Dealership Success Stories

Could creating a highly profitable accessory program in your store be as simple as following best practice tips?

Well, yes.

Hurlbert Toyota is the epitome of success in the making. This won’t be the last you hear of this store. In fact, this is only the beginning. Maybe you’re the type of person who likes bullet points or a handout; someone who thrives on a plan. This story is for you. Take your copy of Insignia’s best practice tips, and follow along step by step as the magic unfolds.

In the smallish town of Newark, Delaware, there is a seasoned salesmen relaxing on his day off, feet up, smile on his face, surrounded by grandiose feelings of success and stacks of crisp bills fastened with rubber bands.

Though the likelihood of fabrication in that description is high, Newark Toyota World’s Ken Steen is news you don’t want to miss. Ken is leading his dealership in total gross per unit already this year, which is really no surprise at all.

Images from www.newarktoyotaworld.com

The lead singer gets all the glory.

At Minnesota’s Rudy Luther family of dealerships you’ll find a family...really an actual family. Peppered across Luther’s two Toyota stores and a Chrysler store are stepfather, mother, and two sisters - all working in different facets with a common allegiance to the Luther brand.

That’s right--Luther Automotive presently employs the entire Cline family; a driven, passionate, [auto] enthusiastic group that any company would be fortunate to have. Toyota salesmen, Mark works alongside his wife and delivery coordinator Jennifer in Brookdale; while daughter Niki sells Chrysler's next door. Sister Amanda is just a skip away in Golden Valley personalizing Toyotas in the showroom.

We have all seen the empires built in a day: pop-up fads bringing mega success that are here today and gone tomorrow. The lure of getting rich quick can lead organization’s astray from taking the proper steps, like adequate preparation and training, before launching a new program.

Toyota of Braintree in Braintree, Massachusetts didn’t take the bait. From the beginning, the Toyota dealer committed to waylaying fast results and laying a solid foundation to build upon. Month over month, the dealer built their personalization program--and their labor hasn’t been in vain. Toyota of Braintree, the longest standing member of Insignia’s million dollar club, just marked their sixth year of over a million dollars in accessory sales in the showroom.

Evolution: (noun) The gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form.

Management at Morrie’s Minnetonka Subaru took the desire to add front end gross in their showroom and set it in motion. Starting with will, direction, and thorough training, the desire developed into a more complex form as a process unique to the store was realized. This Minnesota dealer is one to watch, as its success in accessory sales snowballs.

We talked with management about the birth of this process, and the impressive gains enjoyed over the last twelve months. A common theme emerged: the team is playing together. Comprehensive support for Vehicle Personalization laid a healthy foundation and allowed for continual, methodic growth that hasn’t slowed down.

If there were a school for how to master this car dealership thing, you’d read about Denver’s Mountain States Toyota in the history book. Consistent vision. Unrivaled dedication to the success of each team member. Well over two million dollars in accessory sales for two years running.

General Sales Manager Sean Kramer reflects on the incredible accomplishments of Mountain States Toyota.

"We’ve seen tremendous growth in sales volume and accessory sales since implementing our Insignia process about two and a half years ago,” Kramer explains.

Step into the dealership showroom at Luther Brookdale Toyota, and you’ll be swept away with hospitality. Every car buyer will meet one of two personable, professional delivery coordinators. The delivery coordinator will get to know the customer more personally as the buyer enjoys a tour of the facility. The buyer gets familiar with the place to which he or she will return for service for years to come. By the time the customer is familiar with the entire store, he or she will be familiar with the tour guide, too. That comfort and relaxation translates right into the accessory presentation, tucked away in the quiet of the coordinator’s office.

Rudy Luther Toyota is building, in every sense of the word. With well over a million dollars in accessory sales last year, its personalization profit center helped justify the expansion of a new service building, which has further increased its in-house installations.

Dedicated in-house installer Andrew Felland has been an accessories technician for fifteen years, and spent the last five of those at Rudy Luther. When the dealership could no longer contain the increasing orders in its service department, management knew Andrew needed his own separate location.

“Customers want to be taken care of, and we want to give them that option here--all in one place,” says Cole Hawkins, accessories sales manager at Jeff Belzer’s Automotive.

As we delivered our first several 2016 Insignia Challenge Coins, a theme emerged: “all in one place.”