Business of the Month
 

[Article published in the Asian-American Business Journal, Arlington, Virginia]

 

 

Don Beyer:  One Great Idea

By Sue L. Carrington

 

 

“I read once that every business is allowed just one great idea,” says northern Virginia businessman Don Beyer, maestro in the art of selling cars. “For us, it’s customer intimacy. We want to be closer to our customers than any other dealer or business.  And we want them to have a good time!”

 

It’s an idea that’s working well for Don and his 120 employees at his two businesses—Don Beyer Volvo in Falls Church and Land Rover of Alexandria. With the slogan “Customers for Life” at the Volvo dealership, and “Fun—Ever Heard of It?” at the Land Rover shop, they’ve built a business now rated one of the hundred best service companies in America.  And they’ve attracted a large and loyal following.  Customers return year after year, car after car, while the children of today’s buyers will likely come back as tomorrow’s.   

 

In talking with Don Beyer, it’s easy to understand why the public is so enamored.  The term “Renaissance man” comes to mind, for he does many, many things.  And he does them with vitality and commitment.  Managing the family dealership.  Serving two terms as Virginia’s lieutenant governor.  Running a passionate, albeit unsuccessful, race for state governor. 

 

Still, despite working six days a week, Don finds plenty of time to be husband to his wife   Megan and father to their four children. Time, too, to golf at the local greens.  Ski the slopes of Aspen, Colorado. Venture on Land Rover road trips with his customers.  And, come next May, even hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. 

 

Ask him how he does it all, and his answer is humbly stated.  “I’ve been very blessed,” he says.

 

Don Beyer has been part of his family’s business for 24 ½ of its 25 years.   His Dad, Don Beyer Sr., a former NASCAR driver and retired Army lieutenant colonel, founded the Don Beyer Volvo dealership in Falls Church in 1973.  The Land Rover dealership opened in Alexandria in 1997.    

 

Joining the family business was a serendipitous turn off the main road for Don. Diligent and ambitious, with a quick academic mind, he’d first set his signs on being a doctor.  (How quick?  A perfect 800 on the math portion of his college entrance exam says it all.)  In 1972, he graduated with high honors from Williams College in Massachusetts, then returned to the Washington area to attend Georgetown Medical School.  First stop, though, was a summer driving a parts truck for his Dad.  He had so much fun, he decided to stay. “I just fell in love with the car business,” Don explains. “And I never looked back.”   Later, his siblings followed:  brother Michael in 1980 and sister Kathy in 1983.  

 

A self-described “people person,” Don says his work captures his heart because every day brings an abundance of people.  “And an abundance of opportunities to help them,” he adds.  It also brings opportunities to influence the course of the community.   “My business gives me a daily platform for activism and leadership,” he says.   Indeed, evidence of his community involvement is readily apparent.  Through Don Beyer Volvo’s partnership with George Mason High School, for instance, aspiring teens can train as apprentice Volvo technicians.     

 

Defeated in the 1997 gubernatorial race by Republican opponent Jim Gilmore, who ran, ironically, on a “no car tax” pledge, Don admits that losing was painful.  “But the transition back to my business has been pretty painless,” he says.  “Win or lose the election, I always felt I was in a win-win position in my life. Whether it’s in the political arena, as it was then, or the business one, as it is now, I’ve always been motivated to serve.  I’m very fulfilled by my work, and believe I can make a difference in people’s lives.”

 

Locally, Don continues to be concerned about the issues he championed in the 1997 election—strengthening education, reducing crime, and growing the economy.  Globally, he looks for immigration reform. “I’m disappointed with recent legislation that limits the number of people who can come into our country,” he says. “Our technology is advancing so rapidly; American business is desperate for good people with high aptitudes in technology.  Many of the most talented are foreign-born.  Immigration is an important issue to me as an employer and as a citizen committed to cultural diversity.”

 

Indeed, half of the employees at Don Beyer Volvo have come from around the globe—Asia, Africa, and Latin America.  Don himself was born in Trieste, Italy, then a United States protectorate. “ I would not have a business were it not for America’s open doors,” he says.  “And northern Virginia would not have its economic vitality and cultural richness.”

 

In 1999, the family will open a second Volvo dealership near Dulles Airport.  And at the Land Rover dealership, they’ll launch a best-price, no-negotiation policy, or what is known in the business as a “no-obstacle purchase experience.”  The Volvo dealerships are expected to follow suit, starting with their used cars.  “Customers are much happier when they get the best price up front,” Don says, “with no back and forth.  We’re really excited about this new trend in the industry.”

 

Sales are just half of the Beyer business; service completes the picture.  Himself a certified auto mechanic, Don is a stickler for scrupulous repairs.  “Our goal is to fix cars right the first time,” he says.  “If we make a mistake, we meticulously track it so we can continue to improve our processes.”  The dealerships follow an Express Check-In and Check-Out system.  Customers can drop off and pick up their cars any time, day or night.  At the Volvo dealership, for those who arrive during regular business hours, a luxurious stretch limousine serves as courier to and from the nearby metro.   Just another small sign of the company’s “customer comes first” philosophy.

 

As a new generation comes of age, the Beyer family legacy continues.  Son Don, 23, works 20 hours a week with his Dad.  And last summer, 18-year-old daughter Stephanie ran the preowned car department.  Meanwhile, six-year-old Clara and three-year-old Grace can identify most of the cars on Dad’s lots. And wife Megan, a former television journalist, serves as artistic director for the company’s roster of special events, from sumptuous picnics to group road trips. 

 

Walk into the customer lounge of the Land Rover dealership, and you’ll not doubt feel Megan’s touch. The room is warm and inviting, filled with art objects, artifacts, and symbols of the Great Outdoors.  The message is subtle, but clear.  When you buy a Land Rover, you’re getting more than a vehicle.  You’re launching an experience.  And when you deal with Don Beyer, or one of his devoted crew, you’re getting more than a deal.  You’re gaining a friend.    

 

It’s one great idea.