Passionate Pitch
Justin Tandoc’s key to selling Scion? It’s all about that passion.
May/June 2015
Club Kid
By showing off Scion at nightclubs, Tandoc (center) has built a name for himself, his dealership and the Scion brand.
Justin Tandoc presents a balanced combination of sensible and stylish.
Just look at his cars.
The sales manager at Schaumburg Scion in Illinois drives a Camry in the winter. It’s reliable, it’s smart. It gets him where he needs to go.
But it’s his summertime FR-S that really gets Tandoc going. It’s simple, really: “I love the FR-S,” he says.
It’s not just the FR-S he loves. Tandoc is a Scion Ambassador who always seizes a moment to gush about the brand’s versatility and style. He’s a big reason the dealership is the No. 1 Scion store in the Chicago Region.
“For the money, you can’t beat Scion,” he says. “They look great. It’s such a great bang for the buck. It’s a great freaking deal. The process is so easy, and because of Pure Price, customers can be in and out in an hour. I think highly of it because I believe in it.”
Marketing Machine
Tandoc’s passion for Scion has led him to a full-throated marketing surge in nightclubs and restaurants around the Chicagoland area. He’s forged a relationship with local club owners Ala Carte Entertainment. That relationship has helped Scion find a home in the minds of its target demographic. It’s gotten to the point where a DJ will give a shout out, “Hey, Justin from Schaumburg Scion is here.”
“I know it doesn’t pay immediate dividends, but I’ve had sales in the summer where people say ‘you’re that guy from the club,’” Tandoc says. “You have to get your name out there.”
Tandoc’s marketing isn’t limited to the club scene. Among his favorite events are local car shows, where he gets a chance to show off Scion’s style and talk about his passion.
In each of the last three years, Tandoc has coordinated and hosted a car show in the parking lot of nearby Woodfield Mall. And he’s managed to turn those shows into major area events without spending too much money.
First, he takes to social media to invite car enthusiast groups to bring their prized possessions. That’s how he ended up with about 2,000 cars there last September. Next, he leverages his business connections within the community. A local restaurant provides food at an extremely low price. Local radio station B96 provides a DJ and music, along with discounted advertising leading up to the show.
The event is free to the public, and Tandoc credits it with exposing Scion to a wave of potential customers.
“As simple as it is, you just have to create excitement,” he says. “I reach out to every business here to make it happen. It’s got to create buzz.”
Passion for the Brand
The way Tandoc sees it, Scion isn’t like Toyota. There aren’t ubiquitous Scion ads on television, and its reputation as a product that appeals to a youthful attitude paints a contrast with Toyota’s QDR (Quality, Dependability, Reliability) bona fides.
But that’s what makes Scion unique. That’s what breeds passion about the brand from twentysomethings on social media. When Tandoc—just 27 years old himself and an eight-year Schaumburg Scion employee—became the Scion point person three years ago, he understood that you sell Scion not from your head, but from your heart.
“If a customer comes in with a question about Scion, the sales guys come get me and anything I’m doing I drop and go talk to them,” he says. “I’m like a Scion robot. You can’t shut me up.”
And Tandoc expects interest will grow with the new iM and iA coming later this year.
“There hasn’t been this kind of excitement for a while,” he says. “They’ll be hot sellers. I have people for it.”
But “hot” is just half the equation.
“The product itself will be hot,” Tandoc says. “But sales consultants on the front lines need the passion to keep it popular.”
Just look at his cars.
The sales manager at Schaumburg Scion in Illinois drives a Camry in the winter. It’s reliable, it’s smart. It gets him where he needs to go.
But it’s his summertime FR-S that really gets Tandoc going. It’s simple, really: “I love the FR-S,” he says.
It’s not just the FR-S he loves. Tandoc is a Scion Ambassador who always seizes a moment to gush about the brand’s versatility and style. He’s a big reason the dealership is the No. 1 Scion store in the Chicago Region.
He Knows People
Tandoc’s connections get him pretty decent access at the club. That leads to better leverage when talking about Scion.
Marketing Machine
Tandoc’s passion for Scion has led him to a full-throated marketing surge in nightclubs and restaurants around the Chicagoland area. He’s forged a relationship with local club owners Ala Carte Entertainment. That relationship has helped Scion find a home in the minds of its target demographic. It’s gotten to the point where a DJ will give a shout out, “Hey, Justin from Schaumburg Scion is here.”
“I know it doesn’t pay immediate dividends, but I’ve had sales in the summer where people say ‘you’re that guy from the club,’” Tandoc says. “You have to get your name out there.”
Tandoc’s marketing isn’t limited to the club scene. Among his favorite events are local car shows, where he gets a chance to show off Scion’s style and talk about his passion.
In each of the last three years, Tandoc has coordinated and hosted a car show in the parking lot of nearby Woodfield Mall. And he’s managed to turn those shows into major area events without spending too much money.
First, he takes to social media to invite car enthusiast groups to bring their prized possessions. That’s how he ended up with about 2,000 cars there last September. Next, he leverages his business connections within the community. A local restaurant provides food at an extremely low price. Local radio station B96 provides a DJ and music, along with discounted advertising leading up to the show.
The event is free to the public, and Tandoc credits it with exposing Scion to a wave of potential customers.
“As simple as it is, you just have to create excitement,” he says. “I reach out to every business here to make it happen. It’s got to create buzz.”
Passion for the Brand
The way Tandoc sees it, Scion isn’t like Toyota. There aren’t ubiquitous Scion ads on television, and its reputation as a product that appeals to a youthful attitude paints a contrast with Toyota’s QDR (Quality, Dependability, Reliability) bona fides.
But that’s what makes Scion unique. That’s what breeds passion about the brand from twentysomethings on social media. When Tandoc—just 27 years old himself and an eight-year Schaumburg Scion employee—became the Scion point person three years ago, he understood that you sell Scion not from your head, but from your heart.
“If a customer comes in with a question about Scion, the sales guys come get me and anything I’m doing I drop and go talk to them,” he says. “I’m like a Scion robot. You can’t shut me up.”
And Tandoc expects interest will grow with the new iM and iA coming later this year.
“There hasn’t been this kind of excitement for a while,” he says. “They’ll be hot sellers. I have people for it.”
But “hot” is just half the equation.
“The product itself will be hot,” Tandoc says. “But sales consultants on the front lines need the passion to keep it popular.”
