Automotive News Canada - December 2023 - S5

EDITION
JUNE
BEST PRACTICES 2023
worked in most departments to
learn the business.
Wilbert's focus was on complete
honesty with customers.
" Our father was a really good
mentor, " said Pierre Béchard.
Loyalty to staff during hard
times pays dividends for dealerships,
said automotive consultant
Dominic Sigouin, owner of
Noahvik Consultants in Montreal.
" I urged all my clients not to
stop selling, " said Sigouin, who
does not have a business relationship
with Boulevard.
" If you stop selling, it's not good
for your staff and not good for your
pipeline.
" Every crisis will just show
more of who you are [as an employer].
You will see which employers
had good relations with staff. "
Béchard said he and his sister
have been at odds over important
strategic decisions, such as how
many vehicles to order. But he
sees their differences as a strength
because it keeps them open to new
ideas.
CONSTRUCTIVE CONFLICT
" When we disagree, we just close
the door until we agree, " he said.
" When the door opens, we've solved
the problem. "
The straight-shooter sales
approach has helped the dealership
attract about 20 per cent of its
buyers from outside its territory,
Béchard said. " A lot of people don't
like the way they're being treated in
the big town, so they come here. "
Employees are also treated with
care and are paid competitively.
" They need [to be treated] fairly
because the way you treat them
is the way they treat customers, "
Béchard said.
As a result, Boulevard has strong
retention among its 50 employees.
" Our receptionist just retired after
48 years, " Béchard said. " I wasn't
even born when she started here. "
Although the company has
adopted online sales, the consumers
of eastern Quebec still prefer to buy
in person, Béchard said. " We still
live in a small town. People like to
come in and look at the cars in the
lots. "
There's no big secret to succeeding
in a small market, Béchard said.
" Being honest and treating people
right - I'd rather lose a deal by
being honest rather than win a deal
by being dishonest. " - ANC
JULY
EDITION
FROM THE
Dealers should plan to sell
brands from China, analyst says
EDITION
FROM THE
FROM THE
AUGUST
EDITION
Industry
trends favour
China-based
brands, which
are ahead of
North America
in the EV shift
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
CANADIAN RETAILERS
should embrace the
prospect of representing
automakers based in
China, as BYD Co., Chery
Automobile Co., SAIC
Motor and other major
companies prepare to
plant their flags in North
America, according to
auto analyst Joe McCabe.
" Don't shun the idea,
because that might be
your next customer in the
future, or the next dealership
you'll open up in the
future, " McCabe, CEO of
U.S.-based AutoForecast
Solutions, told attendees
at the Automotive News
Canada Retail Forum
in Toronto on Oct. 23.
Automakers from China
have begun making headway
in Europe, but several
have had false starts breaking
into North America.
Nevertheless, they
won't give up and industry
trends are on their side,
McCabe said. The shift to
electric vehicles - Chinabased
car companies have
a head start - as well as
the erosion of brand loyalty
among North American
consumers will continue
to give overseas car companies
a leg up as they formulate
strategies to break
into the United States and
Canada, McCabe added.
" This idea of trusting
FROM THE
SEPTEMBER
EDITION
FROM THE
OCTOBER
EDITION
FROM THE
NOVEMBER
EDITION
5
McCabe: New brands from China might know their
home markets well, but their lack of experience in
North America creates opportunities for dealers willing
to provide local expertise. PHOTO: GIANCARLO PAWELEC
a vehicle maker because
they've been doing it for
120-plus years has gone
away. . . . It has allowed for
brand-new players to enter
the market and will continue
to allow them in. "
BYD, which is already the
highest-volume producer
of new-energy vehicles in
the world, is likely to lead
the charge among China
brands aiming to put down
roots, McCabe said. He
pointed to 77,000 BYD vehicles
sold in Mexico last year
and expectations that the
company will exceed that
in 2023.
Chery, SAIC and Geely
Auto, among others, could
follow close behind. Each
automaker will have its
own unique approach
to inching into North
America, McCabe said, but
they are likely to lean on
either Mexico, California
or Canada to first find their
footing.
But while each new
entrant probably knows
its home market well, the
lack of experience in North
America creates opportunities
for dealers able
and willing to deliver local
expertise.
Automakers in China
are going to " need their
hand held through the
entire life cycle " and a dealer
acting as " their champion "
is key to succeeding,
McCabe said. Dealers
unwilling to step in early
could end up on the outside
looking in.
The new brands are
" going to get into a market
- whether with you or
your competition. " -ANC
Automotive News Canada - December 2023

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