Good Relationships Create Customer Happiness
The Auto Gallery Strives for Ideal Service

It is the aim of every car dealership to attract potential customers, to have them step inside and admire the cars. It’s not every dealership than can regard itself as a destination – where people come to hang out and enjoy a coffee, where customers are on first-name terms with the staff, and where the salespeople are happy to chew the fat about literally anything, not just the cars. That’s how The Auto Gallery likes to present itself; sure, they sell cars, but they don’t see that as being the defining factor of the relationship.

‘Relationship’ was a word which cropped up often when we visited the dealership in Calabasas, to the north-west of Los Angeles. It was a word which was stressed by their senior Maserati salesman, Obi Okeke, throughout our conversation. “Our clients value the relationship they have with us, and we want people to feel comfortable,” Obi explained. “We’re happy for people to come here as often as they want, to bring their kids - our approach is not to get your money from you and send you back out down the road. We just want people to feel comfortable, because everything else just unfolds from there; it doesn’t matter whether it takes a year or two years to make a decision.”

Of course, as Obi pointed out, people will only feel comfortable if The Auto Gallery staff help them to relax, which in turn means finding staff where each one, to use a hackneyed phrase, is a ‘people person’. This is certainly true of Melody Woodman, whom Obi had worked with previously; she told us that he spent several years trying to recruit her before she took the opportunity.

“This is a great place to work – it’s a very friendly environment, we’re like a family,” she told us. “Speaking personally, I’m very friendly, and I try to treat each customer as though they were my friend. I’m naturally inquisitive, and I like to learn about my customers, so I ask questions, and show an interest in the people I’m dealing with. We don’t jump down people’s throats trying to sell them a car – the Maserati seems to sell itself, it’s so elegant and beautiful. So we’re not high-pressured – we don’t need to be.”

Maseratis have other benefits, too, particularly the Quattroporte. The dealership is happy to be involved in a number of charity events – and since several of them are golf events, being able to carry clubs in the trunk is a definite requirement. “We also do events where we’ll donate the use of a car for a few nights, which then gets auctioned off – recently, one of these raised $10,000,” Melody explained. “Since it’s often a family looking to take a long weekend, then we’ll use the Quattroporte, to give them four doors and extra trunk space.”

We talked about what makes Maserati so special, what makes someone a Maserati customer, and how they differ from other Auto Gallery customers – Ferrari is featured alongside Maserati in their Calabasas showroom, and they also sell some German brands from other premises. For Obi, there are clear differences between the four brands. “From what I’ve seen, it appears that many Audi customers are conscious of the price – if there are two cars which are similar, they will go with the one which has the lower payment,” he told us. “With the introduction of the Cayenne and the Boxster, I think that there’s a lower proportion of Porsche buyers who are true car enthusiasts – there are people buying it just for the badge on the hood. And that’s always been true of Ferrari; the marque has a tremendous heritage, because the only reason Enzo Ferrari built road cars was to fund his racing activities. But some people buy it just to say: Look at me!

“Our Maserati clientele push all that aside; they’re in pursuit of uniqueness, and I think that for our clients, a Maserati is a direct extension of their personality, more than any other brand,” he continued. “They don’t follow the norm – which could be Mercedes or BMW. The Maserati client has an appreciation for fine, hand-built craftsmanship and a unique automobile.”

For Melody, that uniqueness is also a key factor in the attraction of Maserati. “I believe that Maserati is a step up – I don’t even see Mercedes as a direct competitor,” she said. “I tell people that when you’ve had everything, this is your next step. What surprises people is the price - often, people don’t know how little a Maserati costs. I’ve had people come in and say, Gee, I thought these were $200,000 cars, they look at the window sticker and they’re shocked.”

When asked what makes The Auto Gallery special, Obi and Melody gave the same answer: Service. “The customer always comes first, and it’s our role to ensure that they’re happy,” Melody said. “Everyone has our cellphone numbers, so our customers can always get hold of us – it’s like being a doctor on call. We’re always there for them, and I think that’s what makes us different.”

“We’ll do whatever it takes – in life, we have lots of choices, particularly in terms of automobiles, so we have to go the extra mile to ensure our clients choose us,” explained Obi. “We’ve delivered cars at 3:30am, we’ve shipped cars across the country – once we had a client who had a problem with his car in Kansas, where there’s no dealer. A technician jumped on a plane, hired a car and met the client at his hotel, diagnosed the problem and got the car started, then flew home again.

“The whole thing starts when someone walks in through the door – it’s very important how they are greeted,” he continued. “From there, it’s all about building a rapport, ensuring they relate to us – and they don’t just buy a car from us; I get calls asking if I can get someone into a particular restaurant, or asking for advice on where to buy jewelry – it’s true! Once they come to appreciate that we say what we mean, and mean what we say, then the relationship really thrives.”

Melody feels she has a head-start in relating to customers. “I’ll take my time, get to know people, sell the store, sell myself and sell the product – I think that men like to go straight for the sale,” she told us. “Also, I think people trust women more – although that’s not to say that men lie!” she laughed.

Of course, being a salesperson is much easier when you have a fine product to sell, one that you have confidence in, and Maserati certainly fits the bill. Both Obi and Melody plainly love being involved with such a high-quality, stylish car, and Melody went so far as to say that she couldn’t think of a brand which she would consider as a step up, at least from her perspective.  As Obi said: “When you’re passionate about cars, like I am, you want the best, you have an appreciation for the best. Money doesn’t drive me, it’s the love and the passion that drives me, and I think it’s the same things that drive Maserati – and I believe that that approach, that passion, does come across.”

Staff who are passionate about cars, a light, airy, welcoming showroom and the finest that Maserati (and Ferrari) have to offer – no wonder so many people see The Auto Gallery as a destination. Next time you are in the Los Angeles area, stop by and say hello, and check out Obi’s claim that they are “the friendliest dealer in North America”!