Success in the car business is all about a relentless inner drive.
Laurel Kia General Manager Joe Beach looks for that drive every time he talks to a potential hire.
“Every time you get back down, you have to keep pushing up,” Beach said. “When people ask about my success, I tell them that I come to work and put forth the same amount of effort every day.”
It?s no secret that auto dealerships throughout the United States have fallen on some economic hard times and may face more as politicians push automakers on fuel initiatives. But Beach, who began working part-time at a dealership as a high school student, said that a focus on personalized attention to customers can positively impact the bottom line.
“We are a small dealership, and everyone knows everyone else on a personal level,” Beach said. “We know our customers by their first names, and we are very accessible. If a [sales or service] customer wants to speak with a manager, a manager will be there right away.”
To maintain the dealership?s high standards, Beach seeks employee candidates who show commitment to careers at the dealership.
“We are not a stopgap employer,” he said. “A lot of our employees have been here a long, time and we want to keep them. We hate turnover.”
The secret to keeping turnover low is for managers to give the same personalized care to employees that they do to customers.
Assisting employees through personal or professional rough patches ensures quality work, Beach said.
“We work with them to make sure they are successful,” he said, noting additional training is a constant. “If they are successful, we are successful.”
Laurel Kia Sales Manager Chris Marks said the resulting low-key atmosphere at the dealership keeps everyone satisfied.
“We project a comfortable feeling in this dealership,” he said. “When people come into the showroom, they buy from us because they like the way we do business.”
Contact Info
Laurel Kia
» 14921 Baltimore Ave., Laurel
» 301-604-1339
» www.laurelkia.co
