Redefining ‘the boss' increases store's sales

El Patronn wants to make it happen.

Behind his trademark eyewear, El Patronn strikes poses on billboards in Brooklyn in New York City and can be viewed regularly on his YouTube channel called El Patronn Show. He's flashy, stylized and highly recognizable. But most of all, El Patronn is a successful marketing tool born of the imagination of Brooklyn Mitsubishi managing partner Rudy Tremenio, who uses the moniker to drive up sales and profits and improve customer retention.

"Whatever I say, I'm going to do," Tremenio told Automotive News. "They come in asking for El Patronn, so I deliver."

A 15-year automotive industry veteran, Tremenio earned his nickname and self-given title, a slight amendment to the Spanish term meaning "the boss." Tremenio has used the name, and his industry experience, to change the culture at his dealership and drive up digital engagement through viral videos and use of data mining tools, and by getting involved in almost every deal.

As a marketing tool, El Patronn is a success. His notoriety gathers more attention from customers than a one-time visit from a celebrity, and it costs the dealership far less.

"Customers want to buy from people they like. They want to buy from people they relate to," Tremenio said.

El Patronn has more than 1 million followers among Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The second "n" was tacked on due to a tendency for people to confuse his persona with the popular tequila brand, Patron.

To keep social media offerings fresh, Tremenio uses an independent contractor who produces weekly content. Over the past two years, they've made hundreds of videos together. Some videos have been seen only a handful of times, while others have garnered as many as 173,000 views.

Part of what spurred the sales turnaround is data mining. Tremenio used digital tools within the company's DealerSocket customer relationship management platform to contact former dealership customers for repeat sales and vehicle trade-ins.

"For 18 years, no one was working the data. No one was touching those customers that we had for 20 years," Tremenio said. "That's why the numbers moved so rapidly."

The uptick in consumer interest from the data mining and marketing campaigns led to Tremenio adding seven people to the dealership's business development center. It now has 10 employees, and leads have increased from 1,000 per month to about 5,000.

Brooklyn Mitsubishi this year is selling around 70 new vehicles and 250 used vehicles per month, for a typical monthly total of about 320 vehicles. In 2018, the store sold 819 new vehicles. It was the No. 5 top-selling Mitsubishi dealership in the country in June, a brand official confirmed.

In 2017, the year Tremenio became general manager and managing partner, Brooklyn Mitsubishi sold 362 new vehicles and 1,937 used vehicles.

Brooklyn Mitsubishi was 3 years old when Tremenio took over in 2017. He started with the company in 2012 as general manager of Queens Auto Mall, which sold only used vehicles. The Mitsubishi point was the group's first new-vehicle franchise.

The store was underperforming, said Tremenio, who blamed the dealership's culture.

"The dealership was a little neglected," he said. "The current general manager that was there was a very negative guy."

Tremenio laid down an ultimatum — either the general manager would leave, or he would. It was a difficult conversation, Tremenio recalled, as the manager had been with the company for more than 18 years.

"They let him go," Tremenio said. "They gave me the free rein to change everything."

But even then, Tremenio faced larger challenges. A major reason the dealership wasn't reaching its potential was discord between the finance and insurance managers and the sales reps. Unresolved issues mounted. If the dealership had many rules before, Tremenio said, they weren't enforced.

"There were no repercussions. It was a free-flow — people did whatever they want. And that's why there was no leadership. There was no chain of command," Tremenio said.

To get his employees rowing in the same direction, Tremenio had to run a tight ship.

He put boundaries in place during the first few months of his leadership to drive sales, including implementing new schedules, enforcing punctuality and creating a dress code — polo shirts in the summer and shirt-and-tie or other corporate wear during other seasons.

The added structure allowed special events, such as casual Fridays and pizza Saturdays, to stand out to employees.

Ten managers report to Tremenio, who shares an office with the dealer principal. He touches every deal and religiously scans CRM software to make sure employees are on track and taking diligent notes.

Overall, he said, employees are happier and more productive.

"If you create a culture where people love you, they'll do anything for you," Tremenio said. "We created a solid team."