Behind the Scenes with Zeus of Brandon Honda

So it's late and you are having trouble sleeping. The last commercial you saw before tucking in just happened to be a Brandon Honda commercial and now for some strange reason you are thinking about Zeus. While we wish you were thinking about a brand new Accord, you're not. You're thinking about our adorable Brandon Honda Mascot.

"Who is Zeus? And why do I want to shake his paw?" you wonder to yourself. "Surely he's just a marketing ploy right? Has to be just an employee's dog that is brought in to just look cute during the commercials, right?" Think again. Zeus is man's best friend. Well in this case he's the owner of Brandon Honda, John Marazzi's, best friend. Zeus is a rescue dog that John adopted and also the subject of one of my favorite stories in the car business.

Click Here to Watch Zeus Videos, Check The Zeus Facebook Page and Read More! 

As John's business partner in Brandon Honda I get to deal with John on numerous levels. I will never forget the day when I received an e-mail with one of the most unusual (albeit difficult to deny) requests that I have ever received in business. John wrote how he had adopted a rescue dog and how he would like to start bringing him to work and if that would be ok. I had absolutely no problem with this but I did wonder out loud as to why John Marazzi, one of the busiest men I know, would want his dog coming with him to work.

Perhaps I was thinking more less of my own personal experience as a dog owner. I have a beagle named Dempsey and it was easy to imagine my dog yelping all day long running up to customers from service to sales filling the showroom with his howl. But the truth is it only took a few visits to realize why Zeus makes so much sense for John and for Brandon Honda.

Nice to Meet You! 

The car business is stressful; it's easily a 12 hour a day job not to mention time after work returning e-mails and working on future promotion and planning. Zeus has one of the nicest demeanors I have ever found in a dog. Now John deserves some credit for this --- but Zeus surely provides smiles during long and stressful days.

Zeus also reminds our customers and guests that we are after all human. For many of us dog lovers dogs are a conversation piece like children or sports. They are something that binds us together and special friends that we hold dear to our hearts. Buying a car is an activity that can be intimidating and can seem at first impersonal. I'd have to think Zeus is available to take away some of that stress too.

So there you have it folks. The behind the scenes story on Zeus. Surely I've spent many a 12 hour day inside of a car dealership. For many of us we joke that is our second home. But to me --- the business has always been a happy home and I can see it is for Zeus too. How do I know? Well every time I step into John Marazzi's office and have a seat my favorite Brandon Honda greeter comes over...hands me a paw...and then heads back to his bed to relax. Sounds like a good life to me.

What is the best time of the month to buy a new car? Why buy from a volume dealership?

Tampa's #1 Volume Honda Dealership

People ask me all the time when to buy a new car. "What is the best time of the month to buy my new Honda?" What they are actually asking me is if they should wait until month end to purchase a vehicle. 

I always argue NO. In the case of our Brandon Honda store we have the benefit of being Tampa's Number 1 Volume Honda retailer in the greater Tampa Bay area. Our people know that to achieve high volume the sale on the first day of the month is as important as the sale on the last day of the month.

Also questions I would pose to the consumer: What if inventory selection was problematic due to demand at month end? Why would you want to shop at a time when the dealership may be experiencing high traffic volume? Wouldn't it make sense that individual personalized service would be more readily available during slow traffic times inside of a high volume store? I would argue probably yes.

There are other benefits to doing business with the volume dealer in your area.

So Why Buy from Brandon Honda - Tampa's Volume Dealer? 

Higher Quality Employees: The industries best want to work in high traffic stores. They have learned that product knowledge, inventory selection and quality treatment mean more sales for them.

Greater Financing Options: Preferred Credit Approval: Banks Typically Benefit Those Who Can Provide the Lender the Largest Book of Business. They also may provide a better interest rate, greater term and lower required down payment.

Fairer Price: Stores that sell at a greater volume can afford to offer a better price at a lower margin to keep the lights on.

Higher Trade Value: Volume brings Volume. Brandon Honda's goal is to give you a greater trade value than our competition to win your business. When that happens we also win your trade and have the ability to build volume on the pre-owned side of our business.

Greater Focus on the Customer Experience: Brandon Honda's Volume means it can offer customers added value. It also means that through repetition and sales leadership that they can provide a greater focus on the customer experience.

Click here to see our Brandon Honda Promise

For more information on "Our Promise" and Why to Buy at Brandon Honda Click Here!