Erica: Dominic, tell us, who is Dominic Scuggs?
Dominic: Who I am today may not be who I am tomorrow. I’m a father, husband, and teacher. I’m different things to different people. I’ve been a car salesperson but now I’m an entrepreneur in the Automotive Industry. If I’ve learned anything, you must be a bit of a chameleon.
Erica: How did you get into the Automotive Industry?
Dominic: I got into the Automotive Industry by accident – I think there’s only two ways. You’re either born into it or you walk into it by accident. I was 18, just graduated and walked into a dealership to get an oil change. Started to talk to the GM and he offered me a job. I stayed for 20 years.
Erica: What's the greatest career lesson you've learned that you wish someone had prepared you for?
Funny enough, at some point in time, someone prepared me for every lesson I would learn in the car business. The biggest lesson was to listen to the mentors and people who have been there before so that you won’t make the same mistake twice. There’s already been someone who has been there before, so take use their experiences to your benefit and take the friendly advice.
Erica: Knowing that, what piece of advice would you give to someone entering the Automotive Industry today?
Dominic: It depends on who that person is, what they look like, and what they’re trying to do. This is one of the greatest industries you can be a part of, but there are a lot of obstacles for so many people. Ultimately I would say: when you’re climbing the ladder, don’t step on others along the way. Female, POC, minority of any sort – if you have a chance to help someone else, do it. You’re better off with a friend than an enemy.
'Everyone who is my competitor is my enemy' is not the route to go because you need more friends in this industry than anything.
Erica: What keeps you going in this industry of so many ups & downs? What keeps you passionate about it?
Dominic: I’ve lived several different lives in this industry. About 4 years ago, I went through a cancer diagnosis and when I experienced that, it changed my mindset. I always had a thought that there was plenty of time because I would always have tomorrow. I could always have 5 minutes, 5 days, 5 months, 5 years – but it was then that I realized that wasn’t very true. Doing well for myself isn’t just the end goal I always had. I need to help to do more for others and get them successful in this business. I’ve seen people who haven’t had as much talent or work ethic get opportunities because of who they know. What keeps me going is to helping someone grow so I can make their path a lot easier than mine was. I’ve been beat up enough, no one else should have to deal with that too.
Erica: If you weren’t in the car business, what would it be? What has stopped you from making the change?
Dominic: It would be sales of some sort – probably lawyer or maybe politics. In my mind, most jobs are sales. You take any job and it’s really a sales job. You take a politician, and they try to convince you that they’re the best. It’s a sales job! I love the chase; I love the excitement when you close a deal. I love finding new ways of doing it and I love teaching others how to be successful. Sales are so universal, and it can be so accessible for so many. If I can do, anybody can.
Erica: What’s your least favorite part of the Automotive Industry?
Dominic: The piece that I hate is the gate keeping. It’s honestly the reason I got out of retail. If you look at flagship stores – who is running that store? Who did they know? There is a lot of nepotism in this business. I got sick of cleaning up other people’s messes. I got sick of seeing people who only have 2 years in this business, and they then got a prime store to run. I got tired of politics. I stayed in this business for as long as I did because it produced a great living for my family, but I left because it’s just changed drastically. The mom & pops are disappearing every day and there’s more corporate stores. They all look the same and act the same. It’s not the way it used to be. I got tired of going to retreats and 29 of the 30 people all looked the same. I got approved to be a minority dealer candidate but it’s not true because the money it requires to be a dealer is several million at your disposal. The entrance fee is too high, and it isn’t what it used to be. If an opportunity did come my way, it was a dealership that failed multiple times, a bad area, or bad customers and not a top tier brand. What are my chance of succeeding in a situation like that?
It’s hard to overcome the discrepancies in opportunities. It’s not fair when you look at places like NAMAD and the interviews with the OEM’s are brutal. The checklist is not realistic. They ask mainly about money. It’s not about my CSI, my financial statement, etc. You could have the best candidate in front of you and if they don't have half a million, you won’t get it. The people who do get those opportunities are not the most qualified; they are not a representation of how much talent there is out there. We can do better. We need to bring more people up with us. There are so many minority dealers who don’t have a minority partner. Are you giving the right people the right opportunities? If I get a chance to do this and do it well – I want to give someone else an opportunity. I want to inspire others to give us more chances and help build an empire that can allow all of us to succeed. 18-year-old Dominic had to be taught, and they helped mold a guy who was pretty good at this. There must be more of us willing to do that and help change the landscape of ownership out there. That’s why I’ve decided to mosey on from being in the dealership every day. You can make a dollar in multiple ways in this business, and it doesn’t have to take 12 hours in a dealership.
Erica: What’s the biggest flattery/moment where you felt like you made a difference in your career?
Dominic: Success has always been measured a little different – my favorite restaurant in the world is Chick-fil-a. And I think they’re successful not because of the chicken sandwich but because of what they do outside and around the food. It’s their process, manners, the culture, etc. Their financial success is due to that and their mindset. I looked at my individual people and thought “How are they doing?” not just in the dealership but also in their personal lives. I was introduced to a salesman when I took over a store 5-6 years ago and had been selling for about a year unsuccessfully. No one had really taught him much and he only sold about 5-7 cars a month. About a year later, he brought me a beautiful bottle of bourbon. I asked, “Why did you do this?” and he said, “I needed to thank you because my wife and I’s lives totally changed because of what you did for me”. His life totally flipped around because I took the time to teach him everything I knew. He said the prior GM wouldn’t take the time and didn’t encourage his managers to do the same.
I always believed that if you wanted to teach them how to be killers then you need to teach them to kill.
I always ask: How are my guys doing in general? Do they have good relationships with their kids? Doing well in life? I wasn't going to see my guys doing drugs, getting in trouble, or having issues at home. They were good people in and out of the dealership. We tried to do things the right way, and asked them to do the same. Putting profits in front of people has always had negative impacts, but simply pulling someone aside and asking “Hey, what’s going on?” can help turn someone around. We found out a sales guy was living in his car and this group helped him – got him an apartment, helped him get his feet back on the ground. Dealerships can generate billions now and if you can’t help an employee in a situation like that – you aren’t taking care of your people. You must get that message out that you’re a part of the community.
Erica: What new technologies would you like to see incorporated into our industry?
Dominic: One thing that I’ve learned through the years, we talk about current technology. Car dealers are probably 20 years behind. They need to get things from a decade integrated! Websites are terrible. SEO is a mysterious thing for so many. Many dealers aren’t 100% knowledgeable about AI. With the funds and type of manpower they have, if they integrate technology – they could save millions just from automation alone! There’s so much out there that it’s hard to navigate just one. You must look at who is running most of these businesses – you need young blood and knowledge about it. Just like any other business, if you’re not incorporating new technology you’ll be falling behind. I think AI is the one you need to be watching.
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