Matt Bowers Chevrolet Turns Rookies into Top Sales People with AutoBio
Introduction and Background
Meet Jody Neil, the hands-on General Manager at Matt Bowers Chevrolet since 2019. Jody’s journey into car sales started 18 years ago when Hurricane Katrina changed his career trajectory. Originally starting as a salesperson, he now oversees all the day-to-day activity at the dealership. And get ready to meet Blake Woods, their top sales person after only one year in the business.
Challenges and Unknowns
It’s an understatement to say that the last few years have held more “unknowns” than the previous years. With interest rates still high and inventory stacking up, Jody realized they needed to up-level their approach. Luckily that’s when Jody received his first introduction to TradePending’s AutoBio tool, and when his TradePending sales rep demonstrated back to Jody his own activity from interacting with the detailed vehicle report, he was hooked.
Jody states, “You get every alert, and that impressed me. We’re going to have much better insight into the right time engage and re-engage with our future buyers.”
A Brief Explanation of AutoBio
TradePending’s AutoBio provides all the vehicle research a customer could want about a vehicle in a single spot. That information includes the CARFAX/AutoCheck, service records, window sticker, market data, and more. While it increases website engagement and brand loyalty, it’s even more powerful when used in-store.
The same data that consumers receive is also available to your sales team, making them instant experts on every vehicle on the lot. By sharing the AutoBio reports with in-store shoppers, they do their vehicle research with you, and your team can see when they’re interacting with the reports. You’ll know the perfect time to re-engage and bring seemingly dead deals back to life.
Working Together
In early 2023, Matt Bowers Chevrolet embraced TradePending’s AutoBio and went through the straightforward onboarding process to get his sales team trained. Jody, a first-timer to a tool like AutoBio, liked its personal touch and real-time notifications allowing the sales team to act when the customer lead was hottest, calling it a “cheat sheet” for leads to help spot the serious buyers. The sales team loved that also, as it increased their closing ratio. They now send an AutoBio to any new inbound lead, regardless of lead source.
Turning a Rookie Into The Top Sales Person
Getting a sales team to embrace any new technology can be challenging, but the Matt Bowers team jumped in quickly.
Meet standout salesman Blake Woods, still in his first year of selling cars. Blake has sent over 1,000 AutoBios since June, leveling up his sales even further.
“Blake is constantly sending AutoBios, and the math works. He’s the #1 salesmen,” ”He’s got 10 cars sold, and it’s the 11th day of the month right now.”, notes Jody.
For a first year sales person to become the leading sales person in under 12 months is a testament to Blake’s work ethic and his skilled use of AutoBio. He’s beating out tenured reps with an existing book of business, while overcoming the first year learning curve.
November showcased TradePending’s impact, with the highest lead-to-close rate among all the lead sources. Jody emphasizes,
“The ones that send the most AutoBios tend to be the ones that have the most sales.”
Additionally, Jody notes that AutoBio keeps leads engaged on their website, preventing them from jumping to competitors, a significant win in a competitive market.
Ultimately, AutoBio revolutionized the Matt Bowers team’s sales game, transforming their lead follow-up and sales, making it a must-have in their toolbox.