Corey Choate, general manager of Economy Honda, was faced with a serious financial decision on Sept. 15, 2008: Either change the way he did business or close his doors, a dilemma driven by a looming recession and falling consumer confidence.
He chose to give the business a high-tech makeover, diverting all the company’s resources into infiltrating every online sales avenue he could find. He even opened a storefront on eBay.
“We came up with a different way of doing business through the Internet,” Choate said. “Our closest competitor used to be across the street; now they’re an eighth of an inch away on the same screen.”
Since he took the company to the Net, Internet leads have jumped to 1,500 from 400 and his online sales have climbed to 160 from about 40, he said. Record-breaking July sales this year totaled 366, up from the previous July record in 2005 of 330, according to Choate.
He started by hiring an energetic young Web team for his revamped business, including eSales agents Amanda Phifer and Natasha Stanke, who together account for almost 60 car sales per month, they say. Stanke, who sits on a blue exercise ball while selling cars over the phone, bounces happily in the office while talking to customers over the phone.