“Our goal is to provide an atmosphere where even your mother or grandmother would feel comfortable buying a vehicle from us,” commented Jerome Tappe, Co-owner Nereson Automotive “The Big Lot”. Tappe with his business partner Brad Richards have been in the car business for most of their lives. They worked as co-managers at the Detroit Lakes, MN dealership so it was only natural that they would combine resources in 2006 when the ownership opportunity became available. The business now consists of the DL and Moorhead dealerships.
Unfortunately, the American Suzuki Motor company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and switched its focus to selling motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, and outboard engines for boats, leaving the U.S. car business behind. The bankruptcy resulted in Tappe and Richards focusing on the pre-owned vehicle market, which represents almost half of the U.S. auto retail market. The pre-owned market usually goes hand in hand with the new-car market. When buyers are busy with new cars, the used-car market flourishes. Even though the transition has had its challenges, it has been successful.
Tappe and his wife Denise live in Detroit Lakes, MN and are parents of two sons, Cory, 23, and Grant, 18. As a Frazee, MN high school graduate and as one of eight children, Tappe joined the U.S. Army and served from 1975 to 1979. His previous work experiences include tree-removal and Tombstone pizza route sales, which provided excellent customer skill training. He later graduated from Mayville State College with a BA degree.
The car dealership business has certainly been undergoing a tremendous change for the past years. The driving force behind that change is the increased consumer demand for more information. Tappe states that the Internet has been upending car sales for more than 15 years. In today’s environment, customers are simply different. More customers find the car first, then the dealership. It is quite common that the customer has searched online for up-to-date price information and often has made a decision even before showing up on the lot. The research and marketing firm AutoTrader Group reinforces that observation. According to the research, the average car shopper spends more than 11 hours online researching cars and only 3½ hours offline, including trips to the dealership. Two years ago, the average time spent offline was more than six hours.
Tappe pointed out that another long-term challenge of the pre-owned vehicle business is overcoming the stereotype of the sleazy salesperson misleading the customer with fast talking misinformation in order to make the sale. The stigma is so strong that many people may dread buying a car and avoid shopping for as long as they can. That image is certainly not accurate at The Big Lot. The well-trained sales staff earns their living by selling quality pre-owned vehicles and practice honest and ethical sales tactics in dealing with their customers. They are knowledgeable about their inventories and approachable with questions about the vehicles they are selling. An open and honest approach to greeting their customers and dealing fairly with them is the Nereson Automotive pledge. Tappe and his crew have worked hard in gaining the trust and confidence of their many satisfied customers, and he encourages all customers to provide feedback on his services.
Jerome Tappe Co-Owner
Nereson The Big Lot
2500 2nd Ave N, Moorhead, MN 56560
218) 233-7083
https://www.big-lot.com
