The changes led to about three months of pain for the store, Connolly said.
“We probably missed a good amount of opportunities during the switch,” he said. “But right now, we have one of the highest conversion rates in our company, and we were always on the bottom of the board. So I think it’s been working for us.”
Before the switch, Delray Buick-GMC converted 5 to 6 percent of its Internet leads into sales each month, Connolly said. In March 2022, the dealership closed 9.8 percent of new- and used-vehicle leads, led by 15 percent of leads on the used side converting to sales, he added.
Delray Buick-GMC sold 895 new and 779 used vehicles in 2021, an increase over 2020 and 2019 sales volumes despite limited inventory last year. And the store has been recognized by General Motors and by companies that help dealerships manage reviews for its customer service, Connolly said.
Employees are happier, too. No sales employee has quit since at least 2020, Connolly said. The store retained 88 percent of its overall staff in 2021, he said.
And while Connolly predicts the culture shift can help the dealership recruit new sales employees, Delray Buick-GMC for now is focused on retaining its current employees so they can maintain their sales productivity and not compete with additional staffers for the fewer deals available during this time of inventory constraints.
As for the two employees who signaled their departures in early 2021?
“They’re still here,” Connolly said.