vendors ie auto trader cars.com true car) and the doc added in i get a percentage off that again its not a large one its 2% so say last month i can prove internet sales total gross profit this includes the doc fee added in to there 63334.00 that comes to a little over 1200 however now that 1200 is added only a portion of my garuntee (if we dont make shit in interent then i keep my full garuntee.) so say my portion of my monthly garuntee is 2500 now add the 1200 which is now 37000 this is greater then my monthly garuntee now im am gonna take 3700-my fully monthly garuntee of lets just say 3139.00 the difference is mine as my reward 560.00 so this month i made 3699.00 before tax now say i were to make that for the next 12 months i made pennies shy of 45k bill jim will agree these numbers arent inflated in any way these are numbers based of my small market with the oldest demagraphic in my region Salisbury NC

 

[penpoint]

Hey Joe,

Thanks for the info, it gives me a lot more to mull over. Especially the issue of inventory numbers. This town is roughly 13,000 in population and this particular dealership lists, on their website inventory, 52 new vehicles and 101 used. It looks good on their lot, but I can see where that is a minimal number out on the web. Particularly comparing those numbers to some of their competitors in a 60-80 mile radius who are listing twice that many, and more. On the positive side, this dealer has at least three dealerships that I know of and has his name out there through a ton of advertising (radio, tv, print). His name is quite well known in the region.

Christina - The dealership is a single brand - Nissan. You're in Salisbury? The grocer I work with is Food Lion. I think they're well known in your town.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. It has helped me develop a lot of questions and points to bring up when I talk with them. I'll have a much better grasp of the situation once I know how they define the position and what they are open to.

Regards,

Bill