Driving Difference

My name is Yolanda Coyle and welcome to my first newsletter called “Driving Difference.”

?I have been with Market Doctors for over nine years, where I started as a campaign coordinator. If you are unfamiliar with the company, Market Doctors is an award-winning, full-service marketing and advertising agency providing impactful, data-driven solutions for automotive retailers based out of Houston, Texas. We are a team of marketing experts developing strategic plans to increase sales and market share in automotive variable and fixed operations. We are committed to providing our clients with personal and exceptional service while delivering measurable results through our campaigns.

?Earlier this year, I was promoted at Market Doctors to Director of Diversity. This role is important to me in more ways than one, and it truly means everything. Market Doctors sees the difference I bring to the table and how I can help this company grow. I would like to see more women in the automotive industry given the same opportunities I am being given regardless of race.

?Each month in Driving Difference, I will feature leaders in an interview style Q and A who are making a difference in their respective roles and impacting the automotive industry. The individuals I interview work in various roles all over the industry, from retail to vendors, and across all genders and ethnicities.

?This month I am featuring Taylor (Gallier) Nelson, Manager of Marketing and Business Development at Norman Frede Chevrolet in Houston, Texas. Since 1968, Norman Frede Chevrolet has been proud to work and live in the Houston community.

?How have you managed to keep yourself motivated with the inventory shortage/COVID?

?Taylor: Although I am new to the car business, the pandemic and inventory shortage has been a struggle that no one in the car industry has been trained to handle. At Norman Frede, we have focused on what we can control. The safety of our employees and customers was our priority. We had to re-strategize how we marketed our customers. Norman Frede has always thrived on referrals, repeat buyers, and walk-ins. With the pandemic, we had to reach our customers differently. Staying motivated is easy when your job requires you to re-learn how to do your day-to-day. Having fellow employees and managers pushing you to do your best and supporting your ideas is something I can contribute to this motivation. Everyone at Norman Frede wants you to succeed because then everyone succeeds. At Norman Frede we are family.

?What piece of advice would you give your younger self starting in the auto industry?

?Taylor: Stick with it. It is not what you will expect it to be. There are many stereotypes about the car industry, especially dealerships. When I started in the Sales BDC at 19 years old, I never imagined I would begin my career here. My general manager (and other management) has had full faith in me. I have gone from Sales BDC Representative to Service BDC Representative, BDC Manager, and now Marketing and BDC Manager. I have had a team that believes in me and my abilities, and that’s not something you find everywhere these days.

?Tell us about your best and or worse heat case.

?Taylor: I have had far more good cases at NFC than bad. We put our focus on helping our customers however we can. In marketing, I have had several campaigns and events run that involved our community. I would consider those my best cases. We have done toy drives, random acts of kindness, school supply drives, trunk or treat for Halloween, and we do several things throughout the year for the schools in our area (specifically sponsoring sports like football and baseball).

?Regarding worst heat cases, I deal with the service department daily, and you can imagine that when someone has a problem with their vehicle, they’re generally not happy when calling the dealership. My department does everything in its power to ensure we help the customer however we can. Between availability, transparency, and transportation, we do everything we can to ensure we provide the best customer service for every customer, not just the upset ones.

?How do you balance work/life, especially during close-out?

?Taylor: One of my favorite things about Norman Frede Chevrolet is their work-life balance. At NFC, you are a person, not a number on the payroll. For example, in 2020 (peak COVID), I was getting ready to graduate with my Bachelor of Science in Marketing. Because of COVID, UHCL canceled their graduation ceremony for all graduates in that graduating class and mailed all diplomas. I was devastated. Joan and Eddie (my managers) went out of their way to throw a small surprise party to celebrate and took me out to a nice lunch to congratulate me. I can never thank them enough for the kindness they’ve always shown me.

?What keeps you motivated? Hobbies?

?Taylor: I do not have many hobbies, but I do have a big love for animals. I have a dog of my own, and I love spending time with him, my husband, and my friends and family. I have a huge family and recently added to that family with my in-laws after getting married. I enjoy going to the beach, hiking, and traveling.

?Thank you, Taylor, for sharing your insights and being a positive force in the automotive community. It is inspiring to know that your dealership is supportive of you and all your endeavors.

?I hope you enjoyed the first newsletter of Driving Difference. Learn more about Norman Frede Chevrolet at www.fredechevrolet.com

If you or your company is interested in joining the discussion with us each month on diversity in the automotive industry and want to be spotlighted or would like to nominate a dealership or company to be in the newsletter, please email me at [email protected]

?Did you know? Market Doctors has a marketing educational weekly blog where you can learn more about how to build your dealership’s marketing presence. Our goal is to give dealerships the knowledge and resources to continue to thrive. You’ll find car dealership resources and other industry-related knowledge in our blog. You can find previous posts here: https://marketdoctors.com/blog/?

?Market Doctors is hiring! To learn more about Market Doctors and the open opportunities we are hiring for, please visit www.marketdoctors.com