Twice in the last year, we’ve heard debates at conferences about which to do first, develop a proper process or generate more leads. It always comes down to the process people talking about burning through leads and the lead people saying that more opportunities can supersede bad processes. My question: why not both?

To me, it’s a matter of building on both simultaneously and continuously. The best dealers out there who are finding the most success are always pushing, always improving, and never settling for the results they’re getting from either their sales/lead process or their marketing. It’s a simple concept, but one that I hope will put to rest the various concepts we’ve been hearing about lately.

For the sales/lead processes, dealers often need to seek outside help. There are plenty of process trainers out there such as Sean V. Bradley, Joe Webb, and David Kain who implement success into the way that leads are handled as well as improving the company culture itself. For the lead-generating needs, dealers can either do it themselves or seek outside help. SEO, PPC, social media, Craigslist – all of these are valid traffic- and lead-driving practices that don’t necessarily require outside help, especially if a dealership is willing to put in the time and effort (and budget) towards making it happen on their own.