I am frequently asked what makes a great Internet Department. Often times it is a dealer looking for a simple answer to a larger problem — they are not selling enough vehicles. There are no quick fixes. It takes thorough planning, careful implementation, constant management and continuous improvement.

Here are the top ten ways to improve any Internet Department:

• 1) Education — You need to educate yourself in the complete art of Internet sales and business development. First you need to learn about all of the tools that you will use on an everyday basis, such as the Internet itself, e-mail, instant messaging, lead management systems and CRM technology. You also need to learn all about your lead source providers. It is important to know where your leads are coming from. You need to educate yourself on all of the automotive information sites on the net. Learn what your prospects are learning, so you can have a solid conversation with them. Learn all of the statistics and numbers relevant to your craft; this will enable you to track your evolution. Most importantly, develop a standard operating procedure, and stick to it.



• 2) Respect — Respect your prospects and customers. This is so simple and yet it is one of the most difficult things to teach. Respect people's time. Respect the fact that their automobile purchase will be one of the most expensive things they will buy in their entire life. Respect the fact that they don't buy cars everyday. On the other hand, you sell vehicles everyday of your career. Sometimes we forget that and get impatient or frustrated with people. Respect yourself! Have pride in what you do. Be honest with your customers. If you promise them something follow through. Carry yourself like a professional at all times. Be all you can be, or why bother getting out of bed in the morning.



• 3) Be Organized — I can't stress this enough, there is so much happening in the department. If you do not have a system in place to handle everything, you will fail quickly. You need to utilize the full capabilities of your CRM or lead management system, especially the organizer and daily planner.



• 4) Keep Track of Your Results — Use your lead management system to track everything and I mean everything. For example how many appointments were made, how many appointments showed, how many appointments that showed got spotted. Track response time and closing ratio. Basically track every possible variable.



• 5) Set Goals — Goals are the roadmap to get you to your destination, which is why they are so important. Goals need to be SMART-Specific, Manageable, Achievable, Realistic and Tangible. To be a good goal, setter you must set your goals (Long Term, Mid Term and Short Term), and then write a plan to reach them. Track your goals and make a commitment to achieve them.



• 6) Train — You need to train. The harder you train, the better you will become and the closer you will be to mastering your craft. Even if you have been in the business for years, you still need to train. Look at Michael Jordan, he didn't stop training because he was the best on the planet. As a matter of fact he trained even harder because he was the best. Here is another secret: If you master your craft, it will guarantee you a career in this business. As much as it is wonderful it is also chaotic and unpredictable. If you are an expert in your field you will have stability and job security.



• 7) Testing and Certification — You need to monitor the retention level on what you learned by testing regularly. If you are watch a training video or read a training book and you didn't retain anything, what was the point?



• 8) Phone Skills — You need to be a master on the phone. The phone is the strongest tool in your toolbox. You need to master the phone process as well as be a master of overcoming objections. The better you are on the phone the better your department will be.



• 9) Follow-Up — That is what most of the job is going to be about. So embrace it, accept it and master it. Enlist the help of technology to assist you. But remember, it has to be constant and methodical.



• 10) Think Outside The Box — This is so important. Think out of the box; don't be afraid to try something a little different or new. Get creative; your mission is to generate traffic for your dealership. Don't confine yourself and your dealership to antiquated advertising and promotion strategies.




Always remember to keep the end in sight. It is the long-term payoff that we want to realize and that takes discipline and consistency. You can't do everything I just mentioned once — you need to do it every day of every month, every month of every year and every year forever. It takes two things to be successful — a plan and someone to implement it. And if it's not you, it might be your competition.