Fletcher Jones Motorcars beefed up its sales staff with the addition of Alex Livadas, who spent 17 years at the House of Imports in Buena Park.
Livadas brings his team of three salespeople: Michael Rodriguez, who has been with Livadas for four years; Natalie Wollman, 15 years; and Trevor Wightman, seven years. The team, which operates as a business within the dealership, even has its own Web site, teammercedes.com.
Livadas’ decision to move to Fletcher Jones was a personal one, he said. He often worked late and his wife didn’t like him driving the freeway home at night. Livadas lives 1.1 miles away from Fletcher Jones, he said.
But it was still a hard decision for him to make, he said.
“House of Imports was like my family,” Livadas said. “They’ve been unbelievable, very supportive.”
Fletcher Jones has wooed away a few people from House of Imports, including Larry Lewis, director of fixed operations at Fletcher Jones.
Livadas has been at Fletcher for about three weeks and says: “I didn’t realize how good it was going to be.” He likes the short drive, sometimes his wife just drops him off.
Fletcher Jones Jr., who has an office at the dealership, gave up part of his suite for the Livadas team.
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Fletcher Jones: increased sales staff with hires from House of Imports |
He says his office, the closing office, is a “fun zone,” which has fresh cut flowers and a 55-inch flat screen TV. Each of his salespeople has a role on the team, he said. Livadas is the closer. He handles the finances.
Livadas’ team sells a lot of cars, he said. In his career at House of Imports, he and his team sold more than 6,000 luxury autos. He expects many of his customers to follow him to Fletcher. The ones who live nearby House of Imports may stay with the dealer, he said.
Livadas said the keys to his success are hard work and his warm and friendly nature, which he attributes to his Greek heritage.
He sends out birthday and Christmas cards to his customers in addition to a periodic 28-page newsletter, sort of like a printed blog. He writes personal stories about himself and his customers. He has 15 photo albums of his customers and considers them friends.
“You’ve got to take care of people. You’ve got to be warm with them. People can sense that,” he said.
This past Sunday, he was set to host a party at Fletcher for his customers and others. The event included a red carpet,it was the night of the Academy Awards,music by David Aldo and a fashion show with some of South Coast Plaza’s stores. People watched the awards and ate Greek food.
Cameras were also lined up to be there to shoot a pilot called “The Showroom,” for CNET Networks Inc.’s TV.com. It’s a reality show idea that Livadas thought up. It features his sales team and his customers and their luxurious lives.
Given the state of the economy, Livadas expects to continue to do well.
“The strong get stronger and the weak get weaker,” he said. “That’s what’s happening in the car business right now.”
Big on Brand Names
A recent Women’s Wear Daily survey found that brand names are important to luxury buyers.
It surveyed shoppers with incomes of more than $250,000 and those with incomes of $30,000 to $250,000.
Compared to middle-income buyers, wealthy shoppers bought an item based on the brand name 44% of the time. Middle-income shoppers bought by brand 14% of the time.
The luxury shoppers also said they were aware of their buying power and intend to use it whenever possible. But some retail experts say that if the economy continues to worsen, it won’t be as socially acceptable to display wealth.
Only 19% of the wealthy shoppers set a budget before they hit the mall, compared to the more than half of middle-income shoppers.
Luxury shoppers have a lot of shoes in their closets. Ninety-three percent said they have 20 or more pairs. But middle-income shoppers weren’t far behind with 61% saying they had more than 20 pairs.
Wealthy women like splurging on handbags best. About 49% said they would spend more than $500 on a bag.
Nordstrom is the top store for luxury buyers, followed by Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Middle-income shoppers: Macy’s, JCPenney, Kohl’s and Dillard’s.
Most of the middle-income shoppers say they shop because it makes them feel good. The luxe shoppers said they shop because they can.
The brands that are expected to fare best are those that cater to the high-end of the income spectrum, the “super rich.”
The super rich, those with a net worth of more than $30 million, plan to boost their lifestyles this year and up their spending, according to a recent survey by New York-based Elite Traveler/Prince & Associates.
The economic conditions are a boon for those who have the money to spend. The super rich also said they would donate more to charities this year.
“Rich” shoppers, with a net worth of $10 million to $30 million, will also shop more this year. It’s the folks with $10 million or less who will be cutting back on luxury goods and services.
