First an Introduction,
My name is Dave Lusk, and I am the new Internet Sales Manager at Xtreme Suzuki in Bellaire Ohio. This post may turn a little long, so please forgive me if I begin to ramble
Next,
I want to say that Kathy is nothing short of an Awesome Lady, that I truly respect and loved working with. Her and I hit it off right away in my book. She is definitely someone I would consider a great friend and hope to remain that way. She helped me SO much in my short time at the dealership and for that I will be forever grateful. I wish her the BEST of luck where ever she goes!
On to the the situation at hand...
I was NOT put in charge of the department to take the place of Kathy. I was asked to do it in order to improve customer service,and to organize things for a smoother running operation. By taking the job, that is Exactly what WILL happen.
Two things that WILL happen immediately are as follows:
Prices WILL stay the same or Lower in some circumstances.
Customer service WILL improve 500 percent.
A few examples of what I mean:
If you order a part and are told you will have the part in three days...You WILL have your part in Three days.
If you order a part and are told it could be two weeks, then it could take two weeks.
If you order a part that comes up as a "back-order", you WILL be called on the phone and told so. This gives the customer the choice of either waiting for the part, or canceling the order.
The customer will NEVER be left in the dark on THEIR part.
On to the pricing....
That will NEVER change. ALL employees are instructed to give Excellent pricing from the same price lists that Kathy gave. We are also currently working on a system that will even do better than our current pricing structure, and hope to have nitty gritty worked out over the next few weeks.
Now back to "me" for just a bit.
I have been in internet sales for about 7 years now. I also did a 12 year tour in a local steel mill, and also was an instructor for a local computer school. Back in the day, I ran a local NAPA store for a few years, then on to a local Chevrolet Dealership for about a year.
I am the most knowledgeable guy on bikes?? HELL NO!!!
Can I look up the parts you need on a computer system?? Heck YES!!
I am surrounded by some awesome people, and learn something new every hour.
I know a little about running a business, and what I Do know is that without the customer, there is no business! That is where my obsession with customer service comes in. I have bought LOTS of things online, and from out of state vendors, and I just can't stand the lack of service some of these places offer. It drives me insane when I pay MY money for something, and it does not show up in a timely manner. And I will be on my guys like stink on a turd to MAKE SURE that the customer gets what they want, at a great price, and in a timely manner. Its all pretty simple really.
In closing..
Can I, or anyone ever actually replace Kathy? NO
She made my day on quite a few occasions, and I love her for that.
Can my department give you what you want, when you want it, and at a price that will NOT be beat?? YES!!
I also what to thank Cookie for calling and talking with me. I really enjoy talking to the guys that actually crank these things up!!!
My invitation goes out to all who wants to give us a try.
Thanks for your time.
Dave
