His approach to marketing the business isn’t sophisticated.

He uses Auto Trader to market all his used stock. He avoids marketing via telephone (“too often people don’t recognise the number and won’t pick up”), uses text-only emails to highlight the latest offers to a live customer database of more than 1,000 people, and only uses SMS messaging for ‘ready for collection’ service alerts.

Local newspaper advertising has also fallen out of favour due to its high price, low response rate and by the time the ad runs, said Latimer, “I’ve sold quite a few of the cars being promoted”.

A recent promotion in Wigan Shopping Centre proved more effective. Two MG3s were on show for two weeks in July. The stand was unmanned, but contact details were displayed. “I can generate a better quality lead this way,” Latimer said.

“If someone is genuinely interested in a car they will get in touch. I don’t have to get them to enter a competition to get their contact details. I know if I do it this way and call them later, people say they’ve never heard of me.”  

The stand led to five sales. Latimer plans a return before the end of the year.

He has also avoided the pull of social networks. He doesn’t tweet and doesn’t have a profile on Facebook.

“Social networks like Facebook are hugely successful, but I see too many posts that say latest news and what they’re referring to is out of date or an offer that’s ‘valid until’ and you know it’s not a genuine assurance.

“I also wouldn’t get the volume of followers to make it worth exploiting the communication possibilities sites offer, like some of the larger groups.”

 

Focusing on the basics in car sales

MG is building its UK network – it currently has 50 sales points, but has targeted 80 by the end of this year and 100 by the end of 2015. It singled out Michael Edwards Motors as “maximising the MG opportunity”.

Guy Jones, MG sales and marketing director, put the success of Mike Latimer, and dealers like him, down to focus: “They are all very focused on the MG brand, with real commitment and passion to maximise the current opportunity. If they have other franchises or used car businesses, then they have really committed time and good resource to MG now and are not sitting waiting for the future.