No stranger in receiving the top trophy, Warren Olsen, Dealer Principal at the winning Mahindra East Rand Mall dealership and the Managing Director of O2 Motor Group of which the dealership forms part, says they are immensely proud of this achievement.

“It is getting more difficult each year as the competition is fiercer. Five years ago we competed against 50 dealerships where today, Mahindra boasts 90 dealerships. Winning the title as top dealership for the brand also means your target is adjusted upwards each year, intensifying the challenge,” Warren tells Dealerfloor.

“The decline in the new-car market contributed to difficult business conditions for the industry as a whole. At Mahindra East Rand, we had an additional challenge the last six months with a revamp that included the expansion of our facility.

“We built a new After-sales Department, more than doubling our previous capacity in terms of service bays (up from 4 to 10), and we have also more than doubled the parts volume we had before,” he says.

Warren tells us that the new showroom really brought challenges in the day-to-day sales operations. “Customers and staff had to endure conditions associated with a construction site, which is not a good or fun way to run a business. We nevertheless managed to do our best under the circumstances.”

Asked about what the recipe for the continued success is, Warren tells Dealerfloor that they have successfully worked hard over the years to build a solid reputation for taking care of customers, from buying to the after-sales services.

“The recognition for this comes in the form of the awards we have won as they prove that we are doing things in the correct way and that customers trust us. We are also very pro-active in our marketing strategy using all social media platforms, as well as mediums like bill boards and radio advertising.

“Putting our name out there and what we have to offer, not only publicity for new vehicles, but also special promotions on parts, services for fleet customers and to announcements on servicing vehicles on Saturdays, have become the backbone of our marketing campaign,” he says.

Warren says the newly launched XUV 3XO is a game changer and in its first month, the dealership has already sold 20 of these vehicles. “The Pik Up bakkie range previously made up about 75% of our sales, but with the 3XO, I expect we will see a more even split.”

“The XUV X3O puts us back in a segment where we can compete strongly, and the availability of an automatic model makes a huge difference as the majority of buyers opt for the self-shifter. In these tough economic times for car buyers, Mahindra is spot on from a value for money, quality and specification level.”

At this Year’s Dealer of the Year awards, Mahindra East Rand Mall also won the following awards: In the category for large dealerships: Best Passenger Car Sales, Best in Service Performance, Best Performance Brand – XUV700, Best Service Manager and Best Performance in Mahindra Financial Market Share. The dealership was also 1^st runner-up in the Best Group Business Contribution, winner of the Best Overall After-sales Performance and the winner for Warranty Administration. And then the top accolade – Overall Mahindra Dealer of the Year.

• Warren and Roy Obery own O2 Motor Company, and Roy owns Haval/GWM Edenvale. O2 Motor Company currently incorporates Mahindra East Rand Mall, Mahindra Edenvale and Chery Edenvale with a new facility being built for Chery and Jaecoo coming on board utilising the old Chery premises. Although some of the group’s dealerships are in close proximity, they are basically stand-alone dealerships, not the typical multi-franchise set-ups.