Exclusive Excellence: Exclusively Bimmers Banks On Its Solid Reputation -

Exclusive Excellence: Exclusively Bimmers Banks On Its Solid Reputation

Dennis Walczuk’s Exclusively Bimmers shop in the Charleston, SC, suburb of Mount Pleasant is a far cry from “the dungeon” that was the back office at the independent repair facility’s previous location. While Walczuk admits the old shop’s less-than-ideal setting definitely lost him a customer or two, he knows that the current facility on Lansing Drive has the opposite effect.

Home to Exclusively Bimmers for the past five years, the shop boasts six air-conditioned bays, generous outdoor parking and a lobby most of us would be comfortable moving into full-time – complete with a giant flat-screen TV, an impressive salt water aquarium, plenty of seating (including a plush massage chair) and a welcoming committee like no other! “People walk right past us and ask where the dogs are,” remarks Walczuk. Shop dog Hoss and his mom are definitely this man’s best friends and it’s obvious the K-9s are one of the keys to what Walczuk calls the shop’s “homey and inviting feel.” 

Trust Matters

Beyond the brick and mortar components, Walczuk has built his business with integrity based on his faith, and it’s the level of trust this 13-year business has fostered in the community that is the real secret to Walczuk’s success. “Our reputation is the thing that we’re most proud of here,” he says. “If you’re honest, people just tell everybody.”

That word-of-mouth approach has worked for the shop as Walczuk claims that a whopping 90% of his new business comes from customer recommendations. “I’ve had people call me who I’ve never met before who say, ‘here’s my credit card, do whatever it takes to fix it,’” says Walczuk. “Customers know we’re not going to sell them something they don’t need and that makes a big difference.”

Because word-of-mouth referrals have been so prominent for the business, Walczuk has ­aggressively backed down from traditional advertising venues. He’s also cut his TV and radio spots and has eliminated his phone book listing. ­Exclusively Bimmers continues to ­advertise in the local paper, and the shop’s website is well organized and is as inviting as the facility itself.

Salaried Satisfaction

Walczuk attributes much of his success to his trustworthy team of 11 well-paid workers — everyone’s on salary including all six techs. “After spending 17 years on commission, I hated the friction part of it; I hated the politics. Everyone’s rushing to get a car done so they can make money on the next one,” recalls Walczuk of his time working in dealerships. At Exclusively Bimmers, techs are able to stay on the job to get it right instead of worrying about their commission checks.

“We’ve removed a lot of the friction that you see a lot of dealerships,” says Walczuk. “I pay well, and I make a lot less than I maybe should, but it means a lot fewer headaches.” This pleasant working atmosphere has fostered longevity with employees that have been at Bimmers for four to 11 years. Walczuk is happy to retain great employees, as he says it’s very hard to find trained mechanics that specialize in BMW.

“I spent 17 years at several dealers, and 99% of what you learn is from working on the cars and you get 1% from going to school,” he explains. “There’s very little training available, that’s why you’ve got to get guys who are fresh from dealers. My last three techs were straight from the dealer, each with five to 18 years experience.”

Taking Stock

While finding the right techs may be a bit of a challenge, Walczuk appreciates the straightforward parts ordering that working exclusively on BMWs gives his shop. “You’re not buying parts for five different cars, which lets us have a huge inventory, so we can usually get the car out the same day.” He says they stock an average of $75,000 in parts, which rotates seasonally based on customer needs.

Finding Balance

Walczuk is one guy who knows how to multi-task and deftly deal with distractions, as he easily juggles answering the phone, replying to employees who call on him, greeting a customer who stops by the shop and giving Hoss a scratch behind the ear.

How does he manage to fit all the pieces of his life and work together in a harmonious way? “My wife makes me go on vacation now, and I don’t work weekends,” he jokes before ­relating the story that made him wake up, smell the coffee and schedule a standing Saturday tee time at his local golf course. He recalls the story of two young women who visited his shop in the same week relating the tales of their workaholic business-owning ­fathers. One of the women lost her ­father after seven years, the other after eight. Walczuk got the message. “After that week, I was never open again on a weekend: people can live without a car on the weekends,” he says. “Life is definitely a lot calmer now, even though it’s very busy.”

When asked about the bottom line, Walczuk is frank, “to be honest with you, we’re very different in that I don’t set financial goals. We just serve the customers and everything takes care of itself, but you’ve gotta have a good system, you’ve gotta be honest and you’ve gotta have a fair price.”

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Funds for Firefighters

On June 18, 2007, in the deadliest fire-fighting disaster since 9/11, nine South Carolina firefighters lost their lives as fire swept through a furniture warehouse collapsing the roof. This group became known as the Charleston 9.

This tragic local story touched Walczuk, and he knew he had to take action. “We don’t do anything to save lives here, so we wanted to help,” he explains. Walczuk approached Mount Pleasant’s local fire department to see what he could do to help. That’s when Walczuk learned that rural fire departments are in the greatest need and often lack the funds to buy the equipment they need to get the job done.

With the shop’s trusty dog Hoss as its poster child, Walczuk began his fund-raising campaign, which is ­anchored by an annual golf tournament. The 2010 tournament is scheduled for August 18, and if you can’t make it to South Carolina to tee up, you can help the cause by ordering up a “Hoss T-Shirt.”

To date, Walczuk and Hoss have raised more than $40,000 for rural South Carolina fire departments. Learn more about the cause at the Equipping Our Heroes website.

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