Outbound Sales Lead BDC Workflow
Outbound leads refer to customers who have already contacted a salesperson at the dealership. It’s the BDC team member’s job to follow up with the lead (customer).
Sources of outbound customers consist of:
- Showroom Unsold & Prospecting
- Existing Sold Customers
- Lease Renewal Customers
- Trade-in Only Customers
- Service & Parts Customers
Guidelines can vary from one dealership to another on how to contact outbound leads, so ensure to follow the manufacturer’s or the state’s recommendations.
Unsold & Prospecting
A BDC team member follows up with showroom customers 24 hours after meeting or speaking with a salesperson. If the salesperson was unsuccessful, the BDC might contact the customer to discover why they did not purchase a car. The key is to try and keep the customer’s contact active until an alternate solution is found.
BDC will also document the appointment’s outcome and update the progress status in the CRM.
Unsold and prospective customers are contacted for seven days, with an average of six to seven calls, three emails, and a text opt-in before a manager takes over the lead. Contact should stop immediately if the customer asks you to stop.
Unresponsive leads follow the same contact duration apart from including special promotions to entice the customer to reach out and start replying.
Sold & Lease
The purpose of following up with sold and lease customers is mainly for customer retention and to ensure customer satisfaction remains high.
There are several reasons for contacting customers during their vehicle ownership. Some of the calls remind customers to complete their CSI surveys, ask for Google reviews, tell them about current promotions or ask customers for a referral.
Often, calls are made to check in with customers to see if they are happy with their purchase. Dealerships will typically contact customers every three months.
Dealerships will start contacting lease customers six months before the end of their lease term and may even “pull them ahead” into another new vehicle.
Outbound Customer Contact Frequency
BDC staff will contact lease and finance customers at least once a year to keep customer retention healthy.
Two or more contacts are made to book service maintenance appointments. BDC staff will also contact customers if their service advisor recommends safety-related repairs. However, the customer declined to proceed at the time of the appointment. BDC staff will follow up with declined repairs three days after the appointment and again in forty-five days.
BDC activity increase towards the last six months of their lease or finance contract. Contacting customers six months before their contract ends is intended to prevent customers from shopping at other brands or dealers.
Dealers will run an “Early Trade-In” campaign, often called “Early Pull Ahead,” to persuade customers to purchase another car before their vehicle contract comes due.
Outbound customer contact at dealers includes marketing special events and seasonal promotions for the sales and service department. The service department relies heavily on BDC to contact customers late fall and late winter to swap their seasonal tires. BDC staff will contact dealership customers during their lease term at least three times a year.
For the service department:
- 2 for the service maintenance appointments
- 2 for tire swaps
- Customer declined service repairs
For the sales department:
- 2 for customer retention follow-up
- 4 or more times towards the end of a customer’s lease
Lease Customer Workflow
Print the upcoming lease report for customers whose lease will be expiring within the next 150 to 180 days.
Review each customer on the list to ensure their original salesperson is still employed at the dealership. Provide management with a list of orphaned customers so they can assign new sales staff to them. Consider including a bio of their new salesperson when sending the lease renewal reminders.
Beginning the lease renewal process overview:
- 150 Day email reminder notice
- 120 Day phone call/email notice
- 90 Day email notice – Early trade-in/Pull-ahead
- 75 Day email notice – early Trade-in/Pull-ahead
- 60 Day call, discuss new vehicle needs, schedule appointment with a salesperson
- 45 Day call, discuss new vehicle needs, schedule appointment with a salesperson
The rate of contact for lease customers could look similar to this:
24 Month Lease Customer Contact Timetable
Sold Follow Up Timetable | ||
When | What | Description |
On Delivery | Thank You or Congratulations Card | Signed by the salesperson and BDC staff left inside the vehicle |
48 hours | Phone Call | Contact customer to check the customer’s satisfaction, answer questions, ask for Google review |
21 Days | Phone Call | CSI survey reminder, confirm intro to service and schedule or remind of 1st maintenance appointment |
30 Days | Phone Call or Email | Invitation to car care clinic |
3 Month | Phone Call | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the purchase and answer questions |
6 Month | Phone Call or Email | 1st oil change reminder email |
9 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
12 Month | Phone Call or Email | 1st anniversary of vehicle – get a free car wash |
15 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
18 Month | Phone Call or Email | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the dealership and ask for a referral |
24 Month Lease Renewal Process: | ||
19 Month Lease Renewal Process | 150 Day email notice | |
20 Month Lease Renewal Process | 120 Day phone call/email reminder notice | |
21 Month Lease Renewal Process | 90 Day email notice – Early trade-in/Pull-ahead | |
22 Month Lease Renewal Process | 75 Day email notice – early Trade-in/Pull-ahead | |
23 Month Lease Renewal Process | 60 Day call, discuss new vehicle needs, schedule appointment with a salesperson | |
24 Month Lease Renewal Process | 45 Day call, discuss new vehicle needs, schedule appointment with a salesperson | |
21 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
24 Month | Phone Call or Email | 2nd anniversary of vehicle – get a free car wash |
27 Month | Phone Call or Email | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the purchase and answer questions |
30 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
36 Month Lease Customer Contact Timetable
Sold Follow Up Timetable | ||
When | What | Description |
On Delivery | Thank You or Congratulations Card | Signed by the salesperson and BDC staff left inside the vehicle |
48 hours | Phone Call | Contact customer to check the customer’s satisfaction, answer questions, ask for Google review |
21 Days | Phone Call | CSI survey reminder, confirm intro to service and schedule or remind of 1st maintenance appointment |
30 Days | Phone Call or Email | Invitation to car care clinic |
3 Month | Phone Call | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the purchase and answer questions |
6 Month | Phone Call or Email | 1st oil change reminder email |
9 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
12 Month | Phone Call or Email | 1st anniversary of vehicle – get a free car wash |
15 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
18 Month | Phone Call or Email | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the dealership and ask for a referral |
21 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
24 Month | Phone Call or Email | 2nd anniversary of vehicle – get a free car wash |
27 Month | Phone Call or Email | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the purchase and answer questions |
30 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
36 Month Lease Renewal Process: | ||
31 Month Lease Renewal Process | 150 Day email notice | |
32 Month Lease Renewal Process | 120 Day phone call/email notice | |
33 Month Lease Renewal Process | 90 Day email notice – Early trade-in/Pull-ahead | |
34 Month Lease Renewal Process | 75 Day email notice – early Trade-in/Pull-ahead | |
35 Month Lease Renewal Process | 60 Day call, discuss new vehicle needs, schedule appointment with a salesperson | |
36 Month Lease Renewal Process | 45 Day call, discuss new vehicle needs, schedule appointment with a salesperson | |
33 Month | Phone Call or Email | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the purchase and answer questions |
36 Month | Phone Call or Email | 3rd anniversary of vehicle – get a free car wash |
42 Month | Phone Call or Email | From BDC; customer satisfaction script |
48 Month Lease Customer Contact Timetable
Sold Follow Up Timetable | ||
When | What | Description |
On Delivery | Thank You or Congratulations Card | Signed by the salesperson and BDC staff left inside the vehicle |
48 hours | Phone Call | Contact customer to check the customer’s satisfaction, answer questions, ask for Google review |
21 Days | Phone Call | CSI survey reminder, confirm intro to service and schedule or remind of 1st maintenance appointment |
30 Days | Phone Call or Email | Invitation to car care clinic |
3 Month | Phone Call | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the purchase and answer questions |
6 Month | Phone Call or Email | 1st oil change reminder email |
9 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
12 Month | Phone Call or Email | 1st anniversary of vehicle – get a free car wash |
15 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
18 Month | Phone Call or Email | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the dealership and ask for a referral |
21 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
24 Month | Phone Call or Email | 2nd anniversary of vehicle – get a free car wash |
27 Month | Phone Call or Email | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the purchase and answer questions |
30 Month | Phone Call or Email | Seasonal service marketing promotion or $5.00 to $25.00 service coupon |
33 Month | Phone Call or Email | BDC calls to ensure the customer is satisfied with the purchase and answer questions |
36 Month | Phone Call or Email | 3rd anniversary of vehicle – get a free car wash |
42 Month | Phone Call or Email | From BDC; customer satisfaction script |
48 Month Lease Renewal Process: | ||
43 Month Lease Renewal Process | 150 Day email notice | |
44 Month Lease Renewal Process | 120 Day phone call/email notice | |
45 Month Lease Renewal Process | 90 Day email notice – Early trade-in/Pull-ahead | |
46 Month Lease Renewal Process | 75 Day email notice – early Trade-in/Pull-ahead | |
47 Month Lease Renewal Process | 60 Day call, discuss new vehicle needs, schedule appointment with a salesperson | |
48 Month Lease Renewal Process | 45 Day call, discuss new vehicle needs, schedule appointment with a salesperson |
Additional Notes: This guide is not a complete BDC workflow. There’s no one-size-fits-all workflow for BDM’s because each manufacturer, dealer, or independent store may have additional steps or perform these steps in a different order. This lesson is to get you started in the right direction, use the guide in the beginning, then build on it by creating your own workflow.
Course Material Download:
BDC Outbound Lease Follow Up Timetable