CFADA is over 90 years strong because of caring and engaged members like Eric Matos, General Manager at Universal Nissan.
We recently had the chance to sit down with Eric and get to know more about him, his life and thoughts on the current state of the industry.
We would like to thank Eric for his time. The following are excerpts from our conversation. We hope you enjoy getting to know more about him as much as we did.
Tell us about your childhood.
I was born in the Dominican Republic. One interesting thing from my past that links to me and where I am today is that while my family lived in the Dominican Republic, my father owned a Datsun dealership. The Datsun brand became Nissan, and that is the automobile brand I am selling today.
As a child, I would go to school, and then, in the afternoons, I would go to the dealership and help my father with whatever needed to be done. I learned a lot about cars and business.
When I was 13 years old, my family migrated to New York. We lived in Queens for 13 years. At the time, my uncle had a business in Brooklyn wholesaling fruits and vegetables. I started working there, helping with pickups, and I began moving up in the company until I became a driver.
Soon after that, my father opened his own fruit and vegetable wholesaling business in the Bronx, and I started working there. Then, in 2001, the owner of the house that we were renting was moving back to New York City and told us we had to move out because they were moving into the house. We tried to find another place to live in the area, but everything was so expensive. I remember my father saying that it was “time for us to move to another state.” Even though we didn’t have any relatives or family members in Florida, we decided to take a leap of faith, and we moved there.
What is your educational background? Degrees or Certifications?
I have a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Queens College (CUNY).
How did you get into the auto industry?
In 2001, just after moving to Orlando, Florida, I needed to get a job since we no longer had the family business. I decided to look for a job as an accountant and put my college degree to work. The only job I could find wanted to pay me $12.00 per hour, and that was not going to work. That’s when it clicked; I loved cars. I was so enthusiastic about them that I had four different subscriptions to auto magazines, and I thought to myself, “Maybe I should sell cars.”
The house that we had rented was a mile from Universal Nissan. They gave me the opportunity to start selling cars, and I have worked there ever since.
What experience did you have working at a dealership before you became a General Manager?
I have worked in almost every position, from salesperson to the variable side. In 2004, I was promoted to Finance Manager. I was involved in training, closing the deals and doing everything that had to do with the sale, including the finance paperwork. I was happy that my accounting degree finally came into play. Then I moved to Desk Manager with a lot more responsibilities like leading the team, evaluating credit, finding out what bank is going to do the loan, making sure the payments are affordable to the customer and so on. After that, I became the General Sales Manager and then the General Manager, working with the variable side, which is everything that goes with sales as well as service.
Please tell us about your mentors.
I’ve had many mentors, but three come to mind. When I first started, John Kendrick taught me the fundamentals of how to sell a car. He helped me become a good salesperson.
The second is Scott Popwell. He was a very interesting person because he was always teaching, even in small day-to-day interactions. He would often say, “This is what you need to know, and this is why you need to do it.” He taught me “why” things needed to be done a certain way, and knowing how to and why makes it easier than just saying, “Do it.”
My third mentor, who is the best mentor that I’ve had, is our CEO and Owner, Bill Nero. He’s an amazing leader. I am lucky to be able to interact with him on a daily basis. Everything I know about leadership, I learned from him.
What are the most valuable career suggestions you would tell someone you wanted to mentor?
- Learn the business and understand the “why.” It’s easier to accomplish what needs to be done when you understand why you are doing it.
- Be open to learning and set a goal of learning something new every day. Everyone around you has something they can teach you.
What are the two or three biggest issues facing the auto industry?
The right inventory. What I mean by that is the inventory that sells the quickest. The industry is still being affected by the COVID pandemic. A year ago, we had no inventory; today, it is getting better, but it’s still not where it needs to be. I am hopeful that in the next year, we will begin to see more of the right inventory on the lot.
The other issue is high-interest rates. They are affecting consumers’ budgets. Let’s say a customer has a $25,000 budget. With current interest rates, they need to find a $20,000 car. That is definitely affecting the industry right now.
Why is the franchise system still the best way to sell cars?
This is the way I look at it. You have a manufacturer, and you have the consumer. The best way to marry the two is with the franchise dealership because we’re working on behalf of the consumer. We are professionals and know the product. We can help guide the consumer to what works best for them. Many times, customers come in and say this is what I want, but once we figure out what they need, we can suggest a better product for their needs. We know what works, and we know what doesn’t work so we can make a happy marriage.
Why did you join CFADA? Why is membership in CFADA important, and what are the benefits?
I’ve been involved with CFADA for over four years now. If you want to have your voice to be heard and be part of the solution to problems affecting the auto industry, CFADA is a must. Being a member gives you that power. With the association, including dealers’ opinions can help make better decisions about what’s happening to the auto industry around us.
What is your biggest career accomplishment so far?
When I started in the sales department, we used to have six days off a month. I remember there were about six to eight days that we had to work the entire day. The work-life balance wasn’t the best. I’m happy to say that for many years, in my store, everybody has had between nine and 10 days off per month. Everybody on my team gets a weekend off every month so they can spend time with their family and have a quality of life. Not only do they have a weekend off, but they also have a Tuesday or a Wednesday off during the month to allow them to take care of things that can’t be handled on the weekend. From the fixed side, my technicians only work three days, then they have four days off.
Any last thoughts?
My employees are the most important part of the business. Taking care of my employees is what I live for. It’s my number one goal. I think that is the secret to having a successful business. I believe that if I take care of my employees, they will take care of my customers. If the customer is happy, everything else after that is easy.
