Many larger dealerships run a Business Development Center, or BDC: the team that answers calls, emails and online inquiries and turns them into appointments. The BDC manager leads that team. Here is what the job involves and how people get there.
At a glance
| Role | Leads the dealership's team of BDC agents, also called business development representatives (BDRs) |
|---|---|
| Focus | Leads, appointments, customer satisfaction and sales growth |
| Typical background | Automotive sales, call center work and team management |
| Degree | No single path; experience counts most |
What a business development center does
The BDC organizes how the dealership talks to people who might buy or service a car. Its agents handle incoming and outgoing calls, emails and web inquiries, follow up on leads and keep prospects interested until they come in.
The aim is simple: more leads, better follow-up, happier customers and, in the end, more sales for the store.
What the job involves
The BDC manager builds and runs that team. The main duties:
- Recruiting, onboarding and training BDC agents
- Setting goals and quotas for inbound and outbound calls and for conversions
- Reviewing sales data to spot where the team needs help
- Booking sales and service appointments and rebooking customers who did not show up
- Reaching the sales and customer satisfaction targets set by management
- Running the center from day to day
A typical day
No two dealerships run their BDC quite the same way, but the day usually mixes team leadership with work alongside other departments. Common tasks:
- Reading reports to see which agents do best with inbound and outbound contacts
- Studying the buying profiles and patterns of phone prospects
- Recording and listening to customer calls to keep improving the experience
- Coaching agents based on recorded or live calls
- Reviewing performance and developing staff
- Choosing which customers to contact around current marketing campaigns, for example calling a list the marketing team has emailed to book service visits
Skills that matter
- Clear phone communication: tone, clarity and the ability to steer a call, since the whole department runs on calls and follow-ups.
- Knowledge of how a dealership sells: the sales cycle, what customers expect and how the store operates.
- Leadership: setting expectations, guiding and supporting agents and keeping the mood positive.
- Comfort with numbers: quotas, conversion rates and sales data drive the job.
How to get there
BDC managers come from different backgrounds, but most combine three kinds of experience.
- Learn the car business. Time in automotive sales shows how a dealership works, what buyers need and how a deal moves from first contact to signature.
- Get comfortable on the phone. Call center experience builds the skills of handling inbound and outbound calls, following up on leads and booking appointments.
- Lead people. Training and managing a team, even a small one, prepares you to set goals, coach agents and keep a team productive.
Is it right for you?
The role suits someone who enjoys talking with customers, likes measurable goals and gets satisfaction from coaching others. If you already work in sales or a call center and want to move into management, the BDC is a natural next step.
Looking for a job in the car business?
See the open positions at Kendall FL Auto, including sales and BDC roles, and apply online.