Our first question would just be, how did you get into the automotive industry?
That’s a really a fun question because it was not intentional. I was working for a local tech startup company that started not doing so well so I decided it was really the right time for me to exit. I started putting my feelers out there and doing some research on what jobs were available in my area for marketing.
I was really worried at the time because of the job climate and I was nervous that post-COVID, I wasn't going to find anything. So, I was looking all over the internet, every recruiting site and the good old internet, doing what it does, served up an ad to me on Facebook for a dealership looking to hire what they had labeled as a Marketing Assistant.
I think the reason why I saw it pop up is because I had a couple of friends that liked the dealerships’ page. And I thought, how do they know that dealership? They weren't driving their model of vehicles, so I was curious. I reached out to one of the mutual friends on Facebook, Carrie, and she reminded me that one of her best friends, Lauren, was in the Nimnicht family.
Suddenly I was able to connect the dots. I said, “You mean the one that you go to all the Gator football games with? The one that you go to all the Jumbo Shrimp baseball games with? The one that you go on vacation every year to Palm Coast with? That's her??”
So, of course I put in an application, but I didn't hear anything for a week or two. Then one day, Carrie was at an event with Lauren and I came up. Lauren asked about my application and experience because apparently they had had some real doozies applying. I was quick to respond that I have 18 years of experience, and I sent my resume over text right then. Lauren was impressed, so the next day I got a phone call from the General Manager at one of the stores. Within a week I had an interview, and within two weeks, I started. That was July 20th of last year.
I had zero automotive experience prior to that. During my interview process, I really played up the fact that I may not have had that specific experience, but I'm a consumer. And I think like a consumer. And I know marketing. And I know customers. And I know, user experience online. And just because I didn’t know all the ins-and-outs of the industry didn’t mean that I wouldn't be a good fit. So, they took a chance on me.
It reminds me of that quote about when you go fishing, you're not supposed to think like a fisherman, you’re supposed to think like a fish. So, having the consumer side of the marketing conversation is a very valuable point of view. You're now the head of the division, correct?
I quickly realized that it was not a Marketing Assistant that they were looking for, so it was no wonder they couldn’t find anyone qualified. I realized by my second interview that it was a Marketing Director position that they were really looking for. So that's what I had them put on my business card.
That’s brilliant! Snuck a promotion right into the business card.
Yep! Once, someone introduced me as, “This is our new Marketing Assistant,” and I immediately replied, “Hi, my name is Adrian. I'm the Marketing Director.”
That's all it takes. Once you get someone else to start calling you that, you’re golden. We know you've worked in marketing before, but what would you say are some of the most noteworthy differences between marketing anything else and marketing in automotive?
One of the biggest things is working with the manufacturer and understanding all that is included in that partnership. Also, going from a consumer to being on the inside and learning how these new vehicles get here, how dealers are allotted, and how much are on their lot. It's almost like this little peek behind the curtain. If consumers only knew what it was really like on the other side, they’d realize it isn't necessarily what they think.
Now that you’ve been in the position for a year, what would you say has been your biggest revelation? Something a consumer may not know yet?
My first thoughts and revelations have really been over the stigma that dealerships have. The idea of the sleazy used car salesman, and that you should never go to the dealership to get your car serviced because it's way more expensive. All of those things are not necessarily true.
I worked in plastic surgery for 11 years. That’s really where I cut my teeth in marketing. Just because Doctor 90210 made plastic surgeons look like crazy people doesn't mean that they all are. Not all car salesman are that typical car salesman, and not all dealerships are that typical dealership. Not all service departments are going to rake you over the coals.
There are so many good people in this industry. There are so many great leaders and great businessmen and women and families that are been in this business for so long. One of the things that drew me to Nimnicht was that they’re a third generation family dealership. The two guys that are running it, they’re brothers and their grandfather started it in 1941.
I'm a third generation from Jacksonville, so that really resonated with me. I think there are a lot of homegrown stories like that in automotive. It’s an industry that’s been around forever and people are always going to need a vehicle.
Automotive is this unique place where like, no matter what your taste within the spectrum of automotive, you're going to drive something. With other types of things, your tastes may allow you to opt out, but everyone needs to travel. How do you think consumers can identify the dealership they want to be loyal with?
People are loyal to brands, people are loyal to local businesses, they're loyal to even local franchises or branches. In my town, Publix is one of the nicest grocery stores and they are everywhere. But, I have one that I like a lot more than I like another ones. I don't know why, but it’s how I feel when I walk into that place.
One of the things that I was able to say right off the rip coming into this is, how you make a customer feel — how they feel when they walk in, when they interact with any one of us, interior or exterior — is going to determine whether they come back or not.
I don't care what you're selling. If you think about Publix, their television commercials don't necessarily focus on the food, they focus on the family. On the feeling that you have when you walk into their story. Their slogan is “Where shopping as a pleasure,” not where eggs are $1.99 cheaper than the other guy. If you just think about the biggest brands that are doing those things, they really are focused on how people feel. And I think that that really plays in the automotive because people are already nervous walking in. They come in with a wall. It's our job to break down those barriers, and that goes way beyond just me as a Marketing Director. That’s every single position at the dealership and in any business.
For example, Walmart greeters greet you when you walk into Walmart, right? You might not particularly like it there, but somebody smiled at you as soon as you walked in the door and as you left. Somebody told you to have a good day.
That's a good note. That’ll be the headline of this piece — all dealerships should have greeters. Speaking of community engagement, we know that your dealership is pretty involved with local nonprofits and fundraising initiatives. We’d love to hear a little bit more about what you guys have going on.
They do give back to the community. Our owners really do kind of care about the city; from Little League teams to organizations for Veterans to children's health care, there's a lot that they do. And they really encouraging the staff to get involved.
Prior to my career change, I was working in nonprofit management for six years. Another thing that drew me to this particular dealership was I saw how much they were investing in the community and giving away to charities.
I could just take all of my favorite things about my 18 years in marketing and management and tie them with a bow, that was what this job offered.
What do you see as the priority for the next couple of years for the automotive industry? Where do you see an opportunity to recommit our efforts, or maybe consider something for the first time as an industry?
A couple of things come to mind. One is that a lot of the automotive industry is way behind the times technologically. Everyone wants to talk about things like Tesla's technology and what they're doing. Meanwhile, “back at the ranch” here, we're still using paper for many things.
As the new person, I was interested in finding training videos for a program we use and I think the last video they made was 8 years ago. I thought, “You mean to tell me that that was the last update? That long ago?” I think that the industry is challenged as a whole to step up to digital technology, and how you incorporate that technology into showrooms and processes.
You’ve plenty of got old-school car guys and gals battling to make sense of the advancements — why change what’s always worked in the past?
I think it's an exciting time to be new in this industry. Everyone wants to tell me, “this is how we used to do it,” and I get to say, “That's cool, but this is how we're doing it now. You better hop on, or else you’ll be left at the train station.”
It's an exciting time. I get to be a part of bringing some of that change, introduce technology, and watch it be effective.
We recently had an interview with Allie Peters where she mentioned feeling like the pandemic sort of leveled the playing field in the industry in a lot of ways. Because everyone was sort of in the same boat of uncertainty, it opened a lot of doors for new people and new ideas to be considered. Does that resonate with you too?
Yeah, it was almost like a reset button. I've heard stories from here, and from all over being able to travel and go to conferences, of how it forced a lot digitally and encouraged changes. It is kind of fun to hear the stories of the way “it used to be.”,
I thought I knew a lot before I got here, but then I learned how much I don't know and how much I still have to learn. It’s been really fun and humbling.