Harris Oceanside Chevrolet Buick GMC Ltd. from above
PARKSVILLE – Being Vancouver Island’s only General Motors Approved Business Elite Dealer gives Harris Oceanside Chevrolet Buick GMC Ltd. customers a better hands-on experience from sales to service.
Leading the charge is Fleet and Business Sales Manager Richard Allan, who has been with owner Mike Harris and his team for over 17 years at the Parksville location, and is responsible for business sales from small companies to larger corporations that are Canada wide, and started in fleet sales in 2008.
Richard explains that the dealership has been dedicated to fleet and business sales ever since it became an approved Business Elite dealer in 2015.
“We have been able to capture some very big clients in the construction and forestry indus-tries for example with this program,” he says. “The loaner vehicles have helped in service by keeping clients working while their main vehicle is in for maintenance.
“The same can be said for sales as well. Where we were able to give a client a truck for a full month of use, this is only available with the Business Elite Program.”
Richard Allen
Richard’s colleague Sheila Hopkins is the Fleet and Business Service Advisor, and he adds “I have nothing but respect for Sheila. She works so incredibly hard to ensure that business vehicles get prioritized in the shop. The parts shortage has not helped her over these last three years, but you wouldn’t know it at times – she just keeps business rolling.”
Richard says many years of hard work in build-ing the business has paid off.
“I’m now very lucky to say I sell to businesses from Port Hardy all the way to Sidney,” he adds. “A lot of that is through word of mouth and referral business, so I guess I’m doing it correctly and keeping those business owners and their staff happy.”
The dealership has a 30,000 pound hoist in the shop for the larger commercial vehicles and recreational vehicles, and recently invested in a new state-of-the-art charger for the new GMC Hummer EV (Electric Vehicle), as well as the new range of EV trucks that they will see early next year.
“We have seen a 67 per cent increase in new vehicle sales for both retail and fleet combined, which is great given how hard it is still to get new vehicles.
New vehicle shipping is very low, as we have gone from production delays to transportation delays, which, in many cases, are worse than the production delays. It is getting better, just not quick enough.”
Richard says the key to the dealership’s success is their staff and customer service.
“I pride myself on being knowledgeable about the products I sell, but at the same time respecting the clients’ time, them allowing me to earn their business,” he says. “Sales is not easy, but when you give the client the right experience and show them they did business in the right place, and take care of them during and after they know where to come to the next time.”
