Thomas Morris

** *********** *****

Orchard Park, NY 14127

Mobile 716-***-****

aduhrc@r.postjobfree.com

Professional Profile

Corporate and business consultant, expert sales trainer and facilitator. Strong advanced sales and trained negotiator skills on the executive level. Areas of expertise include: creation of digital sales and marketing processes and training, process implementation and execution, as well as process improvement critical to improving profitability; driving creation and development of profit centers in Automotive business environments; customer relationship specialist; master of digital consultation providing creative Internet marketing, increasing Internet lead generation, proven successful ‘lead to close’ processes, driving quantifiable and dramatic increases in sales of products and services.

I offer over thirty years of highly successful high-level sales and sales management expertise with a strong proven record of achievement. I have worked closely, and in tandem, with multiple OEMs and their respective Regional Field Teams. Accomplished professional sales trainer, facilitator and motivator of Dealer Principals, General Managers, Sales Managers, Sales Consultants, and Finance Managers with several of the largest automobile sales organizations in the country. Demonstrated track record of consistently combining sales and management abilities, solid processes with sound business practices, to position clients for long-term growth and profitability. Reputation as a highly motivated self-starter with strong communication, persuasive presentation, negotiation, and sales closing skills. Proven abilities in customer relationship retention, quickly achieving sales quotas, and utilizing a proactive approach to problem solving.

Career Achievements

Proven ability to create, structure, implement and manage processes that maximize profitability in each individual department while maintaining the highest level of customer satisfaction.

Strong leadership characteristics that motivate people to overachieve in any given endeavor.

Graduate of the Disney Institute. Customer retention and customer experience expert.

Professional associate trainer for Dale Carnegie Institute in human relations, sales and management.

Reputation for getting the job done. No excuses...just quantifiable results.

Graduate of international renowned Chester Karras University on Executive Negotiation Techniques.

Certified Hypnotherapist practicing behavior modifications.

Professional Experience:

Tom Morris Consulting LLC 2012 – Present

Digital process improvement and execution company providing process improvement, sales and process training, goal setting as well as accountability management. Create and train Business Development Centers and Internet Departments. Ensure execution. Accountability driven by analytics.

Jackson Dawson 2020 –

Certified Regional Project Consultant

Critical lead of the Ford Blue Advantage (FBA) launch team, leading Ford Motor Company’s Pittsburgh Region, consisting of 80 Ford Dealerships. Also, contributing member of initial and ongoing process changes which were adopted by our national team of 22 Regions. Directly in charge of acquiring, and launching, Ford stores to this new brand of Ford’s Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Project, then consulting, training and implementing processes to successfully drive increased FBA sales and increased profitability. This proved a very challenging market due to the shortage of new vehicles (microchip shortage) and accompanied trades, as well as highly inflated used vehicle market prices, and shortage of pre-owned inventory availability. We adapted and the Pittsburgh Region increased FBA sales 15% YOY and ranked 8th nationally in FBA Certified Sales and new FBA Inventory certifications, the two metrics we are measured by.

Maritz LLC 2018 - 2020

Business Development Manager

Consult with Leadership Teams of General Motors Dealerships, utilizing exclusive Drive Growth Report data to create additional profit centers, improve processes of those already established, and implement and weave the competitive data points into the operation of the Dealerships, improving market share and profitability. Provided training and consulting with BDC/Internet Departments (sales and service), both established and newly created, dramatically improving the road from lead to appointment to appointment show to sale. Created many BDC Departments from ground up.

J. D. Power and Associates 2012 - 2018

National Field Manager

Traveled continental US to consult and train newly launched J.D. Power products, consulting on methods to effectively use competitive market data to influence the dealer development in new profit centers, substantially increase market share and quantifiably increase profitability.

J. D. Power and Associates

Promoted to National Operations Manager

Manage field sales team and operations and training pursuant to goals described below.

Retail Network Consultant for J. D. Power Information Network (PIN)

Consult with dealer principals and management team on opportunistic ways to create separation between their store and their competition, using game-changing internal and local market driven data. Also compared on a regional and national scale for opportunities to gain market share and increase profitability. This is a direct business to dealer executive team interaction, where I worked directly with their executive team to demonstrate how to achieve success from the data that PIN provided.

Maritz LLC

Digital Consultant, 2004 – 2013

Sales and promotion of consulting services to Dealer Principals. Expert in digital process consultation. Set-up of Business Development Centers, Internet process improvement based on Dealership, regional and national data. Major focus on taking the lead generated to sale. Expertise in SEO, SEM Marketing and related analytics.

Standards for Excellence Consultant, Facilitator and Trainer.

Responsibilities include the management of strategic vision planning within the automobile dealership variable and fixed operations. The training and implementation of success-proven Maritz processes and initiatives as well as creating and implementing processes crucial to profitability, customer retention and long-term viability. Also, performance management, cultural assessments and interventions, training and coaching of all levels of dealership staff in customer relationships and retention, developing marketing strategies, branding and positioning against competition.

Jim Ball Pontiac/Buick/GMC & Resale Center, Orchard Park, NY 2002 - 2004

Director of Sales Operations

Management of all variable and fixed related operations and activities in the largest Pontiac/Buick/GMC Dealership in the entire Northeast. Responsible for sales quotas for all car and truck lines, Sub-prime lending department, Finance & Insurance Department and Commercial Truck Department. The direct supervision of 37 sales consultants and 11 sales managers. In addition, managed the vehicle accessory and Internet departments. Utilizing my extensive training, both in sales negotiating and F&I, I restructured the entire front end to provide better customer traffic control and follow-up to ensure maximum gross profit potential, sales penetration, and increased market share. Responsible for all hiring and training of sales related personnel.

Dealership recorded record sales growth in 2003 with over 4400 vehicles delivered and in 2004 have been able to demonstrate a measurable increase in total sales over the previous year to date.

Directly responsible for management of the Business Development Center which included supervising a staff of 6 and an advertising and promotional budget of $1,800,000. Utilizing my extensive background in advertising and marketing, I supervised all print and electronic media buys and production, and direct mail campaigns. Strong and consistent focus on customer retention through numerous in-house promotions to our large owner database.

Created, hired, trained and monitored a customer call center which contacted all service customers, prospective customers who did not purchase on initial visit and solicited prospects from manufacturers call manuscripts whenever a new incentive program was announced (e.g. lease pull-ahead programs).

Initiated, hired, trained and coordinated efforts of floor closers to ensure every prospect was managed properly and engaged with a member of management staff before leaving our store.

Standards for Excellence Coordinator (SFE). Dealership was in critical danger of not qualifying for SFE bonuses ($260,000 per quarter) due to poor CSI performance scores. Utilized the same processes that I created and were highly successful from my Ford Blue Oval Certification experience, Dealership CSI performance scores demonstrated a dramatic turn-around and repeatedly earned dealership SFE bonuses.

Created Continuous Improvement Team (CIT) made up of participants from each department of dealership that met each week to resolve problems between departments. Input created a more seamless process for every function of dealership from sales to service to accounting to detail. Common goal was to service the customer with better quality, more efficiently and in a more manageable environment.

DeLacy Ford, Elma, NY 1999 - 2002

General Manager

I was recruited a second time at DeLacy Ford, this time as General Manager with a buy-in option. The dealership's financial statement was in a critical state. New vehicle sales were severely underachieving. The used vehicle inventory was critically over aged and the Dealership's 'A' line was maximized, forfeiting the ability to purchase used vehicles on floor plan. The sales staff built during my previous tenure was depleted and needs there were immediate. In addition, the service department was without a service manager and the service department’s absorption rate was critically under performing. With the coming arrival of Blue Oval Certification, the Dealership sported one of the lowest CSI scores in the region with virtually no promise of becoming Blue Oval Certified and earning the cash windfall that it generated and was sorely needed. To impact this situation:

Immediately hired and trained variable and fixed management staff to drive record sales and profitability, exceeding all objectives. Recreated past desking and sales processes to maximize gross profit.

Created innovative advertising and direct mail marketing campaigns to generate increased floor traffic to support sales objectives.

Directed expense-cutting campaign with Dealer Principal to get them in line with Ford Motor Company and twenty group recommendations.

Hired a Service Manager, changed under performing service writers and trained and sharpened both their selling skills and customer relations skills.

Created and directed a primary initiative to focus on Blue Oval Certification. Developed immediate procedures and processes to change our philosophy in our interaction with our customers in both sales and service. These processes provided a meteoric rise in our Customer Satisfaction Scores that not only successfully attained our Blue Oval Certification and gave the dealership a much need cash infusion, but with the same processes in place the Dealership actually 'autocertified' the following year.

The dramatic increase in market share and CSI scores qualified the Dealership for Ford Motor Company's coveted 'President's Award'.

Universal Underwriters Inc., Albany, NY 1998 - 2000

Finance and Insurance Regional Administrator

Employed as a dealer consultant with the objective to improve dealership profitability through the training and retraining of Finance Managers, Sales Managers and Sales Consultants.

Direct sales and promotion of Universal Underwriter’s finance department products and services with Dealer Principals.

Consulted with Dealer Principals and advised on methods to improve profitability through Finance Department Performance.

Conducted regional and in-house F&I seminars to train and retrain F&I Managers to improve product penetration levels, profitability and protect the dealer from a legal perspective. Followed up with in-house training, monitoring of performance and follow-up recommendations.

Supervised and monitored sales performance of three account executives in New York State.

DeLacy Ford, Elma, NY 1993 - 1998

General Sales Manager

Third generation family-owned dealership moved to new $2,000,000 state of the art location. Dealership formerly delivered 20 -50 vehicles per month and had aspirations of delivering 100-125 per month to support new facility.

Hired, trained and managed new sales and service management staff to support objectives. Set up sub-prime department and finance department. Hired and trained all support personnel.

To generate immediate cash flow, focused on used vehicles. Averaged 80 - 120 used vehicles sales per month with gross average over $3000. New vehicle sales averaged between 75 and 125 per month.

Created innovative advertising and direct mail marketing campaigns to generate increased floor traffic to support sales objectives.

Created accessory department, which generated over $10,000 additional gross per month strictly from aftermarket accessories.

Responsible for all variable and fixed operations.

West Herr Ford, Hamburg, NY 1984 - 1993

F&I Manager/New and Used Car Manager/Sales Consultant

First year in sales became number one sales consultant in the number one Ford Dealership in New York State. Delivered 312 vehicles that year to earn the coveted Grand Master Award, Ford Motor Company’s highest sales achievement award.

Promoted to pre-owned vehicle manager in a department that averaged 150-175 used vehicles deliveries per month.

Promoted to F & I Director where I averaged over 80 percent ESP penetration and was awarded F& I Manager of the Year by the local regional F&I professional association, based on PVR and product penetration levels.

Prior to entering the automobile business, I was a newspaper reporter, then editor for a major Gannett newspaper, as well as a publisher/owner of a weekly local newspaper.

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