BMW may be a predominantly male car brand, in the male dominated auto industry, but the General Manager of BMW Toronto is Katie Quinn, a female in her mid-twenties.
Katie has been working in the car business since she was 14 years old. Her father owns Parkview BMW at Leslie and Eglinton, as well as BMW Toronto and BMW Waterloo, and she spent her summers and evenings working her way through every department. The summer before university, Katie was very involved in the dealership, and really learned the ins and outs of running the business. Her favourite area was sales because it was social and she enjoyed talking to people. She always liked to see women come in to buy cars.
After earning a B.COMM in Marketing Management from the University of Guelph, Katie worked as the General Manager for BMW Waterloo. She spent a year learning more about the business and how to succeed on a greater scale. When the BMW 5 Series was unveiled at BMW Waterloo in May of 2010, Katie was one of the hosts, presenting these outstanding new automobiles.
I asked Katie how she is treated as a leader in a primarily male business, not only being female, but also being relatively young.
“People will work harder if they see you work harder,” she says. “I learned that from my father, I saw the respect he received.”
What about the idea that BMWs are mostly for male consumers?
“More women are coming into the brand,” says Katie. “The 1 series is sporty. And women don't need 300 horsepower.”
Katie recognizes that women are still not treated as well as men when it comes to purchasing a vehicle. Younger salesmen tend to treat women differently, and the more attractive a woman is, the better she is treated.
What advice does Katie give to women who are purchasing a car?
- Go for a test drive. You'll never know if you really like the car unless you take it for a spin.
- Choose your payment strategy. Take time deciding on whether you want to finance or lease. A car is a commitment and you have to determine whether you want to take on a depreciating asset or negative equity.
- Never settle on a colour. You have to drive it and love it!
- Don't let anyone push you around. If you don't like the way you're being treated by the sales person, ask to work with someone else or go to another dealership. And never be afraid to say no to the deal being offered.
- Buy at the end of the month or the end of the year. Salespeople have quotas to meet each month as well as for end of year so there may be special offers. You will have more bargaining power and may be able to get a better price.
And what is her favourite driving memory?
“I drove the BMW M Coupe on the Autobahn,” smiles Katie.
Yes, that would be kinda cool.
