The Subaru dealership in Hanover, Mass., known as Planet Subaru, has an interesting hiring strategy: It only employs car salespeople who have never sold a car before.
Co-owner Jeff Morrill told the Boston Globe that they want to be an “un-dealership” and pride themselves on hiring people from different backgrounds. According to Morrill, it brings a new perspective to selling cars because customers are dealing with a sales staff that is outside of the stereotype.
Take Deb Brewster, for instance. Brewster became a saleswoman in 2003 after walking in to buy a Subaru. She has since become one of the top-selling Subaru salespeople in all of New England, hitting No. 1 in 2005 when she sold 227 new cars and 123 used. She’s been in the top 15 every year since.
Planet Subaru also focuses on environmental consciousness, reasoning that Subaru buyers tend to be environmentally aware. The building uses energy-efficient design elements such as passive solar heating and highly efficient lighting systems.
The slightly unorthodox methods of car-selling have worked well for Planet Subaru. Brewster summarized the approach.
“This is a fun place to work,” she told the Globe. “We’ve got a beautiful facility and a great product. People here have interesting backgrounds and degrees.”
