1. At Toyota Financial Services, we partner with Toyota dealers by providing innovative programs – like
Business Solutions which offers special benefits to your business customers – to help increase sales,
customer retention, and dealership success. For more information on this and other programs we offer
to help you reach and exceed your sales goals, please contact your Area Sales Manager.
Toyota Financial Services
Solutions that move your business forward.
Toyota Financial Services is a service mark of Toyota Motor Credit Corporation and Toyota Motor Insurance Services, Inc.
Partnership Drives Success.
“Toyota Financial Services is similar to advance scouts for
major league baseball teams… they provide the tools and
information necessary to help our team garner better results,
save time, and improve satisfaction, which is crucial in today’s
competitive market.”

2. Doom and gloom are in the room. But does that mean Toyota’s
retail sales professionals are destined to fall under the economic
downturn’s evil spell? John Mathews of Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney
(Texas) and Mike Hankes of Scion of Braintree (Mass.) think not.
Rather than take cover in a bunker, they’re reaching out with
low-cost, high-impact grassroots marketing that connects with
customers—whether they’re looking to buy now or somewhere down
the road. If you’re in need of inspiration, read on. What follows is
proof that optimism, enthusiasm, creativity and good old-fashioned
hard work can prevail, no matter what the market holds in store.
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
6
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
7
Negativity Creativity

3. Doom and gloom are in the room. But does that mean Toyota’s
retail sales professionals are destined to fall under the economic
downturn’s evil spell? John Mathews of Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney
(Texas) and Mike Hankes of Scion of Braintree (Mass.) think not.
Rather than take cover in a bunker, they’re reaching out with
low-cost, high-impact grassroots marketing that connects with
customers—whether they’re looking to buy now or somewhere down
the road. If you’re in need of inspiration, read on. What follows is
proof that optimism, enthusiasm, creativity and good old-fashioned
hard work can prevail, no matter what the market holds in store.
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
6
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
7
Negativity Creativity

4. toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
8
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
9
Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney
By Dan Miller
Photographs by Paul S. Howell
Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney, Texas, is defying gravity.
At a time when many in the car business are being
buffeted by the downward forces of a slumping economy,
this two-year-old suburban Dallas store is flying high—
with even full-size Tundra pickups moving off their lot at
a record pace.
What’s the wind beneath their wings? Grassroots
marketing, and lots of it.
“I can’t sit here and tell you that we’re the fastest
growing open point Toyota dealership in the country
because of grassroots marketing,” says General Manager
John Mathews. “I can’t quantify it. But I sure like the
results. And I’m not going to stop.”
While it might not be possible to prove a direct cause-
and-effect relationship, the circumstantial evidence is
compelling. Mathews says the dealership spends $30,000
to $40,000 per month on grassroots marketing. Data
capture, a standard feature of their local events, has fed
over 4,000 names into their customer relations database.
Bottom line: Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney retailed 3,321
new vehicles in 2008.
One more significant fact: Grassroots marketing
accounts for 20 percent of the dealership’s marketing
dollars. Within a year or two, Mathews predicts it will be
at least 50 percent.
“When Toyota awarded us this franchise, they asked
us to protect and market to this PMA (Primary Market
Area),” says Mathews. “That’s our job and that’s what
we’re doing. Grassroots marketing allows us to target who
we talk to.”
Like most strategies, this one grew out of necessity.
When Dealer Principal Pat Lobb and Mathews opened
their store in the heart of truck country, there were only
160 Tundras registered in their PMA. The task at hand:
establish a foothold on the domestic truck sellers’ deeply
entrenched turf.
“We knew that literally 100 percent of our truck sales
would have to be conquests and we knew domestic truck
owners are tremendously loyal,” Mathews says. “We knew
they weren’t going to just roll up to the dealership. For them, it
would be like consorting with the enemy. So we had to go to
them, at places where truck buyers were likely to congregate,
and get to know them as people, not salespeople. We had to
take a more powerful and personal approach.”
Community Relations Manager Stephane Burress,
originally hired as the dealership’s truck champion, led the
charge. He tested the waters with a few small events in fall
2006, such as a food fair fundraiser for the local high school’s
marching band. In 2007, J.C. Penney invited the dealership
to participate in its Earth Day festivities at its corporate
headquarters. Burress went beyond his Tundra focus and
brought a Prius and Camry Hybrid to show and tell to some
5,000 employees.
“That’s when the grassroots network really started to grow
on its own,” says Burress. “It just ballooned. It went from a
volunteer thing to a big part of my job.”
A year later, grassroots marketing became Burress’
full-time job, coordinating nearly 100 events between March
and October alone. You name it, he’s done it—from golf
tournaments to high school football games to county fairs to
These Grassroots Are Greener
The dealership’s goal is to replace all traditional advertising with grassroots marketing and lead management. “People are constantly bombarded by messages,”
says Stephane Burress, community relations manager and truck champion. “Top-down mediums such as television, radio and the Internet are overcrowded and
full of noise that we’ve conditioned ourselves to tune out. When you stop marketing from the top down and start marketing from the bottom up, from the
roots, you tap into the channel with the least competition. Make it personal, make it one-on-one, and your message will resonate.”
10K runs. Mathews refers to his grassroots guru as “a rock
star in the community.”
Some of the events are broad based. For example,
“Roundup on the Range” is an Old West-themed family
friendly event replete with chuck wagon cooking, horses,
Western music and 10,000 attendees.
Other events are more tightly targeted, like quarterly
contractor gatherings at the four local Home Depot stores.
“We’re talking about the construction workers, the
roofers, the plumbers, the electricians—guys who really
need trucks,” says Burress. “They’ve been driving domestic
trucks since they were 16. Even with all the money
Toyota spent launching the Tundra, many of them still
aren’t aware that we have a big truck that can tow 10,000
pounds and carry a two-ton payload. We’re going to miss
this market unless we put the truck out in front of them.”
That means far more than simply setting up a static
display of a couple of Tundras at a promising community
locale. It means hanging out with the people who are there,
answering their questions and giving them an opportunity to
Continued on page 10
big business
community outreachgenerates

5. toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
8
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
9
Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney
By Dan Miller
Photographs by Paul S. Howell
Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney, Texas, is defying gravity.
At a time when many in the car business are being
buffeted by the downward forces of a slumping economy,
this two-year-old suburban Dallas store is flying high—
with even full-size Tundra pickups moving off their lot at
a record pace.
What’s the wind beneath their wings? Grassroots
marketing, and lots of it.
“I can’t sit here and tell you that we’re the fastest
growing open point Toyota dealership in the country
because of grassroots marketing,” says General Manager
John Mathews. “I can’t quantify it. But I sure like the
results. And I’m not going to stop.”
While it might not be possible to prove a direct cause-
and-effect relationship, the circumstantial evidence is
compelling. Mathews says the dealership spends $30,000
to $40,000 per month on grassroots marketing. Data
capture, a standard feature of their local events, has fed
over 4,000 names into their customer relations database.
Bottom line: Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney retailed 3,321
new vehicles in 2008.
One more significant fact: Grassroots marketing
accounts for 20 percent of the dealership’s marketing
dollars. Within a year or two, Mathews predicts it will be
at least 50 percent.
“When Toyota awarded us this franchise, they asked
us to protect and market to this PMA (Primary Market
Area),” says Mathews. “That’s our job and that’s what
we’re doing. Grassroots marketing allows us to target who
we talk to.”
Like most strategies, this one grew out of necessity.
When Dealer Principal Pat Lobb and Mathews opened
their store in the heart of truck country, there were only
160 Tundras registered in their PMA. The task at hand:
establish a foothold on the domestic truck sellers’ deeply
entrenched turf.
“We knew that literally 100 percent of our truck sales
would have to be conquests and we knew domestic truck
owners are tremendously loyal,” Mathews says. “We knew
they weren’t going to just roll up to the dealership. For them, it
would be like consorting with the enemy. So we had to go to
them, at places where truck buyers were likely to congregate,
and get to know them as people, not salespeople. We had to
take a more powerful and personal approach.”
Community Relations Manager Stephane Burress,
originally hired as the dealership’s truck champion, led the
charge. He tested the waters with a few small events in fall
2006, such as a food fair fundraiser for the local high school’s
marching band. In 2007, J.C. Penney invited the dealership
to participate in its Earth Day festivities at its corporate
headquarters. Burress went beyond his Tundra focus and
brought a Prius and Camry Hybrid to show and tell to some
5,000 employees.
“That’s when the grassroots network really started to grow
on its own,” says Burress. “It just ballooned. It went from a
volunteer thing to a big part of my job.”
A year later, grassroots marketing became Burress’
full-time job, coordinating nearly 100 events between March
and October alone. You name it, he’s done it—from golf
tournaments to high school football games to county fairs to
These Grassroots Are Greener
The dealership’s goal is to replace all traditional advertising with grassroots marketing and lead management. “People are constantly bombarded by messages,”
says Stephane Burress, community relations manager and truck champion. “Top-down mediums such as television, radio and the Internet are overcrowded and
full of noise that we’ve conditioned ourselves to tune out. When you stop marketing from the top down and start marketing from the bottom up, from the
roots, you tap into the channel with the least competition. Make it personal, make it one-on-one, and your message will resonate.”
10K runs. Mathews refers to his grassroots guru as “a rock
star in the community.”
Some of the events are broad based. For example,
“Roundup on the Range” is an Old West-themed family
friendly event replete with chuck wagon cooking, horses,
Western music and 10,000 attendees.
Other events are more tightly targeted, like quarterly
contractor gatherings at the four local Home Depot stores.
“We’re talking about the construction workers, the
roofers, the plumbers, the electricians—guys who really
need trucks,” says Burress. “They’ve been driving domestic
trucks since they were 16. Even with all the money
Toyota spent launching the Tundra, many of them still
aren’t aware that we have a big truck that can tow 10,000
pounds and carry a two-ton payload. We’re going to miss
this market unless we put the truck out in front of them.”
That means far more than simply setting up a static
display of a couple of Tundras at a promising community
locale. It means hanging out with the people who are there,
answering their questions and giving them an opportunity to
Continued on page 10
big business
community outreachgenerates

6. toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
10 actually test drive the product. And it
also means collecting detailed contact
information so the dealership’s sales
force can follow up appropriately.
To help handle the load, Burress
assembled a team of high school
students who greet prospects, gather
data and dispense Toyota-logoed
giveaways. That frees up Burress to
focus on the test drives, sometimes
with the help of front-line salespeople.
“We’ve created a culture where our
people want to work grassroots events,”
says Mathews. “I hear other general
managers say it’s unfair to ask a commission salesperson to
spend half a day where they’re not going to sell a car. But as I
see it, it’s even more unfair to have a salesperson stand around
a dealership for half a day and not talk to anyone. This is all
about building a pipeline. We can collect 400 pieces of data at
one event. That’s equal to 14 days at the dealership. The more
people you talk to, the more cars you sell.”
But it’s not just the quantity
of customer contacts that matters.
Mathews stresses that the real power of
grassroots marketing lies in the quality
of the interaction.
“Most customers these days don’t
walk onto a dealership lot until they’ve
put on their body armor,” he says.
“They see a salesperson as a bad guy
with bad intentions. But when you
get away from the dealership with the
product in an informal setting, the
body armor comes down and they’re
just looking for someone who will take
care of them. The psychology of this has been so effective
for us.”
“I scratch my head and wonder why everyone isn’t doing
this,” he adds. “It’s personal. It’s relationship building.
People buy from people. How valuable is it to be a car dealer
and have customers think you’re the good guy? How do you
put a price tag on that?”
Continued from page 9
We can collect 400
pieces of data at
one event. That’s
equal to 14 days at
the dealership.
John Mathews
General Manager
Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
11
A Boy’s Toy
Scion of Braintree (Mass.) guru Mike Hankes poses in front of his
pride and joy: an xB Release Series 5.0—No. 9 of 2,500 produced.
Hankes’ enthusiasm for the product fuels his creativity when it
comes to marketing. The dealership relies almost exclusively on
grassroots events to build the brand.
One for the Record Book
A Toyota Tundra tows a train of seven hay-lined 14-foot trailers loaded
with 261 “Roundup on the Range” revelers, setting a Guinness World
Record for the largest hayride based on the number of passengers.

7. toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
10 actually test drive the product. And it
also means collecting detailed contact
information so the dealership’s sales
force can follow up appropriately.
To help handle the load, Burress
assembled a team of high school
students who greet prospects, gather
data and dispense Toyota-logoed
giveaways. That frees up Burress to
focus on the test drives, sometimes
with the help of front-line salespeople.
“We’ve created a culture where our
people want to work grassroots events,”
says Mathews. “I hear other general
managers say it’s unfair to ask a commission salesperson to
spend half a day where they’re not going to sell a car. But as I
see it, it’s even more unfair to have a salesperson stand around
a dealership for half a day and not talk to anyone. This is all
about building a pipeline. We can collect 400 pieces of data at
one event. That’s equal to 14 days at the dealership. The more
people you talk to, the more cars you sell.”
But it’s not just the quantity
of customer contacts that matters.
Mathews stresses that the real power of
grassroots marketing lies in the quality
of the interaction.
“Most customers these days don’t
walk onto a dealership lot until they’ve
put on their body armor,” he says.
“They see a salesperson as a bad guy
with bad intentions. But when you
get away from the dealership with the
product in an informal setting, the
body armor comes down and they’re
just looking for someone who will take
care of them. The psychology of this has been so effective
for us.”
“I scratch my head and wonder why everyone isn’t doing
this,” he adds. “It’s personal. It’s relationship building.
People buy from people. How valuable is it to be a car dealer
and have customers think you’re the good guy? How do you
put a price tag on that?”
Continued from page 9
We can collect 400
pieces of data at
one event. That’s
equal to 14 days at
the dealership.
John Mathews
General Manager
Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
11
A Boy’s Toy
Scion of Braintree (Mass.) guru Mike Hankes poses in front of his
pride and joy: an xB Release Series 5.0—No. 9 of 2,500 produced.
Hankes’ enthusiasm for the product fuels his creativity when it
comes to marketing. The dealership relies almost exclusively on
grassroots events to build the brand.
One for the Record Book
A Toyota Tundra tows a train of seven hay-lined 14-foot trailers loaded
with 261 “Roundup on the Range” revelers, setting a Guinness World
Record for the largest hayride based on the number of passengers.

8. toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
12
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
13
Mike Hankes thrives on new ideas to promote his
dealership. So when the Scion guru at Scion of
Braintree, Mass., ran out of ideas, he turned that into an
idea, too—perhaps his most innovative ever.
“I like to do my planning six to nine months in
advance,” he says. “A year ago, I was filling out the
calendar for 2008 and, when I got to April, I couldn’t
come up with anything. So I just put a question mark in
the book and called it the ‘Mystery Event.’
“Later, I was joking around with Steve Steniford, a
wonderful promoter who helps us with our bigger events,
saying we should just call it the ‘Mystery Event.’ And then we
thought, ‘Hey, wait a minute. That’s a pretty interesting idea.’
We just ran with it.”
How did it work? Hankes started by sending out
online invitations to his e-mail list of Scion owners. The
details were limited to a specific time and date to show
up at the dealership, with the first 50 to respond gaining
entry. The spots went quickly.
“They didn’t know where we were going or what we were
going to do until we got to the destination,” says Hankes.
“We ended up taking them paintballing. We had the best
response. People said, ‘I had a blast,’ or ‘I never would have
done this on my own.’ I wanted to see just how strong the
curiosity factor is. It turns out to be pretty darn strong.”
Based on that success, Hankes scheduled a second
mystery event in November. This time, the Boston Region
and two other dealerships got involved. The addition
of Grappone Scion in Bow, N.H., and Balise Scion in
Warwick, R.I.—stores that sponsor their state’s chapters
of ScioNRG, one of the larger Scion owners’ clubs on the
East Coast—broadened the outreach.
Hankes made all the arrangements, divvying up the
spots among the three dealerships. In all, 85 owners
showed up at Scion of Braintree in some 40 vehicles.
The destination? F1 Boston, a 106,000-square-foot
indoor racetrack facility for full-fledged go-karts. The
participants had the run of the place, including unlimited
hot laps and a spread of food. Those who posted the top
eight lap times competed in a grand finale.
“Each owner could bring along a guest,” says Hankes.
“So, technically, it was an owner loyalty event. But we also
made an impression on people who were new to Scion.
I explained, ‘This is a $30 million facility and, today, it’s
your clubhouse.’ It got them thinking, ‘Why am I driving
a Honda or a Ford? They’re not doing this for me.’”
Interaction goes to the heart of Hankes’ marketing
philosophy. Scion of Braintree allots virtually all of its
advertising dollars to grassroots events, staging 20 such
gatherings in 2008 and looking to increase the bookings
this year. Planning for the next two mystery events is
already in the works. Budgets range from as much as
$5,000 to as low as $500.
Wherever the ideas come from and however the event
comes together, it’s working. Scion of Braintree took up
residence in a brand new and significantly larger facility in
2008 located adjacent to the intersection of several major
freeways. Sales were up in a down market, in part because of
the physical change. But the emotional energy generated by
Hankes’ aggressive grassroots strategy is also driving growth.
“Anything can be an event,” he says. “You have to open
your mind. You might come up with an idea that, in your
head, seems wacky. But when you sit down and talk about
it, often you can find a way to make it work.”
When it comes to boosting business,
Mike Hankes doesn’t hesitate to think
outside the box. But he’s also a big proponent
of thinking and working inside the box—where
the box is the confines of the dealership.
“Salespeople and F&I tend to band together
and service and parts tend to band together,
and typically there’s a big line drawn in the sand
between them,” says the Scion guru at Scion of
Braintree (Mass.). “But I was taught that as a
salesperson, I should build good relationships
with service and parts. They can be a big help
when you need to take care of a customer. It was
true when I got my start in this business. And
it’s even more true today.”
Hankes points out that virtually every
salesperson has some downtime during their regular work
week. Sales consultants could wander over to the service
department and engage with the people who are there—
both their dealership colleagues and owners who have
their vehicles in for service.
For example, to help bolster his accessory selling skills,
Hankes seeks out and consults with the service and parts
employees who are plugged into the tuner craze. At other
times, he’ll engage with technicians and parts professionals
in search of fresh ideas for grassroots marketing events.
Less focused but equally valuable are his regular visits
to the service waiting area to introduce himself to new
customers and/or reconnect with those who’ve bought
from him before.
The investment in customer and colleague engagement
can produce significant dividends. Hankes recently had a
customer who bought his Scion from another dealership
but was introduced to Scion of Braintree through a
grassroots event. He came away so impressed that he
referred his father, who just happened to own an Avis
rental car outlet and was searching for a dealership to
service his fleet’s Toyota vehicles. That led to a follow-up
phone call with the father’s business partner who set up an
account with Toyota of Braintree’s parts department.
“We didn’t sell a car, but look at how much the
dealership gained because of that,” says Hankes. “I’m a
big believer in ‘TEAM’ as in “Together Everyone Achieves
More.’ The guys in the shop are good people who work
hard at what they do. Every salesperson can take 15
minutes and ask them about their weekend. The key is to
be sincere about it. You can’t just be some guy in a suit. It
really can go a long way.”
Thinking Inside the Box: Make Time
to Connect with Service, Parts
taps ‘curiosity factor’
in grassroots events
By Dan Miller
Photographs by David Kadlubowski
Hands-On Approach
Scion guru Mike Hankes gets up close and personal with the product under the watchful
eye of technician Jim Clinton. Hankes’ efforts to build bridges between sales and service
have helped Scion of Braintree (Mass.) weather the current economic storm.
Scion of Braintree

9. toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
12
toyotatodayjanuary/february2009
13
Mike Hankes thrives on new ideas to promote his
dealership. So when the Scion guru at Scion of
Braintree, Mass., ran out of ideas, he turned that into an
idea, too—perhaps his most innovative ever.
“I like to do my planning six to nine months in
advance,” he says. “A year ago, I was filling out the
calendar for 2008 and, when I got to April, I couldn’t
come up with anything. So I just put a question mark in
the book and called it the ‘Mystery Event.’
“Later, I was joking around with Steve Steniford, a
wonderful promoter who helps us with our bigger events,
saying we should just call it the ‘Mystery Event.’ And then we
thought, ‘Hey, wait a minute. That’s a pretty interesting idea.’
We just ran with it.”
How did it work? Hankes started by sending out
online invitations to his e-mail list of Scion owners. The
details were limited to a specific time and date to show
up at the dealership, with the first 50 to respond gaining
entry. The spots went quickly.
“They didn’t know where we were going or what we were
going to do until we got to the destination,” says Hankes.
“We ended up taking them paintballing. We had the best
response. People said, ‘I had a blast,’ or ‘I never would have
done this on my own.’ I wanted to see just how strong the
curiosity factor is. It turns out to be pretty darn strong.”
Based on that success, Hankes scheduled a second
mystery event in November. This time, the Boston Region
and two other dealerships got involved. The addition
of Grappone Scion in Bow, N.H., and Balise Scion in
Warwick, R.I.—stores that sponsor their state’s chapters
of ScioNRG, one of the larger Scion owners’ clubs on the
East Coast—broadened the outreach.
Hankes made all the arrangements, divvying up the
spots among the three dealerships. In all, 85 owners
showed up at Scion of Braintree in some 40 vehicles.
The destination? F1 Boston, a 106,000-square-foot
indoor racetrack facility for full-fledged go-karts. The
participants had the run of the place, including unlimited
hot laps and a spread of food. Those who posted the top
eight lap times competed in a grand finale.
“Each owner could bring along a guest,” says Hankes.
“So, technically, it was an owner loyalty event. But we also
made an impression on people who were new to Scion.
I explained, ‘This is a $30 million facility and, today, it’s
your clubhouse.’ It got them thinking, ‘Why am I driving
a Honda or a Ford? They’re not doing this for me.’”
Interaction goes to the heart of Hankes’ marketing
philosophy. Scion of Braintree allots virtually all of its
advertising dollars to grassroots events, staging 20 such
gatherings in 2008 and looking to increase the bookings
this year. Planning for the next two mystery events is
already in the works. Budgets range from as much as
$5,000 to as low as $500.
Wherever the ideas come from and however the event
comes together, it’s working. Scion of Braintree took up
residence in a brand new and significantly larger facility in
2008 located adjacent to the intersection of several major
freeways. Sales were up in a down market, in part because of
the physical change. But the emotional energy generated by
Hankes’ aggressive grassroots strategy is also driving growth.
“Anything can be an event,” he says. “You have to open
your mind. You might come up with an idea that, in your
head, seems wacky. But when you sit down and talk about
it, often you can find a way to make it work.”
When it comes to boosting business,
Mike Hankes doesn’t hesitate to think
outside the box. But he’s also a big proponent
of thinking and working inside the box—where
the box is the confines of the dealership.
“Salespeople and F&I tend to band together
and service and parts tend to band together,
and typically there’s a big line drawn in the sand
between them,” says the Scion guru at Scion of
Braintree (Mass.). “But I was taught that as a
salesperson, I should build good relationships
with service and parts. They can be a big help
when you need to take care of a customer. It was
true when I got my start in this business. And
it’s even more true today.”
Hankes points out that virtually every
salesperson has some downtime during their regular work
week. Sales consultants could wander over to the service
department and engage with the people who are there—
both their dealership colleagues and owners who have
their vehicles in for service.
For example, to help bolster his accessory selling skills,
Hankes seeks out and consults with the service and parts
employees who are plugged into the tuner craze. At other
times, he’ll engage with technicians and parts professionals
in search of fresh ideas for grassroots marketing events.
Less focused but equally valuable are his regular visits
to the service waiting area to introduce himself to new
customers and/or reconnect with those who’ve bought
from him before.
The investment in customer and colleague engagement
can produce significant dividends. Hankes recently had a
customer who bought his Scion from another dealership
but was introduced to Scion of Braintree through a
grassroots event. He came away so impressed that he
referred his father, who just happened to own an Avis
rental car outlet and was searching for a dealership to
service his fleet’s Toyota vehicles. That led to a follow-up
phone call with the father’s business partner who set up an
account with Toyota of Braintree’s parts department.
“We didn’t sell a car, but look at how much the
dealership gained because of that,” says Hankes. “I’m a
big believer in ‘TEAM’ as in “Together Everyone Achieves
More.’ The guys in the shop are good people who work
hard at what they do. Every salesperson can take 15
minutes and ask them about their weekend. The key is to
be sincere about it. You can’t just be some guy in a suit. It
really can go a long way.”
Thinking Inside the Box: Make Time
to Connect with Service, Parts
taps ‘curiosity factor’
in grassroots events
By Dan Miller
Photographs by David Kadlubowski
Hands-On Approach
Scion guru Mike Hankes gets up close and personal with the product under the watchful
eye of technician Jim Clinton. Hankes’ efforts to build bridges between sales and service
have helped Scion of Braintree (Mass.) weather the current economic storm.
Scion of Braintree