It’s Monday morning at KADEA, an auto mall in the Tempelhof district of Berlin. Cornelia Melzer has got the morning off so she can take the next step in buying her dream car, the ADAM. The imposing, landmarked showroom of the largest Opel retailer in Berlin is where it all begins, but there’s a surprise in store today. Her usual salesperson has handed over the reins to Tina Müller, a distinguished colleague from Rüsselsheim.
On the spot: At the KADEA auto mall, one of the many German Opel partners that Tina Müller, Head of Marketing, has visited in the past few weeks.
In the past few weeks the Head of Marketing and Board Member has been in several German towns visiting Opel partners. Tina Müller hasn’t just been looking around though; she’s been actively lending a hand as well. As she put it, “I want to gain a better understanding of the business from the dealer’s point of view and get first-hand experience working with customers. For me, being in such close contact with the customer is also part of our ‘Umparken im Kopf’ campaign.”
The marketing specialist had a full program for the entire morning in Berlin. This started at 8 a.m. with the regularly scheduled daily meeting with members of the sales team. It goes without saying that the dealer’s employees used the opportunity to discuss various topics with the Head of Marketing, such as the positive effect the current campaign is having on sales. The visit continued with sales talks and even went on a test drive with a customer who was interested in the Opel Mokka.
Develop a better sense for the Brand
“Visits to dealers are not only extremely important for customer contact. They also help us develop a better feel for the brand,” concluded Tina Müller. From what she has seen, she’s definitely impressed. “The company is back on the offensive. Our dealers as well as our employees understand just how close this brand is to our heart.”
It’s clear that this was a special day for Andreas Nikolaus, Managing Director at KADEA, and his employees. “Tina Müller’s visit was of course a great honor for us and has motivated my team. We took the opportunity to discuss important topics and acquire first-hand information.”
The KADEA dealership has a long history, dating back to 1917 when the Opel plant was built in Tempelhof in 1917. The building was originally designed to house a branch factory before later becoming an official Opel dealership. The AVAG Holding, the largest Opel dealer group in Germany, took over the space in 1993. The company put a great amount of time and money into transforming the venerable brick walls into a light, modern showroom, which attracts many customers from Berlin every day. It’s also the kind of place where you can bump into the Head of Marketing at Opel.