You don’t just want customers, you want raving fans.
Most industries woke up to the Internet generation and realized “because we’ve always done it that way” is not much of a business model any more.
Except car dealers.
Outside of Jarrell.
You may think this is just a free commercial for a local auto dealer but what it’s really about is a new business, in a place that is booming, and it has adapted to the new paradigm of how people shop and how businesses really need to evolve to survive. Additionally, he is part of what makes Williamson County one of the most desirable places in the country to live; the opportunities businesses give residents to keep local money local.
Mario Huneycutt has been in the auto business for 18 years; 13 of those with the Nyle Maxwell family of dealerships. He pretty much did every job there, except Mechanic.
Last year he opened Summit Motors in Jarrell and has grown faster and better than even he expected. “People don’t spend their free time driving to dealerships any more and many customers are just happy not to have to drive into the city. They come for what they’ve researched on the Web and what they’ve seen on our page, that also has a better price. They come into the dealership with a lot of knowledge about the kind of car they want so I just need to see to their needs and make it as convenient as possible.”
Huneycutt always wondered why the car-buying process took so long. “I knew it could be shorter. I wanted to provide customer-based service and focus on that. From better vehicle photos to personally delivering the purchase; you see a car we have that you like, call me up. I’ll bring it to your office so you can test drive it on your lunch break. There is no need for people to spend their day off, away from family, walking around a car lot then wait for hours while sales guys ‘see what they can do’ on a deal.”
Huneycutt chose Jarrell because he believes when you give people what they want, they will make the drive. But aside from easy access, his plan is to make the transaction as convenient as possible. He has driven cars to Houston for test drives, stays late at the shop for customers and includes a certified six-month warranty on used cars. One customer said, “I said I wanted it, we shook hands and he gave me the keys. I took the car home and got back to my life while he worked out the financing over a couple of days. He also consigned and gave me the retail value for my trade-in, which saved me a few thousand dollars.”
Huneycutt says, “I want to be your car guy and I my best day is when I can convert another customer to the realization that car buying can come into the 21st century just like grocery delivery and UberEats. I’m not here just to push cars out of the lot. I put myself in the customers’ shoes and recognize what matters to them. I have four kids and I know how busy people are. Every customer matters, whether buying the $1500 coupe or the $100,000 sport. The more time I save, the more likely people are to appreciate how positive the experience can really be, and they’ll come back.”
Find them at SummitMotorCompany.com.
