If you’re trying to sell cars to prosperous Chinese immigrants, it helps to speak their language. That’s why Justin Gebara, general manager of Columbia Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, in Richmond, B.C., near Vancouver, makes sure he has sales staff who can speak Mandarin and Cantonese. 

But dealerships also have to walk the talk with great service, honest dealing and the best price possible, he said. Gebara, who is guided by the customer-friendly ethos of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, said knowing your local customers is the key. 

When Gebara, 38, joined the dealership five years ago, he also introduced customer-friendly tactics like fixed rate commissions. And every Saturday, he reads every customer review to sales staff, just to stay in touch.