Best News of the Year

I'm starting this online journal for several reasons, but one primary reason is that I really enjoy showing the everyday life of car dealerships. It is a fascinating business, unlike any other work I've been a part of, and I enjoy pulling back the curtain a bit to show what this world is like. While trying not to get carried away with New Year's-type resolutions, thinking about posting every day and spending hours hammering out posts detailing my day to day, but I think trying to post once a week about something happening in Bloomington, something happening at Royal South Toyota, is a good start.

My first post is actually a year in the making! Just after the January 2nd, Toyota Month End Close, we got word that we had climbed atop the Rolling 12 Month "Customer Satisfaction Index". Every customer who buys a new Toyota in the United States gets a survey asking them to rate their experience with their Toyota Dealership. The survey talks about the physical dealership's building, the buying process, the paperwork, how long they waited, how clean the vehicle was, the friendliness of the state, their likelihood of recommending the dealership to others--they even ask about the cleanliness of the bathrooms. Pretty comprehensive.

Over the last 12 Months, Royal South Toyota steadily climbed over a few worth competitors to claim the #1 ranking. We've been hovering around #2 for most of the year. As low as #4, and briefly hit #1 in Sept, but then moved back down. A strong close to the month pushed us over the top! Thinking about this achievement is really emotional. I think about all our staff, all the hours they've put in--and the manner in which they've conducted business. Even when they are tired, or have had a long day, they still bring their A Game for customers, trying to finish up a car deal at 9:30 on a Tuesday night--our staff is still smiling and being helpful. Man, love these guys! So glad to have the staff we do!

And this ranking is for the entire region of Toyota dealerships, about 112 of them, in four different states. This is WILDLY important to my family's dealership, as it shows we're doing business the right way, customers enjoy doing business here, and trust us enough to do business with us again, and to recommend their friends and family. I'm super pumped about this. This is a GREAT WAY to start out the new year. We're going to try our best--to strive for excellence--and keep the crown!

- Andy Long
General Manager