Daryl K. Tabor
The Military Niche: An Often Overlooked Market
A
chilly breeze rustles autumn-colored leaves shed by the umbrella of maples and
oaks lining Main Street and gently whips American flags draped from buildings and utility poles. Throngs of bundled spectators are gathered around the courthouse square as children poke their heads from the crowds, waving miniature stars and stripes. They are there to greet the fresh-faced soldiers, sailors and airmen making their way through downtown alongside grizzled veterans in their signature gold-piping-trimmed VFW and American Legion hats. It's a picturesque Veterans Day scene, as American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and the automobile.
An unofficial sponsor of Veterans Day in towns across the land, the nation's auto industry is even older than the official holiday commemorating those who have served in uniform. And whether sponsoring military-based events or providing the polished trucks carrying aged warriors along parade routes, dealerships are often an integral part of America's celebra- tion of its veterans each Nov. 11 (or Nov. 12, as observed this year). "We
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should be doing something for that person for what they're doing for our country," said Tony Rimas, director of operations at Red McComb's Automo- tive Team in San Antonio, Texas, a city with half a dozen defense outposts nearby and home to one of America's most concentrated populations of cur- rent and former military personnel.
This is a nation that proudly cele- brates its veterans. But scenes like the one described in the opening, though sincere, are fleeting, as most Ameri- cans return the next day to a routine of work, play and appointments. To their own detriment, dealers, too, can be accused of overlooking our nation's heroes. It's largely unintentional and rarely malicious, says one former sol- dier, current auto dealer and published author. For those retailers who fail to
recognize the potential impact of the military on their bottom line, their oversight is someone else's gain.
Numbers don't lie With roughly three million active-duty and reserve personnel cur- rently on the Department of Defense payroll and another 22 million veter- ans, the United States military offers retailers an unprecedented opportu- nity to reach one of the largest and most loyal customer demographics from across a rainbow of socio-eco- nomic factors. "It just makes sense, if there are that many out there," ex- plains Kevin L. Thomas Sr., a retired Army specialist, owner of Auto Super Center in Hinesville, Ga., and author of "How to Make Extreme Profits in Your Used Car Operation."
Kevin Thomas attributes a large part of his lot's success to "having
relationships with lenders who understand the military and have designed programs just for them."