By Duane Sprague
Clive Skilton moved to the U.S. from England to better
pursue his already successful multi-faceted automotive racing
career. He took a part-time job in Jaguar sales to supplement
his income, and went on to build the Jeep store for Pete
Ellis. Not long after, he became Dealer-Principal of Don-A-Vee
Jeep-Eagle, which grew into the largest in California. With
a location in Bellflower and Placentia, he has expanded
his product line to include Chrysler/Plymouth, Isuzu, Kia
and Suzuki.
Clive has built a national and international brand and sales
organization as a direct result of his motor sports activities.
Q: You have a long and varied history of racing, when did
you get started?
I got started in racing 40 years ago in England with go-carts,
then I got into drag racing, and moved to Southern California
to be closer to the hub of the sport. I then got into the
NASCAR Winston West Series driving a Buick, and later a
Shelby Charger in IMSA.
Q: How did you become so involved with off-road racing?
It was a natural progression. In 1989 we sponsored a Jeep
Cherokee in the Baja 1000. The following year we owned,
drove and sponsored our own Jeep. As a Jeep dealer, I wanted
to race and promote my own products, and turn my love of
racing into a marketing and promotional opportunity for
the dealership.
Q: How have your efforts paid off in regards to marketing
and promoting your dealership(s) with motor sports?
Very well in fact. We now enjoy a national and international
reputation for success and brand image as a result of making
it to the top of our sport (off road racing and off-road
rallies). We now sell parts and accessories into nearly
every state in the U.S., and into several countries world-wide.
Our motor sports program has taken our dealership global.
Q: Wow! Can you explain how you sell around the world.
Yes. As a result of our racing efforts, we have researched,
designed, tested, and fabricated dozens of parts and accessories
to improve our performance in very demanding situations.
These race-proven parts have helped us win trophies, races
and championships. We then created our own direct-mail catalog
of on and off-road performance and appearance parts and
accessories for our product lines. We also created an Internet
catalog and web-site (www.don a vee.com). Our 100 page catalog
is sent to customers and prospects all over the world. And
we now have a thriving mail-order business. Although we
are located in Southern California, our number one state
for sales from our catalog is Pennsylvania. Our retail parts
business thrives, and is growing constantly
Some of the parts we developed include brush guards, skid
plates, under body rock guards, gas can carriers, luggage
racks, and a very unique rear outside tire carrier for the
Grand Cherokee. This tire carrier can easily be attached
without drilling any holes in the body.
Q: Besides fabricating and selling your own line of parts
and accessories, how else has your racing program created
name awareness?
Well, because we are now known as the best in the business
of off-road racing, Suzuki and Kia have both approached
us to build project and concept vehicles for them. Our Suzuki
project vehicle will be on display at the Detroit and Los
Angeles Auto Shows for example. We also built a Race vehicle
for Kia for the Baja 1000. And we consult with Chrysler
Corp. In addition to working directly with the manufacturers,
we also build project vehicles for the many off-road and
sport-utility vehicle magazines. We have had numerous feature
articles with our “How-To” tips and tricks articles.
We also run ads in those magazines for our mail-order catalog.
Q: How else do you use racing to promote your dealerships,
and drive sales?
Beyond the free media coverage we receive on TV, radio,
newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, and beyond our
catalog mail-order business, there are several ways the
racing promotes our business. For example, we have created
an excellent branding and name awareness campaign for Jeep,
for the Don-A-Vee dealerships, and for our catalog business,
and for our own line of parts and accessories.
Also, our race vehicles are on display all year long at
dozens of car shows, car clubs, racing and off-road events,
and at our dealerships.
Another big push for us, is that we get directly involved
with the off-road enthusiasts by offering free educational
and driving classes to our new car customers, the off-road
clubs, and schools. These people all own sport-utility vehicles,
and they are eager to learn about how to get the most out
of their experience, and their vehicles, after the purchase
from our dealerships. When they see how our vehicles and
aftermarket accessories perform, well it goes without saying
that they naturally want them. These grass roots consumer
educational programs also position us as THE experts and
professionals in the field. We are the last word in off-road.
And when you sell sport utility vehicles, that is an excellent
position to hold.
All of these elements combine to create very strong word-of-mouth
advertising through race fans, off-road enthusiasts, and
sport-utility owners.
A very important subject that we have also positioned ourselves
as experts in, is the “Tread Lightly” program.
We teach and support the responsible use of public lands
for off-road use, and we never go outside of the designated
boundaries, or go off the designated trails. Respect and
care for our environment and public lands is a big issue
for us, and all professionals in the field. Besides doing
the right thing, we get a lot of good press from this program.
Q: Are there any other benefits you receive from motor
sports?
Absolutely. From an internal standpoint we have created
very strong employee morale and pride. When you are at the
top of the heap, and you receive so much positive media
coverage, the staff gets very excited and proud to be associated
with the winning team. It reduces turn-over, and it attracts
a much higher level of talent. For example, Danny Cerney
has been with us for five years. He started as a Tech.,
moved into parts, and now he runs our mail-order department.
He also builds concept cars for the manufacturers. Because
of our racing, Danny has the opportunity to help research,
test and develop new parts, that he can then turn into profitable
retail opportunities. We are proud to have such talent,
and we offer an environment of creativity and opportunity
that makes him happy to be here.
Q: From a return on investment standpoint, would you say
that your motor sports program has paid off?
Yes it has. We have created a very big program, and we have
increased vehicle and parts sales as a result. However,
I must give a lot of thanks and credit to our sponsors for
helping us along the way, because without Valvoline, BF
Goodrich, and American Racing Wheels, we would not have
quite the high-profile program we now enjoy. Good corporate
sponsors are crucial to going all the way. And the credibility
and cross-promotion opportunities that good sponsors provide
is very important in leveraging your media and advertising
exposure.
Q: What types of classes and vehicles do you run?
Our biggest program in terms of high-profile is the Score
International Desert Series, where we race a 650 H.P. V-8
Jeep Trophy Truck in the Unlimited Class. This is the top-dog
of off-road racing. We also have a Class 3 Jeep, and a Stock
Production Jeep Class.
