Marysville Toyota Breaks Down Barriers for Women
Negotiation Free Sales Model Has Created a Majority Female Staff and Family Environment
Let’s face it. The automotive retail sales industry has been a male dominated business. So when Jim Colon and Perry Watson III, co-owners of a new Toyota franchise, opened doors to Marysville Toyota with their unique sales model, they were pleasantly surprised when woman after woman submitted an application to work there.
“We were focused on what the marketplace wanted,” Watson said, adding they conducted a survey before opening to discover the barriers and perceptions people have around car shopping.
The survey said that people don’t like to negotiate their car’s price, they don’t like to be shuffled off to the finance office, and they wanted the whole process to go a lot faster.
Colon and Watson set about to create a different kind of auto dealership. The model is what they’re calling the Power of One. A buyer works with one person from beginning to end, without being handed off to a finance closer – their finance experts work in the background finding the best solution for each customer. There will be one best price for every vehicle; Everyone receives the same deal. And from the time the buyer chooses the vehicle they want, their goal is to get the customer on the road within one hour.
The approach is working for customers. Marysville Toyota has the highest Google scores in Metro Seattle, a #l rating for Toyota Loyalty Engagement (CSI), a record market share, phenomenal employee retention and repeat and referral business.
Customer Josh Hawes drove all the way up from Bellevue to pick up his new Tundra.
”A good friend of mine is the general manager at a dealership in Tacoma. I feel like I am getting the same experience here as we get for my wife’s car there,” he said.
It turns out that that being treated like a friend isn’t just attractive to buyers. It’s attractive to prospective employees.
”All of a sudden we had a female centric team because that negative, negotiation, commission-based aggressive sales environment was gone,” Watson said.
Six out of 10 of their sales representatives are female. And the management team is also 57% majority, female led. Women make up only 9% of an average dealership’s staff, and most of those are in support roles.
At Marysville Toyota, they’re in every role, including service as managers, advisors and technicians.
“It’s a female centric dealership. It’s such a beautiful vibe here. It’s vibrant. So professional. So open;’ he said. Indeed, the building is wide open, with massive glass panels letting the light in, and a warm, neutral palate creating a chill atmosphere. He takes umbrage at the stereotypes Millennials and Gen Z people don’t want to work because 63% of their staff comprise that demographic.
“We have a very young staff,” he said.”They are phenomenal.”
But the company acknowledged their staff values their time off with a flexible work life balance, and that they don’t like keeping their personal lives separate from their work lives. They have created a close family of 65 employees.
“It isn’t always easy. But it’s been worth it,” he said.
Rachel Pitman, who manages the used car department, agrees that Marysville Toyota is a different kind of place to work.
“I love it here,” she said. “We have a ton of women. I feel like everyone is just kind, thoughtful and respectful. It’s just different than any other dealership or place I have worked for. I feel really spoiled.”
Based upon employee and customer feedback, Marysville appears to be the future of modern automotive retailing.
For more information go to www.marysvilletoyota.com or call (360) 651-0230
