2019-2020 Issue 4

Betty Jo “BJ” Hathaway (Hupp) passed away peacefully on July 29, 2020. She was born to Harold A. and Bertie Marie Hupp on July 2, 1941 in Parkersburg, West Virginia. She is a 1959 graduate of Parkersburg High School.

At this writing, the coronavirus pandemic continues in full swing. Many businesses wish multitrillion-dollar relief packages were en route from our federal lawmakers, and small businesses from Maine to Malibu are hunkered down, feverishly working to balance safety and service for their customers, co-workers and community. Not exactly another day at the office.

A look at the raw sales numbers for the first half of the year might be enough to discourage almost anyone in the business of selling cars and trucks, but there are signs things are changing for the better, and that means opportunity. That opportunity is knocking on the business’s used car side, but it will only pay off if managed correctly.

I’ve been doing automotive digital marketing for over 15 years, and it never ceases to amaze me the number of TLAs that seem to appear out of nowhere every year.

The current U.S. economy is spectacularly unpredictable and is likely to continue that way for a while. But you can still sell successfully. You are just going to have to be more strategic about it. Now is the time to combine your marketing skills with marketing data. Where do you start?

I hope everyone is safe, healthy, and learning how to effectively conduct business in the time of COVID-19. While I had promised a Part II on Advertising, I am seeing more efforts by manufacturers to challenge motor vehicle dealers’ franchise law rights. It is more timely to remind you of the significant updates made to your franchise law in 2015. The following is a summary of the more significant changes that were made. Please keep the following in mind when dealing with the manufacturer.

The Matheny Motor Truck Company has always been involved with community outreach. Still, the current COVID-19 pandemic has made it especially important to keep employees and customers safe. A large part of that involves good communication.

These are undoubtedly unprecedented times. What are you doing, as a small business, to weather the storm?
Mike: We’re following all the recommended CDC guidelines and taking all the necessary steps, such as social distancing, to keep employees and customers safe.

Matheny Motor Truck Company was founded in 1922, and will soon be 100 years old. Tim Matheny, the company’s current president, plans to celebrate the centennial during the entire year.

Dealerships make great multigenerational family businesses. However, new generations regularly enter the workforce before previous generations have retired; as a result, some dealerships may have as many as four different generations working together. Managing them all presents a challenge for even the savviest business owners. At the same time, it’s essential to realize that the workplace has always had multiple generations. What’s new is the increased rate of changes that have been caused by technology, such as the internet. Continued growth requires adapting more quickly now than in the past, but that adaptation is not an impossible task, and other businesses also share it.