DEALERS VOICE
Larry Lantz shares his views about dealership and consumer issues
My name is Larry Lantz, and I am the newly appointed president of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA), representing just over 1,100 new car dealers across Ontario.
In addition to having the privilege and honour of serving Canada’s largest provincial automotive association - and one of the oldest associations in Canada - I look forward to sharing my views about dealership and consumer issues in this column over the next year.
My entry into the retail automotive industry started in sales in my early 20s.
I had been a struggling salesperson at a dealership in Kitchener/Waterloo and didn’t know whether to stay in the car business or find another profession.
On a whim, I attended a sales seminar led by a motivational speaker. The ideas presented in that seminar were life-changing and inspired me to commit myself fully to achieving my goals.
Within a year, I had earned Grand Sales Master status, and I repeated that distinction in nine months the following year. While growing up, I was told that salespeople were born, not made. I proved that idea wrong. Salesmanship is about connecting with people.
In 1979, I moved into management and, over time, progressed to various management positions at several prominent dealerships throughout southwestern Ontario, gaining experience with GM and Acura.
The management side of the car business appealed to me. I enjoy recruiting talented people and providing them with opportunities to succeed.
Winning teams are built upon the commitment of individuals working together and sharing the same values.
In 2007, I realized a longtime dream of becoming a dealer principal. An opportunity presented itself in Hanover, Ont. (pop. 7,500), when a Honda dealership went up for sale. I purchased it, changed the name to Hanover Honda and began a process of revitalizing the dealership.
That process began by focusing on four key ideas (the 4Gs) genuine quality customer service, great employees, golden rule (treat others as you would like to be treated) and giving back.
The 4G philosophy has worked, and I credit the entire team (21 fulland part-time employees) with the company’s continued growth, a team that includes my two sons, Rob Lantz (general manager) and Dave Lantz (sales manager).
In an effort to facilitate our growth, Hanover Honda built a new, state-of-the-art facility in 2011. The eco-friendly building includes plenty of natural lighting and an 8,000-gallon underground cistern which collects rainwater from the roof to wash cars.
I am proud of our dealership’s role in helping to build a strong, vibrant and healthy community.
Hanover Honda supports dozens of local groups and organizations, including the annual Sights & Sounds Festival, local hospital foundations and the local arena.
Although I am not one to seek the limelight, I enjoy being part of a thriving Honda franchise and am pleased to share my knowledge and expertise within the community - by sitting on various committees - and with my peers. I sit on the boards of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association and the Canadian International AutoShow, and I serve as chair of the Ontario Motor Vehicle Dealers Compensation Fund.
One of the reasons I got involved with the TADA is to bring a small market perspective to the larger dealer community.
We have challenges in smaller communities that aren’t shared by our colleagues in large, urban areas, and I want to give a voice to the issues that affect dealers in rural as well as urban markets.
This is one of the most exciting periods in the automobile industry. New designs, safety features and on-board technologies are recasting the role of transportation. I look forward to sharing my views on these new developments with Wheels readers in the months ahead.