In the Venn diagram that is a dealership’s departments sits a group of people inhabiting the intersection that is the overlap. (Often a back room somewhere, quarantined away from the left of dealership civilization). They are fighting for the store’s survival, all with a shared mission (appointments, be they service, sales, or acquisition), using the tools given to them to the best of their ability. They’re your BDC and the person in charge is the BDC Manager. The charge given to that manager, however, doesn’t mean they’re a leader. The title gives them the platform. They must meet requirements before becoming a leader, both in their tucked away department, and across the store.
The BDC Manager has been tagged to lead the rag-tag group of workhorses hopefully because of their experience, success, interpersonal skills, knowledge of technology utilization, ability to analyze reports, and initiative rather than the countless unfair reasons I’ve seen, spanning the spectrum from nepotism, to not fitting in at the sales managers’ desk, to quietly dating the General Manager, and everything in between. However they got there, earned or otherwise, (hopefully earned) the title alone doesn’t mean they are a leader.
Becoming a leader, not just of one team, but in the eyes of all dealership personnel, takes more than championing a successful department. Sure, that helps. If the department is not successful, do they deserve to be considered a leader any more or less than a sales manager does while overseeing an underperforming sales team? Probably not. Becoming a leader is what needs to happen before upward mobility in any organization takes place (ideally). Becoming a leader means you have won people over across departments, not just your own.
Here are the four questions to ask your BDC Manager, and the four answers you should hope to hear, to determine if they’re a leader, or just a manager.
Question #1:
How do you build trust with your BDC team?
Preferred Answer:
“I remind them my job is to help them grow and perform at a higher level, not just to make them complete tasks.”
Question #2:
How do you earn respect from salespeople?
Preferred Answer:
“I show them how things in the CRM are done, and done correctly, not just what CRM work is expected of them. I spend time with salespeople one-on-one so they can see there is nothing in the CRM they are tasked to do that I can’t do at a high level. Once they view me as a teacher, they’ll learn to view me as a leader.”
Question #3:
How do you get taken seriously by sales managers?
Preferred Answer:
“I tell them I’m here to support them, but I need their help if anyone is going to succeed. Constant communication throughout the work day to ensure everyone is on the same page (and writing just as much on that page) will prove I am not just a servant to their needs, but the one feeding the floor with opportunities. This, plus equaling or exceeding their work ethic makes me a leader in their eyes.”
Question #4:
How do you gain recognition as a leader by ownership?
Preferred Answer:
“I celebrate the wins of my department every month (and make sure to give specific commendations to my individual team members as there is no success without their efforts) while taking responsibility for any shortfalls my department had. I don’t make excuses, I make results.”
If it is the ownership asking this of a new BDC Manager, certainly they can be talking about what they’ll do in the future. (These could also double as great interview questions for a person applying for a BDC Manager role.) If this is a performance evaluation of someone who has already lived this position, hopefully they are giving these answers in past-tense language as they should have already accomplished these acknowledgements.
A great BDC exists to champion multiple departments in the dealership, not just one, and it is for that reason the BDC Manager has an obligation to work toward becoming a leader as their domain impacts so much more than just one department. Seek answers to these questions, and listen for their responses, to determine if you have the right person in place to lead beyond the back room of the BDC.
BDC Managers are just one outlet. Do your salespeople know how to leverage sales questions to close customers?
