Pennsylvanian Eric Savage sells cars, and most would see him as a car dealer. But Savage reckons he’s in the “life-improvement business.”
The Freedom Auto Group president and CEO – which owns four dealerships and six franchises in and around Harrisburg, PA, says: “More than any other business, I believe I’m in the life-improvement business.”
A big fan of ‘core values’ with a twist, he doesn’t list a function of selling cars to people, but selling cars for people.
“”See the difference?” he asks.
“I make car buying fun and easy. We have a people-first core value, and that leads to giving vs. getting.”
These words must go against the more profit-driven brands he represents – Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Toyota and Hyundai.
“A way to improve a person’s life is to create value for them. Money can be the thinnest definition of value.”
He remembers telling his wife that the new business style wouldn’t make a lot of money but he’d sleep better.
Turns out he was wrong.
“We’ve made more in the last two years than we did in the six years before,” Savage says. “We’re not in it strictly for the money, but it’s nice.”
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