We call it ‘Lead Roulette’. With the dealership’s Internet team on a video call, we share screens, crack open the CRM, and choose an internet lead recently received by an Internet Manager at random. Then, we analyze their ongoing follow-up and efforts live, sharing both positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. No one likes getting called out in front of their peers, for sure, but everyone can benefit from live coaching on an active opportunity. When you think of it, how often does an Internet Manager get to go through a live examination and dissection of their lead handling? Among the many different training exercises we do during our virtual calls with clients, lead roulette is always one that makes a lasting impression.
Much like a silent walk-around of a car shopper’s trade where they provide an explanation or excuse of every imperfection you spot, so too does an internet manager when you stumble upon discrepancies in their follow-up. Whether it be a lack of pricing sent, call attempts missing (or forged), an omitted video, or customer question left unanswered, we unearth the opportunities missed together and, in turn, train on how to deliver a better experience for the prospect. Even with those already receiving training, it is rare when attention-to-detail is present and every process point followed to a tee. It is more customary for an internet Manager to stop making call attempts too early, flip to lost prematurely, forget to offer alternative vehicles, or simply never make an invitation into the store. In the end, we seek consistency.
Again, no one likes being reviewed live in front of their coworkers, and yet it is this aspect of lead roulette that is so important. It’s causes them all to be more receptive. They learn from each other’s mistakes while simultaneously having the proper lead-handling process reinforced weekly during these training calls. Sometimes the Internet Manager (or salesperson or BDC agent) may have only missed a couple steps. Maybe they were late to make a first call, or didn’t attach a live vehicle to their outbound email response, or chose not to make a second call on the first day. Whatever the reasoning, even when they think they are doing pretty darn good in their own mind, there is one very crucial question I like to ask that always gets to the point. I ask, “Is that the best you can do?”
I don’t ask it pejoratively or with any negative insinuation, rather as a challenge. It is 2025. Most of the people we at DealerKnows trains week in and week out are aware of what they’re expected to do. They know the best practices, having been walked through the expected standards over and over, and yet it is consistency in their actions that they’re missing. And yet, everyone wants to hold themselves in a high regard, and most everyone wants to get better (or at least seen better in the eyes of their management and team members). So when asked “is that the best you can do?”, they know it isn’t. They know there is always so much more they can deliver, whether it be in their communication, in their language, their effort, their words, their tasks, and more. It is that intrinsic desire to win that will drive them to perform at a higher level. Everyone knows they can do better. Be better.
So I urge you… find the time. Find the time to round up your team and perform some lead roulette live, sharing feedback, identifying opportunities, requesting engagement, and reinforcing best practices of lead management and phone call handling. If you are reading this right now and saying your current training regimen and exercises with your Internet team should suffice, I’ll ask, “Is that the best you can do?”
