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

Vehicle Remarketing is recognizing the 2022 Women in Retail honorees in the recent concern of the magazine and at Used Vehicle 7 days this tumble in San Diego. 

With these awards, we specifically figure out major leaders on the retail side of the car sector, which include honorees from dealerships, supplier teams and 3rd-get together providers/vendors

More than the future handful of months, AR will be posting Q&As with every of the honorees on this web page.

Up coming up is Michelle Petrenko, normal manager, Penske Automotive Group/Mercedes-Benz of North Scottsdale.

Automobile Remarketing: What do you take pleasure in most about doing the job in retail automotive, and what would you adjust?

Michelle Petrenko: Functioning in retail automotive will allow to me to join and create associations with so a lot of incredible people today. I have been blessed to have so numerous wonderful workforce customers, friends, consumers, and mentors in my existence. Retail automotive encompasses all people — not just a decide on group — and I study every day from all the wonderful connections I make.

I seriously appreciate impacting my workforce members life by assisting them realize their occupation desires in a dealership I regulate, and it is very satisfying when they take pleasure in achieving their personal objectives whilst acquiring the economic metrics of the retail store as nicely. In today’s earth I consider it’s really significant to provide a entertaining, substantial-power and optimistic surroundings for the two the crew and the customer.

Existence is hard more than enough for anyone without building shopping for and servicing a automobile demanding. A person of the items that I would adjust is the effect that some gals have that they still have to have to provide a gentleman into a dealership to get enable in gross sales or company. I continue to listen to it all the time and I imagine it’s actually critical that women of all ages experience empowered to arrive in and get, provide or services their car with out any hesitation on their portion. It’s a particular mission of mine that ALL persons who wander into any dealership I take care of really feel like they are welcomed, highly regarded and appreciated.

AR: What is the leading craze you are viewing in retail automotive this 12 months?

Petrenko: Used-auto acquisition! With the risky stock stages we are all suffering from, I expend hrs weekly searching at auction traits, market place traits, lending trends and automobile sourcing. I am constantly reading posts, listening to podcasts, and researching to make confident that I am entirely conscious of anything that could impression my dealership, my group and my customer. I am always trying the most effective supply to purchase a great pre-owned auto for the appropriate selling price so that I may possibly give my buyers with the ideal pre-owned stock in the current market.

I have also spent a whole lot of time understanding about the most latest trends for on-line internet marketing to grow my shopper base and to make certain their ease of getting equipped to order without having owning to invest several hours in the dealership.

AR: What piece of profession tips would you give your younger self?

Petrenko: The job advice I would give my young self is the exact I would give any person in any career path: and that is to be vulnerable and be your genuine self. By staying vulnerable, I indicate getting open to admitting the issues you do not know or you may possibly be weak in instead of consistently making an attempt to confirm by yourself and your worth. When I initially got out of school, there weren’t a good deal of gals in the car or truck business enterprise. I usually felt like I had to operate so really hard and make confident I did not acknowledge to any weaknesses or everyone would imagine I was not worthy of that up coming advertising and I frequently tailored my temperament to suit what I believed the expectation was of how I must behave, gown, and control folks. It was not what people today have been undertaking to me that prompted this it was my own insecurities.

Once I uncovered that the absolute finest way to navigate my job was to be my goofy, happy real self and just operate tremendous really hard and check with a great deal of inquiries about anything at all and all the things that I did not know, anything became so substantially easier and my profession really benefited. I have been a basic supervisor for 10 a long time and to this working day, I am continually inquiring my income and services teams, my techs, and my elements groups inquiries all the time and learning from them.

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

Petrenko: The top critical to my good results in retail automotive has been the means to construct great groups. As I reported earlier, remaining vulnerable and remaining authentic has been a particular critical I have learned but the means to construct these potent groups by acquiring team users from various backgrounds who convey their individual skill sets and mindsets with them has been big for my achievements.

When you create a crew and you occur together for the intent of creating every single folks everyday living greater by building the complete group improved, by supplying a planet course expertise for your purchasers and by accomplishing the financial metrics that the keep wants that’s powerful. It’s all about using your power and your intention for very good it is completely the reality and it performs. It is a impressive, unstoppable force when you get a diverse staff alongside one another with 1 frequent focus and with that great intention and power. I have been extremely blessed in my daily life to be the “head coach” of some of these amazing forms of groups and THAT has been the important to my results in this business.