Step Two- The Leader's Reconnaissance

All good leaders have an eye on the future and the competition. In today’s market place, trends change quicker than you can change your socks. By watching what is happening out there (the competition) you will stay in tune with them and be able to evaluate what they are doing and respond accordingly. In other words, anything to help us gain the advantage.

Your recon will focus on the following items:

1. Where are the phone numbers ringing? Check every number you have online.

1. How many times is it ringing? Keep it under 3 rings
2. If not answered, is there a mailbox, and are the messages being returned in a timely manner?
3. Is there a Who’s calling number? This provides a whisper to the customer the call will be recorded for quality control. You will be able to log in and listen to your people and the objections they are facing. You will find ones not setting appointments are probably giving out too much information, or if one is constantly bringing “heat” it may be because he is overpromising.
4. If so, is anybody listening to the recordings?

If not- who is responsible? If so, what are they hearing as an opportunity to improve employees?

5. If so, what weaknesses or trends are they hearing?

2. Where are the leads coming from?

1. Contact info on each vendor and a copy of the agreements?
   - schedule an appt with the vendors ASAP- they often provide great insight and help, and sometimes have training events coming up to help you ramp up.

2. What is your url? Does it make sense? Do you have specials listed? Does each and every page of your website and vendors have accurate information? My old store still has my name on the Cars.com banners, over a year after I left.
   
   
3. How is it performing in search engine results? Google, Yahoo, local listings, maps. What key words are important?
   
   
4. Where is your inventory being pushed?
   ii. What is the audience at each website/recipient? E.g., horse people, Gen Y’ers, affluent people?

5. Where are the leads going?
   
   
6. Do you have a lead manager?
   - If not, why not? Can you get by with Outlook or Act?
   - If so, can you be trained on it quickly? You need to learn how to respond to a lead, reassign, find, and generate reports so you are able to be self-sufficient.

7. How are they being assigned?
   - Round robin? Enough people to handle no more than 120 leads/month.
   - Handed out? Hard to track but provides an opportunity to manage employees by interfacing and discussing each lead.

8. Is there a process?
   - What is it? (Is it written down?)
   - Is it being followed?
   - What seems to be working, and what is not?
   - How long are you keeping leads active?

3. Are templates being used?

1. Should be for the long term follow up. Personalized emails will get the best results, however, after a few days of non-response, you will need to handle them with pre-formed emails, waiting to get a response.
   
   
2. Mass email campaigns? Remember your audience. Generate emails the targets will be interested in. For example, someone with a work truck will be interested in savings in the service department, but probably won’t be interested in custom wheels (after he has purchased) or what the lease special is on a compact car. Customers looking for a deal on a car will be interested in the accessories and parts specials, as well as a good price for their new vehicle.
   

4. Do you have access to the DMS system to check deals?This is invaluable. Unless you are desking every deal that comes in, you will miss deals. Sales people are lazy, and will not ask where they found you or the car. Back-tracking each morning and at the end of every month, use the DMS to screen names in your CRM and phone numbers in your Cars and Autotrader reports. You will be amazed at how many more deals you will find!

5. What are you tracking? Better yet, what do the GM and sales managers track?

1. Leads
2. Sold
3. Cost
4. Gross Profit
5. Cost/Lead
6. Cost/Sold
7. Closing ratios
8. Touches
9. Certified
10. Warranties, etc.
11. Stock number
12. Deal number
13. Vehicle
14. Age of vehicle
15. Age of leads
16. Distance of leads sold
17. Response time
    

By tracking the basics and many of the above items, you will demonstrate to your GM you are thorough and meticulous in your reports, and they can come to you for information that can be regarded as factual. I warn you: garbage in, garbage out! The best thing you can do is to use the SAME METRIC every month. Don’t call “this” a deal one month and not the next. You will never be able to chart your course. Use the same stipulations for a deal each time and your numbers will reveal a trend in all you do.