General Manager | Dealer Principal

The Full Story

UNITED KIA OF IMPERIAL – Imperial, CA July 2020 – February 2024 GENERAL MANAGER | DEALER PRINCIPAL

Executive management of a full-service Kia franchise leading 55 team members, overseeing operations in marketing, sales management, finance and insurance compliance, parts and service general management, and inventory management. Analyzed wholesale markets and produced, reviewed, and analyzed financial statements to guide business and operational plans, forecast modeling and budget development. Adapted resource allocation strategies in response to changing market conditions, ensuring efficient resource and labor utilization. Skillful at conflict resolution, regulatory compliance, legal risk mitigation, and building public relations. Consistently achieved top-tier new car inventory turn relative to Kia Western Region benchmarks. Maintained exceptional Kia Sales Experience ratings, reflecting outstanding customer satisfaction.

Selected Accomplishments:

Business Turnaround – Led acquisition of a failing Kia dealership, losing $1M net annually. Successfully rebuilt team by replacing 90% of staff and turned around the business to produce $1.5M net in annual income.
Market Review - Provided expert review and analysis of financial statements, operational plans, forecast, and marketing to guide the dealership to a 67% increase in new car market share in our Primary Market Area
Customer Sales Experience – Spearheaded the turnaround of the dealership’s dead-last CSE district ranking to consistently hit the top spot in 33 out of 36 months for its superior Customer Sales Experience.
Inventory Turn Rate – Increased new car allocation by outperforming turn rate relative to Kia’s western region’s 122 dealers.
Finance Department Compliance – Conducted a comprehensive audit of the finance department to ensure full compliance with all state and federal regulations governing automotive sales and financing practices. Implemented new policies and procedures to maintain strict adherence to compliance requirements.
Internet Sales – Increased internet sales conversion from 2% to 10%, averaged < 2 min/lead response time.
Marketing and Digital Marketing -- Effectively managed a monthly marketing budget between $45,000 - $75,000 to efficiently allocate resources to produce an average marketing ROI of 7:1 measured against gross profit. Strategies utilized include: Television, Radio, Direct Mail, Outdoor, Events, Affiliate and the following digital; Website, SEO, Google Ads, E-mail, Social Media.