smothers european
“A great dealership can anticipate the needs and desires of the people that walk in, and provide what they want. And that’s different for everybody.” — John White, Volvo sales manager and vice president of operations, Smothers European Volvo Cars.
“We are a boutique experience here in our dealership,” says John White, Volvo sales manager and vice president of operations. Voted once again by NorthBay biz readers as Best Car Dealership, it’s the 13th win for the organization. “We’re small, so we know a lot of our customers by name, and they know us,” says White.
The business is run now by second- and third-generation Smothers family members, and many of their service advisors have been on staff for at least 20 years. “My service advisors have been there for many years,” says White. “They know our customers by name and have watched their families grow, so it’s more of a family feel here.”
His grandfather, Don Smothers, uncle, Mark Smothers, and John’s father, Bob White, started the business back in the early ’80s, and his uncle, Jerry Reid, general manager and president of Smothers European, is a second-generation owner. John White is a third-generation owner. “We’re working on the third generation, so it’s our job to keep it going,” he says.
They think of their staff in the long-term, too. “I don’t believe there’s a dealership in Santa Rosa that has the tenure that we have in our sales staff,” he says. “When a customer comes back in three years, when their lease is up or they want to buy a new car in five years, it’s likely they’ll pick up the conversation with the person who helped them the last time. People like that.” They pride themselves in being fair. “We often will encourage customers to go ahead and shop. Our pricing is going to be within reason according to what the market should bear on a vehicle,” he says. “We’re not afraid of people shopping, and we know we’re competitive and we might not always be the least expensive, but as long as we’re close and provide a premium experience, we think people will choose us.”
Good dealerships are plentiful. For White, a great dealership is about people. “A great dealership can anticipate the needs and desires of the people that walk in, and provide what they want. And that’s different for everybody,” he says. “Some people want to get in and out as soon as possible and they don’t care about going over all the details. Some people want to spend hours going over how to work the radio.”
Their company caters to everyone, even to the point of adding a new house-call service for customers that they call “concierge” for new car owners. “After buying a car, the customer can come a month or six months later and get a free class on how to work it. Our concierge will also make house calls to help them set up their garage door-opening software.”
Smothers European customers are loyal, and White appreciates their trust. “We feel overwhelmingly grateful for the blessings we’ve been given. We know we don’t deserve it, and we’re thankful for it.” Along with appreciation goes a solid business ethic. “We have a high standard of what’s right or wrong.”
