DTM George is part of the DTM Group, which has another Nissan and Renault dealership in Helderberg in the Western Cape. The Helderberg Nissan dealership has won this prestigious title on a previous occasion and was one of the runners-up in this year’s competition for Best Nissan Finance Dealer in its category.

For Rico Wernich, Dealer Principal at DTM George, it was a very proud moment. “We expected to win the silverware in the category for medium-sized dealerships and was over the moon when we won the overall title as the Nissan Dealer of the Year,” he tells Dealerfloor.

“We do not work specifically towards winning titles, but it is a result of focusing on the basics in every single department and aspect of the business. We were also fortunate to have had one of our best financial years in a long time, and the business is on a solid foundation. To achieve all this, your staff must be onboard with your vision, and I can add that we have a great team helping us to achieve this level of success.”

And what is the recipe for success? “As mentioned, get the basics right. Make sure every department is on top of its game and that targets are met. What is also especially important is the customer who is central to any dealership’s success,” Rico says.

He says in George he believes they have a higher-than-average clientele who buy their vehicles cash. “George is one the cities growing at an extremely fast pace. This is very good for ourbusiness, especially with surrounding towns that also have their own Nissan dealerships.

“The issues the industry faces today are more or less equal for everyone with limited new stock, especially in certain model ranges like the single cab Navaras. At DTM, we managed this in such a way that we carry as much stock as we possibly can lay our hands on, and it is a big advantage to our customers.

“We are excited about new ranges like the recently launched Qashqai and its bigger sibling, the X-Trail, that we will see next year. Our double cabs are immensely popular and our stalwart NP200 pick-up is soldiering on at a very good pace. The uptake on the Magnite is also good,” Rico says.

“I see a more normal situation returning to the used side with prices decreasing. We are fortunate that we are not stuck with expensive used vehicles bought when the prices skyrocketed during the past year.”

Rico says with George and the surrounding areas a popular holiday destination, they sometimes do strike deals with holidaymakers and even had repeat business in this regard owing to good customer service and will on the odd occasion also service holidaymakers’ vehicles.

Rico says that with the exception of a couple of years that he wholesaled used vehicles privately, he spent all of his career with new vehicles at different Nissan dealerships and has been the DP at DTM George for more than ten years now.