“We took the pressure out of sales, away from the customer and from our associates. When this reimagining started, there were about 100-150 units sold per month. Now it is in excess of 600 on average. Our customers are referred to as our guests now. We have reimagined how we go to the market, how we sell cars and how we do things. We completely changed from a sales business to a hospitality business.” Today, guests are at the heart of all that happens, but it all starts with hiring the right people. “Guests are very important to what you’re trying to accomplish, and if your associates are treated right and trained properly, you don’t have to worry about the guest experience,” Bo said. “We hire for hospitality and train for culture.” There are associates in the buildings from the time they open to the time they close; all they do is clean the facility and the furniture. “It looks like the day we built it,” Bo said. The floors are always swept and shined; the building gets a fresh coat of paint every two years, no matter what. When guests walk into the facilities, it looks like the day it opened — very welcoming and intentionally immaculate. Guests can further enjoy their experience with a menu of snacks and drinks that changes regularly. Now that says welcome! The Mandal Auto Group has three stores on their main campus in the beautiful Gulf Coast city of D’Iberville, Mississippi: Mandal Buick GMC, Galleria BMW and Mandal Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. The 25-acre campus is located right at the corner of I-10 and I-110 and has a little over 300 employees. Bo Mandal has received Dealer of the Year for Buick GMC, the GM President Award and the BMW Dealer of the Year for seven years in a row. Additionally, Mandal Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram is the fastest-growing Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store in the Southern Region. The Mandal Group has as many women employees and leaders as they do men. In fact, most of the leaders in the organization are women. They shattered the glass ceiling long ago. Today, the company has found a niche in hiring, mentoring and coaching the younger generation. Bo encourages his employees “to be career oriented and have a path forward to a successful career, raise a family and buy a home.” One of the biggest accomplishments that Bo is proud to share is that dozens of associates, who are in their mid-20s, have bought their first home. That is truly amazing! According to Bo, all of this was made possible because of the wonderful upbringing he had. He was born and raised on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. He and his two sisters spent time playing in and out of the water and learning the value of a hard day’s work. In 1998, Bo and his father purchased a dealership and together, through trial and error, have created something really special — a better way to do business, the Mandal way. 9
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODQxMjUw