Automotive News Canada - April 2024 - 9

* APRIL 2024
9
Lincoln dealership shows the way forward
London store stands
out by making luxury
experience separate
and distinct from Ford
By STEVE MERTL
VANCOUVER CORRESPONDENT
LINCOLN'S SHARE OF THE CANADIAN
luxury segment in 2023 was 2.7 per cent,
but a dealership in London, Ont., has managed
nearly four times that - 10 per cent
- by pioneering strategies that elevate
the brand and
by focusing on
new demographics
and customer
experience.
In 2016,
BEST PRACTICES
SPOTLIGHT
Courtesy FordLincoln
began separating Lincoln vehicles
from its bread-and-butter Ford offerings
and having sales staff dedicated to the
luxury brand, Dealer Principal Meghan
Ruffilli said.
Lincoln adopted these policies nationally
about two years ago, she said.
" Courtesy was our No. 1 Lincoln
retailer in Canada in 2023, " Helen
Jackson, Lincoln's national director, told
Automotive News Canada.
Ruffilli " focuses on Lincoln as a dedicated
business, and I think that's a great
example of our strategy coming to life for
Lincoln in London. They've definitely been
at the forefront of seeing Lincoln as a sepaCourtesy's
Lincoln showroom shares
the building with the Ford display area,
but customers have a separate entrance
for a boutique approach.
There are eight dedicated Lincoln
sales staff tasked with promoting the
brand within the community.
Ford Canada
has since required all
Lincoln dealers to establish
dedicated staffing,
Ruffilli said.
Courtesy Ford-Lincoln claims about 10 per cent of the market in London, Ont.,
almost four time higher than the luxury brand's share in all of Canada. Dealer
Principal Meghan Ruffilli credits a strategy that makes Lincoln stand out from the
store's Ford brand. SUPPLIED PHOTOS
rate and distinct brand, " Jackson said.
Courtesy Ford-Lincoln has won Ford's
President's Award for 25 consecutive
years, which requires high sales volume
and a positive ownership experience
reflected in customer surveys, Jackson
said. " They embody every element of that. "
Ruffilli's strategy also involves maintaining
deep ties to the community, something
her father, Bill Eansor, has stressed
since founding Courtesy 28 years ago. Also
key is identifying new, specific customer
segments, such as young female professionals,
for Lincoln vehicles.
In 2016, the store sold 43 Lincolns. In
2023, sales were 284, down from 342 in
2022. Nationally, brand sales totaled 6,654
in 2023 and 7,616 in 2022, according to the
Automotive News Research & Data Center
in Detroit.
'ENTIRELY SEPARATE ENTITY'
The upswing coincided with Ruffilli's
return from the NADA Dealer Academy
in 2015. The academy is an online program
designed to help dealership leaders
operate successful businesses. Her father
assigned her to boost the Lincoln side of
the business.
" What I did was establish a separate
brand and franchise under the dual rooftop, "
Ruffilli said. " We took the opportunity
to look at that as an entirely separate
entity. "
The store also set up
a Lincoln-specific concierge
before the brand
required it nationally.
The concierge acts as a
single point of contact
for Lincoln customers,
helping book sales or
service appointments
and dealing with other
requests via phone, text
or email, Ruffilli said.
The dealership conducts
sales forecasting
independent of the Ford
side of the store, using
monthly " quantifiable
metrics and targets, "
she said.
Ruffilli:
In 2016,
Courtesy
Ford-Lincoln
began a
strategy to
distinguish
the Lincoln
luxury brand,
ranging from
a separate
sales staff to
a separate
entrance.
Lincoln Sales Manager Brandon
Flonders coordinates with Sales Director
Nathan Jenner to develop a yearly volume
forecast and monthly volume targets
to achieve it, Ruffilli said. Managers
SEE LINCOLN PAGE 19
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Automotive News Canada - April 2024

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