Speaking to Dealerfloor, Sean says a turn-around strategy bears fruit and leads to the excellent result they achieved by walking away with the top trophy at Kia’s Dealer of the Year awards and winning other important categories in the competition like the top spot for medium-sized dealerships in category C.

Sean is also the DP at Hyundai Vereeniging, which forms part of the Motus Multi-Franchise operation in the city. “Our aim is to make it a double with both Kia and Hyundai, and we have already won the third spot in our dealership category (B) for Dealer of the Year on the Hyundai side.

It is understandably the top class-win of Kia Dealer of the Year that excites him most. “Upon my arrival more than a year and a half ago, we tightened the discipline, and I began changing the mindset of ‘it is not possible to yes we can’.

“I firmly believe in being involved in every aspect of the business without micro-managing my team. Once the team was convinced that better sales and service were possible and hit the first target, the penny dropped and everyone realised the possibilities.

“Not only did we reap the benefits from hitting targets, but we ‘shot the lights out’ every month from November 2023 through to 2024, and the award is the cherry on top the cake. We have a fantastic team in place,” Sean tells Dealerfloor.

“With a motivated team behind you, a common goal and a clear vision on how to reach it, anything is possible. A successful team makes for good sales, good service and the result is a customer experience that is the foundation of our business.

“My motto is not to be in the office, but to be with my team, helping and being part of what they do. In this regard an open-door policy is precisely that – you door is open for anyone to interact with you and for me to get out and lead in a practical way,” Sean notes.

Excitement is also building up for the arrival of the Kia Tasman bakkie in a couple of months. “Except for the well-known workhorse K2700 bakkie, the Tasman is aimed at the more luxurious, leisure side of the double cab market and will give us a foot in the door in the highly competitive segment.

“The market is very competitive with all the Chinese manufacturers entering and going for the budget-conscious customers. We understand the importance of providing the best value proposition and in this regard, the expansion of the Sonet and soon the Seltos ranges, will play a large role. Our longevity and quality are still the decisive factors for many potential car buyers out there,” Sean reckons.

So what does the future hold? “Like I said earlier, no Kia dealership has won the Dealer of the Year award twice in a row, but keep your eyes on us.”