Buying a dealership out of bankruptcy in a crowded luxury market is a bet few dealers would make. On today’s edition of CBT Live, Andy Guelcher, Owner and Dealer Principal of Mohawk Chevrolet and Cadillac of Englewood Cliffs, explains why he made that very decision.
Guelcher’s Chevrolet store in Ballston Spa, N.Y., has won two straight Chevrolet Dealer of the Year awards. He credits consistent daily execution and a mindset that treats every lead as an opportunity deserving urgency and care. He said the award belongs to the team that shows up with that level of care every day. That same approach is now heading to New Jersey, where the Cadillac store has struggled for roughly a decade, even though it sits in a market of 8.5 million people. Selling in the New York City metro, Guelcher said, changes how the store approaches digital marketing and how employees view their jobs.
Even so, people everywhere want to be part of a winning team, he says, “People sometimes tend to focus on the unique challenges instead of the unique opportunities. And we choose to focus on the unique opportunities.”
On the other hand, Guelcher emphasizes that mobile service is central to his three-year store plan. His goal is to regain market share from Audi and BMW and increase the number of units serviced in his lane. He also aims to develop a mobile service approach focused on the large corporate campuses near Englewood Cliffs, targeting roughly 10% penetration to boost volume. For dealers hesitant to adopt this strategy, his advice is to fully commit and replicate successful models from other locations.
The ideal mobile technician acts as a customer-facing representative rather than just the highest hour-turner in the shop. Guelcher gave the example of repairing a vehicle in a driveway, which encourages neighbors to ask questions and helps capture new VINs into the CRM. Conversely, he responded to the concern that the shop is fully booked three weeks ahead by suggesting that the most profitable jobs be prioritized in the bays, while the remaining work can be sent out via van. This approach can increase a bay’s monthly revenue from $20,000 to $30,000 or $40,000.
AI serves as a supporting tool at both stores, as Guelcher’s team built an internal system that connects accounting, service, parts, and sales software. It has streamlined operations more than he thought possible. With the economy uncertain, he sees fixed ops and mobile service as the key to keeping his stores resilient in a downturn.
“We don’t have to create something new. We just have to get better at what we’re doing,” Guelcher said.
