Vistadash and DealerBuilt are proud to announce industry leader, James Klaus, has joined our winning team as Director of OEM Relations. With a robust advertising background partnered with dealership experience James brings a unique perspective to the table.
“I’m excited to help dealers maximize their marketing efforts by using facts and data,” states Klaus, “and I know as a member of the Vistadash and DealerBuilt family, I’ll be given many opportunities to do so, with a broad range of innovative tools and resources at my disposal.”
James Klaus’ journey into the automotive industry wasn’t a conventional path. One day, while selling office supplies, he entered a local Subaru, Audi, VW dealership and upsold the General Manager to a larger order and was offered a job on the spot. While he started on the sales floor, James showed that he was professional., strategically minded, and had an attention for detail and quickly transitioned to the finance office.
Over his 13-year career in retail automotive, James spent time at two dealer groups and held many positions, including Salesperson, Desk Manager, Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, Internet Manager, Finance Manager, and E-Commence Director. His final title in a dealership was simply “Helper” because, as he stated, “My first job is to help remove any obstacles that get in the customer’s way of buying or servicing a car. My second job is to help remove any obstacles that get in the way of the staff being able to sell or service a car.”
James joined Dealer Teamwork as Director of Sales in 2016 and from there became VP of Sales. Shortly after, he was promoted to Chief Sales Officer and made a member of the executive team. While at Dealer Teamwork, James experienced great success and helped grow the company into 12 OEM programs, as well as increase revenue by over 400%.
As a speaker at many industry events, such as Digital Dealers, Internet Battle Plan, Innovative Dealer Summit, several Google events, Mark Tewart’s Leadership and Management Workshop, Stellantis Digital Marketing – Future of Automotive workshop, and David Kain’s Digital Marketing 20 Group, James has had the opportunity to share his vast knowledge and experience with dealers around the country.
“I’m really excited to have James joining the team as he brings a wealth of experience to the digital space,” says Dan Moore, President/COO of Vistadash/DealerBuilt. “With some major partnerships being announced soon, James will have an immediate impact within the organization.”
James is also a dedicated family man with an amazing wife and two daughters. When he’s not helping dealers, you can find James at a Detroit sporting event, on the golf course, or spending time with his family in Montana.
