Change in Weather Challenges Car Dealerships.

The weather is still nice outside, but car dealerships are gearing up for winter sales, which take their toll on customers and employees.

One television commercial suggests you can go shopping for your new vehicle in the nude. A newspaper advertisement touts the fact that you can visit Alaska's biggest car lot without leaving your house.

Sure, you can go surfing on the Net to find endless information on anything, even filling out financial papers to purchase that new or used vehicle. But when its in the middle of winter in the 49th state and you are stranded and desperate to replace your broken-down vehicle, your only choice may be to slip on those bunny boots, oversized gloves and fur parka and go buy a car--at 40 degrees below zero.

From Juneau to Fairbanks, from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula, cars dealerships in Alaska face as many different and varied problems and solutions to selling vehicles in inclement weather as there are types and models.

"Truly, the customer who comes out to shop for a vehicle in 20-40 degree below zero weather is very serious about buying a new vehicle or trading in their old one," said Steve Angel, fleet manager for the Seekins Ford Lincoln Mercury dealership in Fairbanks. "You're just not going to find the casual shopper who has a few hours to kill out in terrible weather."

Winter Hard on Dealers

Angel, who has been with Seekins for 15 years, remembers the winter of '92 as being particularly bad.

"We couldn't keep up with the snow. Our resources were wearing pretty thin. We'd move cars around the lot the best we could, but it just seemed like we'd turn around and get another dump load. Our snowplowing service was kept very busy that year."

Not only is the cold a factor in selling automobiles or trucks in the Interior, but Angel points out that so is the daylight--or lack of it. "The short daylight hours in December and January only add to the obstacles we have to overcome in our business."

Showrooms Sweeten Deals

Dealerships that have a showroom believe inside sales are a good way to combat the cold, snow and darkness.

"We have a two-story showroom with between 100 vehicles and 150 vehicles at any one time on display," said Angel. "The public is a lot more apt to buy when they are warm, dry and under good lighting."

Such is not the case for Seekins' dealership on the Kenai Peninsula. Granted weather is not as severe as in Fairbanks, but not having a showroom does create problems.

"Sure I'd like to have a showroom," laments John Lohrke of Seekins' Ford dealership in Soldotna. "We may not have the cold like Fairbanks, but it rains often and we get our share of snow, too. Folks don't like getting wet while they're shopping.

"Last winter I remember getting more than an average amount of snow and we kept front loaders very active. It's an expense you have to budget in.

Preparing for Winter Sales

"We also have to train our employees (salesperson, lot jockeys, etc.) a little differently from season to season, continued Lohrke, who spent over a decade in Fairbanks selling cars and trucks before moving to Soldotna. "There are different techniques to starting and driving a vehicle in the winter than in the summer.

"It's a little funny selling cars down here (in Soldotna, rather than Fairbanks). People don't necessarily ask if the car or truck has a head-bolt heater or battery blanket. It's just something they don't think about."

Bad Weather and Determined Customers

Weather conditions in Fairbanks were so bad one day that Aurora Motors Sales Manager Scott Barkley recalls making a sale to one very desperate customer. "He apparently had shopped all around town and said that he would buy the first vehicle that started--regardless of color, style or condition. It was extremely cold and I had a vehicle in the lot that we had just started up the previous day and sure enough it started and sure enough, he bought it" Aurora Motors has between 300-400 cars and trucks on their lot to sell.

Mike Hatch, who has owned and operated Mike Hatch Jeep in Juneau for the past 26 years, echoed the thoughts of many of the dealers who feel that the car shopper in the winter is a little more likely to buy than in the summer. "There may be fewer of them, but there is a greater chance of them making purchases compared to the summer shopper who comes by to just kick the tires."

Ken Spencer, sales manager of Evergreen Motors Inc. in Juneau, says customers in the winter have a tendency to shop for four-wheel drive vehicles. "Moms have to figure out a better, faster and easier way to get their children to school and Mount Eaglecrest (a popular ski resort in Juneau), and four-wheel drive may be the only route to go.

Web Sales Assist Customers

For customer ease, Evergreen Motors Inc. offers a unique Web site to assist with sales. "People on our Web site have a distinct advantage of beating nasty weather conditions. We have cameras on our lot that change position every 48 seconds. So every five minutes or so, customers have pretty much seen our entire inventory. Then they can come down to our dealership, know what they want and can decide without spending much time outside in the rain or wind."

"There's no doubt about it, that Web sites have changed the car sales industry," says Tony's Chevrolet of Anchorage General Sales Manager Paul Van Hoek. "It's the one thing that has revolutionized the business and given the car dealer a break against bad weather. It's the wave of the future." Tony's Chevrolet has between 250 vehicles and 300 vehicles on the lot every day of the year.

Warming Staff to Winter Woes

One of the biggest problems now in the winter is keeping lot crews and salespeople employed for a long time.

"Not too many young kids like to work out in the dark and the cold, with going to school and all," says Van Hoek. "It's worked out pretty well with us. Salesmen can get depressed when business slows down, and standing around in the cold waiting for customers can be very disheartening."

Fred Williams, a retired truck driver and sales manager for Nye Frontier Ford in Wasilla, agrees that wintertime is a slower season. "It's very stressful for the new salesman who is on commission sales."

Winter Obstacles, Winter Needs

Brad Baldridge, a salesman for Cal Worthington Ford of Alaska, which sports four locations throughout Alaska, started at the Gambell Street location in Anchorage in June of last year. He says just showing cars to customers can provide a real challenge. "It's not that easy walking around the car lot and worrying about the customer needs and wants, getting in and out of vehicles and concentrating on not slipping and getting hurt. I sympathize with the lot attendants. I appreciate the showroom that much more."

Winterizing vehicles is also important. In the Fairbanks area, car dealerships prepare vehicles for Interior driving by often ensuring the cars on the lots are equipped with block heaters and battery blankets. Other areas around the state also prepare for winter driving.

That's the case for Eero Volkswagen of Anchorage, which has between 50 vehicles and 100 vehicles on its Volkswagen lot and between 70 and 80 on its Saturn lot.

"We completely winterize our inventory for Alaska winters--meaning that anti-freeze is good to -40 and -50," said Rick Morrison, owner. "Whether it's done at the factory or here; they are ready to roll, when we sell you a car. Today's shopper is a very educated customer; they've done their homework with all the information at their fingertips-you had better be prepared."