Car and truck buyers lean on the expertise of Wildcat Chevrolet in Cadiz sales staff so heavily that they sometimes order high end vehicles without a test drive or even a visit to the lot. “One guy ordered a Camaro over the phone,” said Jim King, one of the dealership’s three salesman. King’s boss Jerry James said fourth quarter sales in 2009 were strong across the board. In fact, the service and parts department increased their business so much that the dealer had to add on an employee and space to its facility.
Wildcat did not completely escaped the hard times their industry fell on two years ago. James, who took over as Wildcat’s general manager in April of 2008 after nearly 20 years at Patriot Chevrolet Buick GMC in Hopkinsville, said sales dipped slightly during the worst of the recession.
But the slowdown came and went. Customers soon returned to the lot. Phones rang off the hook.
James spent a rain-soaked Friday in February picking up calls. A white board on his wall was nearly filled with the names of recent customers and the models they had purchased or ordered. James says the busyness is the result reputable salesmen and a durable local market.
“People gotta have trucks,” James said. “They work with them.”
A large part of Wildcat’s customer base is the local farmer. Their livelihood depends on trucks that can haul tobacco wagons, fertilizer tanks cattle trailer safely across a muddy field. Tipping 10 to 20 cows would be disastrous to say the least.
On the Wildcat lot are three-quarter ton and one ton truck outfitted to get even the most heavy-duty jobs done. Popular features include doubled up rear wheels, built-in trailer brakes, utility bodies and service beds.
Because their work gets them comfortable with the handling of large vehicles, farmers frequently prefer sports utility vehicles and minivans for personal use. King said the same families who bought a Silverado for the field also come to Wildcat looking for a Tahoe.
“One family I sell too has about five of our vehicles,” King said. Other customer Wildcat sees regularly are retirees and construction-oriented companies.“Their demands are different (from farmers),” said salesman Jim Freels.
The retirees who buy up waterfront property on Lake Barkley or cozy estates in Christian and Trigg counties usually luxury sedans such as the Impala and SUVs such as the Suburban.
Freels calls himself as a counselor.
“If you give a customer good, solid advice that helps their needs, that gets a sale better (than steering them toward a vehicle you want to sell),” Freels said.
Recently a local business came to Wildcat intent on buying a fleet of four-wheel driver, diesel trucks. Freels told the customer that some of the features they had wanted would be less available because of a production shift that General Motors had planned for the near future. The shortage would end any discounts or buying incentives on the vehicles. It made sense to buy the entire fleet sooner rather than in stages.
“Hopefully, we got them a better price,” Freels said.
James and his small staff, including salesman Jim Ezell, have more than 100 years of selling cars and trucks. That level experience is hard to beat in a profession known for its turnover.
That enables the dealership to profit from longstanding relationships. Customers from Hopkinsville and other neighboring communities make the drive to Wildcat, which is near the exit 65 on Interstate 24, solely because of a customer’s comfort with one of the salesman.
Relationships also remove the high pressure tactics and slickness associated with car sales.
“We’re not going to show you a credit application before we show you a car,” James said.
Wildcat’s inventory offers about 50 new and 60 used models at any given time. Although the onsite selection is dominated by Chevys, there are also GMC, Pontiac, Dodge and import models.
Virtual visits and ordering are possible on the dealer’s Web site http://www.wildcatchevrolet.com/. |
