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The Difference Between an Internet Manager and Internet Director

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(DealerKnows is excited to introduce to you our guest blogger and DealerKnows client Subi Fernando Ghosh who, we believe, emphasizes the importance of “dealership BUY-IN” better than most.)Differences Between Internet Manager & Internet Director

Having had multiple debates on the lack of standards in our industry for the Internet realm within it, I decided to come up with a few pointers to Owners, GMs, or anyone looking at evaluating their Internet Director and Internet Manager.

Often times, we hand out titles to the staff in these departments and don’t worry about how they get it done as long as it gets done. IF your Intenret department is failing, you may have to look at new management OR how YOU can help your management succeed.

First allow me to preface that I am extremely fortunate to be in a position to offer advice to dealership warriors who seek it. I have experienced the peaks and valleys of being an Internet Manager and an Internet Director and struggled to set up a department when no one really understood what that role meant.

I am even more fortunate to have found a dealership team that really “gets it” and supports my efforts. It is in that experience and networking with my peers that I have found the common challenges that often ail dealerships.

Finding an Internet Director or Internet Manager

So you know you need an “Internet Manager/Internet Director”, but you don’t know how to get them. Here are some friendly, little pointers on how to find, keep, and help your Internet Manager/Director succeed!

1. Don’t fit triangle people into the star-shaped hole

Just because someone is good with computers or technology on the floor doesn’t mean they will be the superstar you need for the Internet Department. Define the qualities you need in an Internet Manager and find the people to fit that model. This brings us to number 2.

2. Determine the differences in the two positions

(Let’s first talk about the differences of an Internet Director and Internet Manager) An Internet Manager is generally someone who handles your Internet opportunities (read: leads, Internet calls, chats, etc) and maybe even manages your Internet Consultants.  They traditionally monitor lead traffic, response activity, and supplies you the reports you need to make necessary changes to sales force, marketing, and budget.

Whereas an Internet Director manages your Internet Manager and Team, oversees the entire Internet Department and all its operations, bridges the Sales and Internet Departments together, has a comprehensive understanding of your websites, inventory tools, vendor relationships, social media, and reputation management to manage and maintain these components.

(Yeah, I know… shocking that we don’t all just sit on our asses and play Solitaire on these expensive computers. Now, on to the good stuff!)

3. Decide on the preferred qualities you seek in each candidate for the position

A true Internet Manager is someone who is well versed in CRM. They should be able to read, write, speak, and breathe CRM! However, they need to be on the path to understanding your websites, inventory, social media, search, Google analytics, reputation management, and the entire selling process. Why?  Simply because these Director-esque responsibilities concern the Internet Manager’s livelihood as well.

My best Internet Managers have been great leaders and coaches who measure their own success based on the growth and performance of their team. They understood the fast pace that technology changes in our industry and were willing to adapt in an effort to dominate the market. These are generally people who value the numbers and goals over their paycheck and had creativity and determination oozing out of them.

An Internet Director needs to be all those things and more! They need to be all of the above AND have a much deeper understanding of each of those components. They need to be consistently learning and applying the latest and greatest tactics to the current processes and procedures.

An E-Commerce or Internet Director (like any other Director) should be able to understand team dynamics, be a good judge of character to hire and build the right team, able to delegate and monitor processes, live by metrics, understand the importance of ROI, manage your Internet budget, hold vendors accountable to their responsibilities, reports, and data, and be ROCKSTARS at customer service.

Sometimes the Internet Manager and Director are one in the same, in which case they need to know and understand everything Internet, website, inventory, and CRM!

It takes the dealership to BUY-IN to what their “chosen ones” are doing if they want to be successful long-term.

How to Manage Internet Directors & Internet Managers

Here is where you come in

4. Give them the authority they need to affect the change you seek

Treat Department heads with the respect they deserve. They shouldn’t work FOR your Sales Managers. They should work WITH your Sales Managers!! Internet Managers/Directors need to have authority over their departments. So, they are responsible for handling leads, but have no say over what happens to the lead when they walk into the dealership?

HELL NO! They need to have the authority to voice concerns regarding what happens to those leads when they get handed over. An ideal situation is to allow your Internet Management to have enough authority to work WITH your Sales Managers in an effort to edit or create the sales processes where there is customer overlap. By all means, hold them accountable, but give them the space to be a “manager”.

If you want to create an Internet Director pay plan based on their performance in sales, they better have a relationship with the sales floor in a means in which they can affect said sales floor. They should also be trained to review and/or work deals if necessary.

5. Allow them access to the tools and vendors they need to develop the Internet department

Make sure your “chosen one” not only has the tools they need, but access to evaluate tools they have.  Your Internet Director (and Managers, to a degree) should:

  • Be able to view, edit, and create templates for email correspondence
  • View Internet vendor bills to hold them accountable and save you some money when you are being taken for a ride
  • Be an integral part of any decision to cancel vendors or bring on new ones. (They understand when the wool is being pulled over your eyes and when you need to take a chance on a new company.)
  • Have the access to the websites, forums, and conferences to expand their knowledgebase and improve your department. (You can shelter them and cross your fingers that other dealerships don’t steal them, or you can keep them happy and learning.)
  • Set attainable goals that they must hit, but also have the right to ask why some goals are made to be unattainable.
  • Hold your Internet Team to a higher standard than the floor! (Low turnover, professional appearance, attitude, easier schedules, etc. are all obstacles a strong Internet Director is able to overcome.)

In conclusion, seek out for the ones on the floor that put the company first and find creative means to get people through the door. Do not be afraid of looking outside your dealership to find the right candidates. When you do find someone you think is a good fit, teach them, constantly communicate with them, and keep them motivated to do better, bigger, and more creative projects.

It takes the dealership to BUY-IN to what their “chosen ones” are doing if they want to be successful long-term.  If you follow these simple steps, you will find that you have a team that takes you to a new level of profit and sales you didn’t think you could achieve!

Subi Ghosh • June 11, 2013 • All About BDCs

20 Responses to “The Difference Between an Internet Manager and Internet Director”

  1. Earl Hawkins June 9th, 2017

    New at being an internet manager/director just need a little direction in order to develop my team…

    Reply
    • Subi Ghosh July 21st, 2017

      I completely understand! It can be quite a bit to take in and conquer. I will email you right now!

      Reply
  2. Tarah June 22nd, 2017

    Great read! 100% agree!

    Reply
    • Subi Ghosh July 21st, 2017

      Thank you so much, Tarah!

      Reply
  3. Cedric Burl September 23rd, 2017

    I have an opportunity to work with a dealership as an internet director. I would like to speak to someone with your company about consultant work as-well-as anything else you have to offer.

    Reply
  4. Thomas Volk November 27th, 2017

    I have an opportunity to work as an internet sales manager at a Nissan dealership, do you have any helpful tips

    Reply
  5. Toni Q February 17th, 2018

    New at being an internet manager/director just need a little direction in order to develop my team

    Reply
    • Joe Webb February 21st, 2018

      Hello Toni,

      Thanks for reading and commenting. If you ever want to chat, we will gladly share some tips on how to tackle your new position. Congratulations, by the way. Just reach out to us at joe@dealerknows.com or bill@dealerknows.com

      Reply
  6. zana kurd September 2nd, 2018

    New at being an internet manager/director just need a little direction in order to develop my team

    Reply
  7. Kent Warner December 8th, 2018

    Looking for more incite and direction in order to develop my team at a brand new dealership. I’m new to the roll but like anything else want to master it.

    Reply
    • Joe Webb December 9th, 2018

      Hello Kent,
      You’re in an exciting position in a great industry, so much like any new job, the more time and energy you can invest in your education, the more successful you’ll be. First thing first, make sure the dealership has provided you a detailed job description so you’re aware of all you’re being asked to control, and all that you don’t have domain over. This is your lifeline. If they don’t have one for you, spend a few weeks to a month in the role and track all you’re ask to do, and create your own job description.
      Definitely sign up for our free monthly newsletter so once a month you have content to absorb and continually grow your acumen of the industry.
      We’ve sat in your same seat before so never hesitate to reach out to us by just calling us if you ever just need advice or to have a chat. We love talking to passionate up and comers in our industry.
      Hope that helps and thanks for checking out our blog.

      Reply
  8. Amanda Grundl March 2nd, 2019

    HI! My name is Amanda. I can’t tell you how thankful I am to have found your blog and this specific article! I have been in the business for 6 years and I 100% agree with every word you wrote. I am possibly about to step into a position where I need to be both the IM and the ID and I have to present what I feel is fair, what I want and what I can do for the company. I could use your expertise and guidance on a few things and I would LOVE to ask you a couple of questions if you so happen to have the time!?

    Reply
  9. Eve Grey March 26th, 2019

    I’ve just taken an Internet Sales Manager/Director position and would like to know a realistic number of calls, emails should be done as I’m the only one in the department for now. I need to close 20+ deals per month. Can anyone give me some hints?

    Reply
    • Joe Webb April 18th, 2019

      Hello Eve,
      The amount of deals you close will be directly proportionate to the amount of leads/opportunities you receive. Will you be selling these vehicles A-Z, or setting appointments for the sales team to close? Typically, we look for 50-60 calls daily to come from an appointment-setting ISM, but 25 is more realistic for an A-Z Internet Sales Manager.
      Doing the math though, we can work backwards. You need 20 deals. Knowing average closing ratio (looking past lead mix, region and brand) is somewhere around 10%, you’ll want 200 opportunities yourself. That is a lot if you’re handling the customers yourself. You’ll need to have 40 appointments show to sell 20 (which means you’ll need to set 80 appointments/month). This means you have to set appts with 40% of all leads/opportunities. That is only doable with the right lead mix. If you make 50 calls a day, and can connect with 10% of them, set appointments with 4, 2 show up, then 1 will buy (statistically). With 25 working days in a month, if you can maintain that breakneck pace, it is possible. Lord knows I’ve done twice that. But a lot more goes into this than phone calls. Make sure to utilize text, video messaging, smart pricing, visual imagery in emails. Everything is woven together to increase your appt set ratio. Best of luck.

      Reply
  10. Eve Grey March 26th, 2019

    I’ve just taken an Internet Sales Manager/Director position and would like to know a realistic number of calls, emails should be done as I’m the only one in the department for now. I need to close 20+ deals per month. Can anyone give me some hints?

    Reply
  11. Mike October 9th, 2019

    Hello, I’ve been in the Director spot for 9 months now and I have a team of 9 guys ( 6 who sell more that 8 cars and 3 who haven’t gotten past 6 per month ) I’m struggling with getting these guys past 10 per month and I would love some input. We aren’t the type to sell our cars for the Rock bottom price and miss deals all day because we don’t give OTD numbers and get beat by other quotes that are sometimes $2,000 less. We are focused on gross profit and are running $1,000 per copy higher than all other stores in the region but I need to figure out a way to get to 10% on my leads (currently we are getting about 900 per month) and are closing at 5% on the leads that month and have 2-3% from previous months. I have TrueCar (6% close ) manufacturer leads (3% close), and website leads (15% close) driven by Retargeting campaigns with Facebook, Instagram, Edmunds. Also use car gurus for free and autotrader ( barely any leads from them both ). We use video sometimes but should use it a ton more. The sales guys also have schedules with 2-3 days off and we do not have a BDC to follow up on their days off. Everyone makes at least 50 calls per day but we haven’t been able to move the needle. Please help!!! Lol. Thanks in advance

    Reply
    • Patrick June 4th, 2020

      Mike, if you ever need some insight I’m happy to help. I’m in the field and gritting as we all are. I closed at 20% last month. Coronavirus and all!

      Reply
  12. RICO March 21st, 2022

    I’m accepting an internet director job, I’ve done internet and BDC director before this particular store wanted someone who can desk and get approvals. In the past same position had sales desk managers do that for the internet team. Every dealership runs things differently for sure!

    Reply
    • Joe Webb March 28th, 2022

      Not only could this be a difference in how one dealer operates compared to the other, but it may also be a sign of the times. With digital retail becoming more and more prevalent, all BDCs and Internet departments will need a figurehead within arm’s reach capable of desking deals and shotgunning numbers to clients.

      Reply

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