Digital Sales Manager - Audi Stuart!

The Digital Sales Manager (DSM) is the dealership’s local accountable owner for all digital-origin sales opportunities. The DSM leads the store’s Certified Internet Sales Team, controls lead assignment, protects response and follow-up standards, structures complete deals, and secures customer commitments remotely. 

The DSM has full desking and pricing authority on digital-origin opportunities. The deal structure created digitally is the dealership’s commitment when the customer arrives, except when material customer facts change. 

The DSM is a peer—not a subordinate—of the Desk Manager and Floor Manager. All three roles operate at a flat hierarchy and report to the GSM/GM. 

The DSM must be formally certified before assuming the seat and must maintain certification through continued performance, CRM discipline, pricing accuracy, customer experience, and compliance. 

• Desk Manager 

• Floor Manager 

• Used Car Manager where applicable 

• CRM & Phone Systems Manager 

• Digital Sales Training & Certification Manager 

• AI Conversation & Automation Manager 

• MAG Control 

The DSM owns local execution and results. Enterprise support roles provide systems, standards, training, automation, and visibility but do not take ownership of the store’s leads or customers. 

Lead Assignment & Certified Team Accountability 

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  Own assignment of all digital-origin opportunities to Certified Internet Sales Team members 

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  Assign leads based on capacity, availability, language, product knowledge, source competence, response discipline, and performance—not equal distribution alone 

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  Collaborate with the CRM & Phone Systems Manager to implement advanced routing, weighted distribution, capacity rules, escalation logic, and source-specific assignments within the CRM 

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  Monitor distribution results and request configuration changes when routing does not reflect the store’s operating needs 

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  Remove or suspend a salesperson from the Certified Internet Sales Team when performance, CRM discipline, customer experience, or compliance falls below standard 

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  Ensure every customer has one accountable owner while protecting response time through assisted-response rules 

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  Maintain a limited, high-performing team; internet lead access is earned, measured, and revocable 

• Intercept Impel/PAM handoffs on pricing, availability, payment, fees, and trade-value requests 

• Build complete deals in Tekion: taxes/fees, rebates, lender programs, trade estimates 

• Provide transparent payment options and secure digital commitment and appointment 

• Execute rapid callbacks on PAM transcripts signaling buying intent 

• Maintain clean CRM notes, next steps, and velocity; no dead ends 

• Coordinate preliminary trade information and soft appraisal ranges with the Used Car Manager or an approved Appraisal Expert 

• Set expectation language and variance tolerance so customers understand estimates versus final values 

• Trade appraisals are always completed and approved by the Used Car Manager or an approved Appraisal Expert 

• The DSM may incorporate an approved appraisal into the digital deal structure but may not independently establish or override the final trade value 

• Material appraisal variances at arrival must be explained transparently and documented 

• Prepare delivery packet and brief Floor Manager/Fulfillment Pilot on incoming commitments 

• Protect the brand voice: transparent, calm, fast, and accurate 

• "Thanks for reaching out! What caught your eye that brought you to us today?" 

• "Have you been working with anyone on our team, or is this your first time connecting with us?" 

• "What's prompting the search right now? Growing family, work commute, just time for something new?" 

• "Where will this vehicle spend most of its time—city streets, highway miles, weekend adventures?" 

• "Do you have a payment range in mind that keeps things comfortable?" 

• "Any questions about financing I can help clear up before we get too far?" 

• "Is there anyone else who'll want to see it before you pull the trigger?" 

• "What's your timeline looking like—anything driving urgency, or just exploring?" 

• "Have you been looking at other options? What's kept you from moving forward somewhere else?" 

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Tone Note: Digital communication should feel human and helpful, not scripted. Mirror the customer's communication style—if they're brief, be brief. If they're detailed, match their energy. Never send walls of text or rapid-fire questions. 

• Monitor AI trigger quality, conversation quality, handoff timing, false positives, false negatives, and customer-impacting failures 

• Submit documented requests and business requirements to the AI Conversation & Automation Manager 

• AI instructions, prompts, automation logic, escalation rules, and customer-facing AI workflows may only be changed or published by the AI Conversation & Automation Manager 

• The DSM may request and test proposed improvements but may not independently change production AI instructions 

• Escalate critical AI errors immediately through the approved emergency process 

 Outcomes & KPIs 

• Digital lead speed-to-answer and time-to-structure 

• Digital close rate and show-to-sold conversion 

• PVR on digital deals vs. target and variance at arrival 

• Customer satisfaction on digital journey and rewrite incidence 

• Expert Tekion digital retailing and deal structure 

• Pricing logic and payment math under pressure 

• Written clarity for text/email; concise and trustworthy tone 

• Multi-threading across channels with precise documentation 

• Assign and reassign digital-origin leads 

• Determine membership in the store’s Certified Internet Sales Team 

• Remove or suspend a salesperson from the Certified Internet Sales Team 

• Make pricing decisions on digital-origin opportunities within approved store and brand parameters 

• Fully desk digital-origin deals, including taxes, fees, incentives, lender programs, terms, and payment options 

• Provide binding digital deal structures based on verified information 

• Direct local queue coverage and assisted-response activity 

• Require CRM documentation, next steps, and customer ownership standards 

• Escalate systemic CRM, phone, training, AI, inventory, and capacity issues to the appropriate enterprise owner 

• Final trade appraisals are completed and approved only by the Used Car Manager or an approved Appraisal Expert 

• CRM, phone-routing, permissions, and enterprise workflow configuration are changed by the CRM & Phone Systems Manager; the DSM submits requirements and approves store-level operating intent 

• AI instructions, prompts, automations, and escalation rules are changed only by the AI Conversation & Automation Manager 

• Lender, legal, regulatory, and compliance constraints must be escalated through the approved Desk, GSM/GM, F&I, or compliance channel 

• The DSM, Desk Manager, and Floor Manager operate at a flat hierarchy 

• Each owns a distinct operating lane and reports to the GSM/GM 

• The Desk and Floor Managers may not informally remove the DSM’s lead, pricing, or digital-deal authority 

• Material overrides must be approved by the GSM/GM, documented with a reason, and included in performance reporting 

• The digitally structured deal is binding when the customer arrives unless material facts change 

• Permitted variance reasons include trade condition, credit information, incentive eligibility, lender decision, vehicle selection, term selection, or documented factual error 

• Variances must be communicated transparently and recorded 

 Coverage & Cadence 

• Defined coverage windows to guarantee sub-5-minute first responses during peak 

• Rolling queue review every 15 minutes; zero-stale-hand-off policy 

• Daily sync with Desk/Floor on pipeline, deliveries, and exceptions 

• Impel, PAM, Tekion, CRM, n8n notifications, Mastermind equity insights 

• Proper fee disclosures in writing; no unsupported payment quotes 

• Trade estimate disclaimer and credit-sensitive language compliance 

The DSM must complete formal certification before assuming independent authority. 

• Response-time and queue compliance 

• Digital and phone close rates 

• Show-to-sold performance 

• PVR and rewrite incidence 

• CRM and data integrity 

• Quote and disclosure accuracy 

• Customer experience 

• Certified-team productivity and development 

• Compliance with AI, CRM, and appraisal governance 

Certification may be suspended or revoked by the Director of Digital Performance in coordination with the GSM/GM when performance or compliance falls below the required standard. 

• Live desking assessment 

• Pricing and payment accuracy 

• Tekion and CRM proficiency 

• Lead-assignment and capacity-management exercise 

• Phone, text, and email communication assessment 

• AI handoff and escalation knowledge 

• Trade appraisal boundary knowledge 

• Compliance and disclosure assessment 

• Leadership and coaching simulation 

• Supervised live-deal review