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Owners’ involvement is the key to success at Ace Honda

Spearheading the Operations of any organization is no mean feat. The traits one needs to do well include rapid grasping ability, adaptability and resource management skills- all of which are amply displayed by 29-year old entrepreneur Arjun Malhotra, the young MD at Ace Honda, Noida Sector 11. The maverick entrepreneur looks to follow in his father’s footsteps and take over the dealership business in his own, unique way. 

Arjun’s father Mr. N.K. Malhotra was originally running an FMCG business in Kuwait. Over time, Arjun’s siblings Kunal and Shikhar expressed their desire to do business in India as they were living in Delhi. They looked over a number of ideas until they zeroed upon the idea of an auto dealership, but were not sure which brand to start with. Eventually, this idea started with a Honda dealership 12 years ago, a time when Honda was looking to explode in the Indian market, having made its place. At the time this idea was given to their father, there were already 200 other dealers vying for the same. Kunal and Shikhar impressed Honda due to their presentation skills, and helped Arjun embark on the journey to entrepreneurship. The 29-year old is firmly attached to his roots, which can be seen through expression of gratitude towards his Nana- a person who played a massive role in guiding the brothers as an experienced businessman and professional, making it a rewarding learning experience for them all.

For a business to stand out, it needs to have a certain zing factor, which can be seen through Arjun’s hands-on approach towards the dealership. Over time, he has developed a people-centric approach towards all activities at the dealership. He says, “Until I do not visit the shop floor, understand day-today activities and challenges faced by supervisors and engineers, it is never possible to grow. We as owners need to be completely involved in the business, and that is what we do. It really helps in pinpointing what is going wrong and ensuring it doesn’t happen again. We look to make the staff realize that they have someone to look up to.” He simply does not believe in the approach of simply hiring a professional to act as a General Manager, which may lead to a lack of push. Having realized that at most dealerships, owners are not really involved with the hard work that goes on, Arjun is doubly prepared and demonstrates total owners’ involvement, integral to the success of his business.

One of the main areas where Arjun is closely involved with is after sales. He understands this is an area where quality matters a lot to customers and to Honda. A customer who leaves the dealership needs to be satisfied, for which his team is willing to go above and beyond its means.

Illustrating an example, Ace Honda recently had a visitor who had submitted his Honda City for service and repairs. He was a retired Colonel, and Arjun noticed that his engineer had been speaking to him for more than 45 minutes. Once the engineer was done, he first decided to scold him for having so much time with a single customer. On the contrary, it turned out that this customer had been very friendly, enjoyed interacting here as both his children were abroad, and left being really impressed by the level of service received at Ace Honda. That night, the entire Ace Honda team felt as though they had truly Aced it!

 Maintaining and running a service cum showroom facility that handles 3000+ cars on a monthly basis over an area of 70,000 sq. feet would always have scope for improvement in terms of quality, and Arjun is not shy of admitting the same. A new employee such as a denter, painter, technician or any other person always takes a little long to adjust in any setup- his existing teams are willing to give that time. He believes that if the staff member is motivated enough, given the right amount of time and support, such a person will definitely be able to perform.

 

According to the entrepreneur, when a new employee sees that the company has invested in him, he is likely to be more loyal than others. Respect for an individual plays a major role in providing a happy work environment at Ace Honda. The dealership runs an employee incentive program for all its employees.