ROI In Action

By Katie McDonald, NMEDA DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & SOCIAL

How do you measure a successful investment? By dollars and cents, by sales numbers? There are many ways to determine if an investment has yielded positive returns. For Tom O’Neil of Auto Express South in Ft. Myers, FL, he deemed the CAMS training hosted at his dealership in November 2019 a success just moments after the event started. Tom saw the incredible long-term investment their team was making in the eyes of the local professors, students, and DRSs who now have a personal connection with the AutoExpress South team.

Through hosting a CAMS event, Tom positioned his dealership as a community player. Catering from a local barbeque restaurant, a speciality cake from a local bakery, By Katie McDonald and a “swag bag” with AES branded goodies...Tom took this opportunity to stand out with the local attendees who could drive business his way in the future.

Giving back to the community and going above and beyond makes you a contender in a sea of dealers to stand out above the rest,” Tom said. “We want the students to remember us three, five, ten years down the road. They’ll still remember the awesome training they attended at our facility with a food truck and snow cones.

Of course, these long-term investments must show some real profits eventually, and according to Tom, they have: “We’ve been involved with the VA in Tampa and following the 2019 event we were able to close some transactions because we were armed with the right information and the right reputation.”

As you know, in-person events have been suspended for 2020, but we’re starting to plan our 2021 events now! If you’re interested in hosting a CAMS training, please contact us at learning@nmeda.org.