Automotive News Canada - August 2019 - v2 - 12

12

* AUGUST 2019

Lobbyist tackles feds in 'endless' fights for dealers
By JIL McINTOSH

OSHAWA CORRESPONDENT

HUW WILLIAMS

EVEROLD REID

JUGGLING A SALES JOB
AS WELL AS COACHING

EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST
teacher, and an Ontario
author and car salesman uses
three decades of it to instruct
REPRESENTING THE
others.
needs of auto dealers at
In addition to being
the federal-government
lease-renewal manager for
level means the Canadian
Lexus of Oakville (Ont.),
Automobile Dealers
Everold Reid teaches sales
Association (CADA) in
techniques through his own
Ottawa needs to have boots on
company, based on his book,
the ground.
The Reid Method.
"Automobiles touch so
Though he studied airmany different policy areas,
craft maintenance in college,
from financial to trade, safeReid's fate turned when he
ty, taxation, and emissions
got a summer job in 1989 at
standards," said lobbyist Huw
Dixie Toyota.
Williams, 53. "The rules made
"I was selling cars from
in Ottawa end up impacting
day one, basic training and off
car dealers directly."
you went," said Reid, 49.
Williams was always inter"The income was OK so
ested in how laws shape sociI
did
not return to the airety, and he earned a degree
craft program, although I
in political science from
later practised as a private
the University of Calgary.
pilot. I was there about a year
Straight out of school, he
and a half when I got wind
became a legislative intern
of an opporfor the Speaker
tunity when
of the Alberta
Lexus was
Legislature,
introduced
and then
in Canada in
worked for
1990."
then-ConstituHe got a
tional Affairs
job at one of
Minister Joe
the first Lexus
Clark. In 1994,
dealerships,
he joined the
and by age 21
CADA in his
was assistant
current role as
sales managdirector of puber. Two years
lic affairs.
later, he was
"A lot of
sales manager
associations
for the store's
don't really
Toyota brand.
understand
He moved
government,
between
and when you
Huw Williams uses media,
brands for
don't, it's hard personal meetings, and tesa while and
to influence
tifying in Parliament to get
owned a usedit. The CADA
CADA's message across to
car lot, but in
was looking
politicians. P H O T O : C A D A
2003 went into
for someone to
real estate
run its Ottawa
advertising and stayed for
office, and I liked the chaleight years, running his own
lenge of combining what I
ad agency for six.
knew in government with an
"I traveled extensively
industry that was definitely
in the U.S., Canada and the
underrepresented.
Caribbean, selling advertising
"The list of fights we've
solutions. It opened my eyes
fought is endless, such as
to different markets."
keeping banks out of leasHe previously worked at
ing, the tool tax deduction for
Lexus of Oakville, and in 2012
technicians, and making sure
he returned, handling sales
there wasn't HST charged on
and the dealership's advertisthe financing dealers made."
ing, and getting up at 4:30 a.m.
The CADA office overlooks
to write his book before going
Parliament Hill, and Williams
to work. He teaches through
is constantly in touch with
online podcasts and in-perMPs, senators, and political
son workshops while still sellstaffers, with the CADA execing an average 172 vehicles a
utive committee giving strayear.
tegic direction on priority
"What do you do with
issues.
30
years'
experience? You
"Half the issues we identify
evolve, and writing the book
because Parliament is talking
was an evolution. Personal
about it, and half percolate
development is the No. 1 key
upwards when dealers recto success and it's one of the
ognize they have a problem.
key things I teach. I have the
The biggest challenge is when
same 24 hours everyone else
government changes, and you
has, and it's about setting
have to educate new memgoals and managing time."
bers on why they should care
about dealer issues.
"I see what dealers do for
communities and charities,
CATER TO CUSTOMERS
and I'm proud to represent
AND SUCCESS FOLLOWS
them and their employees,
and ultimately the customEVEN THOUGH HE'S IN
ers."
the business of selling vehi-

HE'S IN OTTAWA TO MAKE
SURE GOVERNMENT LISTENS

CHRIS LANG

Everold Reid uses podcasts
and workshops to teach
sales techniques covered
in his book, and he's also
a lease-renewal manager at
Lexus of Oakville, west of
downtown Toronto.

P H O TO S U P P L I E D B Y E V E R O L D R E I D

cles, the 32-year-old
general manager of
Audi Queensway
in Toronto doesn't
focus on them.
"If you can take
care of a customer and not make it
all about the car,
but make them feel
appreciated and
build a relationship, you're 99 per
cent ahead of others
in the same profession," said
Chris Lang.
The son of a lawyer, he

studied criminology and
anthropology in university, but ultimately decided on a different path. He
helped develop Frogbox, a
Toronto-based company that
rents reusable totes for moving. "But it didn't feel like a
career to me," he said, and
when a friend who worked
at Queensway Audi told him
about an opening, he got a job
on the sales floor.
A year and a half later, he
was promoted to financial-services manager.
"That allowed me to have
a more well-rounded understanding of the entire sales
department. I learned about
credit, and tailoring the experience to what works best for
the client, since no two people
are in the same financial position."
From there he became
assistant sales manager, then
sales manager. Shortly after
the family-owned
store was acquired
by the Dilawri
Group five years
ago, Lang became
the general manager.
"We catered to
our customers, and
Dilawri allowed us
to operate under
the same principles. Something as
simple as having a
service appointment go exactly as you wanted impresses
the customer. I gave the keys

Chris Lang began on
the sales floor of Audi
Queensway, west of downtown Toronto in Etobicoke,
and eventually became general manager. He's 32.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY CHRIS LANG

to an A8 to a service customer and said, 'While you're
waiting, do you want to drive
this?' It was a $130,000 car and
he bought it a week later.
"If you're only thinking of
yourself and your personal
growth, this isn't the industry
for you. You need the entire
dealership behind you to succeed." - ANC

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Automotive News Canada - August 2019 - v2

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