DrivingSales
Actor Mark Wahlberg now Owns a Dealership
In a move to grow his business portfolio, Marky Mark Wahlberg is breaking into the automotive world with a dealership in Columbus, Ohio. Yes, you read that correctly. Mark Wahlberg, former teen pop idol, and current actor extraordinaire, will now be selling Chevy’s in Ohio.
The dealership is aptly named Mark Wahlberg Chevy. Wahlberg is partnering up with Jay Feldman, a veteran Chevy dealership owner who owns eight dealerships throughout southeast and mid-Michigan. He and Wahlberg began searching for their first dealership early in 2017 and the Columbus opportunity emerged later in the year.
Feldman and Wahlberg are no strangers. The pair have been friends for several years and recently became partners in a Wahlburgers restaurant in Cleveland. They are also the master franchise for the state of Georgia.
The Fighter actor says he’s ready to break into new industries, "I am continuously looking for ways to innovate my brand and engage in businesses I am passionate about," said Wahlberg in a press release. "I love cars and the chance to work with an experienced, proven dealer-operator like Jay and represent an iconic brand like Chevrolet inspired me to get involved."
Owning a Chevy dealership adds to Wahlberg's portfolio of business interests that includes a movie production company, a health and wellness company, a water line with music mogul Diddy and a Wahlburgers restaurant chain that is currently franchised throughout 14 U.S. states and Canada.
"The Wahlberg brand is all about Americana," said Feldman. "Joining forces to sell and service Chevrolets with the magnetic draw of the Mark Wahlberg name allows us to do something special for the state of Ohio and the greater Columbus area."
The duo plan to open additional dealerships together in the future.
DrivingSales
Women Offering Support in the Workplace
Times are changing inside the automotive industry. From increasing technology to an increase of women being hired.
In this edition of Women In Automotive, we’re featuring someone whose passion for online technology has boosted her automotive career.
Meet Lauren Wolfe. Her career has recently come full circle. 20 years ago she worked for CarsDirect.com helping to sell cars online. Now she’s working at a trailblazing company doing the same thing, but more modern, it’s called Drive Motors.
“To me I think it closes the loop on something I started so long ago.”
Recently hired as the Senior Manager of Consumer Experience for Drive Motors she helps dealerships launch their online checkout experience. But she started out in a very different position inside a luxury dealership with her mom, “My first job was working as a receptionist and customer service agent at a Mercedes store where she worked.”
In fact, Lauren’s mom paved the way for her to enter the auto industry and Lauren was able to work with her and learn from her since the very beginning.
“I have watched very few women, and today more women, but very few women in the industry and enjoyed the guidance of my mother until she retired a few years back.”
Acknowledging that the automotive industry isn’t the easiest for women, Lauren stays because she has a passion for the work and loves that the automotive and technology field are finally working closely together.
“For the first time in our industry's history we are beginning to spearhead technology. We are finally seeing us be tech leaders as opposed to the historically ‘tech behind the times.’”
And when it comes to more women working in this industry, especially the dealership setting, she says women are successful, because they are women, “I can’t tell you how many times in my own career let alone just witnessing it in the store that I see customers walk past the male salesperson to work with a female because they feel more comfortable.”
And finally, like most industries throughout history getting more women involved will happen. But there needs to be patience, and lots of support, “As we all join together we will have our own space and equality as well.”
To read more about Lauren and her accomplishments, click here!
How have women influenced your career inside the automotive sector??
1 Comment
Self
Inspiring post! My mentor and top seller was a tenured woman when I started 16 years ago. Mary Sagona. On a staff of 28 sales people, 3 were female. All the others worked in clerical and admin. I am honored to see how much this has changed.
DrivingSales
Are Millennials Killing The Car Industry?
Where have all the drivers gone? Something shifted with regards to our driving behaviors during the mid 2000's and we simply started driving less even though the population continued to grow.
So many different factors may have contributed to this decline: economic factors, gas prices, family dynamics, people working from home, and changes in air travel activity. General family dynamics have changed as well - younger people today simply don't need to go as many places as we needed to at that age - their connected lifestyle has changed the entire concept of ownership and the need to physically go somewhere to acquire something is different. Want to buy something? It's simply a click away.
Consider this statistic: Today's 20-something Amercians drive approximately 20% less today that their parents did while they were in their 20's.
The question remains though, what happens when this segment of the population ages, moves out of their parent's houses, enter the professional workforce and start their own families? They will eventually need vehicles. And when they do enter the market it could create a much needed buying spree. Or, will their historical activities and future needs create a new standard of automotive shopping behavior and disrupt the retail industry even further?
The projections for the future see three possible scenarios, according to a research report from The Frontier Group and the US PIRG Education Fund. These scenarios could vary between: Drivers will re-enter the market and driving will pick up to near-normal levels, drivers will continue to maintain current activities and the trend will be an enduring shift or there will be a full reversal and driving will continue to decline. One contributor to that decline may be the introduction of ride sharing services like Uber, ZipCar and other companies providing cost effective, convenient ownership alternatives. The Frontier Group is quick to point out that all three of these scenarios predict the future outcomes to be below the anticipated historical trend line.
So, regardless of where the trends actually fall dealers will be faced with a different marketing challenge: Connecting with a segment of automotive shoppers who have different needs and an entirely different experience with online shopping and ownership.
8 Comments
Automotive Internet Management
As another option, possibly their laziness has produced less of an ability to purchase? I want to be a think tank that gives enough possibilities that one has to be right. Reality is coming to the Millennials, and that can be taken to the bank.
Beltway Companies
I would offer that the "millennial" buying patterns and trends can be analyzed by location. Namely, previous generations lived in more suburban/rural areas. Whereas, it is evident that "millennials" tend to prefer urban areas. In which case they can walk or use public transportation. Another huge impact is the "student loan" issue where many of them could be paying as much as $4-500 per month on their student loans. Add $1,200+ in rent it could be a bit tricky. Another concern, too, is their lack of budgeting or inability to manage their finances. Look at their average credit score. It is not pretty. Personally, I could not survive without a vehicle. That sense of freedom is invaluable to me. I also commute. But then again, not the average "millennial" as I much prefer a suburban area, and own a home.
Image Auto LLC
Millennials are reaching a point where they'll regain their buying power. Student loans are an undeniable issue for their financials, but there's also a huge difference in the way they communicate.
They look for convenience and empathy. So many dealers are trying to force every shopper to buy the dealer's way. Most shoppers will deal with it and badmouth the experience to everyone they see, but a millennial would have no problem just avoiding the process all together. They'll blame the color of the car as a reason not to buy instead of pointing out that they see countless cosmetic scratches that could have been buffed out.
The fact of the matter is that in a transparent digital world, connecting to consumers is the key to earning their trust. If price and numbers actually mattered more than emotions and feeling, the commercials with a dealer yelling "rockbottom prices" in the middle of their lot would actually work.
AdWeek did a study of how empathy creates a positive brand experience that makes sales easier due to a personalized, friendly experience for the user. A dealership in Phoenix created a buying experience around millennial shopping trends to connect better.
Even the SVP of Customer Experience for Drive Motors stated he doesn't want to buy a new car because he doesn't want to go through the hassle of the buying at a dealership and HE'S IN THE INDUSTRY!
Reality isn't coming for Millennials. It's coming for dealers. Adapt to new standards of omni-channel business or get acquired because you're stuck in your ways and blaming problems on generations and external factors.
DrivingSales
William Phillips, I have worked and currently work with hundreds of millennials. I would argue that They aren't lazy, they just have different priorities, and owning cars just doesn't seem to be high on their list.
Self
Millennials are the largest generation in human history and have so much buying power it is scary. It's mandatory to understand their buying habits and cater to their new approach vs condemning the up and coming due to the environment that is bringing them about.
Automotive Internet Management
Jason and Patrick
Also work with thousands of Millennials in dealers currently and they are as a group lazy, self entitled and less smart than they think they are. Not a DS market study or one young inexperienced opinion. Reality is coming for these and all lazies regardless of age. (Like the reality of signing for a student loan and paying the debt you signed for, or believing its someone else's problem you signed)
Dealers have, and will also continue to have a reality check as their practices must change.
That wont be with the habits of superior elevated inexperience children, given to much credit, and told they deserve a safe empathic place to be and purchase. Cant wait to start Snow Flake motors where you can buy with just your empathic score. Then have it acquired, by an omni-channel (zero actual financial state value company) for market share data value.
Data and experience speaking not theory
Image Auto LLC
I don't think anyone even implied that we were going to start taking feelings as credit or payment for vehicles. The driving point for empathy is in communication. It's a different demographic.
Take toys for example. A kid would watch the commercial where the toy comes to life, but a parent couldn't care less because they know it's all creative liberty for a toy that will most likely disappoint their child. You could make a commercial where kids actually use the toy and have fun, but it won't get the child as excited.
Millennials are the same way. They communicate differently. You can win back their favor in communicating ways they actually pay attention to. There's plenty of data to support how the communicate across a variety of industries. LinkedIn's recent study highlighted ways to retain employees and found that millennials would take a pay cut for a workplace that makes them feel valued.
Baby boomers keep calling them lazy entitled snowflakes just because they work differently and instead of either party trying to understand the other so they work together, they just keep dismissing each other's opinions.
No one will win if all we do is force the opposing party to do things our way. Data shows where we've been, surveys and market research show us where the people we serve want us to go. If we want to succeed, we should move towards serving them the way they want to be served.
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