The Summer

The Challenge of Success
By Jim Krahn
Customer Relations Manager
Businesses face challenges every day, most of which they would
probably rather do without. Success, on the other hand, is something
every business strives for. Where’s the problem in that?
The truth is, success has its own inherent challenges. Once you’ve
experienced success, there is nothing like it to drive you onward and
upward; nothing gives you greater incentive to discover better business
practices, improve more services and please more customers. In a
sense, success places you on a trajectory towards excellence, and the
challenge—the most rewarding of all challenges—lies in continually
testing what you’ve done before.
This is the point at which Brian Jessel BMW finds itself today. We’ve
been the number one BMW dealer in Canada for New Car Sales forfour
consecutive years, and are on our way to a fifth year. Our Pre-Owned
Vehicle Department has been number one in Canada for two
consecutive years, and is on its way to a third.
Our Parts Department, not to be outdone, had the highest sales in
Canada in 2006, and in March of this year broke the Canadian record
for sales of over one million dollars in a single month. As of this moment,
our service department is number one in Canada this year for labour
dollars earned. This kind of success is the kind other businesses would
love to have.
We love it, too. And we love the challenge that being on top presents
us with, namely to adapt, innovate, and find new ways to provide even
greater levels of service to the thousands of customers we now serve,
and the thousands more we’ll serve in the future.
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As the most successful BMW dealership in Canada, you’d
think being on top wouldn’t be a problem. But at Brian Jessel,
we believe in setting the bar higher every year by continually
exceeding our customers’ highest expectations. Customer
Relations Manager Jim Krahn shares his strategies for building
a hugely successful business, one customer at a time.
To achieve these new heights, we need to grow. But growth doesn’t
just mean expanding ourfacilities and hiring more people. Our philosophy
is all about growing smart, and smart growth hinges on yes, bigger and
better facilities, but also on hiring and training the right people.
We are always looking to hire individuals who care sincerely about others,
and who have a driving need to provide a level of service that is second
to none. As Customer Relations Manager, I take staffing very seriously.
I have learned, over my many years in the business, that true passion,
sincerity and a desire to help others can often trump credentials when
it comes to providing excellent customer service.
Another truism about growth is that “It costs money to bring a customer
into the business, but it costs seven times more to keep them.” At Brian
Jessel BMW, we are always prepared to make the necessary
expenditures in order to grow our business and retain our customers.
For example, the one-of-a-kind service we have always provided and,
indeed, perfected in our service department was originally complemented
byfewerthan 6 BMW courtesy cars; now, we offer over 60. And even with
the largest per-capita fleet of BMW courtesy cars in Canada, we will not
hesitate to rent up 20 cars per day to meet the needs of our customers.
And if the rental agency should run out of, we’ll drive you ourselves,
whereveryou need to go in the Lower Mainland, wheneveryou need to go.
We call this “Guaranteed Mobility,” and we’re proud to offer it.
Every successful business needs to reinvent itself from time to time, in
order to continue to exceed their customers’ expectations. For us, that
means that what we considered the ultimate in customer service five years
ago is considered ordinary service today. And at Brian Jessel, we just
don’t do ordinary service.
To this end, in the past year we hired 31 new employees.
Our new Human Resources Manager, John Cheng, understands our
business. He plays a major role in bringing qualified staff to Brian Jessel
BMW, and in retaining the many long-term employees who have built
their careers with us.
In the Customer Relations Department, we have grown from a one
person operation to a five-person team. With the recent addition of a
Delivery Specialist, Shawn Wang, we can now spend hours of personal
time with every customer when they take delivery of their BMW
purchases, sharing our expertise with them until they feel completely
knowledgeable about their new vehicle. Customer Relations Assistant,
Jorge Su is a new addition to our group. Senior Assistant Jack Lai was
recently promoted to expand his position to include the role of Delivery
Specialist Team Leader.
We have also added new staff in almost every other department. Marketing
& Communications Manager Rhoda Rizkalla brings a wealth of public
relations, media relations and marketing expertise to her new role. Look
also forMarketing Assistant Kenneth Lee, Pre-Owned Sales Manager Larry
Mann, Information Technology Specialist Denna Matthews, Lease End
Specialist Maxine Petrick, Drive Through Supervisor Sony Pangalia, Service
Administration Assistant Tina Lalonde, a third Business Manager
Catherine Lai, additional sales hostess Shin Chiao Yu, Service Receptionist
Dawn Marquis and many more sales and service support staff.
Only one coffee can express
the spirit of your company.
Distributed in BC by Swica Importers
www.swicaimporters.ca
info@swicaimporters.ca
778 881 6450
A much-anticipated addition to our service department has arrived in
the form of our new Express Service (see Robert Harrison’s article on
page 90). This service will give our customers more options and greater
convenience when servicing their BMW. Team leader Breanne Yip and
Senior Technician Corrie are pleased to be rolling out the first Express
Service program in Western Canada. We are thrilled to have chosen to
implement the first “true” installation of Express Service.
So, what does all this mean to you, our customer? It means we are
constantly striving to please you in new, innovative and effective ways.
Because of you, we are so much more than a BMW sales, service and
parts facility. You inspired such innovations as our first-class M Café, our
beautiful lifestyle boutique, and our customer lounge. You inspired us
to create innovative events such as the VIP Breakfast Lecture series,
and, most recently, the glamorous event known as CABRIOLET. That
evening, held on May 3, over 800 guests enjoyed a lavish fashion show
courtesy of Hugo Boss and Harry Rosen, dined on food created by the
city’s best chefs, in support of BC Women’s Hospital and the VGH/UBC
Women’s Hospital Foundation.
I often say to our customers that at Brian Jessel BMW, “We strive for
perfection, realize we are not perfect, but never give up the pursuit.”
This is how we have built our success over the past two decades, and
how we will meet the ongoing challenge that great success represents
ahead for us.
For all this, we have only to thank you, our customer. All we ask is that you
keep challenging us to set the bar even higher.
Coming Soon
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1116 Denman Street
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North Vancouver
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