Sewell Lexus of Dallas Visit

When you hear the name Dallas, Texas, what comes to mind? The heat? The Dallas Cowboys? In my recent trip to Dallas I noticed a lot of vehicles with the name Sewell on the back. After asking around, I found that the Sewell Automotive Group is one of those names that come to mind when thinking about Dallas.

On Monday August 16th I met with Tim Owens, a sales manager at Sewell Lexus of Dallas, to discuss the car business. He told me how he got involved in the car business and talked to me about my interests with cars as well as how to get into the auto industry. I also learned that Sewell Lexus is the second largest Lexus dealership in the US. After a great talk, he showed me around the massive dealership including many areas that are off limits to customers- the service areas, the car wash, the storage facilities, the body shop as well as the new and used car sales buildings. Getting to see some of the behind the scenes areas, I got to see what customers really get when they buy a car from Sewell, even if they do not see the extra mile that Sewell goes for customer satisfaction. I was very impressed with the cleanliness of everything, especially the car service areas. Usually car repair areas are dirty, but this was not the case at Sewell. The cars are raised every night so that the floors can be cleaned. Many of the Lexus technicians are certified to the highest level to work on Lexus automobiles and above each service bay there was a sign that said the technicians name and how long they had been at Sewell. Several of the employees had been there for over 10 years and that says a lot about how Sewell treats their employees. This is more than just a business about making money; it is about the customers and the employees.

On Friday August 20th, I returned to Sewell to shadow the loan car department in the morning and the sales department in the afternoon. I arrived at 7am and shortly thereafter customers began dropping their cars off for service. After they met with a service advisor they would come over to the loan car department to pick up a loaner car of their choice- a new Lexus sedan, SUV, hybrid or convertible. With over 400 loan cars in stock, there is always one waiting for customers. This is such a nice perk when having your car serviced. The entire check in process for customers is so quick because there is a system for everything. Someone greets the customers, they talk to their service advisor and then they receive a loaner car. It only takes a few minutes and then the customer is out the door and on their way in another Lexus. If that weren’t enough, Sewell Lexus also offers to pick up your vehicle from your house in the Dallas area, drop off a loan car and then return yours when your car is ready after service. If you just need something fixed quickly, Sewell Lexus has a great customer waiting room with drinks, magazines, televisions and Wi-Fi. Not that I could think of another way of having your car serviced, but based on Sewell commitment to customer satisfaction, they would be happy to work with you if one of those three ways did not fit your needs. The service options are great, but they also wash and vacuum your car when it is serviced. If you buy a car from Sewell you get free car washes any time. No more paying for car washes!

After lunch I had an opportunity to shadow Jerad Romo, a sales associate at Sewell Lexus of Dallas, who has been there for about 3 years. Jerad goes the extra mile to stay in touch with his customers. This is true of Sewell in general, but Jerad takes Sewell customer service to the next level. Observing Jerad, he asked customers how much time they had to spend with him and what they were hoping to accomplish. He is very respectful of customers’ time. One customer only had about 20 minutes, but was hoping to get his car appraised. Jerad not only got the car appraised, but had it back with several minutes to spare. Within a few days of purchasing a car, Jerad writes his customers thanking them and saying that he is available if they have questions. About 10 days after the sale, Jerad lets the customer know that their license plates are in and after that he contacts them again about a customer satisfaction survey that will be on the way. About 6 months later he checks in with the customer to see how everything is going and after that he checks up with them every year on the anniversary of their purchase. He truly builds relationships with his customers. You are not buying from a car salesman; you are buying from a friend.

Jerad always stays busy because he said there is always something that he can be doing. He does not come into work and spend an hour reading the paper, drinking coffee and having small talk with other employees. He is an extremely motivated individual and it shows. Another thing that I really appreciated about Jerad was the fact that he was extremely organized. Being an organized person myself, it really made sense. His contacts and tasks are synced between his computer and his phone. He can answer many customers’ needs wherever they are. I have seen other salesmen implement some of the things that Jerad has, but not to this degree. He is very professional and I truly learned a lot from Jerad in my time with him. On a side note, Sewell provides its car salesmen with a Lexus demo vehicle. This is a fading trend in the car business these days, but it demonstrates Sewell’s commitment to not only customer satisfaction, but employee satisfaction as well.

To finish up my day I had a debriefing with Tim Owens. I thanked him for allowing me to shadow at Sewell for the day. I was there for about 12 hours and loved every minute of my visit. I walked away with a better understanding of how a large dealership operates. The following Monday I had the opportunity to talk to Carl Sewell, III. He is the operations manager at Sewell and a fellow University of Virginia graduate. I talked about what I learned while visiting his dealership and that I really appreciated my time there. I could go on about other great things that I learned during my visit. When you buy a car from Sewell, you not only get a great buying experience, but great car service and people who are always there to answer your questions. If you are in the market for a Lexus, new or used, visit Sewell Lexus of Dallas. Sewell also has several other dealerships in Texas and they do not only sell Lexus. Give them a call. You will not be disappointed.