Charlie Spradlin
General ManagerArt Moehn Chevrolet HondaCharlie Spradlin is the General Manager of Art Moehn Chevrolet Honda in Michigan, where he helps lead an operation retailing approximately 3,500 vehicles annually.
Over his 12-year career with Art Moehn, Charlie has worked his way through nearly every level of variable operations—starting on the sales floor as a salesperson before becoming a Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, Variable Operations Director overseeing two dealerships, and ultimately General Manager.
That experience has shaped Charlie’s belief that great dealership performance starts with people, culture, training, and opportunity. He is particularly passionate about challenging the traditional role of the Business Development Center. Rather than treating the BDC as a support department or call center, Charlie believes it should be built and led as a true frontline sales department with the same level of training, accountability, culture, career opportunity, and earning potential as the showroom floor.
As an active dealership operator, Charlie is constantly challenging traditional processes, developing people, and building systems designed to create better outcomes for both employees and customers.
The Front Line: Stop Calling It a BDC — Start Building a Sales Team
For years, dealerships have talked about the importance of the BDC and internet sales while often treating the people handling those opportunities lik
…For years, dealerships have talked about the importance of the BDC and internet sales while often treating the people handling those opportunities like a support department. But if your BDC is responsible for the first conversation with many of your
…For years, dealerships have talked about the importance of the BDC and internet sales while often treating the people handling those opportunities like a support department. But if your BDC is responsible for the first conversation with many of your customers, why aren't we giving them the same culture, training, earning opportunity, and accountability as the salespeople on the showroom floor?
This session challenges the traditional BDC model and
…For years, dealerships have talked about the importance of the BDC and internet sales while often treating the people handling those opportunities like a support department. But if your BDC is responsible for the first conversation with many of your customers, why aren't we giving them the same culture, training, earning opportunity, and accountability as the salespeople on the showroom floor?
This session challenges the traditional BDC model and explores what happens when you begin treating your internet team as a true front-line sales department. The session will explore how to build a sales-driven culture within the BDC, train team members to have meaningful sales conversations instead of simply setting appointments, create compensation and career opportunities that attract and retain talented people, and establish clear performance standards that connect BDC activity to actual dealership results.
Attendees will leave with a practical framework for transforming the BDC from an appointment-setting department into a motivated, accountable sales team that works alongside the showroom to create a better customer experience and sell more cars.
Key Takeaways:
- Build a sales culture inside the BDC: Learn how to integrate your internet team into the dealership's sales culture through shared goals, training, recognition, communication, and expectations
- Develop BDC representatives into front-line sales professionals: Understand how sales training, product knowledge, objection handling, personalized communication, and stronger customer conversations can move the BDC beyond scripts and appointment setting
- Create opportunity with accountability: Learn how compensation, career growth, performance expectations, and measurable KPIs can be aligned to attract stronger talent, improve retention, and connect BDC performance directly to dealership sales
