Friday, August 8, 2014

John Marazzi taught me something today...

About two years ago we began tracking front end PVR throughout our auto group. OK not revolutionary but I'm not talking salesperson PVR I'm talking from the desk. But for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The negative was that now desk managers would run from low margin deals, internet grosses or deals on age pre-owned inventory. What we wanted was a culture of accountability...what we got was desk managers becoming good at playing matador.

John Marazzi had a solution. Instead of letting his one desk manager who would take any action (be it a detriment to his per copy) become the department laughing stock he created a top ten gross report. The report would pit each desk managers top ten grosses against the rest of the team. What we found was that the playing field was leveled and that when gross was there the so called low PVR performer was hanging with the big boys.

BUT today my mind was further blown. In the ever changing marketplace of pre-owned vehicles prices don't just change daily they change hourly. Now how could you compare a manager selling a 70 day old unit with 400 dollars of profit to another selling a fresh unit with 1800 dollars of wiggle room to retail? The answer is you can't. John Marazzi has changed all that. In transactional selling John has realized success is relative to the opportunity you are given and what you do with it. His price to sale gap report takes all that into account and gives managers a true relative measurement of their dealing success. Simple but effective thinking. Well done John and Brandon Honda!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Morgan Auto Group Acquires Volkswagen of Gainesville

For Immediate Release
July 31, 2014
Gainesville, FL
The Morgan Auto Group (based in Tampa, FL) has brought their lineup of unique brands represented to 11 with the acquisition of Gettel Automotive’s “Volkswagen of Gainesville.” Morgan Auto now has 12 dealerships on the Gulf Coast and in Central Florida where they currently have Honda of Gainesville,Gainesville Buick GMCGainesville Mitsubishi and Honda of Ocala in the region.
“We think that there is a ton of upside to the VW brand,” said MAG CEO Larry Morgan. “Volkswagen has a diverse lineup and a loyal following and we are looking forward to growing that business.” The Morgans are no strangers to VW, their first entry into the car business back in 2004 was with then partner Jason Kuhn and his Kuhn Honda Volkswagen store on Kennedy in Tampa. “The first vehicle I ever sold was a new Volkswagen Golf,” remarked Larry’s son and Morgan Auto President Brett Morgan. “It’s a neat brand that appeals to young, educated consumers and we are thrilled to be operating in a University town such as Gainesville, FL.”
Larry and Brett stated that they will continue to operate the store from the current location while a new facility is constructed. “Operations and the Customer Experience will remain consistent and we shouldn’t miss a beat in transition,” said Larry. “We look forward to bringing some of our own priorities to the store but that will be over time. For now, our focus will be in creating and maintaining a great customer experience in Gainesville.”
The Morgans have named Veteran Dealership Manager Tony Turner the new General Manager of Volkswagen of Gainesville.