EL MONTE, Calif. -

The Toyota Certified Used Vehicles program has grown with enhancements and additions over the years, but the members of the used-car department at Longo Toyota still “know the program, basically, inside and out” because they can be fully devoted to it, says pre-owned sales director Will Amiri.

The veteran used-car staff members at Longo have become “experts in CPO,” Amiri told Auto Remarketing in a recent interview as he discussed the best practices for Toyota’s longtime top-selling store in the certified market.

A knowledgeable and experienced staff on the used-car side has been one of many factors driving the success in certified for Longo Toyota, which has won Auto Remarketing’s 2012 CPO Dealer of the Year award presented by NCM Associates.

Amiri will be given the award during a special presentation on Nov. 12 at the CPO Forum, which is part of the Used Car Week series of conferences being held Nov. 12-16 at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Amiri will also participate in the “The Best of the Best: Top CPO Dealers Share Best Practices on What it Takes to be No. 1” panel discussion on Nov. 13 during the CPO Forum. Joining him will be:

  • Brian Benstock, Paragon Honda/Acura (the dealership that won the inaugural CPO Dealer of the Year award in 2010)
  • Harry Haber, Capistrano VW
  • Monty Meave, Momentum BMW
  • John Nissen, Earnhardt Ford

More on Longo

According to numbers provided by Toyota, Longo had moved 1,294 CPO units through August, putting it No. 2 nationally among all Toyota dealers. The store held the No. 1 spot for full-year sales for 10 straight years.

While a mix of practices and strategies has led to the store’s success over the past decade, one “huge advantage” has been its staff, which has a low turnover rate, Amiri said.

In fact, most people in the used-car department have been there more than five years and have a firm grasp on TCUV.

“These guys are all dialed in,” Amiri said. “They’re basically all experts in CPO.”

He added: “Toyota was the first manufacturer to have it, and I still believe they have the best certified program that’s out there. It’s not a hard sell, and these guys know that. So, the more they know, the easier it is for them to make the deal and close the sale.”

The store does have a meeting each Tuesday, and at least once a month they’ll go over an aspect of the program to make sure everyone “stays sharp,” Amiri explained.

“But generally these guys are right on top of it,” he added.

That sentiment has been duly noted at Toyota.

When asked by Auto Remarketing why Longo has been so successful in CPO and what makes them stand out from the crowd, Toyota’s Mia Phillips offered a litany of reasons, many of which dealt with the store’s commitment to CPO and the expertise of its staff.

“They have a dedicated used-car department with one director, two managers and almost 20 salespeople. They have a specific person for vehicle purchases,” noted the retail sales and operations manager for TCUV/TRAC. “The UCD is situated in a separate building next to the main building with their inventory situated in a specific, designated area.
Phillips went on to share: “The salespeople are very well-versed in exactly what vehicles are available and the value of TCUV.”

She also emphasized the role of salespeople working together as pivotal at Longo, and cited several other reasons for their success, as well.  

“The ratio of TCUV/non-Toyota/standard used vehicles is in line with expectations (55/25/20), which allows them to stay true to the model and represent the brand well to their customer base.  They are not afraid to move vehicles to keep the inventory turn strong,” she noted.

“Their grosses are good, indicating that they understand the balance between sales volume and turn,” Phillips continued. “They use all the current online tools to stay on top of pricing in the market place, again helping turn.  

“Teamwork amongst their salespeople is strong, including between used and new,” she added.

CPO Advantages

When breaking down the reasons he believes Longo has been so successful in certified, Amiri began by saying “it starts with Greg Penske, our owner, because he wants to be No. 1.”

He also mentioned how the ample supply of trade-ins over the years has helped.

“In the heyday, our best month ever, we were selling over 2,500 new cars … so that generally created a lot of trade-ins. And even now where things have obviously calmed down, we still have a significant number of trade-ins,” Amiri said.

Industry-wide, of course, the main challenge in the CPO market the past for years has been securing enough used supply.

“So for us, that gives us a little bit of an advantage in that we have our new-car department, which can feed us (inventory) to a certain degree,” he continued.

Editor's Note: To read more about what makes Longo Toyota successful in the CPO market, see the complete story in the Oct. 15–31 print edition of Auto Remarketing.