Born in Turkey, Eyyüp Kizilkaya arrived in Germany with his family at the tender age of 5. Shortly after finishing school, he went into automotive sales, and he has stayed there ever since. In October 2021 he joined the German Phyron team as Senior Account Executive for the northern and eastern regions of the country.
Hi Eyyüp. So, you found your career path right away, didn’t you?
Yes, indeed. I really love cars and the car business, it’s obviously in my blood. My late father was a master mechanic from Turkey called Opel by his friends because he worked for the Opel dealer in Lübeck.
Working with a Volkswagen dealership some 15 years ago, I came to realize that video would be an excellent way to sell cars. Together with our advertising agency, we started to produce films for several cars, manually. The videos looked great, but the process was hopelessly time-consuming and expensive. So, when I saw what Phyron was doing, it was like taking my own 15 years old idea one great leap further.
And when you had the opportunity to look “under the hood” of the solution, did it measure up to your expectations?
It surely did and not just the current solution. Visiting the development team in Stockholm I was truly impressed with the collective knowledge and creativity, and not least the energy and team spirit. There are a lot of new ideas to be launched in the near future.
Since October you have met and presented the solution to quite a few German car dealers. What kind of response do you get?
There are at least two categories of dealers: Some are rather traditional, others are actively looking for new, usually digital ways to manage new and challenging market realities. I love to work with both these groups. It may take a bit longer to convert the traditionalists. On the other hand, I can make a real difference for them. And, to be perfectly honest, those who don’t see the light within the next couple of years may not survive.
WITHIN THE FIRST SIX WEEKS YOU BROUGHT HOME ONE OF THE BIGGEST DEALERSHIPS IN THE COUNTRY, COULD YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THAT?
The finer business details are between me and my customer, but they sell around 50 thousand cars a year which makes them one of the biggest dealerships in the country. This is not just my doing, of course. The customer is extremely professional, and throughout the onboarding process, I also had great support from the Phyron team.
Who are you when you don’t work?
Like many other people, I like playing golf. But my two main interests are hunting dogs and Marathon running. I have run the Marathon in Istanbul, and several cities around Germany, and I always choose places where I have some personal connection. So now, because of Phyron I must try the Stockholm Marathon, as well. And New York, because … it’s New York.
These interest of mine should surprise no one. My two hunting dogs are of a Hungarian breed that has a Turkish pointing dog (original breed) within the breed.
Immigrants who like running … just like me.
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