Toyota is having quite a sales run, and Samantha Goot is part of the reason.
As a senior manager for incentive strategy, Goot in 2017 helped propel the RAV4 to become the best-selling crossover in the U.S. and the Camry to repeat as the best-selling sedan. Among brands, Toyota was No. 1 in U.S. retail sales last year, the company said.
Goot is responsible for developing Toyota’s national incentive strategy to ensure alignment with the company’s production plan.
She led the brand’s efforts to implement a local incentive strategy, giving the company’s field operations greater autonomy.
Goot, a 21-year Toyota veteran, said her big break came when she moved from the Kansas City, Mo., regional office, where she was vehicle sales manager for six states, to corporate headquarters.
“It was the moment I was able to give a different point of view,” she said. Her on-the-ground experience paid off over time, allowing Goot to take on more responsibility. Goot built relations across the company, including at Toyota Financial Services, and earned a reputation as a strong collaborator.
In her previous role as national Toyota dealer advertising manager, Goot spearheaded improvement to the brand’s national sales events program and refined the use of data analysis to track performance.
A key element of the Toyota Way is kaizen, or continuous improvement, and Goot lives that philosophy in the fast lane.
-- Laurence Iliff
