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March 1, 2010
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MAKING IT BIG
Dealer Discovers Niche Selling Minis; ‘It’s Not Just a Small Car’ By Ted Craig
Imported Motor Cars of Freeport, Maine, is a little store that’s found success selling little cars. Mark Sangillo bought a former Volvo pre-owned center three years ago. He tried a few approaches for a year, but soon found his niche.
“Most cars are just appliances.” — Mark Sangillo
“It became abundantly clear that the Minis were the cars that brought the most interest,” Sangillo said. He made some bad inventory choices at first, buying the base
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Mini Coopers with stick shifts and no options. Sangillo started learning the car and its buyers. “You learn from the customers as much as from anywhere else,” he said. Sangillo has sold Minis to a wide variety of buyers including some people “with notoriety.” Some customers have moved from the traditional Mini into the larger Clubman. Sangillo looks forward to the time when the new, all-wheel-drive Countryman comes on the used market. Maine is a natural market for AWD vehicles. Sangillo himself drives an AWD Audi in the winter, although he drives Minis the rest of the time. Many Imported Motor Cars customers drive their Minis all year round. One customer even drove to Montreal in her Mini three times a month. That’s easy to do with the right tires, Sangillo said. Mini offers a tire package that makes it easy to swap out depending on the season. The appeal of Minis is their fuel economy and low maintenance requirements. Plus, they’re fun. “A Mini has a lot to offer people,” Sangillo said. “It’s not just a small car. “Most cars are just appliances. As much time as you spend in a car, you want to enjoy it.” Of course, Imported Cars doesn’t get by on Minis alone. The stores sells plenty of other vehicles. But the Mini is the trademark, even in the store’s advertising. Sangillo hands out magnets that are literally mini-magnets, sends out mini holiday cards and even uses mini business cards. “It’s really fun to watch people when you hand them the
Photo by Joshua Lambert MINI MAN: Dealer Mark Sangillo sits behind the wheel of one of many Mini Coopers at his store in Freeport, Maine. Sangillo sells all types of vehicles, but is best known for specializing in these unique vehicles.
card,” he said. Sangillo advertises in local papers and online. He gets a lot of business off a site called Village Soup, where he runs a monthly article about Minis. In all his marketing there’s a little red Mini in the corner. That’s a gift from an early customer. A man bought his wife the car for her birthday. She was a retired art teacher and sent the store a thank you card with an illustration of her in her car.
That artwork captured Sangillo’s goal with the store – creating a happy customer. Sangillo’s uncles worked in the car business and it was his only career goal. “I just kind of grew up around it,” he said Sangillo started buying cars for franchise stores in the early ‘80s and always kept an eye out for a good location to start his own shop. Imported Motor Cars of Freeport is located 15 minutes
north of Portland, and near two main highways. Sangillo uses his experience as a buyer to fill his lot, but it’s challenging to find the right cars. Since he’s gained a reputation for selling Minis, other dealers and wholesalers contact him when they have one available. Most of his other vehicles come from the sale at Manheim Pennsylvania, although he’s starting to look into buying more vehicles online.
IN THIS ISSUE • NADA convention offers better outlook for used sales than for new. – Page 3
• Study questions CarMax Inc.’s nohaggle sales model. – Page 6
• Conference of Automotive Remarketing grows in scope. – Page 8 • Hyundai shines while its competitors falter. – Page 16