SAT #27 - 👋 Every Dealership Should Have A Greeter

What’s summer without a full tilt playlist for the outdoor speaker setup!? Good news is, we adjusted the ASOTU Spotify list just for times such as this!

Check it out today and get the team ready to rock a Saturday with Troublemaking tunes specially curated for you.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT

Adrian Wall Gibbs Gets Hyperlocal

This week, Chris and Kristi had the pleasure of chatting with Adrian about her role as the Marketing Director for the Nimnicht Family of Dealerships in Jacksonville, FL.

Tell us a bit about how you got into the automotive industry.

That’s a really fun question because it was not intentional. I was working for a local tech startup company that started not doing so well so I decided it was really the right time for me to exit. I started putting my feelers out there and doing some research on what jobs were available in my area for marketing when I saw an ad on Facebook for a dealership looking to hire a Marketing Assistant.

I luckily had a neighbor who was connected to the Nimnicht family, so she helped get my resume in front of the right people. I got a phone call from the General Manager at one of the stores. Within a week I had an interview, and within two weeks, I started. That was July 20th of last year.

I had zero automotive experience prior to that. During my interview process, I really played up the fact that I may not have had that specific experience, but I'm a consumer and I think like a consumer. And I know marketing. Just because I didn’t know all the ins and outs of the industry didn’t mean that I wouldn't be a good fit. So, they took a chance on me.

Now that you’ve been in the position for a year, what would you say has been your biggest revelation? Something a consumer may not know yet?

My first thoughts and revelations have really been over the stigma that dealerships have. The idea of the sleazy used car salesman, and that you should never go to the dealership to get your car serviced because it's way more expensive. All of those things are not necessarily true.

There are so many good people in this industry. There are so many great businessmen and women and families that are been in this business for a long time. One of the things that drew me to Nimnicht was that they’re a third-generation family dealership. The two guys that are running it, they’re brothers and their grandfather started it in 1941.

We know that your dealership is pretty involved with local nonprofits and fundraising initiatives. We’d love to hear a little bit more about what you guys have going on.

They love to give back to the community! Our owners really do care about the city. From Little League teams to organizations for veterans to children's health care, they do a lot. And they really encourage the staff to get involved.

A lot of what the team is doing in the community, they're really quiet about. I was surprised about that, but it tells me that it's coming from their heart. They give because they want to, not for recognition.

That's one of the reasons why we love to have interviews like these! It really helps us share what the auto industry is doing for others, especially when dealerships may feel hesitant to promote it themselves.

Exactly. And if it encourages another dealership or owner group to get more involved in their community or make a deeper impact, that’s most important.

Our owner really tries to be hands-on and invest locally. I learned in the non-profit that there's this term “hyperlocal.” Your literal neighbor. Someone you can reach out and touch. That’s the kind of connection they want. That’s what’s in their hearts.

In closing, what do you see as the priority for the next couple of years for the automotive industry? Where do you see an opportunity to recommit our efforts, or something to consider for the first time as an industry?

One thing that comes to mind is that a lot of the automotive industry is way behind the times technologically. Everyone wants to talk about things like Tesla's technology and what they're doing. Meanwhile, “back at the ranch” here, we're still using paper for many things.

It's an exciting time. I get to bring some of that change, introduce technology, and watch it be effective.

🌟 Check out our full interview with Adrian here! 🌟

CONTENT RECAP

Weekly Rewind

EMAIL

• Jim Hudson Auto Group’s donations to the Harvest Hope Food Bank surpass 11M meals. 🍽️

• Smail Auto Group donate their money, time, and platform to Heal Animal Rescue. 🐷

• WATDA sends kids to auto camp. The mechanics of tomorrow are in middle school today. 🛠️

• Rita Case of the Rick Case Automotive Group is recognized for all her service to the community at the Women In Distress Starfish Luncheon. ⭐

PODCAST

You checked out our Amplify podcast yet? This chat with the GM of Daimler Trucks, Joanna Cooper is a great place to start.

SOMETHING FUN

96’ Toyota Temple

Go "out" in style!

This 1996 Miyagata-style Toyota Century hearse is a dead ringer for a Japanese Shinto shrine on wheels.

YouTuber Doug DeMuro resurrected awareness of the shiny ride when they dug it up at an auction with the highest bid of just under $8K.

Of course, at barely over 33K miles, it still has a lot of life in it. Maybe just don't take it through a drive-thru.