2:50 pm, April 29, 2020
Philip Raby Porsche has used the lockdown period to reduce costs but continue to push the business, owner Phil Raby said on Car Dealer Live.
Appearing on the show on April 30, Raby praised Auto Trader for cancelling bills again this month and Pistonheads for reducing its cost, meaning he can continue to market his cars for much less than previously. Raby added: ‘I remember being told before that during a recession you should increase your marketing.’
The Porsche dealership has also taken this time to increase its number of social media posts and has seen inquiries continue to come in through Facebook and Instagram.
Brexit – a word almost forgotten amid the current crisis – had been a challenge for the business, he said.
‘We were selling a few cars into mainland Europe, that’s now gone,’ Raby explained. ‘We had big plans for this year but obviously that’s had to be put on hold, too.’
He explained that as a small business its overheads were pretty low and that despite the lockdown it had been kept quite busy with inquiries.
It had also meant changing its usual sales techniques by doing more walkaround videos using the B2C app, talking to people on the phone or over social media.
Raby has also added car delivery to the services offered by the business. He commented: ‘We only started publicising our delivery service a few weeks before lockdown and I think that will put us in a very good position.’
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