Rusty Gentry has been general manager at Pat Lobb’s Toyota of McKinney in Texas for just two short months, and already he has big plans. Within 18 months of his date of hire, his goal is to increase sales and service business across the board 35%.
In the last store he managed, Gentry increased business 65% in his first year, but that was back in 2011 and times have changed. In fact, conditions have changed quite a bit since he retired from his former position a year ago.
Customers are demanding dramatic changes to the car shopping experience and they are voting with their wallets. As a result, third-party sites are growing in their influence on consumers, so dealers need to be aware of how to leverage these sites to complement what they’re doing with their own website and direct marketing efforts.
Agricultural communities don’t usually lend themselves to successful automotive dealerships due to the low drive-by traffic, but one dealership has plowed through the competition of massive auto malls and made a distinct name for itself in the Golden State.
Most customers don’t arrive at a car dealership thinking their life will be improved during the process of buying a vehicle. But at Freedom Auto Group in Pennsylvania, that’s exactly what the owners seek for their customers — life improvement.
