We are very excited to announce that Classic Lawton Chevrolet of Lawton, Oklahoma has been chosen as the winner of our first-ever Local Business of the Year award, recognizing their focus on exceptional in-store customer service and transparency in digital marketing.
The Promoboxx team hears a ton of wonderful stories from local retailers, covering successes, challenges, and everything in-between. While we already share some of these stories and insights via our ‘Retailers Rule!’ interview series, the Local Business of the Year award presented these outstanding retailers with a larger opportunity for recognition.
To start, we sent out an email to retailers across industries who use the Promoboxx platform and asked them one open-ended question: “What makes your local business special?”
After carefully reviewing all of the submissions, the entire Promoboxx team voted on their favorite. Going through these submissions, it really hit home that every single local business that we work with is very special and unique. Thank you to all who participated!
Classic Lawton Chevrolet was purchased by Ervin Randle in August 2015, with him and his family making a big move from Dallas, Texas to Lawton, Oklahoma.
In the time since, they have developed a successful dealership that is growing by the day, all hinged on the idea that the customer experience is the key to prosperity.
We recently caught up with Ervin and his son, Benjamin, to congratulate them and get their thoughts on the win. Over the course of our conversation we talked about what it means to create meaningful ties within local communities, trends in the auto industry, and the importance of providing a consistent consumer experience.
I started at the bottom selling cars at a Chevrolet dealership in 1995. Even back then I told myself that I was going to work my way up the ranks.
After earning years of experience, I began to push things forward in 2012 with the goal of running my own Chevrolet dealership. I spent most of that year attending an automotive school that allows you to learn how a dealership operates from front to back. After that experience, I knew that we were ready.
The first thing I wanted to do when we arrived in Lawton was start a grassroots campaign to introduce ourselves and let everyone know why we’re here and what our philosophy is behind selling cars.
It was an introduction type sell, and I don’t mean trying to sell a car. We wanted to tell them that we are here in Lawton for the customer. We want to make sure that they are receiving the best experience possible.
[Tweet “”We want to make sure that customers receive the best experience possible.” – @ClassicLawton”]
Once I open my door, everybody wants to tell me what’s going on in their life, what’s been happening in the store over the last day or so, things like that.
As the day starts to evolve, I get in the mix of selling, checking in on our retail service, and whatever problems we may have come up. I’m trying to put those things together while also greeting customers that are in service, just to tell them thank you and make sure that they’re happy with the buying process.
Classic Lawton Chevrolet
While TV and radio are good for our demographics, the digital market is the future, and the future is happening now.
Everybody has a mobile phone or a laptop and constant access to both. Before they hit my store, they’ve already visited my website and checked out everything we have to offer. Now, by the time they walk in, they already know precisely what car they want and how they want it to look.
[Tweet “”The digital market is the future, and the future is happening now.” – @ClassicLawton”]
What seems to work particularly well in our digital strategy is transparency. What we say on our digital channels is exactly what you’re going to get when you walk in the door. By providing an overall warm, inviting feeling on our digital channels and in the store, we create a consumer shopping experience that is smooth and consistent.
If I could tell other dealers one thing, it would be that they are going to touch way more people with digital than they ever could with any other aspect of advertising or marketing.
This is mainly due to convenience. People nowadays want things quick and efficient. Time is of the essence, and digital helps you get there.
[Tweet “”Time is of the essence, and digital helps you get there.” – @ClassicLawton”]
Benjamin Randle: “On behalf of the dealership and the city, this is an awesome honor, and we hope that we can set an example for not just car dealerships, but for businesses across America. When it comes to gaining customer loyalty, the experience is going to be at the front of their mind. As long as you keep the customer in mind, no matter what you’re doing, you’ll always be in the right.”
Ervin Randle: “It means a lot to our team being recognized for the effort we put in each day to make ourselves THE Chevrolet store in Southwest Oklahoma. It starts at the top by treating customers well and, in return, our employees feel well. Thank you very much for this recognition.”
Congratulations to Classic Lawton Chevrolet on the well-deserved win! We thank them for taking time out of their busy days to speak with us and share their story. Be sure to check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and their website.
To keep our local retailers thriving in today’s digital age, it’s crucial that we all work to make it as easy as possible for them to promote the brands they sell on their digital channels. At Promoboxx, we’ve done just that, recently updating our platform to make it even easier for retailers to become the best marketers we know they can be.
Learn more about the exciting new Promoboxx retailer experience >
A Forward-Thinking Approach to Retailer Support [Aligned 2016 Recap] >
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The Top Digital Campaigns Showcasing Brands and Local Retailers >
Al’s Sporting Goods Expands Digital Marketing Toolbox [Interview] >
ShopRescue Winner, Gorman Bros, Finds the Value in Digital Marketing >
