Dealer News Today Podcasts - “It’s education, it’s creating that relationship, and it’s constant communication.” || Dorian Jimenez, General Sales Manager, Classic Chevrolet

“It’s education, it’s creating that relationship, and it’s constant communication.” || Dorian Jimenez, General Sales Manager, Classic Chevrolet

06/02/22 • 29 min

Dorian Jimenez has been in the automotive business for 26 years in all sorts of roles - despite having a pre-med degree. He’s been general sales manager for the largest Acura dealership in the US, sales director for a large luxury car dealership, and joined Classic Chevrolet of Grapevine, TX a few years ago. Besides being the general sales manager, Dorian is the face of Classic Chevrolet’s advertising and is in charge of the company’s charitable efforts.

On this episode, Dorian sits down with Derek D to talk what it’s like working in such a wide variety of positions within (and outside) the automotive industry, the challenges of working in a climate where minorities are severely underrepresented, and the transformative effects he’s seen personal relationships in the auto business have on people. Dorian also shares why the pandemic-related shift to a built-to-order car buying system was a blessing in disguise, what it feels like to be surrounded by cardboard cutouts of yourself, and more.

Classic ChevroletEpisode Highlights:

How Classic Chevrolet is managing a precipitous drop in inventory - despite being a few miles away from a Chevy plant
Why Dorian thinks rebates have never been necessary, and what really works best to create customer loyalty instead
How Dorian took a Corvette for a spin on a NASCAR track and was humbled by a young pro driver
What “bringing the country to the city” means at Classic Chevrolet

“It’s been a recipe for 30 years at this dealership, and we’re never going to change.”

— Dorian Jimenez

|| Dealer News Today is a DCG Media production

Classic ChevroletEpisode Highlights:

How Classic Chevrolet is managing a precipitous drop in inventory - despite being a few miles away from a Chevy plant
Why Dorian thinks rebates have never been necessary, and what really works best to create customer loyalty instead
How Dorian took a Corvette for a spin on a NASCAR track and was humbled by a young pro driver
What “bringing the country to the city” means at Classic Chevrolet

“It’s been a recipe for 30 years at this dealership, and we’re never going to change.”

— Dorian Jimenez

|| Dealer News Today is a DCG Media production

Previous Episode

“Personnel is the number one challenge” || Steve Barna, Owner, Hawthorne Chevrolet

“There are a lot of bad habits being formed that are going to have to be addressed, once the situation becomes back to a normal cycle.”

— Steve Barna

Born and raised in Hawthorne, NJ, Steve Barna also owns Hawthorne Chevrolet, which has been a family-owned and operated dealership for over 90 years. Steve got his start in automotive sales when his stepfather asked him to fill in for sales staff who were unable to make it - the rest is history.

In this episode, Steve Barna sits with Derek D to talk about the pitfalls and advantages of a family business, his uncertainty in the last five years of the automotive industry and how he’s managed it and found avenues to succeed, and what the two most major immediate issues facing all dealerships are. He also weighs in on why it’s been especially difficult to sell commercial trucks since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, what has always annoyed his mom when it comes to Thanksgiving with a family of car dealers, and more.

Episode Highlights:

The benefits of consolidation and shifting location focus in a world still dealing with a pandemic
How rail transportation of cars from the manufacturer to dealers poses a logistical concern
The new system being used as a stopgap when premium options are unavailable due to the microchip shortage, and Steve’s concerns with this approach
How the Northeast’s strong lease market makes it especially vulnerable to supply chain problems

|| Dealer News Today is a DCG Media production

Next Episode

“It’s unbelievable what kind of ideas somebody else has” || Joe Cardinale, President, Cardinale Auto Group

Starting when he was 18, Joe Cardinale was hooked on the business of selling cars. He opened a dealership of his own for the first time in 1980, and now Cardinale Auto Group has 22 locations throughout California, Nevada, and Arizona, and the family-owned and operated business is planning to open several more soon.

On this episode, Joe Cardinale chats with Derek D about his near-lifetime of experience in the automotive industry and how that has led him to react to the rapid changes of recent years. He also opens up about hiring - and firing - family members, Cardinale Auto Group’s responsibility to their nearly 1,000 employees’ families, how he manages to fit in two workouts during a working day, and more.

Cardinale Auto Group

Episode Highlights:

What indicates which stores to buy up when Cardinale Auto Group has expanded
What happens when a dealership group experiences its fastest-ever quarterly growth - in a quarter where Joe says he thought he definitely wouldn’t buy a new location
The most effective ways that Cardinale Auto Group has developed to run meetings
How predictions on the factory side from manufacturers have gotten it wrong, and how to plan anyway

“Once you learn sales, it’s a fun business - you get a game every day and you either win or lose it.”

— Joe Cardinale

|| Dealer News Today is a DCG Media production