As the president of RLO Training, which offers industry education throughout the U.S. and Canada, Dan Gilley had an auspicious start to his automotive career when he bought, repaired and sold a 1959 Cadillac convertible at the age of 14.
After stints at repair shops and dealerships he went on to join RLO as an industry trainer in 2003, ascending to president and owner in 2010.
Q: Industry forecasts are predicting that global OEMs will be targeting the millennial generation with subcompact SUVs and crossovers; do you also foresee this as a trend, or do you think other model designs will take precedence?
A: I think millennials are very concerned about the environment and will buy hybrids and electric cars.
Q: There have been a lot of conversations about how millennials are urban walking-based and into carsharing, etc. rather than buying cars; do you agree with this assessment – or will millennials purchase vehicles in suitable numbers just as previous generations have done?
A: I do believe that they will carshare, and I also believe that they will buy cars. With a larger number of millennials (population) they should be able to buy a similar number of cars as previous generations.
Q: Do you have an opinion regarding what types of vehicle models and features millennials are likely to buy?
A: Connected and clean.
Q: Can the aftermarket expect millennials to be interested in purchasing appearance accessories?
A: Yes.
Q: Can the aftermarket expect millennials to be interested in purchasing performance accessories?
A: Yes.
Q: Will millennials be interested in pursuing DIY tasks as with previous generations? Or are we looking more at reaching DIFM drivers?
A: Great trend for the aftermarket. I see DIY declining as vehicles continue to get more and more complex.
Q: How can a parts store best present a successful marketing strategy to millennials?
A: Develop a strong wholesale market and let them sell to millennials.
Q: What are some of the strategies that repairers should be implementing to attract millennial customers?
A: Strong Internet presence, exceptional communication skills (text, email), focus on “local” and wow service.
Q: Are millennials showing much interest in obtaining routine maintenance services? Or do they tend to wait until an actual repair is needed?
A: They actually read the owners manual. Might be the best generation for maintenance.
Q: Much has been said about millennials and their focus on the Internet; are there particular channels, especially within the social media realm, that repairers should be focusing on?
A: Need to be active on all of them.
Q: Are their certain traits that shops should be looking at regarding selecting front-counter personnel? The best technician? Or someone who is sell-sell-sell oriented?
A: To win they need a woman with a service attitude and great communication (listening) skills. If a shop puts a tech on the counter they will fail 99 times out of 100.
Q: Are millennials as a group amendable to upselling to boost the ticket? Or are they more inclined to repair just what’s needed at that moment?
A: All in the presentation. With a quality advisor and a proper presentation sales will be made.
Q: If upselling is problematic, what can a repairer do to convey meaningful value regarding the services being provided?
A: See previous answers. Most shops (75 percent) have the wrong person on the counter.
Q: What are some of the industry services provided by RLO?
A: Management and service advisor training and a 20 Group process.
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