C'mon out of your ivory tower CarGuru Execs.
Come roll up your sleeves and joins us. Come see an industry trying to undo the wrongs from a generation past. Come see us all embrace the internet tools and the culture of transparency. Take a moment and read for yourself how deeply the auto retailing industry has changed:
Is there a Solution for Hiring Sales Professionals for your Car Dealership? | DealerRefresh Spend a few 55hr work weeks with us and see how tight margins have become due in large part to the power of the internet. Sit with us and see how shoppers that have found the lowest price and still WANT to negotiate. Listen and take note how often shoppers "mis-represent" their trade-in for personal gain (how many people tradein a perfectly good car?)
Like you, I am not from this industry, but I am in my 7th year and I've seen this from both sides. The Internet has turned the tide and the gigantic chip on everyones shoulder (against all car dealers) is old news. Sure, there are outliers that look alot like that old car dealer ghost from the 70's, but that crabby ol dealer is on life support.
The real story is all about change... on both sides of the table.
Joe,
I'm with you, today there are many Dealers working hard to dispel the reputations earned by shady practitioners of old but still the parasites like CarGurus who make their living fueling the hatred of us make it hard to love what we do.
I AM the car business and I feed my family and the families of others by selling cars.....yes the families of the "how to buy a car so called experts" are fed because myself and those like me have the fortitude to remain in a business looked down on by so many including the Car Gurus of the world who think that by undermining a business they are somehow holier than thou.
We provide services to people like taking in trade in vehicles we don't even want and get chastised for doing so, how does this make sense? Has anyone ever tried to get a trade in on anything besides a car lately? If I wanted to get a new house could I go into a Real Estate office and pick out my new house, negotiate the selling price (based of what the seller originally paid) then spring my house into the deal and demand some random amount that I claim it's worth based off information from someone who doesn't buy houses? I know we all know the answer, but this is not only what's expected of our industry it's what we provide.
Yes the Gurus of the world may be surprised to learn that sometimes we would rather not even deal with someones run down trade, sure we all need the trades we can resell but am I alone in not even wanting to sit in some of the dirty, worn out junkboxes that people have illusions of value from someone who won't write a check?
Taking trade ins is a service.........how easy we make that service is up to us, but it is a service. Are games, tricks, schemes and nonsense played by some Dealers? Sure, but are REAL checks being written for vehicles we don't even want by Dealers every day? More than games, tricks or schemes....rest assured.
Every blogpost I read from the CarGurus (what a joke) of the world attacking what we do make me laugh......probably someone who was weeded out of our business because they couldn't sell transparently themselves. By never really understanding that the crooks, liars and swindlers of this industry are not the ones they hurt with their nonsense and "car buying advice" it's those of us working hard to change these perceptions that are held back by their "advice".
I think CarGurus should remember that they (like people who WANT to avoid the hassle of selling cars themselves) NEED Dealers to make their company work......they sell themselves as a site for unbiased reviews, but in reality are another mouth being fed by those like me who get car deals done every day.
