Business Development Representative — Graff Kia of Chesterton
- Location: Chesterton, Indiana (Graff Auto Campus)
- Department: Business Development Center (BDC) — Sales & Service
- Reports to: BDC Manager (with day-to-day partnership from the Kia General Manager)
- Employment type: Full-time, on-site
- Compensation: $33,280 base + performance bonus (up to $63,040 total annually)
About Graff Auto Campus
Graff Auto Campus is a five-rooftop dealer group in Northwest Indiana — Kia, Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, and Toyota — anchored in Chesterton and Michigan City. We've been in the automotive business since 1914 and we're building something modern: real people, real accountability, and best-in-class technology working together. Our Kia store is the newest addition to the campus and of the fastest-growing rooftops we operate.
About the role
We're hiring a Business Development Representative to be the voice of Graff Kia. You're the first human touch after a customer clicks, calls, or chats. You partner with our AI platform (BDC.AI) — it handles first-contact and 24/7 coverage; you handle everything that needs a person: qualifying leads, booking appointments, following up with sold customers, and coordinating service handoffs. You'll work from our Chesterton store and be part of a dedicated Kia team, not a call-center pool.
This is a role for someone who wants to own outcomes — not just check boxes on a call list.
What you'll do
Sales BDC
- Respond to every internet lead, phone call, and chat inquiry for Kia within minutes (not hours).
- Qualify leads: understand what the customer wants, their timeline, trade situation, and financing needs.
- Book appointments — real, confirmed appointments — with the right salesperson at the right time.
- Follow up with prospects who didn't buy on their first visit. Persistence is the job.
- Manage the AI escalation queue: when BDC.AI hands a conversation over to a human, that's you.
- Book service appointments for customers reaching out by phone, text, or web form.
- Follow up on declined recommendations and lost RO opportunities.
- Coordinate the sales-to-service handoff so first-service visits go smoothly.
- Support the service department during peak hours as needed.
- Work inside VinSolutions CRM — logging every touch, updating every lead status.
- Manage tasks and callbacks in a disciplined cadence.
- Partner with your Kia sales floor and service advisors — you're on the same team, not a separate department.
- Attend a short daily huddle and a weekly-on-one with the BDC Manager.
What you bring
- Comfort on the phone. This is a talking job, and you should like it.
- Strong written communication — customers text and email as much as they call.
- Basic computer fluency — you can move between browser tabs, keep notes, and pick up new software.
- Self-discipline. Nobody is standing over your shoulder counting your calls; the numbers do it for you.
- Reliability. Being on time and being on shift matters here.
- Prior BDC, call center, retail, hospitality, or automotive experience.
- Familiarity with VinSolutions, PBS, Reynolds & Reynolds, or similar dealer software.
- Bilingual (Spanish/English) is a plus.
We do not require
a college degree or prior car-industry experience. If you have great habits and want to learn, we'll train you.
What we offer
- $16.00/hour base ($640/week, $33,280/year) — paid weekly.
- Monthly performance bonus tied to two clear metrics: total store retail sales and service department gross.
- Bonus ladder: Baseline / Good / Better / Best — everyone earns something every month.
- Total annual compensation opportunity up to $63,040 with strong performance.
- Bonus thresholds reviewed annually as the store grows.
- Health, dental, vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off and paid holidays
- Employee vehicle purchase and service discounts
- Real career path — several of our current managers and directors started in the BDC
- Store-based role — you sit inside your dealership, not a remote call center.
- Modern tools — BDC.AI, VinSolutions, PBS, and a leadership team that actually invests in technology.
- Direct access to ownership. This is not a company where you'll never see a decision-maker.
Schedule
- Full-time, approximately 40 hours per week.
- Rotating schedule that includes some evenings and Saturdays.
- One day off during the week to offset the weekend rotation.
- Sunday closed.
How to apply
Apply through this posting. If your background is a fit, our BDC Manager will reach out within a few business days to set up a phone conversation. Selected candidates will then meet with our team at the Kia store in Chesterton.
Graff Auto Campus is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected class. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.
