Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Awards
Certification
Timeline
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Gregory S. Schuster

Fredericksburg,VA

Summary

An experienced and accomplished Harley-Davidson Dealership General Manager and General Sales Manager who thrives in a fast paced, high volume environment. Looking for a permanent home where I would have an opportunity to enhance my skills while learning from the best, and helping lead others to do the same. All while working with what I love, Motorcycles.

Overview

20
20
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

President

PowerSport Dealer Solutions
04.2023 - Current
  • Developed strong partnerships with cross-functional teams for improved collaboration and efficiency.
  • Prepared annual budget forecasts and monitored performance to meet organizational objectives.
  • Enhanced company performance by implementing strategic plans and overseeing daily operations.
  • Cultivated strong relationships with external partners to foster collaboration and maximize resources.
  • Drove revenue growth by expanding product offerings and identifying new market opportunities.
  • Delivered operational excellence by optimizing resources, processes, and overall cost structure.

General Sales Manager/Sales Director

Harley-Davidson of Quantico
08.2023 - 09.2024
  • Returned to very different situation than I had left.
  • Focused on inventory reduction some units being over 400 days old and with costs well above retail figures. With the custom side holding over 1.2 million in inventory aged over 180 days.
  • Came up with a strategy to clean up inventory and reduce a massive floor plan and parts bill.
  • Was at 125% of Retail Target in what seemed like a difficult new unit year for most others in the district. Leading to the stores first BAR AND SHIELD AWARD (Silver).
  • Continued all prior duties.
  • Including ensuring everything was in order for our SRL to become a main point.
  • Trained both StoneWall H-D's GM and Old Dominions GM on all of H-D Net. Including training requirements and VOM/ordering.
  • Helped oversee the building process of a new dealership of a sister store under H-D Fuel Program


General Manager

Harley-Davidson of Washington D.C.
03.2022 - 08.2023
  • Turned around a store that was in dismal shape. Resulting in a 80% increase in profit over their best year in business. (They had purchased the store 5 years prior.)
  • Brought my Customer Care mentality to a store who had lost the bulk of its customer base with a -60% CXI score (yes negative), to up over 90%.
  • Revamped the entire Sales and F&I process, along with adding a "customer path" involving the entire store in the purchase process.
  • Hired and Trained key parts of the store's success.
  • Added the "First Come First Serviced Saturday's", to make sure we had a busy energized store when costumers came by. "Activity breeds Activity".
  • Having to run on a very thin budget provided a great opportunity to find creative ways and means to complete any task.
  • After revamping the front of the house. I lived and breathed operations. I recruited and hired 2 additional technicians, and sent all of our technicians to the most training courses the Motor Company would allow. Then I trained and incentivized our service writers. We started to focused on service specials to gain customers, and build the trust back, which had been lost there. That department went from having a wide open schedule, and losing 70k in warranty claims (for not following up on, or completing claims) to being booked 3 weeks out and winning a Platinum Service Award along with a 90 plus % Customer CXI.
  • I helped take that store who was ranked last or 2nd from last in a large Performance Group at my first meeting, to ranking in the top 1 or 2 in most categories in my 4th meeting.
  • Managed a diverse team of professionals, fostering a positive work environment and high employee satisfaction. D.C. customer base was not the traditional core customer and my employees reflexed that.
  • Developed and implemented strategies to increase sales and profitability.
  • Maximized operational excellence mentoring personnel on management principles, industry practices, and company procedures.
  • Managed budget implementations, employee evaluations, and contract details.
  • Drove year-over-year business growth while leading operations, strategic vision, and long-range planning.
  • Increased overall company efficiency by streamlining operations and implementing innovative managerial strategies.
  • Maximized efficiency by coaching and mentoring personnel on management principles, industry practices, company procedures, and technology systems.
  • Monitored financial performance, set budgets and controlled expenses to provide financial stability and long-term organizational growth.
  • Established comprehensive employee training programs to develop skills, improve productivity, and maintain compliance with industry regulations. Including implementing new practices with compliance changes.
  • Directed comprehensive sales efforts to exceed revenue targets consistently while maintaining customer satisfaction levels.
  • Implemented effective cost-saving measures to reduce overhead expenses without compromising quality or service.
  • Managed budget implementations, employee reviews, training, schedules, and contract negotiations.
  • Formulated policies and procedures to streamline operations.
  • Implemented operational strategies and effectively built customer and employee loyalty.
  • Drove the successful execution of numerous large-scale events/promotions while closely managing costs/budgetary constraints associated with event planning/management activities. Including "Rolling to Remember" AKA "Run for the Wall

General Sales Manager

Harley-Davidson of Quantico
01.2018 - 03.2022
  • Lead a dealership that was struggling from 9th in their district (sales ranking report) to the number one store for three consecutive years, and never fell below third after the district was redrawn. We battled BaySide Harley-Davidson (VA Beach) for the first and second largest dealership (in Major Unit volume) in the State annually.
  • Consistently exceeded goals for the departments increasing gross profit by roughly 20% year after year.
  • Took our F&I department from $1100 per copy to over $2400 per copy with a district and regional leading warranty penetration percentage (80% plus).
  • Increased New and Used Units Sales every year. Including exceeding our retail target every year. Culminating in a 36% increase over retail target for 2021. Which gave us our highest allocation ever for 2022.
  • Hired and trained a large sales team with very little turnover.
  • Handled sales training for the three stores in our dealer group.
  • Handled inventory ordering through VOM and allocation for the Quantico and Old Dominion H-D locations
  • Insured that the Sales and F&I departments stayed in the good graces of the motor company and HDFS to maintain VIP and our performance network bonus incentives.
  • When the Motor Company switched to their HD-1 bonus, we were primed to earn the highest possible percentage based on how we had intertwined all of our departments to maximize revenue, and profits. It also allowed us to become more creative with our incentives and "sales" events, growing the involvement of those departments into those events.
  • Kept the Sales and F&I Departments at each store up to date on all training and compliance with the FTC, MVDB (VADA) and the Motor Company, while also achieving the highest possible HDFS ranking to maintain VIP and our performance network bonuses.
  • Maintained our dealership's webpage and internet inventory, as well as handling all Ebay, Cycletrader, ChopperExchange, Facebook Marketplace, and Auction123 advertisements.
  • Increased sales through service consistently year after year. Incuidng adding our "1st come first serve Saturday's".
  • Shopped CRM's and other tools available to keep our team as competitive as possible.
  • Ensured our Sales Team got the most from our CRM by closing all entries daily with detailed notes to ensure there were no issues with follow up.
  • Maintained a near perfect CXI index with new bike purchasers.
  • Handled all forecasting for the department each year.
  • Responsible for all inventory purchasing. This included pre-owned units through NPA and Eastern Powersports. Units purchased off the street. As well as handling all transactions with wholesale units, either to other dealers or to the Auction.
  • Handled floor plan reports and came up with strategies to move aging inventory.
  • Maintained relationships with metric wholesalers leading to higher trade figures on those units and allowed us to close deals other stores could not.
  • Highly focused on value based selling techniques.
  • Handled all dealer exchanges.
  • Help design the customer retention program “V-Twin 4 life” that was a huge success.
  • Handled Customer complaints with promptness and care. As well as handling all departmental issues, complaints, or employee problems. Including any write-ups, and terminations.
  • Handled all government bids and police motorcycle fleet sales for Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, Fairfax, The U.S. Park Police, Capital Police, and The Secret Service.
  • Handled customer relations issues, enabling quick resolution, and client satisfaction.
  • Maintained relationships with customers and found new ones by identifying needs and offering appropriate services. Including staying involved in not just the local but regional riding community.
  • Coached employees in successful selling methods and encouraged cross-selling to drive revenue. This included a sales process that involved other departments early in the process, not just on our "Customer Path".
  • Coached sales associates in product specifications that extended "beyond the brochure", and challenged my teams to be true experts by "learning something new daily".
  • Coached Managers in daily meetings on all incentives and programs, insuring they were all aware and understood them. Also to make sure they were passing along information to their teams as well as refining their selling techniques. This significantly increased revenue, along with the Sales and Service departments customer satisfaction ratings.
  • Identified, hired and trained highly-qualified staff by teaching best practices, procedures, and sales strategies.
  • Reduced operational costs by identifying inefficiencies within the sales process and our tools, and recommending targeted improvements.
  • Enhanced customer satisfaction by delivering personalized service and addressing concerns in a timely manner.
  • Streamlined sales processes for improved efficiency, resulting in higher close rates and shorter sales cycles by having my managers or myself getting involved early and staying involved in the process.
  • Motivated team members to meet and exceed objectives by setting goals, tracking performance on daily basis and implementing improvement strategies.
  • Achieved sales targets consistently by closely monitoring sales performance and adjusting strategies as needed. Staying engaged with managers and team members to ensure we stayed on target. "You cannot conistanty save your month in a week".
  • Implemented effective pricing strategies that balanced profit margins with inventory levels and retail target numbers, while remaining competitive in the marketplace.
  • Maintained extensive knowledge of company products, services and procedures.
  • Negotiated favorable contract terms with vendors and suppliers to secure cost-effective deals on behalf of the company.
  • Cultivated a positive work environment that motivated staff members to exceed individual and team goals regularly.
  • Increased sales revenue by implementing strategic marketing campaigns and fostering strong customer relationships. Along with ensuring we were getting the best possible exposure for our money. Quantifying our investments by revenue results.
  • Expanded market share with proactive prospecting and lead generation efforts pulled from our own "pump in/pump out" reports.
  • Mentored junior staff members, fostering professional growth and development within the organization's talent pool.
  • Streamlined communication channels between sales, marketing, Parts, and service departments to ensure a cohesive approach to insuring our customers have the very best ownership experience.
  • Upheld company policies and implemented standards fairly.
  • Developed a high-performing sales team through consistent coaching, training, and motivation techniques.
  • Built strong relationships and bonds with customers and the community to establish long-term business success.
  • Achieved and established an ongoing reputation of being a dealership that operated at a level well above the industries PG/20 group KPI's.
  • Over saw the building pf a service center and the addition to our SRL "Old Dominion H-D's new showroom.
  • Trained the General Manager of that store.

General Sales Manager

Harley-Davidson of Lynchburg
03.2013 - 01.2018
  • Worked my way from a sales position to F&I manager, to Sales and Business Manager, to General Sales Manager in a very short time.
  • Led the store to 3 Silver Bar and Shield Awards
  • Created their F&I department with nationally ranked warranty penetration and introduced outside lenders.
  • Handled all VOM Orders and floor plan issues.
  • Introduced a “freedom with fences value-based sales process”
  • Attended PG meetings with other dealers.
  • Had extensive training from the motor company from Mark Rodgers Boot Camp classes to H-Ds Back to the Track, and a bunch in between. As well as outside training from Spader, Lemco, and others.
  • Worked with all departments to increase gross profits across the board.
  • Hired and trained sales staff.

Sales Manager

Virgil Naff’s Lynchburg Kawasaki, Yamaha, Sea-doo, Can-am and Syder
11.2005 - 07.2012
  • Works in sales and within 2 years I was promoted to Sales Manager
  • Handled all Sea-doo sales and rentals at our Smith Mountain Lake location.
  • Learned feature-benefit sales techniques.
  • Won Can-Am’s Spyder dealer of the year when it was first introduced.
  • Handled hiring and training of new sales staff.
  • Took my first Lemco class.
  • Increased new super-sport motorcycles sales by 300%
  • Handled all financing through the manufacturers.
  • Handled vehicle ordering and floor plan options.

Education

BA - Political Science/Constitutional Law

Lynchburg College
Lynchburg, VA
05.2015

High School - undefined

E.C. Glass High School
Lynchburg, VA
01.2003

Skills

  • Talones
  • H-Dnet
  • Dealertrack
  • Deallink
  • Menulink
  • Office
  • Dealerspike and DX1
  • NPA
  • COV Fleet Sales
  • Several CRMs
  • Office for Business
  • Google Drive
  • Windows

Awards

Graduated from Lynchburg College with Summa Cum Laude distinction., E.C. Glass’s Only Freshmen to Letter in 2 Varsity Sports (Football and Baseball)., Was a member of Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA), Graduated with a Dental Assistant Certification and License.

Certification

Lemco: Sales Training


Spader: Service/ Business Management


Mark Rodgers : Sales/ F&I/ Sales Management Bootcamps

Timeline

General Sales Manager/Sales Director

Harley-Davidson of Quantico
08.2023 - 09.2024

President

PowerSport Dealer Solutions
04.2023 - Current

General Manager

Harley-Davidson of Washington D.C.
03.2022 - 08.2023

General Sales Manager

Harley-Davidson of Quantico
01.2018 - 03.2022

General Sales Manager

Harley-Davidson of Lynchburg
03.2013 - 01.2018

Sales Manager

Virgil Naff’s Lynchburg Kawasaki, Yamaha, Sea-doo, Can-am and Syder
11.2005 - 07.2012

High School - undefined

E.C. Glass High School

BA - Political Science/Constitutional Law

Lynchburg College

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