Digital Dealer - April 2020 - 21

DEALER MAGAZINE: What steps
do you take to improve staff performance?
MAUREEN: I think a lot of people in car
sales do not necessarily grasp their skill set
or master their craft. There's a general lack
of training in this business. My contribution
is mastering my craft, and at the forefront,
making sure everyone who works for me is
as well. Mastering your craft requires having
clearly defined goals. It's very easy to say
that you want to sell 150 cars, but to do
that, you must know exactly how you're
going to get there. And it also has to feel
doable.
When evaluating our success from the
previous week or month, we consider more
than just results. We focus heavily on what
activities we need to do- monthly, weekly,
daily, hourly, and with each customer. We
work to improve our interactions with
people. Then, we celebrate those wins in a
big way.
And that's across the entire team. I have
18 salespeople, four sales managers, a staff
of three in F&I, and four BDC agents. It's a
fantastic team.

DEALER MAGAZINE: You mentioned your BDC, what can you tell me
about that department?
MAUREEN: I'm a big proponent of the
value of a BDC. I know it works. They're responsible for handling all of our lead chats,
texts, phone calls, etc. Our sales department
handles voice call overflow if needed. BDC
agents will set appointments, pull quotes,
greet customers, and introduce the customers to the appropriate salesperson. Our BDC
follows prospects for 180 days to make sure
they don't fall out of sight or out of mind.
We're bringing in BDC training over the
next month or so to fine-tune our process
because we firmly believe in its contribution
and value.

DEALER MAGAZINE: What
separates Subaru of Moon Township
in the marketplace?
MAUREEN: We were purchased, and in
a good way, by Lithia Motors in 2018. Before
the purchase, it was a family-run dealership.
From what I've experienced, our customer base is the most loyal. And we have the

April 2020

"A female leader creates a unique environment
- a nurturing one. It makes customers want to
buy a car here, especially females who make
most of the buying decisions because it looks
and feels different from the old stigma of a car
dealership"
- BRAD PAVLIK, GENERAL MANAGER,
SUBARU OF MOON TOWNSHIP

best team, including our service managers,
technicians, salespeople, and F&I staff.
Customers return to our dealership because
they know their salesperson and their
service adviser. It's a strong, close-knit
community. Even customers from outside
of our local area, feel as if they're part of the
community, and they are repeat customers.

DEALER MAGAZINE: Have you
encountered any special challenges as
a woman leader in a male-dominated
business?
MAUREEN: Yes, countless. For example, some people are surprised I can do the
work because I'm a woman, or they assume
I attained my management position at the
dealership because I'm related to the owner.
I've been a general sales manager, meeting with customers all the time, and when

walking out to talk to them, many would
think I was a greeter or a receptionist or the
dealer's daughter, someone in the office. It
never ends. The literal shock on someone's
face when they found out I was the GSM
not by nepotism but by merit is, well, it's
bizarre.
Women are dismissed and discounted in
dealerships all the time. The car business is
so historically a male business that women
still face big hurdles, whether real or perceptual. It can seem prehistoric at times. As
a result, I have to demonstrate my ability
harder, be more purposeful, and evident
that I am capable.
When I asked our GM, Brad Pavlik, how
the support he gave me as a GSM might
have been different than with a male in
the same role, at first, he said, "There is no
difference between support given to males

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Digital Dealer - April 2020

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