ROI in Action By Katie McDonald NMEDA DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & SOCIAL
H
ow do you measure a successful investment? By dollars and cents, by sales
numbers? There are many ways to determine if an investment has yielded positive returns. For Tom O’Neil of Auto Express South in Ft. Myers, FL, he deemed the CAMS training hosted at his dealership in November 2019 a success just moments after the event started. Tom saw the incredible long-term investment their team was making in the eyes of the local professors, students, and DRSs who now have a personal connection with the AutoExpress South team. Through hosting a CAMS event, Tom positioned his dealership as a community player. Catering from a local barbeque restaurant, a speciality cake from a local bakery,
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NMEDA Circuit Breaker
and a “swag bag” with AES branded
some transactions because we were
goodies...Tom took this opportunity
armed with the right information and
to stand out with the local attendees
the right reputation.”
who could drive business his way in the future. “Giving back to the community and going above and beyond makes you a contender in a sea of dealers to stand out above the rest,” Tom said. “We want the students to remember us three, five, ten years down the road. They’ll still remember the awesome training they attended at our facility with a food truck and snow cones.” Of course, these long-term investments must show some real profits eventually, and according to Tom, they have: “We’ve been involved with the VA in Tampa and following the 2019 event we were able to close
--As you know, in-person events have been suspended for 2020, but we’re starting to plan our 2021 events now! If you’re interested in hosting a CAMS training, please contact us at learning@nmeda.org.
