Consistent success depends on working methodically and ethically! In this post, Car Pal founder Lindsay Graham shares five of the best practices she follows in her day-to-day operations.
- Within my work, I spend a lot of time on the phone. When a dealer says, “I’ll call you back,” I always ask when I can expect the call, and suggest a window within the next hour (or sometime before 5 PM the same day). I always make a suggestion so they are accountable for a call back, because dealers get a lot of interruptions.
- I never pit dealers against each other within a local area. Instead, I build alliances with dealers and promise to stay loyal as long as they are loyal to me, aggressive with pricing, and provide a high level of care. That’s one of my favorite best practices, and ethical dealers appreciate it.
- My team and I stay in very close contact with our clients. When a deal is in progress, even if we don’t get new information as fast as we hope, I touch base periodically with our clients to let them know we are on top of things. We want to reassure them that they remain our priority.
- During negotiations, I don’t become confrontational—instead I prefer to attract flies with honey. If I feel that someone isn’t leveling with me or is treating me unfairly, I find ways to communicate that don’t betray my frustration. The old adage applies!
- If we’re working on a vehicle that is difficult to find, during price negotiations I don’t reveal exactly which vehicle I’m targeting. For example, suppose the client wants a certain vehicle with a certain options package in blue. If only one vehicle is available in blue but three are available in silver, I’ll negotiate for the car in silver so the dealer doesn’t hold the blue car hostage for a higher price. Then I’ll change the color request after we lock in a price.
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