however, the Eleanor model which Akbani mentions was used in the 2000 re-make of Gone in 60 Seconds starring Nicholas Cage, make the car even more popular. “The internet and social media have been a huge con- tributor and extremely important in promoting brand awareness.” Akbani. He goes on to say that it does not generate as much in form of sales, but it does generate brand awareness, that eventually leads to sales, making it an extremely important part of the business. “At any time of the day or night, we have at least 200 people on our site viewing products and interacting with our inventory and 74-76% of those viewers are first time viewers to the site,” Dusman goes on to say, “We are very successful in reaching new customers and expanding the Gateway Classic Cars brand, reputation and inventory to new potential buyers.” Gateway Classic Cars’ website has more than 3.5 million page views per month which is amazing and 10% of those hits are coming from their social media
channels which tell us that Dusman and his team know what they are doing when it comes to connecting and staying engaged with both buyers and sellers of classic and exotic vehicles. The folks at Gateway Classic Cars are no strangers to requests from those in the spotlight. Among the A-list who calls themselves Gateway Classic Cars customers are two-time Cy Young Award winner, MLB pitcher, Johan Santana, singer-songwriter, Jimmy Buffett, NBA legend, Kobe Bryant and award-winning singer-song- writer and actor Lady Gaga, just to name a few. While these celebrities certainly bring-in business for Gateway Classic Cars that exceeds the spending limits of their average clientele of $150,000 - $400,000, Akbani and his team understand that growing the business is not just about selling to celebrities and A-Listers. It is about the relationship that they build with each and everyone of their customers. Whether you are white collar, blue collar, a doctor, a lawyer, a CEO or a celebrity you are treated the same and with
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JANUARY 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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