Women in Retail: Michelle Petrenko of Penske Automotive Group/Mercedes-Benz of North Scottsdale

Automobile Remarketing is recognizing the 2022 Women in Retail honorees in the present-day problem of the magazine and at Utilised Car or truck 7 days this slide in San Diego. 

With these awards, we particularly realize prime leaders on the retail facet of the automobile market, which includes honorees from dealerships, vendor teams and third-party companies/sellers

Above the upcoming couple of months, AR will be submitting Q&As with every of the honorees on this web-site.

Subsequent up is Michelle Petrenko, typical manager, Penske Automotive Team/Mercedes-Benz of North Scottsdale.

Car Remarketing: What do you love most about functioning in retail automotive, and what would you modify?

Michelle Petrenko: Functioning in retail automotive lets to me to join and develop relationships with so a lot of astounding individuals. I have been blessed to have so numerous excellent staff users, peers, clients, and mentors in my lifetime. Retail automotive encompasses everyone — not just a pick out team — and I find out each individual working day from all the fantastic connections I make.

I actually take pleasure in impacting my staff users lives by helping them realize their career desires in a dealership I handle, and it’s extremely fulfilling when they take pleasure in accomplishing their individual plans although attaining the financial metrics of the retail store as properly. In today’s planet I believe it’s really crucial to present a enjoyable, high-vitality and favourable environment for each the workforce and the customer.

Lifetime is difficult plenty of for all people with no making obtaining and servicing a car or truck stressful. One particular of the items that I would modify is the perception that some women have that they however need to have to deliver a person into a dealership to get aid in income or company. I however listen to it all the time and I believe it is definitely important that ladies feel empowered to occur in and get, provide or services their vehicle with no any hesitation on their element. It is a personalized mission of mine that ALL individuals who stroll into any dealership I control sense like they are welcomed, respected and appreciated.

AR: What is the major trend you are watching in retail automotive this calendar year?

Petrenko: Used-motor vehicle acquisition! With the volatile inventory concentrations we are all suffering from, I shell out several hours weekly on the lookout at auction traits, current market traits, lending tendencies and vehicle sourcing. I am constantly studying articles or blog posts, listening to podcasts, and studying to make guaranteed that I am totally aware of nearly anything that might impression my dealership, my crew and my consumer. I am generally making an attempt the best supply to get a great pre-owned car for the correct price so that I may possibly offer my clients with the finest pre-owned inventory in the marketplace.

I have also put in a whole lot of time mastering about the most recent tendencies for on-line marketing to develop my shopper base and to make certain their relieve of being ready to purchase without the need of getting to spend hours in the dealership.

AR: What piece of job guidance would you give your young self?

Petrenko: The occupation suggestions I would give my young self is the identical I would give everyone in any career path: and that is to be vulnerable and be your genuine self. By becoming vulnerable, I imply staying open to admitting the issues you do not know or you could be weak in rather of regularly hoping to prove yourself and your worth. When I to start with got out of university, there weren’t a great deal of ladies in the car organization. I usually felt like I experienced to get the job done so tricky and make sure I didn’t admit to any weaknesses or anyone would believe I was not worthy of that next advertising and I usually tailored my individuality to go well with what I believed the expectation was of how I must behave, costume, and manage folks. It was not what individuals were performing to me that caused this it was my individual insecurities.

After I realized that the absolute ideal way to navigate my job was to be my goofy, satisfied authentic self and just get the job done tremendous tricky and inquire a large amount of questions about something and all the things that I didn’t know, anything became so significantly easier and my occupation actually benefited. I have been a normal manager for 10 many years and to this working day, I am continually inquiring my income and provider teams, my techs, and my elements teams inquiries all the time and understanding from them.

AR: What has been the top important to your accomplishment in retail automotive?

Petrenko: The leading essential to my success in retail automotive has been the means to establish terrific teams. As I stated earlier, remaining vulnerable and getting real has been a personalized essential I have figured out but the skill to establish these impressive teams by obtaining group customers from various backgrounds who bring their possess talent sets and mindsets with them has been enormous for my success.

When you create a group and you appear jointly for the reason of earning every men and women existence improved by building the complete crew far better, by supplying a planet course encounter for your shoppers and by attaining the money metrics that the store desires which is potent. It is all about making use of your electricity and your intention for very good it’s absolutely the real truth and it will work. It is a highly effective, unstoppable drive when you get a diverse crew alongside one another with a single widespread emphasis and with that good intention and electricity. I have been pretty blessed in my life to be the “head coach” of some of these wonderful styles of teams and THAT has been the key to my achievement in this marketplace.