Business Manager and Sales Manager, respectively
Perry Motors
What is one of your proudest accomplishments of your career?
So far in our careers we are most proud of the business environment we have cultivated. We are a third-generation family-owned Toyota and Honda dealership in a small town in California. We pride ourselves on standing out as a dealership by bucking most of the trends you would find in a large corporate-run store. This has been a point of pride for both our father and grandfather before us and we are proud to carry on the tradition in our own way. For example, we believe in honesty and transparency in our sales process as well as a collaborative approach behind the scenes. By bringing in new technology, we can give our customers the product information they are seeking and a more hands-on approach to penciling a car deal. As far as teamwork goes, eliminating commission sales in the front-end has been a game-changer. When you are lucky enough to inherit a wonderfully run dealership to begin with, some might think that makes things easy. However, we take the job of living up to a family legacy very seriously. This brings out our competitive spirit and furthers our desire for success.
What is your best advice to other women who want to excel in the automotive industry?
We are both working moms and think this is a particular challenge in any industry, let alone a traditionally male-dominated industry. We both strongly believe in keeping a work-life balance and practicing self-care. Now, these might seem contradictory to excelling in the auto industry, but we do not agree. You must be able to bring your best self and your best qualities to your job to succeed. Furthermore, you need to place value in the unique set of skills and abilities that you bring to the table, even if those qualities might not be the same as some of your male counterparts. The more diverse the people and opinions at the table, the more we can relate to the very customers we serve.