These are not the easiest of times for car dealerships. With the economy slowly recovering from a recession and automotive recalls making headlines, customers have become a far more discriminating group. In addition to wanting a reliable car, they want a trustworthy salesperson that will be honest about what is under the hood, from showroom to service area.
The Koeppel name has been synonymous with Queens car dealerships for over 70 years. Koeppel started selling cars in Queens before landmarks like Shea Stadium and the World’s Fair ever broke ground.
Starting in 1937, Koeppel has since grown to four dealerships spanning Northern Boulevard. The family of Koeppel dealerships includes Nissan, Mazda, Volkswagen and Subaru; selling both new and pre-owned cars of almost every type imaginable.
However, Koeppel did not garner its outstanding reputation by merely having a wide selection of cars available. They have built a loyal customer base through years of impeccable service and vigilant quality assurance.
“We are not going to sell any car to any person just for the sake of making a sale,” said Mark Lacher, executive manager of Koeppel Nissan in Jackson Heights. “We want the cars we sell to fit the people that buy them. What we do not want is someone finding out that they cannot afford a car after they bought it.”
Koeppel Nissan is the 16th largest Nissan dealer in the country. At first blush, this does not sound too impressive – that is until you realize that there are just over a thousand Nissan dealerships across the country.
Lacher helped accelerate Koeppel Nissan to these heights through a time-tested philosophy that highlights transparency. According to Lacher, being honest with the customer will give them a reason to recommend the product to friends and family, giving Koeppel their greatest source of new customers: the referral.
“You have to treat everyone like they are coming into your house for a visit,” said Lacher, who co-owns Koeppel Nissan with Howard Koeppel. “In order to do that, you have to have workers that are willing to accommodate and work with the customer.”
One of those hires, sales manager of Koeppel Nissan Ramiro Taveras, agrees that success comes from offering more than just affordable prices to potential car buyers. While value is important, dealerships have to ensure quality in their products and trustworthiness among their staff.
“We have a 70-year-old standard to uphold,” said Taveras. “We have a policy of honesty and treating the customer with respect. It is a policy that starts at the top and is consistent right down the line.”
Taveras believes that Koeppel’s treatment of its customers directly informs their success with future customers. Without the utmost in service, the referrals so important to a dealerships success would stall out.
“We relay on the satisfaction of our customers to help us fill the showroom,” said Taveras.
Koeppel has a new car customer satisfaction rating consistently ranked tops in the nation, and Koeppel Nissan is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau for over 25 tears. This commitment to their customers’ needs is evident in the service options they offer.
One of Koeppel’s largest sources of revenue is their used and pre-owned cars, for which they offer a used car guarantee. Their factory trained technicians perform an extensive inspection of every car sold, and even offer a seven day exchange policy. They also offer free roadside assistance, free shuttle service and a fix-it-right-the-first-time guarantee, as well as a six month warranty on any vehicle sold.
Catering to those with automotive knowledge is important and can help bolster a dealership’s reputation, but most car buyers are not grease-stained mechanics with a transmission repair hobby. The majority of the car buying public’s knowledge of auto repair rarely goes beyond tire kicking, and the staff at Koeppel Nissan is sensitive to this. That is why their customer service reputation echoes from one satisfied customer to the next.
Flo Blumlein of Middle Village is on her second Nissan Pathfinder. When her first car was totaled out, she had no second thoughts about where she would go to purchase a new one.
“From the second that first car was totaled, I had no doubt what I wanted to replace it with,” said Blumlein. “I told them which model I wanted and as soon as it came in, they called me.”
No matter where she is, Blumlein refuses to bring her car anywhere else but Koeppel Nissan when it needs service. To her, Koeppel’s honesty far exceeds that of any other dealership, and their waiting area also boasts more coffee than any other she has ever seen.
“They really go above and beyond what most people would expect from a dealership,” she said. “It is convenient; they care about their customers, and look at all that coffee. It is incredible.”
Blumlein’s Pathfinder was rear-ended recently, cracking her Koeppel Nissan license plate frame. Rather than just hang the plate on the bumper, she asked for a new frame and got one, free of charge.
“Koeppel Nissan is one advertisement I do not mind having on my car,” she said.
As customers continue to praise Koeppel, Koeppel continues to champion Queens. The dealership is actively involved with many charitable and not-for-profit organizations. They have donated many vehicles to the Fire Department of New York family assistance team, as well as supported City Harvest, the Queens Center for Progress and local school programs such as Horizon School for the Deaf, little league baseball, soccer and more.
Mark Lacher believes that enriching the surrounding community means enriching the lives of staff members and customers.
“Most of the people that work here come from the surrounding community,” said Lacher. “The people who work for me should have a clear head when they come in to work.”
That is why Lacher did not cut back on benefits when the economy started to sputter almost two years ago. Lacher said that while they made plenty of adjustments, they were sure not to cut any benefits.
They also did not cut back on their commitment to customer service. More than just selling cars, Lacher know that what Koeppel does is provide a genuine service to the people of Queens.
“A car can be the biggest purchase most people make in this area,” he said. “These are more than just cars. It is the freedom to go places, to go on vacation. It is their ego and how they feel about themselves.”
Personalizing the car-buying experience is chief among Lacher’s goals. He wants his salespeople to exhaust every possible aspect of a buyer’s wants and needs.
“I prefer to think of my workers as advisors, not salespeople,” he said. “You have to guide the customer and look out for them. A particular car might not be right for their area. If there are a lot of potholes, maybe they should buy an SUV. It is about getting involved and changing the way people think of car dealers.”
As Koeppel Nissan moves forward, changing is something that Lacher does not plan on doing. He believes that staying in business for 70 years means you are doing something right, so deviating from his proven business model is not an option.
“I never force anything. There are results I want and I will always want,” he said. “As long as the standards are met and both the employees and customers are smiling, I feel I have done my job.”
