JETOUR Auto Alabang is one of the best-rated dealerships under the Chinese marque and its success lies in the combination of this industry power couple: A beauty aficionado and a veteran car businessman
We prioritize aftersales service here. That’s why people say that ours is exceptional. We make sure to take good care of our customers. We get good reviews on the Internet. The concerns nowadays are aired on social media. So, you have to address them right away.
– Dexter Co Managing Director, JETOUR Auto Alabang
They say success is where preparation and opportunity meet. And when an industry veteran with a 20-year experience in the car business, along with his beautiful partner in life and in business, was recently given a chance to put up JETOUR Auto Alabang and–together–manage it, the result was simply magical.
Dexter Co has been in the automotive business of selling cars since 2004, handling distinctive brands such as Chrysler, Dodge, GAC Motor, Jeep, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Morris Garages, Peugeot, RAM, Chery, Foton, KG Mobility, Geely, Nissan and Great Wall Motor throughout the years. The 63-year-old Filipino-Chinese businessman owns about 30 dealerships, including three in Bulacan and one in Cebu.
In 2015, Co met Rachel Villanueva, a young, gorgeous and driven car salesperson who started her career with luxury brand BMW, and eventually Mercedes Benz. Unknowingly, years later, together, they would become an incredible duo.
“At that time, he had 30 aging units of Mercedes Benz. I was able to sell them in just three months,” Villanueva enthused during an exclusive interview with Inquirer Motoring inside her office in Alabang, in which she fondly shares the room with Co.
Now, the 36-year-old female president of JETOUR Auto Alabang would then continue sharing how arduous a task it was for any sales agent to sell aging units of a luxury marque, but–nonetheless–she was able to pull it off in just a short span of time.
“Just imagine disposing 30 units of them,” she heartily recalled. “I think I have the flair for sales.”
JETOUR opportunity arrived
In the early part of 2023, Co shared that JETOUR Auto Philippines approached them and asked if they could put up a dealership in Alabang.
“We already had showroom for pre-owned vehicles in this area at that time,” the dealership’s managing director shared during our three-way interview.
“We just converted to a full dealership here in the South.”
Rachel, being her first time to head such a venture, then cheerfully chimed in, “He asked me why don’t you try to manage a dealership?”
“That’s when this whole thing started.”
Why JETOUR?
When asked why they decided to add another Chinese brand to their thriving portfolio, Dexter said: “There’s a growth in the Chinese brand in the Philippines, which started with MG and Geely.”
“JETOUR came into the picture mainly because of the yuppies and family market,” he added.
“Their cars are priced right. They are very (very) reasonable and very competitive.”
“The vehicles that we love are the JETOUR Dashing and Ice Cream,” Rachel, then, for her part, meanwhile shared.
“When they launched the vehicles here back in May last year, I immediately fell in love with the cars. I knew right then and there that these were going to sell.”
“The Dashing, in particular, looks like a Lamborghini Urus. It’s just so handsome,” she continued.
She added that the vehicle prides itself with top-notch technology with the voice command for the sunroof and windows, not to mention featuring a feather touch steering wheel.
As for the JETOUR Ice Cream, she shared just how lovable the vehicle was.
“It’s just so cute,” she raved. “The Ice Cream is one of the most affordable full electric vehicles out there. It’s just priced at P699,000. The vehicle just stands out on the road,” she further bubbled over, almost giggling while mentioning every word.
Managing beauty and wellness, on top of cars
Last December, the JETOUR Auto Alabang dealership was officially inaugurated. It now sits on an 800-square-meter space at a prime spot at the corner of Commerce Avenue and Corporate Avenue, a stone’s throw away from Festival Mall.
The expansive showroom has space for four cars and features an after-sales area that includes the brand’s parts and other merchandise. What’s fascinating is that the facility is shared with its neighboring Estetika Wellness & Beauty Clinic, which is also run by Rachel, herself.
The former Viva Hot Babe-turned-entrepreneur even prides that the dealership is unique on its own as it’s one of the few dealerships in the country, if not the only one, that has a beauty and wellness center beside it.
Dexter, other than just being her partner, is also her mentor; and shared: “I said to her, if you want to put up a business, first of all, you have to have the heart for it.”
Rachel again chiseled in the conversation, “I’m into kikay stuff, that’s why.”
“And it’s a good combination,” Co, then, replied.
“At least, if you have the passion for it, you persevere. You don’t give up easily. You fight for it.”
Both shared that as where other dealerships have restaurants or pet shops beside it, this one has a wellness center.
“When the husbands go looking for cars, the wives then check their skins or for beauty products,” Villanueva divulged.
“Nagpapaganda muna yung iba,” she even chuckled.
“Here, we have our own team for JETOUR and we have another for Estetika.”
The couple then shared, “It just makes perfect sense.”
Power couple at work
The JETOUR Auto Alabang dealership, according to what most netizens shared on social media, is one of the best-rated JETOUR dealerships in the country, if not the best.
“We prioritize after-sales service here. That’s why people say that ours is exceptional. We make sure to take good care of our customers,” the dealership head honcho said.
“We get good reviews on the Internet. The concerns nowadays are aired on social media. So, you have to address them right away.”
At times, like any other couple, they don’t meet eye-to-eye. That’s when arguments come in.
“When that happens I immediately get out of the room to clear my head,” Dexter shared.
But as a power couple, they make sure to sort things out right away.
Additionally, Rachel believes that being a young female president of a dealership, she still has to learn the ropes.
“I have a lot to learn. But I will get there,” she averred.
“When it comes to decision-making I always consult with him. Businessman talaga siya, serious talaga siya.”
Moreover, according to Rachel, since she’s a people person, she treats people well. “They love me.”
“I believe it’s a combination of my ‘heart’ and Dexter’s ‘brain’,” she continued.
What makes a successful dealership?
Finally, when asked what makes a dealership successful, Co was quick to respond: “It’s the customer experience.”
According to him, in his 20 years in the industry, he was able to learn the two principles in business. First is understanding one’s customer and second, one must ‘over-deliver.’
“‘Over-deliver’ means you do it in the service way,” Co said.
“In our case, you have to pamper them with wellness and aesthetics, then, they buy a car.”
“That’s why we’re a good mix,” referring to Rachel.
For him, it’s his technical expertise on the management side together with Rachel’s expertise on the ground, being a former sales agent.
“We share our thoughts, collaborate, and see results. It’s about grabbing the opportunity of a growing market and taking the risk. In the end, what’s important is that we always focus on the customer experience.”
