Consumer-First: How a Toyota Dealer is Changing the Game

Special Guest - Mary Rice

In just under an hour, gain the insights you need to better market your dealership on social media, improve the physical experience for customers coming to your store and more. Mary Rice, Dealer Principal at Toyota of Greensboro, a leading dealership in North Carolina, joins our podcast and offers tons of actionable tips for dealers to improve their business. Plus, she shares her recommendations for women joining this industry and guidance for everyone looking to advance within automotive.

In this episode you’ll hear:

What led Mary to leave marine studies and join the automotive industry
What her dealership did during the CDK Global outage and her advice to dealers
Her best tips for women wanting to join the industry and how to stand apart at work
How she is changing the game for her dealership through authentic social media videos – and how you can too!
How revamping her dealership led to a greater customer experience (some guests even stay past their appointments because of the atmosphere!)

Episode Breakdown

0:00 – Welcome, Mary!
2:19 – What Her Dealership Learned from the CDK Outage
5:40 – Her Journey into the Car Business
13:46 – Advice to Women: Find a Mentor
15:42 – How To Grow in Your Career at the Dealership
18:29 – What Can Our Industry Do Differently for Women?
20:56 – The New Way of Advertising That’s Drawing Customers
27:53 – How Dealers Can Improve Their Social Media Marketing
34:04 – An EV Strategy That Benefits All Customers
36:55 – Customer Sentiment Towards EVs
37:59 – Her Dealership’s Unique Experience for Customers
44:33 – How Dealers Can Embrace Change
49:53 – Best Bets: Top Social Platform, Cars for Road Trips

Mary Rice is a third-generation car dealer. She has over 15 years of experience in the automotive industry and has graduated from the National Automotive Dealer Association (NADA) Academy, a program that prepares the next generation of dealers for success. Before joining Toyota of Greensboro, Mary had a successful career in real estate sales, where she earned the Century 21 Centurion Award for five consecutive years. She leveraged her digital marketing and sales skills, which she acquired during her real estate career, to help Toyota of Greensboro increase sales. Mary is proud to be the Toyota approved dealer of record for the Greensboro Toyota dealership since 2020, and 2023 marks the 25th year Toyota of Greensboro has received the Toyota President’s Award.

For more about Mary, visit her LinkedIn.