Maserati of Beverly Hills – Destination of the
Rich and Famous
Ensuring clients get the VIP Treatment

Movies and television have made some of the names in the Los Angeles area world famous – Hollywood, Burbank, Sunset Boulevard. Among those famous names is Beverly Hills, along with its zip code of 90210. It is one of the most desirable addresses in America, a place where people go to see and be seen, where even the streets are famous – Santa Monica Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, Wilshire Boulevard.

Given how desirable the cars are, it is no surprise to find Maserati of Beverly Hills on  Wilshire Boulevard. And it is equally unsurprising that the rich and famous value the style and exclusivity that come as standard with every Maserati, to the point where the dealership is second only to The Collection, in Miami, in terms of cars delivered to clients. Giacomo Mattioli, owner of the dealership, is understandably proud of what has been achieved.

“We sold thirty cars more in 2007 than we did the previous year – that’s what has moved us up to No.2 in the country,” Giacomo told us. “In addition, we received two awards, recognising us as ‘Dealer of Excellence’ – one was from Maserati North America, the other from the factory in Italy. Of course, the cars are a major factor in our success – the GranTurismo has been very successful for us, and it has the capability to bring us a lot of business.”

Of course, being in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world does mean that some of their customers have special requirements. “Obviously there are people here with very high net worth, with a lot of disposable income, and they often expect things to happen very quickly,” explained Giacomo. “We have had occasions when we’ve done ‘spot’ deliveries – where someone comes in and drives a new car away on the same day. We even had someone come in who wanted a car that day, so they could take it to a particular party in the evening.”

Being in Beverly Hills presents the staff with some distinct challenges – ones that Giacomo explained they are more than happy to cope with. “The first rule of the Beverly Hills dealership is that you never can tell – pretty much anyone who walks through the door could be a potential client,” he said. “We have had people who are seventeen, eighteen come in to buy a car; and we had one guy come in to collect his car... on a skateboard. He just put it in the trunk and drove way. So we treat everyone the same way, and people appreciate that. We have a very low turnover of staff, and most of the people have been here for a while. In addition, the reward structure is that everything is shared – so when you buy a car from us, you have a relationship with the entire team.”

“Everything revolves around the client – we try to give the dealership a ‘boutique’ feel, something which is tailor-made to the specific client,” Giacomo continued. “Our clients often enjoy the VIP treatment – that’s an abused term, but it really is correct for this. We treat every customer as a special client, and in my view, that’s what makes this dealership different, and what makes it successful. I believe our clients recognise that there’s a different atmosphere, a different relationship compared to other dealers. We take a lot of pride in allowing people to make up their own minds – we provide them with all the tools and information they need to make a decision, but we also give them the time and space they need to make a decision. I don’t believe anyone feels rushed or pressured, and people like that – they feel respected, because we are very straightforward in our dealing.”

Such honesty is refreshing, but it can also come as a culture shock to some people, used to the more middle-of-the-road experience of buying cars. “There isn’t the wheeling and dealing you might get with other brands – and I know that might have cost us one or two sales,” explained Giacomo. “However, I look at the bigger picture – when we give someone a quote for a trade-in, then we stick to that, because it’s the right figure. At the end of the day, if you are considering buying one of these cars, two or three thousand dollars isn’t going to change anyone’s life, it’s just a matter of perception. Some people feel that if they can’t drive a dealer down from his initial price, then they’re not getting a good deal, but I believe that kind of haggling hurts the relationship with the client. Some people don’t see it that way, but most people respect us for our approach. In addition, we don’t have any of the back-and-forth between a salesperson and the sales manager. The salesperson will take you right through the entire process, will agree the deal, print the paperwork and deliver the car to you. I believe in empowering my staff; people who are empowered are more confident, which in turn makes our clients more comfortable. It means they can be sure that they are getting straight answers, that they aren’t getting bounced around or think that maybe they’d get a different deal if they spoke to someone else.”

With instant gratification being high on the agenda, many cars are bought straight off the floor; however, with the GranTurismo, some clients did make use of the Officine Alfieri Maserati program, to tailor their car to their exact requirements. “Maserati speaks about exclusivity, and there are very few places in the world which speak exclusivity like Beverly Hills,” Giacomo told us. “I think Maserati has this allure, this perception that whoever buys a Maserati, in my opinion, is willing to experience something different. Here in southern California, individualism is the name of the game, and some people do use the customization program to ensure they have a truly unique Maserati.”

The dealership puts in a lot of work to promote Maserati, and increase awareness of the brand – and the GranTurismo is helping support their endeavours. “The GranTurismo is terrific – it’s a car which is so new, so brilliantly designed, the more people see it around, the more they will appreciate it,” enthused Giacomo. “And now we have the GranTurismo S, offering a more sporty version. It’s in line with what the competition are doing, so it makes sense. The problem it gives us is that we only have a limited budget, and now there’s another new model to promote! We believe in Ride and Drive events, to get people behind the wheel; we’ve done a couple of events where we partnered with two other exclusive Italian companies, the jewellery brand DiModolo and the furniture designer Capellini. People can come along and admire the products, enjoy a coffee and some snacks, then go out in a Maserati.”

“The Ride and Drive event is great for convincing people that a Maserati makes an ideal daily-drive car,” he continued. “Sometimes people have a perception that it’s a ‘trophy’ car, like a larger version of a Ferrari. So we get them down here and they see the cars, they can see how practical they are, find out how easy they are to get in and out of – especially the Quattroporte. And the Automatic transmission makes it a great daily driver – most of our clients who buy a Maserati aim to use it every day.”

With Maserati setting ambitious goals for growth in the future, Giacomo is looking forward to the challenges the next few years will present. “We’re looking forward to the future products – in 2006 we had the Quattroporte, then we had the GranTurismo, now we have the GranTurismo S; next year, who knows?” he said. “On top of that, we’re going to be one of the few dealerships handling the Alfa Romeo 8C, so we’ve got that coming soon. The economic problems might have an effect – although for us, the writers’ strike was more of an issue. But with the right products, I’m sure we can continue to grow. Right now, I think we’re in good shape – I’m sure the next three years will be better than the last three.”

A growing line-up of desirable cars, increasing demand from their customers, and a loyal and dedicated sales team – Giacomo Mattioli has good reason to be optimistic about the future for Maserati of Beverly Hills.

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