How Suntrup Auto Group went from siloed departments to a team-first sales process

Suntrup Auto Group is zeroed in on the long-game—addressing everyday challenges while always driving towards the bigger goal, with a “day one” approach to sales.

Andrew Suntrup—VP of operations at the Greater St. Louis area-based auto group—puts it in perspective in his conversation with Daily Dealer Live hosts, Sam D’Arc and Uli De’ Martino.

“The leads seem to be a little bit down as opposed to last month—but…we always try to focus on year over year. How did we do…prior month versus current month…Right now, we're actually having a pretty decent month,” said Suntrup.

Leaning into tech: Suntrup Auto Group has adopted a new CRM tool to reach out to customers, serving as a virtual BDC department to help address some of the current challenges with leads and follow-ups.

“We're on a trial right now with them—and we've seen some good results from that,” said Suntrup.

One of the biggest hurdles? Getting some of the Suntrup Auto Group team veterans to see the value.

“Some of our younger salespeople…they get it, they like it. Some of our older, seasoned salespeople that like came from the ‘old school’ way; they feel it gets in the way of them just contacting the customer,” said Suntrup.

Most appreciate it when it comes to processes like confirming appointments.

“Day one”: One of the key elements of Suntrup Auto Group’s sales model has nothing to do with tech at all. It’s an operating principle that permeates throughout the VP’s approach to sales, called “day one,” which he shared on a social media post, stirring up a lot of conversation.

“I posted that because I had those experiences as a salesperson, not thinking so much like a salesperson—but thinking like a customer…When it comes to the sales process, really finding out your customers wants and needs…really does help out.”

It’s important to get everybody together as a team to get them to understand how everyone contributes to a winning operation, said Suntrup.

Not pushing customers into a vehicle, asking more questions, listening, being patient—these are all “day one” practices for converting a customer into a sale.

“I definitely think there's always training. It's like blocking and tackling…in football. You're always constantly wanting to train and keep getting better and better.”

Leaning into it: Suntrup attributes his “Day One” approach to sales to his own career path and experience in the auto retail that started at another dealership before joining the family business.

“I think that was one of the most beneficial experiences I had to go to such a large dealership. It was a lot of learning that really propelled me for what I'm doing today. Especially when I came back, getting into more of a management role, it was very beneficial.”

Team building: This has also played a pivotal role in how Suntrup has worked to improve the cohesiveness among departments, which he noticed was an issue when he assumed a management role in his family’s company.

“The communication between departments didn't seem to have as great of a flow as I had with my previous job, meaning…’ we're all working together as a team.’ It was kind of a little bit more of an ‘old school’ mentality: parts department, service department, used cars, and service.”

The process started with weekly and cross-department meetings and emails—with a focus on transparency throughout the operation.

“I think it's good for a used car or a new car manager to sit and find out what the service manager does every day…Sometimes, they don't even go back and talk to the parts guy, or they haven't seen him in a while.”

End game: Whether it’s tech, a “Day One” approach to sales, or team building—at the end of the day, it’s all a numbers game, said Suntrup.

“The more people that you can…interact with and talk to…and have real, genuine interactions with, the more people you're bound to help get a car and sell a car.”

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