Patent Application
20090187478
Automobile manufacturers desire ways to predict the needed supply of each item produced by the manufacturer. Automobile dealers desire ways to entice sales person to push particular vehicles in the dealer's inventory. Dealers entice sales person to sell a particular vehicle or group of vehicles by offering additional commissions or bonuses on the vehicle that the dealer desires to sell. However, manufacturers are not aware of these incentives being offered by dealers. This negatively impacts the manufacturer's ability to predict how many vehicles of what type are needed by each dealer that the manufacturer supplies. This also means that dealers have full control of which vehicles are sold, and the manufacturer has no influence over which vehicles are sold.
In one embodiment, the invention is a method for incentivizing a sales staff of a seller to sell particular items in an inventory of the seller. A manufacturer of the items in the inventory allocates a credit to the seller for each item sold out of the inventory of the seller during a first program period. At the conclusion of the first program period, the seller assigns each of the allocated credits to items remaining in the inventory of the seller. The manufacturer may optionally preclude the seller from assigning the credits to certain items in the inventory. The seller may assign more than one credit to an item, up to a predetermined maximum number of credits, or until the allocated credits are all assigned. The seller receives an incentive from the manufacturer for selling items having credits assigned to them. The incentive provided for each item is a predetermined amount of money per credit assigned to the item. In one embodiment, the incentive is provided to a sales person of the seller responsible for selling the item having the credits assigned to the item.
In one embodiment, a manufacturer allocates a predetermined amount of credits to a seller. The seller assigns a quantity of the predetermined amount of credits to each item in an inventory of the seller. The seller receives an incentive from the manufacturer for selling items having credits assigned to them. The incentive provided for each item is a predetermined amount of money per credit assigned to the item. In another embodiment, the amount of money per credit varies as a function of the item to which the credit is assigned.
In one embodiment, the incentive is provided to a sales person of the seller responsible for selling the item having the credits assigned to the item.
In one embodiment, the invention comprises computer executable instructions for implementing a method of incentivizing a seller. A database component operates on a server to store a plurality of identifiers, each identifier corresponding to an item in the inventory of a seller. The database component also stores credit data indicting how many credits are allocated to the seller that have not been assigned to an item in the inventory by the seller, and assignment data indicating how many credits are assigned to each item in the inventory. A seller interface component enables a seller to enter sales data into the database component and assign credits to items in the inventory. A report component queries the database to generate reports for the manufacturer and seller indicating credits assigned to items sold and not sold by the seller.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Other features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
Referring to
Initially, the method begins at 102 with the supplier providing an inventory of items (e.g., vehicles) to the dealer. At 104, the dealer's sales people sell vehicles from the inventory provided the dealer during a first program period. During this first program period the dealer earns a predetermined number of credits for each vehicle sold from the inventory, and the credits earned are tracked by a system including a database during the first program period. The first program period may last, for example, for two weeks. At 106, the first program period concludes, and the manufacturer allocates a quantity of credits to the dealer based on or equal to the number of vehicles that the dealer sold during the first program period. Alternatively, the manufacturer may allocate credits to the dealer as the vehicles are sold and the credits are earned during the first program period. Thus, the first period is a period during which the dealer qualifies for credits and the supplier allocates credits to the dealer. In one embodiment, the seller allocates credits to the dealer as a function of the individual vehicle or type of vehicle sold. That is, the dealer receives 1 credit for selling a vehicle that has been in the dealer's inventory for one week, and the dealer receives 3 credits for selling a vehicle that has been in the dealer's inventory for 3 weeks. A vehicle has a type or belongs to a group if the vehicle has the one or more characteristics defining the group or type. For example, a type may include all vehicles having a certain model year characteristic, or all vehicles having a particular make characteristic such as a Dodge Ram or trucks. Characteristics defining a group may include a length of time the vehicle has been in the dealer's inventory (e.g., more than 2 weeks or more than a month) or a division designing the vehicle (e.g., special edition vehicles).
During a second program period beginning at 108, the dealer assigns the earned credits to vehicles remaining in the inventory of the dealer so that the second period is a period during which credits are assigned by the seller to specific vehicles in the inventory of the seller. If, at any time during the second program period, it turns out that a sales person of the dealer sold a vehicle having credits assigned to it, the credits may be assigned to another vehicle in the inventory of the dealer. If the sales person sells a vehicle having credits assigned to it at or near the end of the second program period, the dealer may have a grace period (e.g., 2 days) to assign the credits to another vehicle in the inventory of the dealer. The dealer relinquishes (i.e., the manufacturer revokes) any credits not assigned to a vehicle during the second program period (or the applicable grace period).
At 110, a third program period begins during which the dealer and/or the sales people of the dealer can earn the credits by selling vehicles having credits which were assigned to the vehicle during the second program period. In one embodiment, the incentive paid by the manufacturer for each credit is a predetermined amount of money (e.g., 250 dollars), and the dealer may assign a maximum of four credits to each vehicle in the dealer's inventory. A sales person who sells a vehicle receives the incentive assigned to the vehicle. In one embodiment, the manufacturer has access to a database including the credits assigned to each vehicle and therefore knows what vehicles the dealer is most likely to sell during the third program period. At 112, the third program period concludes, and the dealer relinquishes (i.e., the manufacturer revokes) any credits assigned to a vehicle that was not sold during the third program period, and the method ends at 114. Optionally, the manufacturer may choose to restart the incentive program at 104. In one embodiment, the first program period is several weeks or months (e.g., 2 weeks) and the second program period and the third program period are each one week in duration.
In one example of a practical application of the method of
It is contemplated that the manufacturer may put limits on the incentive program embodied in the method of
In another embodiment of the invention, the manufacturer allocates a predetermined number of credits to the dealer during the first program period. This predetermined number can be an arbitrary number or based on some previous action by the dealer or its sales people. The dealer assigns the credits to vehicles in the inventory of the dealer during the second program period, and the manufacturer pays the assigned credits to the dealer and/or the sales people for each vehicle sold during the third program period.
Referring to
In one embodiment, the seller interface 204 receives an inventory status file (e.g., a new vehicle delivery record file) from the seller 212 reporting vehicles in the inventory of the seller 212 and vehicles sold from the seller's inventory. The inventory status file may be provided to the database 202 daily, or at some other interval. For example, if the first program period is 2 weeks, the second program period is 1 week, and the third program period is 1 week, then the inventory status file may be provided by the seller 212 weekly. The seller interface component 204 also provides a graphical user interface through which the dealer 212 can view credit data and review and edit assignment data. In one embodiment, the inventory status file is used to conduct an audit after the third program period ends (e.g., 90 days later). The audit determines whether any vehicles (i.e., items) for which an incentive was paid to the seller were returned to the seller. If an item for which an incentive was paid has been returned, the seller can take an appropriate action (e.g., revoking the incentive, offsetting the incentive, and/or removing the seller from the incentive program).
The database component 202 determines the stored assignment data and credit data each time it receives input from a dealer via a new inventory status file or the graphical user interface. It is contemplated that all information may be provided from the dealer 212 to the manufacturer 210 through complete files such that a graphical user interface is not necessary. It is also contemplated that all data may be entered through the graphical user interface such that the seller interface component 204 does not need to accept inventory status files. Regardless of how the data is received by the seller interface component 204, the database component 202 processes the data to update the credit data and the sales data stored by the database component 202. The data provided by the dealer 212 to the database component 202 includes a listing of vehicles in the inventory of the dealer, vehicles sold by the dealer since the last inventory update, and the sales person responsible for any vehicle sold since the last inventory update.
In operation, the database component 202 includes data for a plurality of dealers. A seller 212 (e.g., a dealer) uses an Internet browser to log on to a server having the computer executable components shown in
Referring to
Referring again to
The report component 208 queries the database component 202 and creates reports for various entities including the seller 212 (e.g., dealer), the supplier 210 (e.g., manufacturer), and others such as regional divisions or distributors. The reports generally include data indicating vehicles in the inventory of any relevant dealers and vehicles sold from the inventory of any relevant dealers during a predetermined time period, but may be customized as needed to include any information that can be derived from the data reported to and stored by the database component 202. For example, at the end of a third program period, the report component 208 provides the dealer 212 with a report listing the vehicles by vehicle identification number having credits assigned to them along with a status of the vehicle (i.e., whether the vehicle was sold during the third program period). As another example, at the end of a first program period, the report component 208 provides the manufacturer 210 with a report listing sales districts, vehicles sold by dealers in each district, and credits allocated to dealers in each district.
The supplier interface component 216 enables the supplier 210 (i.e., manufacturer) to view current or past data stored by the database component 202 and change program rules (e.g., eligible vehicles) within the database component 202. The supplier 210 may view data such as vehicles eligible for credits at dealers within each sales region along with credits allocated to the dealers within each region (i.e., district). The supplier 210 may also change which vehicles or classes of vehicles are eligible for credits to participating dealers, and which vehicles or classes of vehicles may have credits assigned to them by the dealers. The supplier 210 may also alter the length and/or dates of the first, second, and third program periods.
The order of execution or performance of the operations in embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein is not essential, unless otherwise specified. That is, the operations may be performed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and embodiments of the invention may include additional or fewer operations than those disclosed herein. For example, it is contemplated that executing or performing a particular operation before, contemporaneously with, or after another operation is within the scope of aspects of the invention.
Embodiments of the invention may be implemented with computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be organized into one or more computer-executable components or modules. Aspects of the invention may be implemented with any number and organization of such components or modules. For example, aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific computer-executable instructions or the specific components or modules illustrated in the figures and described herein. Other embodiments of the invention may include different computer-executable instructions or components having more or less functionality than illustrated and described herein.
When introducing elements of aspects of the invention or the embodiments thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.
Having described aspects of the invention in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims. As various changes could be made in the above constructions, products, and methods without departing from the scope of aspects of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
