Building a Winning BDC: Subaru and Toyota of Ann Arbor

Michael Speigl is no stranger to success: this CEO and businessman started his career in the automotive industry twenty years ago as a new graduate of the University of Michigan. Today, he’s the owner of both Subaru and Toyota of Ann Arbor, and he’s currently in the process of acquiring several more dealerships. 

Michael’s ongoing success didn’t happen overnight, and it definitely wasn’t by accident. There’s always someone who knows more than you in a competitive industry like auto sales, which is why he invested in business strategies that drive key metrics like appointment rates and adapt to meet changing customer trends. And perhaps the most important game changer for his success began on day one:

His Business Development Center. 

The BDC is the nexus of communications for both his Subaru and Toyota dealerships in Michigan. In the capable hands of their BDC & Internet Manager Keryn Flanary, and their coaching partner Phone Ninjas, it’s been a major differentiator that’s boosted revenue, developed their phone and internet strategies, and built a loyal customer base. 

We’re here to tell you everything you need to know about how Keryn runs one of the best BDCs in the business, the importance of picking a great coaching partner like Phone Ninjas, and the impact it’s had on Subaru and Toyota of Ann Arbor.

What Is a BDC?

Business Development Centers are communication hubs that handle inbound and outbound calls at dealerships. However, unlike traditional reception desks, their focus is on leveraging every possible opportunity to generate revenue through their activities. These include:

• Setting Appointments. By using phone scripts to effectively navigate customer interactions, BDCs deliver significantly higher appointment rates. 
• Generating Leads. BDCs are experts at connecting with every available lead for your dealership, freeing up your sales team to focus on what they do best. 
• Customer Service. By managing and routing customers efficiently, they make it easy for them to get what they need and resolve issues quickly.
• Connect Departments. Sales and service are closely related, and BDCs help support them both by giving customers key details about the benefits they can deliver. 

“They’re like the mitochondria—the POWERHOUSES!—of a cell,” said Keryn. But instead of energy, they extract business from every source and then feed it to your sales consultants and service advisors. They operate on a different level compared to your sales floor and service lane, presenting internal communication as a primary challenge.”

The Impact of Subaru and Toyota of Ann Arbor’s BDC

“Both BDC Sales and Service at Subaru and Toyota of Ann Arbor handle all inbound and outbound traffic for both rooftops,” Keryn explained. Critically, this allows both dealerships to benefit from investments in BDC activities and highlights how nimble and efficient they can be. One center can handle multiple locations because it has a narrowly defined objective, and can deliver all the general benefits of its work while delivering dealership-specific content and messaging. 

While this creates many obvious advantages and frees up an incredible amount of time and energy for sales and service teams to focus on their mission, there are two numbers that paint the real picture:

“Our inbound phone closing percentage for Toyota alone exceeded the average last month, reaching 27%,” beamed Keryn. “Additionally, our outbound campaigns continue to gradually increase at 2% monthly.”

At the end of the day, that’s what dealership BDCs are all about: using operational intensity to close deals and raise the bottom line. 

Maintaining a Competitive Advantage

Anyone who knows Michael knows he doesn’t wait around to stay ahead of the game—even when he’s got a good thing going. However, as an owner, he’s an incredibly busy guy, and he knew he needed a top-notch training strategy with a partner who could do the work for him with minimal interruptions. 

That’s why he brought in Phone Ninjas as a part of his foundational BDC strategy when he first acquired his business. Phone Ninjas is one of the best automotive consultants in the industry, and they are experts at keeping BDC team members operating at peak efficiency. They helped Subaru and Toyota of Ann Arbor’s new BDC with:

• Phone Scripts. By tailoring these to the needs of both dealerships as well as the regional market, they equipped Keryn’s team with everything they needed to maximize Mike’s ROI.
• Coaching. Phone Ninjas’ expert coaches actively participate in the training process and dial in fundamentals with individual BDC team members to ensure they’re able to feel comfortable in their roles and perform at a high level.
• Ongoing Support. Things change quickly in business, and Phone Ninjas has adapted their coaching and training processes to reflect Keryn’s team’s experience and keep pace with their needs as they evolve. 

“We have been partnering with Phone Ninjas since 2020 (the day the doors opened!), and work with our coach, Kelly, every month,” Keryn explained. “We receive our coached calls from Phone Ninjas, and these calls enable our agents to focus on the continuation of developing their assertiveness with the customer. Of course, since all of our agents have been with us for three months or more, we’ve been able to scale back on the hard training. They’ve got the core skills, and we can rely on coached calls as a replacement for these sessions. “

The Value of Phone Ninjas’ Work with BDCs

Like Michael’s insight in equipping his business with a BDC that can specialize in critical business activities, he realized that finding a partner who was an expert in automotive training was equally important. While he entrusts Keryn with the day-to-day operations of his dealerships’ BDC, she still works closely with Kelly and Phone Ninjas to make sure her team stays on top and keeps delivering big numbers. 

“Phone Ninjas scripts have proven invaluable in assisting our agents in navigating objections and delivering effective rebuttals,” Keryn said. “AI is not integrated with their program which enables grading and coaching by your representative. This fosters a personable relationship between the agent and the coach. Our agents value the attentiveness throughout the call and the accessibility to our coach to address any questions they may encounter.

Plus, they’re always finding details that we can improve on, and it’s exciting to have such a well-developed relationship with a consultant who knows us so well. 

The highlight for me, and a moment eagerly anticipated by our agents, is when they receive coached calls. ‘Which one will they choose? I hope they grab that call! That was a really good one.’ There’s a blend of excitement and nervous anticipation leading up to our coach, Kelly, sending the call over, and we know we’re going to start building something that the entire business can benefit from.”

Accelerate Your Dealership with Phone Ninjas

To find out more about what Phone Ninjas can do for your dealership, contact us to schedule a demo of our work with BDCs across the automotive industry. We’re thrilled to be a part of Subaru and Toyota of Ann Arbor’s success, and are looking forward to taking your business to the next level!