Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix, AZ grew its internet staff from 10 to over 300 employees through a focus on organizational development. They created specialized business development centers and internet sales teams to effectively manage increasing lead volumes. Defining roles, processes, and metrics was key to coordinating this large staff and ensuring quality lead responses.

1. Growing Your Internet Staff from 10 to 300 Cars per Month

2. Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix, AZ became the USA’s
leading Internet retailer of new and certified used
Chevrolet vehicles… Human Resource Development
was the key (secret sauce) to success.

3. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
Growing Your Internet Staff from 10 to 300 Cars per Month
Ralph Paglia - eBusiness Director
Organizational Development is the
essential stumbling block that
many dealers and ISM’s report as
the primary reason for Internet
Sales Operations failure or lack of
growth into a strategically
significant level of sales.

4. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:

5. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
5
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
100,000
Courtesy Chevrolet Monthly Web Traffic; Nov. 2005 through Jan. 2007
BZ Results site Cobalt GM PowerShift Site Reynolds Spanish Site SEO/SEM Driven Micro-Sites
AZ Central-Chevy Site ClickMotive SEM Sites Other Sites
Courtesy Chevrolet’s Internet Sales Team growth has Allowed the
Dealership to Become More Aggressive with Lower Cost Online Marketing
Growing Your Internet Team’s Capabilities Allows
Dealers to Feel More Confident about Online Ads

6. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
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Courtesy Chevrolet 2006 Lead Volume
by Broad Category Source Type
Third Party Sourced Leads
26,095
43%
GM Provided Leads
1,997
3%
SEM/SEO Generated Leads
14,792
24%
CRM & Non-Web
Generated Leads
18,738
30%
SEM/SEO Generated Leads Third Party Sourced Leads GM Provided Leads CRM & Non-Web Generated Leads
61,642 Leads Generated and Tracked within CRM System
Growing Your Internet Staff from 10 to 300 Cars
per Month Requires Large Quantities of Leads

7. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
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Unit Sales Volume by Lead Source Category
Third Party Sourced Leads
989
25%
GM Provided Leads
249
6%
SEM/SEO Generated Leads
1,075
27%
CRM & BDC Recycled
Web Generated Leads
1,695
42%
SEM/SEO Generated Leads Third Party Sourced Leads GM Provided Leads CRM & Non-Web Generated Leads
4,008 eBusiness Department Sales of New & Used Vehicles in 2006
Segmented by Marketing Category (Total Store Sales >11,000)
Growing Your Internet Staff using Large Quantities
of Leads will Generate Higher Volumes of Sales

8. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
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Sales/Lead Closing Ratios ranged from 5.15% to 16.64%
when segmented into categories based on Marketing Type
11.76%
5.15%
16.64%
9.93%
0.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
8.00%
10.00%
12.00%
14.00%
16.00%
18.00%
SEM/SEO Generated Leads Third Party Sourced Leads GM Provided Leads CRM & Non-Web Generated Leads
SEM/SEO Generated Leads 14,792 591 8,252 5,652 38% 1,075 11.76%
Third Party Sourced Leads 26,095 1,339 17,838 6,909 26% 989 5.15%
GM Provided Leads 1,997 55 1,316 501 25% 249 16.64%
CRM & Non-Web Generated Leads 18,738 1,997 15,065 1,665 9% 1,695 9.93%
Totals 61,642 3983 42471 14746 24% 4008 8.55%
Monthly Averages for 2006 5,137 332 3,539 1,229 24% 334 8.55%
Lead Source
Total
Leads
Working Completed Sold LeadsInvalid Leads
Growing Your Internet Staff using Large Quantities
of Leads will Result in Closing Ratio Variations

9. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
Internet Strategy Current National Close Rate 9%
Realistic Planning Potential is 18%
Pains 50% of a dealer’s Phone, Lead and Showroom traffic originates from the net…
What is your dealer’s current marketing strategy? Lead providers? What is
submission ratio from dealer’s site? Who updates it? Dedicated people?
Process? Pricing strategy? Does dealer monitor and measure visitors, leads,
response rate, appt%, show%, close%, profit, CSI, etc… eBusiness training?
Strategic
Goal
Drive TRAFFIC to an INTERACTIVE web site that generates leads that flow
into dealer’s PROCESS engine which converts them into SALES.
Convert Internet leads into showroom visitors that buy cars
Tactical
Objectives
Use a predefined and consistently executed inquiry response process,
customized email templates and phone scripts that result in appointments
that generate increased customer visits to the dealership
Process 1. Autoreply acknowledges inquiry and sets customer expectations
2. Email with price quotes on several vehicles and sets stage for phone
contact is sent within 30 minutes of lead arrival (business hours)
3. Call customer on phone within 45 minutes
4. Schedule showroom visit & test drive appointment
5. Confirm Appointment via email AND 3rd party phone call
Technology •Internet leads from ALL sources routed into Lead Management Tool that
integrates with DMS, reducing keystroke entry of customer information
•Wireless devices for ISS’s that integrate with Lead Management Tool
Metrics Lead volume by ISS with response time, appointment & closing ratios

10. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
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Inbound Internet Lead Management Process
Dealer Lead
Management
Process Map
Growing Your Internet Sales Team Requires that you
Define what Your Internet Process Should Look Like

11. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
5. New Chevrolet Internet Sales
6. Used Car Internet Sales
7. Bell Road Internet Sales
8. Commercial Internet Sales
1. New Chevrolet BDC
2. Used Car BDC
3. Wholesale Parts BDC
4. eFinance Sales Team
Growing Your Internet Sales Team works best
when it occurs “Organically” and is Specialized
Courtesy Chevrolet is a single point Chevy dealer with 3
fully staffed BDC Team’s, an eFinance Sales Team and 4
Internet Sales Teams. These 8 teams of automotive sales
professionals are identified as follows:
Organic Growth
Let’s Take a Look at How It Happens…

12. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:

13. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:

14. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:

15. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
Courtesy Chevrolet CRM/eBusiness New BDC
with 27 Work Stations Opened in September, 2006

16. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
Courtesy Chevrolet CRM/eBusiness New BDC
with 27 Work Stations Opened in September, 2006
90,000+ Outbound
Phone Calls / Month

17. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:

18. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:

19. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:

20. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
Document Roles & Responsibilities
for All Internet Sales Positions

21. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
* July 2006 Interactive Marketing Budget
Document Pay Plan & Bonus Structure
that reflects taller Internet sales funnel

22. Lead Volume puts pressure on response
times as a factor of staffing levels!

23. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
Top 4 Ways
to Close
More Sales
to Leads
Received
Dealer Response Attributes
Experienced by Customers within
24 hours of Submitting an Inquiry
Purchase
Respondents*
who DID
NOT
experience
the attribute
% of
Purchase*
among the
Leads who
DID
Experience
the attribute
Statistical
Correlation
Factor of
Response
attribute
with Vehicle
Purchase
#1
Make Direct Phone Contact with Customer
(after sending Email w/availability & prices) 17% 27% 11
#2 Send Price Quotes by Email to Customer 20% 27% 9
#3
Contact Customer more than once by Email
and Telephone (within First 24 Hours) 21% 25% 5
#4
Make sure Customers are either Completely or
Very Satisfied with the Lead Response 21% 24% 3
*Survey Participants who Purchased a Vehicle were identified via RDR data cross reference and matching with Internet Lead Data
Staffing and Organizational Structure Determines
Process Execution Capabilities and Monitoring

24. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
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Customer goes online
and submits Lead
Internet Sales Specialist ISS)
reviews lead, selects 4
vehicles for Price Quotes
Sends email with Quotes & Cars
BDC Staff makes initial phone call,
collects customer info, sets up an
appointment for the ISS
If no appointment, ISS
Contacts customer and seeks
appointment and/or agreement
Staffing and Organizational Structure Determines
Process Execution Capabilities and Monitoring

25. Lead Process Maps
should be indexed to
email templates,
phone scripts and
word tracks so that
dealership employees
have a “paint by
numbers” guide to
what is expected when
a lead is received.
This process map
focuses on the first 12
hours after a new lead
is received.

26. Lead Process Maps
should contain brief
explanations for the logic
and execution tips for
employees to review
before actually using the
email templates, phone
scripts and word tracks.
Actual template
illustrations make it easy
for dealership employees
to recognize the right
template or document
when they see it in their
CRM tool.

27. When Lead
Process Maps are indexed to
correspondingly numbered
email templates, phone
scripts and word tracks, the
dealership is far more likely to
execute the repetitious tasks
that create customer
experiences which correlate
with higher sales closing
ratios. The best process
maps break down email and
phone contact processes into
separate flows so that they
can be executed by different
resources when scaling up
lead volumes and
organization structures.

28. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
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Although many car guys will say they believe in the concept of following up until
prospects either buy or die… Large scale lead generation through highly effective
marketing practices requires that scarce resources be allocated to where they will
generate the most sales. Outsourcing followup on leads that have reached a
designated status (dormant) or assigning them to alternate resources such as a BDC
will allow ISS’s to stay focused on the 50% of the leads that buy, and do so within the
first 10 days
Have a defined process for “closing out” unsold leads

29. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
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LMP Scoring Index
Objective Review of
Dealership Employee Lead
responses encourages
consistency and creates a
numeric accountability –
an LMP Report Card for
Dealer or GM review…
Actual OEM Internet Mystery Shop Scoring Index

30. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
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Nothing has more impact on results
than phone contact with the customer!
Growing Your Internet Staff
from 10 to 300 Cars per Month
Outbound phone calls, ongoing phone follow-up and
responding to emails requires adequate staffing and skill levels

31. Telephone Process
• 85% of Web visitors who contact the dealership
before coming into the showroom, use the phone
• Direct Phone contact (after responding to an
Internet lead by email), has the greatest impact on
increasing sales closing ratios
Phone Follow-Up Sales Strategy:
• Focus on having a set of objectives in front of us,
each time we make an email follow-up call
• Word Track Forms (scripts) are used for training
and collecting customer information during each
call that is made immediately after sending
personalized email response

32. A T T R A C T • I N T E R A C T • R E S P O N D • S E L L • S E R V I C E • R E T A I N © Copyright 2011 Ralph Paglia
January 18 - 20 in Atlanta, GA with:
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