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Mark R. Dubis, Director of the Dubis Group, an automotive marketing firm, answers this month's question for AutoUSA readers.
How do I prepare for the rebound in the economy?
With the OEMs cutting dealer ranks, the dealers left standing need to take action to prepare for the rebound which will be coming over the next six to12 months. Our industry has been hit hard but dealers with solid business practices in place are weathering the storm better than many others. Here are a few suggestions for your consideration.
Start hiring more "A Team" players. Be honest some of your sales team members are not the sharpest crayons in the box. With good dealerships going out of business, now is the right time to recruit sales professionals from those stores who have a proven track record. These people have years of experience, often a rolodex of customers who are loyal to them, and a desire to find a good home where they can be appreciated.
Think about an Open House Recruitment night and send out invitations or advertise in the classifieds telling experienced auto sales professionals that your store(s) are actively looking to build ranks but only from the "best of the best." You also want to ask your best salespeople if they know of associates or would like to refer one of these winners to your HR team. Consider offering a referral program and pay $1000 if you hire one of these candidates. Of course the fee is paid after 90 days of service is completed by that candidate.
Change the Compensation Focus. Dealers are spending entirely too much money to bring new customers in the door. Encourage your sales team to work your customer and prospect base.
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Selling Luxury in Southern California
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Jason Feuerberg | Sales Manager | Park Place Lexus | Mission Viejo, CA
Park Place, a privately-held company in business for twenty-two years, is based in Dallas, Texas. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Park Place has ten dealerships, including Porsche, Mercedes, Lexus, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati, Smart and Volvo. Park Place Lexus Mission Viejo was their first acquisition in the Southern California market. In 2005, Park Place Lexus' two Dallas area stores won the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, the first car dealership ever to be awarded this prestigious honor by the President of the United States. We caught up with Jason Feuerberg, Sales Manager at the Lexus store in Mission Viejo and spoke with him about his unique focus.
AutoUSA: How is your Internet Department structured?
Jason Feuerberg (JF): Our store doesn't have a traditional internet department, in that there is not a separate department that specifically handles internet clients. The internet business is expanding as more and more people are shopping on the web. Therefore, having a traditional internet department doesn't bode well for our sales force. We have three people who are primarily responsible for internet leads but every single sales consultant on the sales floor gets leads and knows the proper process to handle internet clients.
AutoUSA: What are you doing that is a bit different from your competition?
JF: Park Place has a strong culture, and we are in tight communication with all of our dealerships. By keeping in close contact and learning from everyone's experience, it gives us an edge in the automotive industry. Park Place hires for attitude and trains for success. We refer to our employees as members and our customers s clients. At Park Place, you are a member of a team. As managers, we like to coach instead of manage. We want everyone to be successful when they work at Park Place. We are a positive company that keeps a high morale even in this tough economic climate. This holistic approach makes for a great customer experience.
Our process is to make contact with a client in fifteen minutes after the lead has been submitted. We are very customer service oriented. We try to make the process as easy, convenient and pleasurable for the client as possible. Park Place is committed to an outstanding purchase and ownership experience.
AutoUSA: Can you tell us about your lead generation process?
JF: We have a multi-pronged approach to generating leads. Our primary focus is on getting prospects to our website and culling leads from there. We also feel that third party lead providers have given us excellent leads that we might not have received otherwise. Currently, we are using AutoUSA to generate most of our new car traffic, and working with a couple of other lead providers on the pre-owned side.
AutoUSA: What types of creative marketing are you doing to drive more web traffic?
JF: We are using a variety of different avenues to market via the internet including chat sites and social networking websites, as well as SEM, SIM, and SEO. There are also special micro websites that we utilize to drive traffic to our own website. We also market heavily in our PMA, branding our website at various events that we participate in, including charities and other social functions.
Website: www.parkplacelexusmissionviejo.com
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