You Start Negotiating When You’ve F@#ked Up The Sales Process!,,,(UK Dealer Article)

Although we are used car business development specialists and can promise this statement is absolutely true, it is also true in every sales environment, including your new car sales department; and in truth it is not an easy fix, because for many used car businesses there is much to address, in terms of this statement and what it means for your business. 

Rather than exploring the many operational, investment and personnel issues leading to this statement in forensic detail, (this would equate to a “White Paper” on the subject), we thought we would just explore some of the issues within franchised dealerships that lead us to discuss and explore the statement above with the owners and why it is such an important statement, in regard to being prevalent in the case of their used car business. 

Now in order to do this we have to accept one thing and for those that can’t, well this article probably isn’t for you, because the first thing you have to accept goes right to the very heart of your business, the professionals you employ and the way you have structured your business; and it is thus; 

If You’re Negotiating You’re Not Selling! 

Now probably 95% of the people reading this article will take a professional offence at this statement, because they have been fooled into thinking that they employ sales professionals who are then working for a professional sales organisation and in reality, nothing could be further from the truth; in reality most of you are doing exactly the same thing, so it can only be about price! 

So to those who disagree, the 95% living in blissful ignorance, we say this to give you a gift of awareness for free, the first thing we ask sales professionals to appreciate, and it is this; Selling, Negotiating and Discounting are 3 totally different processes, so our only question to you would be; 

So Which One Are You Doing? 

Now the answer to this question runs very deep, right into the professionals employed within your sales department and the operational procedures effecting the way your used car operation, (and your new car department for that matter), is run, in terms of used car stock information, preparation standards and lead times, used car advertising and your used car stock acquisition initiatives, to name just a few. So even if you have sales professionals who are capable of selling, you can fail to provide the operational environment for them to succeed on your behalf. 

Let’s take used car preparation as just one issue; the best sales people in the world will not enable you to return the maximum profit margin from a used car if it isn’t prepared properly; why? Well it is important to remember that if you don’t prepare used cars properly for sale, then you end up both apologising with profit and paying for the preparation twice. In this instance you will be forcing a genuine sales professional to negotiate and discount, skills they will not want to be using. 

However, you need to cover all the bases and it is just as important to remember that you can have the best prepared used car stock holding imaginable, but if you have invested in the typical manufacturer produced sales team made up of lazy order takers, those who are waiting for the phone to ring; well then you are apologising with profit once again. The only difference being that this time it will be for not having the sales professionals required to get you the profit margins that all your other hard work deserves! 

Therefore the title of this post and why it is always true; a business that is “Selling” has the operational procedures required in place to ensure that a team of sales professionals, those that run a diary the like of which we discussed in our recent article; Will You Find A Diary Like This In Your Franchised Dealership? are “Selling” your used car stock, a totally different process to waiting for enquiries and order taking, which will always lead to Negotiating and Discounting; thus why we would say that the vast majority of used car businesses we visit are not employing “Sales Professionals,” they are employing “Order Takers.” 

Now you and your sales team may feel professionally slandered and outraged at this statement, but in truth it’s not all your or their fault, and please allow us to explain the very complex reasons why. To be fair, this is not just a Motor Trade problem, there are very few sales professionals in any trading environment; in fact in every sector sales professionals are very hard to find, and as a consequence, (in the case of manufacturers), they may have just given up and accepted they have to run their business around managing what is known as “Sub Optimum!” 

Now when we say this, we are accepting that you as the owner of the business and the parent manufacturer have made a decision that it is easier to invest in technology and use it alongside marketing to drive new and used car enquiries to franchised dealer networks and have therefore given up on “Selling;” as well as finding and training the professionals required for the “Selling” process. 

Now that is your prerogative and we can see how it has happened; after all how do you train people to do something you don’t know how to do? But the consequences of the decisions to give up on training sales professionals how to sell has resulted in the perilous state of existence you now have to endure; where your total business model is being attacked by independent businesses. Whereas, if you had made the decision to train sales professionals you would not be encountering the genuine business threats you are today, you would have made it impossible for them to target your business model, which they are only doing because they see faults, weaknesses and therefore opportunity; but this is for another article. 

And for those of you with training academies? Well you may be the most at risk, by thinking that you are actually churning out sales professionals, because you are not! Again, before you hurl abuse our way, let us just point out that you can’t train sales professionals in 2 days, at a course run at your academy by someone who has never been a successful sales professional! Worse than this moment of truth is the damage this perception delivers to the staff attending your courses, because after they have left with their “Certificate Of Accreditation” which is really only a “Certificate Of Attendance” we would warn them of this; 

You Can’t Become A Good Sales Professional In 2 Days! A New Suit, A “Certificate of Attendance” And A Demo You Could Be Leasing Yourself, (If You Were Any Good), Does NOT Make You A Sales Professional! 

The thought that you can is totally ridiculous; “Selling” is a highly skilled profession, just like being a lawyer is a highly skilled profession; do you really think that a lawyer goes to law school for 2 days to learn how to practice law successfully? Of course not! 

So our question to the owners of franchised dealerships and the parent manufacturers is this; who are you trying to fool? And the problem is actually deeper than this for most franchised dealer networks, because in practice the majority of manufacturers are setting their networks up to be “Liked” because of their obsession with customer satisfaction and the validation they are seeking from customers, and this is adding to the problem! 

Why? Well the consequences of these policies and the sales departments they have built, is sales people looking to be “Liked” at all costs, because this is the only currency that matters to the manufacturer; so when a sales lead comes through to the dealership, the only concern of the sales person handling this lead is to be “Liked!” And let’s dispel another harmful sales myth right now; 

“People Buy From People They Like!” 

This is absolute rubbish! And if you have set your business up to run like this then you are going to struggle because customers do not buy from people they “Like,” they buy from people they “Trust” and 95% of franchised dealerships, along with their parent manufacturers, are making the fatal operational sales error of setting your business up to be “Liked” rather than to be trusted and then to “Sell!” 

Most of you do this because of two fatal flaws in your thinking, or because two very important pieces of genuine sales knowledge are missing. The first is that no one takes the time to understand what makes people buy, so let us give you some more valuable sales knowledge for free; 

Get Over Yourselves; You Are Running A Sales Operation, Customers Aren’t Coming To You To Find Friends! 

Customers Purchase Emotionally, Then Justify With Intellect! 

Sadly for most reading this article, they will make a decision to not change, to not open their minds to another more successful way, not because it isn’t true but because they find it difficult accepting that they may have things to learn. 

However any of you making up “The 5%” who are curious to explore and discuss the points explored in this article, because you are looking to see how you can make more money from selling used cars, you need only contact Andrew Banning at ajb@autoformance.com or Malcolm Thomas at mgt@autoformance.com in the first instance, in order to arrange a no obligation exploratory discussion. 

Alternatively please feel free to call me on 0044 7796 260261. 

For more information about our services please visit our website at www.autoformance.com  

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Regards. 

Andrew.

Would You Find A Diary Like This In Your Franchised Dealership?,,,, (UK Dealer Article)

As mentioned in one of our recent articles; Why Won’t The Automotive Sector Embrace Entrepreneurial Operators? In this, our last new article before Christmas, we wanted to explore just what the diary of a successful sales professional looks like because these professionals did not become successful by accident; they became successful through a continual process of personal development and hard work. 

We think this is important, not necessarily because the sales professionals within your franchise dealership could not be capable of aspiring to this work ethic and level of productivity, but because they are not being given the chance. All we ask is that you open your minds and are prepared to see how different things could be if only the investment is made in attracting the right talent to your franchise dealership and/or developing the sales talent that is already there. 

The Current Sales Environment; As we work with franchise dealer networks throughout the UK and Continental Europe we are astounded at what we see, in terms of sales professionals and the environments created for them. There is no doubt in our minds that the current situation has developed as a consequence of non-sales based professionals, (those promoted from aftersales and/or accountancy backgrounds), becoming responsible for running dealerships and therefore making decisions that directly impact the sales department within your franchise dealer networks. 

This is not a happy mix, in the same way as getting your sales executives to service and repair cars would not be a happy mix. Now, if you are senior professional from an aftersales and/or accountancy background, please be reassured that this article is not being written to undermine your achievements; rather to caution that making decisions in a highly specialised area of the overall business, (the sales department), and when you have no experience in what is involved, is a flawed process. 

Anyway, expanding on this, (although important), is for another article, probably in January, so we will return to this subject then; but let us finish by saying that unless we understand the weaknesses within the management structure our franchise dealership and the flawed way that operational decisions are being made, then nothing will change. 

So before we look at the current sales environments being created at the vast majority of franchise dealerships, let’s get 2 very important sales based facts out of the way. Firstly; selling is not only about dealing with inbound enquiries, in fact the majority of success will come from out bound generation of sales opportunities; and secondly, the moment your sales professionals are not involved in generating opportunities to do business, their time is being wasted. 

So when we see sales executives checking in new cars off of a transporter and running around doing jobs that could be encompassed in a some else’s or a new role, (and for not much money), we are quite understandably thinking, wow these are very expensive ways of getting these jobs done, whilst no one is generating sales opportunities and/or dealing with customers. 

Another thing we would not recommend; sales executives completing new and used car handovers, (also an expansive subject for another article), because with the technology and the complexity of modern cars a thorough handover, (should that be what the customer requires, but of course not many people ask the customer how thorough a handover they require), can take up to 2 hours. It would still be our recommendation that the sales executive meets the customer on the day of collection and then hands the customer over to another professional to complete the handover process; which by the way is the perfect way of training future sales professionals and getting them used to dealing with customers. 

Now before everyone gets up in arms at this suggestion, for the record, a successful and committed sales professional would happily pay for the handover to be completed by someone else, because they realise that it is an important part of the sales process, but one that they haven’t got time for; and besides this gives them back another 2 hours to be, (guess what), creating more opportunities and selling more cars. 

But let’s move on because the purpose of this article is to look at the diary of a successful sales professional and how they structure their day. However the preamble is important, because unless you understand how much time is currently being wasted and how the sales executives in your franchise dealer networks are operating, what we advise below will be meaningless, because you will say “There Just Isn’t Enough Time To Do All This!” 

To which we will reply, yes, you are right, but only because no one is developing sales teams in your franchise dealer networks to become truly successful and productive, and this isn’t happening because no one within your franchise dealer networks knows how to do this. Why? Well probably because there is no one within your franchised dealership who has developed successful sales professionals. If a large majority of you as Dealer Principals have come from an aftersales or accountancy based background then you will, no doubt, have excellent aftersales and accountancy procedures and operations within your business, because your knowledge can be passed down. 

But, and this is the thing, we all don’t know what we don’t know, and until we stop treating the sales department as the part of the business that technology takes care of, in terms of driving sales, and where no one needs daily managing and development, then your new and used car sales ambitions will always be vulnerable. 

The Successful Sales Professionals Diary; As much as the successful sales professional will look to work to this structure, they also realise that they must remain flexible around the needs of their customers, (note here that we say customers, not the business). This may be a major shift in understanding for some of you running businesses but it is important to grasp the fact that a successful sales professional wants to do what they are good at, all of the time, just like anyone else employed at the dealership. 

However, one thing that will remain a constant is the 5 appointments every day; and by appointments we mean just that; meetings face to face with customers, whether that be a demonstration, an appointment to sign them up, showing them a particular car or a first stage meeting and discussion about changing their car. No doubt some of you reading this will say that this is impossible, and in the current environment you would be right because the current structure is one of dealing with inbound enquiries only, waiting for things to happen, because no one is being taught in how to create outbound sales opportunities. Let’s get one thing straight now; you will never see a diary like the one below from a sales professional dealing with inbound sales enquiries only! 



So in order to make sales people more productive they end up being given other jobs like checking in new cars off of transporters, moving used car displays around and a host of other tasks not associated with selling, because they aren’t busy! Of course they aren’t; they aren’t busy because they don’t have the environment to be, or know how to make themselves busy. 

Without further a-due, (although the structure may change slightly on a daily basis to fit around future appointments), please find below the diary of a successful sales professional; 

• 07:30 AM – 9:30 AM: Follow up emails and developing electronic engagement, (enquiries received via the internet and email that need progressing to the first stage meeting). 
• 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Out bound sales initiatives and campaigns; the generation of future sales opportunities. 
• 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM: 5 X customer appointments, as referred to above.
• 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM: Follow up calls and diary planning for the next day. 

Now we have purposely left this brief in terms of the content and it is supplied to be indicative of how a day in the life of a successful sales professional will look. All we ask you to do is to take this template to the sales departments in your franchised dealer networks to see how the diaries of the sales executives employed compares. Sadly we know that you will find sales executives with diaries that have no appointments in for the day and little clarity on how to change this and to become successful. 

We would caution though, that this is not their fault, expecting sales executives to self-develop themselves and to acquire these skills is folly in the extreme. Without development and sympathetic high quality sales management practices, they are not going to get there and all the technology based selling initiatives you can develop, will not get you to where you need to be. 

Unfortunately one of the most damaging consequences of the last decade of under investment in sales professionals, especially used car sales professionals, is that there have been none making the move into senior management, so these sales skills have been lost from both the sales floor and the management structure. 

Now we appreciate that finding genuinely successful used car sales and management professionals is very difficult for both manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks, we have covered this topic many times, especially in the articles below; 

Do Successful Used Car Professionals Exist For Manufacturers? 

Do Successful Used Car Professionals Exist For Franchised Dealers? 

In reality only a lucky few will be able to employ the genuinely successful sales professionals they require, the rest will need to be developed and trained, and at a time when none of you are running, or have access to, the personnel development and sales training programmes required; whether that be by your own organisation or your parent manufacturer. Luckily though help is at hand; if this post has resonated with you and you would like to know more about our used car business development consultancy and/or our sales training programmes, then we would very much like to hear from you. 

The owners of Autoformance have owned and run successful used car operations and been at the forefront of the development of approved used car business development and sales training programmes for a host of manufacturers and franchised dealer networks. For an exploratory conversation regarding our services and how we can develop bespoke used car business development and/or sales training programmes on your behalf, please do not hesitate to contact one of our Used Car Business Development Directors; Andrew Banning at ajb@autoformance.com or Malcolm Thomas at mgt@autoformance.com 

Alternatively please feel free to call me on 07796 260261.  

For more information about our services please visit our website at www.autoformance.com 

Andrew Banning. 
Used Car Business Development Director.

Used Car Retailing?,,,,, “That’s The Last Thing I Need!” ,,,, (UK Manufacturers Article)

The new car market, like many other markets, is evolving at a frightening pace but we also predict that the pace of change will never be this slow again. Now this subject is a post in itself, one that we don’t want to get into now; besides our core area of expertise is the used car market, a market which becoming more detached from the new car market by the day, and this is creating some operational challenges for manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks. However, this disconnect between the new car and used car markets also presents a “Once in a Lifetime” opportunity for manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks; sadly though we predict that few will grasp this opportunity. 

You may wonder what would lead us to say this, but it is genuine feedback from the used car business development audits that we carried out last year. For many of you reading this article, those with franchised dealer networks currently running “Standard” used car businesses, (i.e. the reactionary used car businesses that disposes of re-registered unsold new cars, ex demos and part exchanges), we have no doubt that you will be in love with idea of having a financially resilient franchised dealer network, (one containing successful used car businesses), but few will take the positive steps to educate themselves and their franchise partners, and then embrace the hard work involved. 

To be fair, part of the problem is how your franchised dealer networks are made up, in terms of your franchise partners and this is expressed in the title of this post, an actual quote from a Dealer Principal running a prestige brand franchised dealership. During our synopsis at the end of our used car business development audit we thought there was much to be positive about, in terms of growing a profitable used car business, but as we discussed the opportunity on their doorstep, (but also the work required to take advantage of this opportunity), that was when we heard him say; “Look the last thing I need is a successful used car operation upsetting the new car business!” So in essence the very last thing the Dealer Principal at this multi million pound facility was going to countenance, was building their used car business! 

As surprising as this quote will be to many, we were not surprised; not because of the individual involved but because of the culture being bred in some franchised dealer networks, especially those owned by PLC’s and the big groups; and because of the way these groups reward their staff and the “Do as we say, not as we do” management style. Now in the past, in the days when the new and used car businesses were more aligned with each other, businesses could get away with generating this environment, but not now. 

And this now presents those smaller businesses, the owner run and small independent businesses run by small groups contained within franchised dealer networks, with an opportunity unlike any other, because the bigger groups, those perhaps with the huge new car allocations, they are not looking at the used car opportunity. No they are still peddling furiously to maintain the balance between leveraging their debt model against their new car business and real estate model, so they are rather preoccupied! 

Unfortunately though there will be some challenges when it comes to the vital education process required, in order for these franchise partners and the parent manufacturers concerned, to be able to take advantage of the used car opportunity. In the main, manufacturers in the UK gave up on the used car business over a decade ago; we suspect that many manufacturers never really enjoyed and/or understood the used car business so when the new car business was “Saved” by the PCP agreement and the cheap interest rates that followed the financial crisis, well many manufacturers then embraced the opportunity to walk away from the used car business forever! 

So those franchised partners looking for used car business development expertise from their parent manufacturer will struggle to find it. We have been in meetings with many manufacturers and in truth, many of you don’t want to embrace the investment required and the hard work involved either; for too many of you used car retailing is just a box that needs to be ticked, so you can then abstain from the responsibility. So at best, if you are to provide any used car business development support to your franchise partners, they might get access to the “One Trick Pony Solution” being offered by some manufacturers, if anything at all. 

This will invariably consist of you providing a day in a room with someone and their whiteboard, someone by the way who has probably never built a successful used car business, because if they had they would know what you should know; that “Sticking Plaster” solutions are not the answer to building successful used car businesses. If your franchise partners really could build a successful used car business after one day in a room with someone and their whiteboard, then everyone would have a successful used car business, because it would be that easy, and the person delivering this content would be so successful that they would own a private island next to Richard Branson’s. 

As with anything in life, the difference between those succeeding and those who are not, will be between those who invest in their education and those who don’t. Over the last decade, the decade when manufacturers and the PLC’s owning vast swathes of franchise dealer networks in the UK, became mainly new car centric in their business offering, others have moved the used car retailing game on, way beyond the experience and understanding of many. 

We have sat in many first meetings with manufacturers and those running businesses owned by the big PLC’s, many of whom we have agreed with that we would not be a good fit moving forward. Not because we can’t help; no on contrary, only because those in the room with us will not accept what is required. Many manufacturers and the PLC’s owning vast swathes of franchise dealer networks in the UK are still looking at the used car opportunity with mind-sets that are 20 years old; all too often they think there is one simple answer, invariably now something technology driven, (“The Emperor’s New Clothes” as we like to call these), or a single focus on one operational issue. 

In reality, (and this in genuine used car market place feedback from the forensic used car business development audits we have carried out over the years), there is no doubt that every franchised dealership in the UK could grow a successful used car business. For many, all they have to do is address the following operational and used car business development investment requirements; 

• Building your entire used car retailing team. 
• Implementing your on-going used car stock acquisition initiatives linked to both your proven used car stock profile and your retail used car sales objectives. 
• Building the financial model and demonstrating the utilisation of the increased level of funding to be employed to your increased level of used car stock, in order to secure the funding required. 
• Enhancing all the operational areas of the entire business required to ensure that all used cars can be retailed in the 60 day investment window of profit opportunity. 
• Understanding and flexing your business to take account of the cyclical demand of the used car market. 
• Designing and delivering your complete used car advertising and marketing campaign; (sales and acquisition). 
• Developing your used car personnel development and training strategy, in order to secure your used car succession plan. 
• Developing the used car enquiry management initiatives required to maximise used car opportunities to do business; including developing electronic engagement into used car sales. 
• Building your used car preparation model to ensure that all used cars are fully prepared and on display within 3 days of arriving on site; 5 days if minor bodywork is required. 
• Fully understanding the principal that in the first 30 days you are retailing for profit and that thereafter you are retailing out of problems or at a loss; and what that means, in terms of setting your business up operationally, if you are to succeed. 

So, unless you as the parent manufacturer or your franchise partners under their own volition, find and get access to the education, knowledge and experience required to deliver the solutions to everything listed above in the first instance, nothing is going to change. But as much as there is much to do, there is also an opportunity for many to secure their future, along with the future of your new car trading model. 

Sadly though, many will just not be prepared to take on what will be involved, in order to develop their used car business, and as much as this creates a tremendous opportunity for the privately owned and smaller franchised dealer groups, the most important decision that they, and you, will make is in who you both choose as your used car business development partners and mentors; as covered in our recent article; Used Car Business Development And The Best Piece Of Advice I Ever Received! 

In this article we explored the importance of realising that your education in the used car business is no different to education in any other business, and the importance of remembering the following at all times; 

You Will Pay For Your Education One Way Or The Other; Either From Your Mistakes Or As An Important Investment In Yourself,,,, It Is Your Choice!,,,,, 

Investing in an opportunity when you feel you lack the knowledge and experience in order to succeed can be daunting, especially when there is little help available for both parent manufacturers and their franchise partners. Luckily help is available; if this post has resonated with you and you would like to know more about our used car business development consultancy and training programmes, because you would like to partner with an organisation of professionals who have faced the challenges of fast paced evolutionary used car markets and know how to develop a successful and profitable used car dealer network programme on your behalf, (in order to keep your new car and total business objectives growing and on track), then we would very much like to hear from you. 

The owners of Autoformance have owned and run successful used car operations and been at the forefront of the development of approved used car programmes for a host of manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks. Those wishing to explore our full range of used car business development and personnel training services, and how we can help you and your franchise partners to make more money from retailing used cars, need only contact Andrew Banning at ajb@autoformance.com or Malcolm Thomas at mgt@autoformance.com in the first instance, in order to arrange a no obligation exploratory discussion. 

Alternatively please feel free to call me on 0044 7796 260261. 

For more information about our services please visit our website at www.autoformance.com 

We look forward to hearing from you. 

Andrew Banning. 
Used Car Business Development Director.

Used Car Retailing?,,,,, “That’s The Last Thing I Need!”,,,, (UK Dealers Article)

The new car market, like many other markets, is evolving at a frightening pace but we also predict that the pace of change will never be this slow again. Now this subject is a post in itself, one that we don’t want to get into now; besides our core area of expertise is the used car market, a market which becoming more detached from the new car market by the day, and this is creating some operational challenges for some manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks. 

However, this disconnect between the new car and used car markets also presents a “Once in a Lifetime” opportunity for franchised dealer networks; sadly though we predict that few will grasp this opportunity. You may wonder what would lead us to say this, but it is genuine feedback from the used car business development audits that we carried out last year. Many reading this article, those currently running a “Standard” used car business, (i.e. the reactionary used car business that disposes of ex demos and part exchanges), will be in love with idea of having a successful used car operation, but few will take the positive steps to educate themselves and then embrace the hard work involved.  

This analysis has led to the quote in the title of this post, an actual quote from a Dealer Principal running a prestige brand franchised dealership. During our synopsis at the end of our used car business development audit we thought there was much to be positive about, in terms of growing a profitable used car business, but as we discussed the opportunity on their doorstep, (but also the work required to take advantage of this opportunity), that was when we heard him say; “Look the last thing I need is a successful used car operation upsetting the new car business!” So in essence the very last thing this thing the Dealer Principal at this multi million pound facility was going to countenance, was building their used car business! 

As surprising as this quote will be to many, we were not surprised; not because of the individual involved but because of the culture being bred in some franchised dealer networks, especially those owned by PLC’s and the big groups; and because of the way these groups reward their staff and the “Do as we say, not as we do” management style. Now in the past, in the days when the new and used car businesses were more aligned with each other, businesses could get away with generating this environment, but not now. 

And this now presents those smaller businesses, the owner run and small independent businesses run by small groups contained within franchised dealer networks, with an opportunity unlike any other, because the bigger groups, those perhaps with the huge new car allocations, they are not looking at the used car opportunity. No they are still peddling furiously to maintain the balance between leveraging their debt model against their new car business and real estate model, so they are rather preoccupied! 

Unfortunately though there will some challenges when it comes to the vital education process required, in order to be able to take advantage of the used car opportunity. In the main, manufacturers in the UK gave up on the used car business over a decade ago; they never really enjoyed the business so when the new car business was “Saved” by the PCP agreement and the cheap interest rates that followed the financial crisis, well they then embraced the opportunity to walk away from the used car business forever! 

So those franchised partners looking for used car business development expertise from their parent manufacturer will struggle to find it. We have been in meetings with many and they just don’t want to embrace the hard work either; for them it is just a box that needs to be ticked, so they can abstain from the responsibility. So at best you might get access to the “One Trick Pony Solution” being offered by some manufacturers, if anything at all. This will invariably consist of a day in a room with someone and their whiteboard, someone by the way who has probably never built a successful used car business, because if they had, they would know that “Sticking Plaster” solutions are not the answer to building successful used car businesses. 

If you really could build a successful used car business after one day in a room with someone and their whiteboard, then everyone would have a successful used car business, because it would be that easy and the person delivering this content would be so successful that they would own a private island next to Richard Branson’s. 

As with anything in life, the difference between those succeeding and those who are not, will be between those who invest in their education and those who don’t. Over the last decade, the decade when manufacturers and the PLC’s owning vast swathes of franchise dealer networks in the UK, became mainly new car centric in their business offering, others have moved the used car retailing game on, way beyond the experience and understanding of many. 

We have sat in many first meetings with manufacturers and those running businesses owned by the big PLC’s, many of whom we have agreed with that we would not be a good fit moving forward. Not because we can’t help; no on contrary, only because those in the room with us will not accept what is required. Many manufacturers and the PLC’s owning vast swathes of franchise dealer networks in the UK are still looking at the used car opportunity with mind-sets that are 20 years old; all too often they think there is one simple answer, invariably something technology driven, (“The Emperor’s New Clothes” as we like to call these), or a single focus on one operational issue. 

In reality, (and this in genuine used car market place feedback from the forensic used car business development audits we carried out over the years), there is no doubt that every franchised dealership in the UK could grow a successful used car business. For many, all they have to do is address the following operational and used car business development investment requirements; 

• Building your entire used car retailing team. 
• Implementing your on-going used car stock acquisition initiatives linked to both your proven used car stock profile and your retail used car sales objectives. 
• Building the financial model and demonstrating the utilisation of the increased level of funding to be employed to your increased level of used car stock, in order to secure the funding required. 
• Enhancing all the operational areas of the entire business required to ensure that all used cars can be retailed in the 60 day investment window of profit opportunity. 
• Understanding and flexing your business to take account of the cyclical demand of the used car market. 
• Designing and delivering your complete used car advertising and marketing campaign. 
• Developing your used car personnel development and training strategy, in order to secure your used car succession plan. 
• Developing the used car enquiry management initiatives required to maximise used car opportunities to do business; including developing electronic engagement into used car sales. 
• Building your used car preparation model to ensure that all used cars are fully prepared and on display within 3 days of arriving on site; 5 days if minor bodywork is required. 
• Fully understanding the principal that in the first 30 days you are retailing for profit and that thereafter you are retailing out of problems or at a loss; and therefore what that means, in terms of setting your business up operationally, if you are to succeed. 

So, as much as there is much to do, there is also an opportunity for many to secure their future. However many will just not be prepared to take on what will be involved, in order to develop their used car business. As much as this creates a tremendous opportunity for the privately owned and smaller franchised dealer groups, the most important decision that they will make is in who they choose as their used car business development partners and mentors; as covered in our recent article; Used Car Business Development And The Best Piece Of Advice I Ever Received! 

In this article we explored the importance of realising that your education in the used car business is no different to education in any other business, and the importance of remembering the following at all times; 

You Will Pay For Your Education One Way Or The Other; Either From Your Mistakes Or As An Important Investment In Yourself,,,, It Is Your Choice!,,,,, 

Investing in an opportunity when you feel you lack the knowledge and experience in order to succeed can be daunting, especially when there is little help available from parent manufacturers. Luckily help is available; the owners of Autoformance have owned and run successful used car operations and been at the forefront of the development of approved used car programmes for a host of manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks. More importantly, we are still trading and running used car businesses in specialised used car markets ourselves. 

Those wishing to explore our full range of used car business development and personnel training services, and how we can help you to make more money from retailing used cars, need only contact Andrew Banning at ajb@autoformance.com or Malcolm Thomas at mgt@autoformance.com in the first instance, in order to arrange a no obligation exploratory discussion. 

Alternatively please feel free to call me on 0044 7796 260261. 

For more information about our services please visit our website at www.autoformance.com 

Andrew Banning. 
Used Car Business Development Director.

The Secret To Used Car Success?,,,, Going Back To The Future!,,,, (UK Dealer Article)

An important article this week for us, as it goes right to the heart of what we have been commenting on for the last 2 years; the complete lack of investment in staff and the lack of desire from manufacturers and many of their franchise partners to attract and retain the best sales talent. 

Not only were the ramifications of this “Race To The Bottom” covered in our recent article; Why Would The Best Sales Professionals Choose The Automotive Sector? I also “Commented” on an interesting post recently from the Managing Director of an automotive specialist recruitment company, expressing his shock at the complete lack of ambition when it comes to staff and the salary structures on offer for sales professionals, and how this is leading to an exodus of staff leaving the industry. 

In truth this sales personnel “Race To The Bottom” started back in the early to mid 90’s when the used car market began being exploited by franchised dealers; a time when, as an aspiring used car professional, I felt for myself how uneasy this business fitted in with the manufacturers new car business model, and it seems that since then many manufacturers have done everything they can to remove the “Dirty Smell” of used car retailing, and all those associated with it, from their franchise model. 

If we’re honest, rather like the Managing Director of the recruitment company, we don’t understand this direction of travel either and we don’t think it is sustainable in the long term. Too many manufacturers and the PLC’s owning vast swathes of franchised dealer networks in the UK are looking to leverage technology, (becoming over reliant on what it can achieve), whilst at the same time churning out ever increasing numbers of polo shirt wearing sales assistants from academies that are run by people, many of whom have never built and run a successful business in their life, but have been on the course! 

The end result being ever increasing numbers of young aspiring sales people posting on their social media and LinkedIn with their “Certificate of Accreditation” (which is really a “Certificate of Attendance” ) from the much vaunted academy, after being sent back to franchise dealer networks; so job done? Well no the job is very unlikely to be done, but strangely there is hope for the automotive sector and for every aspiring sales professional looking for a successful career in sales we have one piece of advice; go and work for a privately owned business! 

We say this because we are unsure of the agenda when it comes to the big PLC’s owning vast swathes of franchised dealer networks in the UK, but that this does not matter; after all if we find it difficult to speak to those at the top, how can an aspiring young sales professional hope to do so? So we advise every young aspiring sales professional reading this and considering a career in the Automotive Sector; choose wisely! Do not be seduced by a company car that you could lease yourself without the tax burden and join the “Gin-Palace” where you will be a small cog in the journey of reducing overheads, (the only way most can now hope to increase profits), before being sold on again by the big PLC, in a strange game of PLC “Real Estate Pass The Parcel” for franchised dealerships! 

So when it comes to your career, sadly most have now given up on training and developing sales individuals, especially used car professionals, because they do not see this as a necessary cost of investment in their business. Aspirational brands appreciate that they can use marketing campaigns to drive as many new car customers as required into showrooms, (customers who have already decided what they want to purchase after researching the process and the new car market on their smart phone), and into the arms of the polo shirt wearing customer handling team. 

Now we appreciate that the new car market is both fracturing and evolving, most of which though is down to the mismanagement of the new car opportunity by manufacturers and their PLC franchise partners, as discussed in our recent article; Why Don’t Franchised Dealers Develop Their Own Business? 

But there is another way; those businesses that are still privately owned or part of small groups are beginning think differently because for them, those with their own money invested in the business, the current model isn’t working. They are beginning to realise that for them, the answers to success actually lie in the past, before the industry tried to fix things that weren’t broken! They are realising that for them investment in staff is critical, for sure they will still send you to the manufacturers academy to get your Certificate of Attendance, (sorry the Certificate of Accreditation), but only because they have too. 

Once you are back, they are more likely to be the businesses that invest in your career because they realise that if they invest in the right people, the staffing requirements and challenges diminish. For those with an ability to build successful used car businesses, you should be welcomed with open arms, because those running and owning individual businesses or small groups should also realise that a successful used car business is the key to their success, so they should be more likely to reward success and tie you to their business. 

We are constantly bemused by our conversations with many manufacturers and the large PLC’s when it comes to successful used car retailing; bemused because many are looking in the wrong areas for the answers to growing their used car businesses, those associated with today and technology. In reality too many are worried about disruptive threats from tech platforms, which really aren’t threats at all, and could be removed from your market in the blinking of an eye, if only those responsible could see the wood from the trees and make the right operational decisions. 

As much as advances in technology have changed our business and can be leveraged in driving success, they are not “The Answer!” Investing in people is the answer, something we explored in our article; A Pivotal Piece Of Used Car Business Development Advice!,,,, And For Free! 

In truth there has been a “Disconnect” between many manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks in the UK, when it comes to successful used car retailing; many now have years of work ahead of them if they are to get their used car businesses back on track. Sadly we predict that short term thinking will mean that many franchised dealerships will continue to miss out on developing their used car retailing potential, (whilst the parent manufacturers continue to miss out on developing successful used car retailing franchised dealer networks), and continue to hand successful used car businesses over to independent used car retailers. 

And the damage that is being done to the business models of franchised dealer networks by the successful independent used car retailers is all encompassing. These businesses are taking used car market share from franchised dealer networks at an alarming rate and will not be giving it back any time soon. It is important for everyone to appreciate that every customer that is sold a used car by these businesses is a customer lost to franchised dealer networks. Sadly not many are grasping this reality nor the fact that these businesses have not become successful by “Re-Inventing The Used Car Retailing Wheel;” because they haven’t. 

They probably just realise that the obsession many franchise dealerships have with the new car market, technological solutions and trying to fix problems that didn’t exist, has handed them a very successful used car business on a plate; the used car retailing door was left ajar and they have burst in. Despite all this and the advantages many manufacturers and franchised dealer networks have given away to the independent used car business, for most reading this article the tide can be turned. But it can only be turned by meeting these businesses “Head On,” leveraging your trading advantages, the right investment and an awful lot of hard work. 

We appreciate that investing in an opportunity when you feel you lack the knowledge and experience in order to succeed can be daunting, especially when there is little help available from parent manufacturers. Luckily though help is available; the owners of Autoformance have owned and run successful used car operations and been at the forefront of the development of approved used car programmes for a host of manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks. More importantly, we are still trading and running used car businesses in specialised used car markets ourselves. 

Those wishing to explore our full range of used car business development and personnel training services, and how we can help you to make more money from retailing used cars, need only contact Andrew Banning at ajb@autoformance.com or Malcolm Thomas at mgt@autoformance.com in the first instance, in order to arrange a no obligation exploratory discussion. 

Alternatively please feel free to call me on 07796 260261. 

For more information about our services please visit our website at www.autoformance.com  

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Andrew Banning. 
Used Car Business Development Director.

So!,,,, Just Who Are The Current Automotive Sector King Makers?,,,, (UK Dealer Post)

Right now there is one skill set in the automotive sector that is more sought after than any other; one professional who possess the skills to secure the trading future of any business they are working in, but one so rare that finding them is becoming impossible and employing them is now becoming eye wateringly expensive! 

But they are expensive for a reason; they know their worth and have the ability to secure your financial future, regardless of what happens in the new car market, because they are the professional who knows how to develop your successful used car business; the business with no limits in terms of the profit it can add to your bottom line! 

Professionals with the ability to walk into your business and know exactly what is going to be required to build your used car business are very rare; rare because it requires an all-encompassing skill-set involving as a minimum;  

• Used car business auditing expertise, in terms of an ability to walk into a business and immediately assess the current strengths and weaknesses of a used car operation; combined with the ability to then go on to construct and deliver the bespoke and appropriate programme of used car business development. 
• The ability to construct and deliver the used car business development programme required, in order to ensure that the used car operation receives the tailored used car development programme that will ensure success, via the achievement of all targets. 
• Constructing and overseeing the used car training and personnel development programme that will take their used car sales team on a path of professional development. 
• Capable of presenting complex business cases for investment in used car development at both franchise dealer and group levels, and at the most senior levels within the organisation; including the overcoming of all objections. 
• Developing and building the strategic relationships required in order to ensure that all used cars returning to the manufacturer and their in-house finance company, (whether that be ex-lease, ex-management cars or cars returning at the end of finance agreements), are supported and either retailed or disposed of via the used car operation. 
• In-depth understanding of the power of technology and how it can be harnessed and leveraged to work in successful synergy with a growing used car operation. 
• Commercial expertise in the used car market as a whole including the fragmentation of the used car market, the changing purchasing behaviour of consumers and the strategies required to successfully develop electronic enquiries to successful sales outcomes. 
• In-depth understanding of the cyclical demand within the used car market place and how that effects budgets, targeting, (both departmental and individual), the utilisation of funds employed to used car stock and the opening used car stock levels required. 
• Commercial grasp and understanding of the effect that the rate of stock turns plays in the utilisation of funds employed to the used car stock holding and therefore overall profitability. 
• Expertise in used car stock acquisition techniques and used car stock profiling, encompassing the ability to build the relationships of supply required to ensure that the minimum used car stock levels required for a growing used car business are always maintained. 
• The ability to build and manage successful used car sales teams, including a complete commercial grasp of what skills to employ and when, in order to ensure that growth and budgeted profits are maintained. 
• Complete commercial grasp and understanding of the symbiotic relationship that exists between used car performance and success in the new car market. 
• Excellent levels of leadership including the ability to build the consensus and strategic alliances required take personnel on a journey of challenging traditional business thinking. 

We know, because we accept that we can’t find enough professionals with these skills for our expansion, that it will prove to be impossible for any business looking to grow used car retailing to find a professional with the skill set above; and be in no doubt, if you are serious about growing your used car business, you will require a professional with the skill-set above to achieve this aim. 

Even, (and it is a big “Even”), if you are able to find a professional with this experience and ability, you must be prepared to break the bank to secure them; on target performance will involve a package well in excess of £100,000:00 per annum; just at the time when the Automotive Sector is one of the worst paying sectors for proven sales and business development professionals. 

And then we come to another issue; the Recruitment and Automotive Sectors as a whole have no idea about what assessing these capabilities involves and therefore has little idea of how to go out and find this professional. Both sectors have not been developing or looking for professionals with these abilities for over a decade now, so have little or no experience in what growing a successful used car business involves and therefore who to employ. 

This leaves any business looking to grow used car retailing with some mighty challenges, and in reality they have only 2 options, both of which will be challenging to pull off! You either go out and try to buy a “Winner” in the knowledge that you are looking for a professional with a skill-set that you don’t recognise, (and neither will any recruitment company), or you look to develop this individual within your business, at a time when no manufacturers offer the training and personnel development programmes required! 

It is amidst this challenging environment that Autoformance have built a new used car business development offering; The Virtual Used Car Business Development Director. This unique service is designed to give our clients access to the highest levels of used car business development acumen and experience, without the associated costs of having to find and employ this increasingly hard to find professional on a full time basis. 

A service where we will build a bespoke contract for services around your specific used car business development aims and objectives; when we will then work alongside you at your business for an agreed period of time, developing and mentoring your staff, implementing all that is required to deliver on the objectives and to make more money from retailing used cars. 

This flexible onsite approach will result in us working as your embedded used car business development partners, where we will share in your success; and when the contract is delivered, leave you with the personnel and used car business required, upon which you can then build your further growth in the used car market. 

We can offer this service, (something that is unique in the industry), because we are used car professionals who have built hundreds of successful used car businesses; we know exactly what is required to deliver used car success and increased profits to your business and we know that no other training company in Europe, regardless of their size and stature, can offer this service; and why! 

They don’t have the professionals with the experience required within their businesses, those who can walk into a used car business and know exactly what will be required to drive it forward! We do, and we can guarantee all our clients that those who work with you are successful used car and business development professionals who became consultant’s, so used car professionals who have spent their careers succeeding in building successful used car businesses, not just teaching! 

If you would like to understand more about our unique Virtual Used Car Business Development Director service, (or indeed any of our used car business development and personnel training programmes), and how we can help you make more profit from selling used cars, you need only contact Andrew Banning at ajb@autoformance.com or Malcolm Thomas at mgt@autoformance.com in the first instance, in order to arrange a no obligation exploratory discussion. Alternatively please feel free to call me on 0044 7796 260261. 

For more information about our services please visit our website at www.autoformance.com  

I look forward to hearing from you.

Andrew Banning.

Why Would The Best Sales Professionals Choose The Automotive Sector?,,,, (UK Dealer Article)

As we continue to publish our articles focusing on this year, a conversation we had recently with a young sales professional has forced us to change the order of publication; due entirely to the fact that it stopped us in our tracks and made us think, “Hold On They’ve Got A Point!” 

Not only that, it is a point that should resonate with everyone in the Automotive Sector, especially those running franchised dealerships and/or those in charge of securing the future succession plans within businesses, and it is an issue that we have covered many times in articles such as those listed below; 

Do Successful Used Car Professionals Exist For Franchised Dealers? 

A Pivotal Piece Of Used Car Business Development Advice!,,,, And For Free!,,, 

However, this was so shocking that we felt it needed to be revisited again because the question asked of us was as follows, and we quote; 

I Want A Career In Sales But From What I’ve Seen The Automotive Sector Is The Last Place I Should Go!,,,,, Am I Missing Something? 

Now before you all get upset and dismiss this sentiment, it is a very important point for everyone to consider because it was voiced by a young professional looking to plan their future and their professional development plan in sales, and it brings home how many manufacturers and their franchise partners are now looking for technology to drive sales and then enter a “Race To The Bottom” in terms of the quality of the sales professionals they look to acquire. 

So we decided to look at this issue in finite detail; every one of our associates has a successful new and used car sales career behind them and across all sectors of the market; those who take the time to look at my profile will see that I started my sales career with BMW in the late 80’s, my co director at Autoformance, owned a business retailing in excess of 10,000 used car s per annum during the same period, so I think it is fair to say that we are sales professionals at heart. 

So we asked ourselves one simple question; 

If It All Went Wrong, Would We Go Back To A Sales Career In The Automotive Sector? 

Now when we explored this and looked at the options, we began to understand why young sales talent, and by this we mean genuine talent, are not considering a career in the Automotive Sector. Now in order to start this process of understanding I think it is important to start with how successful sales professionals think and what it is they are looking for in a role, because if you understand what makes a successful sales professional tick, you can attract the best talent. So let’s appreciate just what the DNA of a successful sales professional looks like, in terms of their abilities and their personality, and we can assure you that the successful sales professional will include the following personality traits and skills; 

• They are big personalities, so are not shrinking violets to manage. 
• They are mercenary in their approach and are driven by monetary rewards.
• They know that they can sell anything; the mistake employers make is in not realising that this is true. 
• In their minds they are effectively self-employed, so do not need managing; this is an important point to grasp so don’t over think the management process. 
• They look for products in demand and environments with effective operational systems and accurate information flows to leverage. 
• They will look to leverage customer information and data to secure sales.
• They are not “Battery Hens” so don’t put them into this environment; they will work in ways that you don’t recognise, just because you don’t recognise their working patterns does not mean that they are not the most effective and productive. 
• 6:00 – 9:00 AM is a very productive time for the successful sales professional, who has completed 3 hours of following up, emails and other sales related work before the rest of your staff have finished their first coffee, so don’t drag them into a pointless sales meeting every day. This time is necessary to continue building the sales funnel of opportunities because for the rest of the day, guess what; their diary is full of appointments! 
• They know their place in the world and know their worth! Sales is a progressive career and they will always be looking to move on the next challenge, so make the most of them whilst they are there and ensure you are producing the professionals to replace them when they eventually leave. 
• In fact, begin to question why a sales professional hasn’t moved on after 3 years! 
• Success should dictate that they are the highest paid professionals in the organisation; do not baulk at this when this happens, try to focus on the money they are making you, not what you are paying them! 
• Rather like a sports team; the teams with success at their core attract the best talent and the best talent will never be part of a team that doesn’t share their ambition and ability to succeed! 
• They are not interested in reducing profit margins due to ineffective management of the product; it takes just as much skill to sell a car with no profit in it as it does one with a big margin. If they wanted to deal with “Cost of Franchise” issues they would be on a path towards being a Dealer Principal, so try to appreciate that sales professionals will not sell cars without reward! 
• A demo that they can lease themselves and a low basic salary are not reasons for genuinely successful sales professionals to join your organisation; in fact the majority of successful sales professionals don’t want a demo, (and the associated personal tax liability), and would also take a higher commission structure, foregoing a basic salary. 
• You are not doing them any favours! The successful sales professional tends to not put down roots, they are not afraid to embrace new challenges and can secure a new opportunity within 24 hours.

Now we are not sure that many franchised dealer networks or the associated parent manufacturers look to actively employ people with these personality traits, in fact we can’t think of the last time we met a sales professional with these traits in a franchised dealership, or a manufacturer’s organisation. 

As covered in greater detail in the previous articles listed above, a lot of franchised dealer networks have gone for the polo shirt wearing customer handling role, in terms of their sales departments, delivering the absolute best in customer service, paying people on the basis of their customer satisfaction reviews and listen; we get this, for your new car model in buoyant new car markets, when you have generated desire in the product and are at the beginning of new and exciting model launches, this can work and be a way to reduce staffing costs. 

Unfortunately, this is the staffing model for when the sun is shining, not when the skies darken, and more importantly, this will not be the staffing structure you require to grow used car retailing and secure your new car trading model; something covered in numerous articles and too big a subject to go over in greater detail again here. 

So when we looked, what did we find? Well it was shocking; in most franchised dealer networks today, (not true for all but certainly the majority), the employment landscape is as outlined below, so please take some time to digest because then you may begin to understand why your business and the Automotive Sector as a whole, is not attracting the very best sales professionals. 

• Although basic salaries have increased, (slightly), OTEs have actually come down since the 80’s for successful sales professionals! 
• This leaves the Automotive Sector paying successful sales professionals at half the salary they can achieve in other sectors, especially the technology sector. 
• Most franchised dealer networks are too reliant on the new car model and are losing control of this business to tech disruptors. 
• This leaves sales professionals with too many masters! Ask yourself a question from their point of view; just who is in charge, the manufacturer, their employer who owns the dealership or those working at tech disruptor platforms like Carwow? 
• Too few of you are successful at used car retailing, leaving earnings potential at the mercy of the cyclical cycle of the new car market, economic cycles and too vulnerable when product ranges age. 
• There is far too few programmes of personnel development that can take those wanting a career, on a development path that is fit for purpose; no manufacturer in the UK has a used car career development scheme that is fit for purpose! 
• The problems only get worse for those wanting to progress into management roles where the salary disparities with other sectors are even greater. 

So there you have it! A snap shot of the industry and how you are trying to attract the best sales talent. For those of you, (almost undoubtedly not from a sales background), who are now in positions of seniority and decision making and feel that technology will come to the rescue, be warned, technology is not the answer, it is just a tool to be utilised by the best human beings you can attract to your business. 

Unless the tide is turned and you begin investing in people again, for most there will be severe consequences; having dispensed of important operational skills such as stock disposal, used car stock acquisition and used car business development, many reading this article are not going into the current trading conditions with the expertise required to survive and then continue to grow. Sadly, in some cases, there is a tangible employment model of envy present, where people in positions of seniority actively don’t want to pay sales professionals what they are worth; most recently experienced when we were discussing plans for growing a business with the owner only to hear them say; “I don’t like sales people!” 

Now to put this into context, this was a dealership with massive problems with overage used car stock and sales rates falling off a cliff; interestingly all the sales executives had come from a non-selling background and were not being professionally developed! In reality unless attitudes change at the business, and quickly, without deep pockets and the ability to write off about £150,000 from the value of its used car stock holding, it probably will not survive what is coming to the automotive sector. 

Another thing that is interesting is how other sectors allow their sales professionals to work and we wonder who in the Automotive Sector will be brave enough to embrace the working environments that some sales professionals work in now. Many sectors paying far higher salaries than the Automotive Sector have looked at associate models for sales teams and embraced flexible working at home and around the business. They have grasped that as the work-life balance necessities change, so have working environments and the traditional model of expecting sales professionals to be tied to desks for 10 hours is looking a little like a public school from a Charles Dickens novel. 

But one step at a time, the sector as a whole is missing and not developing the skills required to succeed in the used car sector, on top of not attracting the best talent, so sooner or later something must change. Unfortunately few of you are likely to be able to draw on the skills, experience and foundations required to deliver this change, and moving forward you must either attract the best talent, be developing the best talent or preferably looking to do both alongside each other. 

Now we appreciate that finding genuinely successful used car sales and business development professionals is very difficult for both manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks but luckily help is at hand. If this post has resonated with you and you would like to know more about our used car business development consultancy and training programmes, because you would like to partner with an organisation of professionals who have faced the challenges of fast paced evolutionary markets and know how to develop a successful and profitable used car business on your behalf, (in order to keep your new car and total business objectives growing and on track), then we would very much like to hear from you. 

The owners of Autoformance have owned and run successful used car operations and been at the forefront of the development of approved used car programmes for a host of manufacturers and their franchised dealer networks. For an exploratory conversation regarding our services and how we can develop bespoke used car business development and consultancy programmes on your behalf, please do not hesitate to contact one of our Used Car Business Development Directors; Andrew Banning at ajb@autoformance.com or Malcolm Thomas at mgt@autoformance.com 

Alternatively please feel free to call me on 07796 260261. 

For more information about our services please visit our website at www.autoformance.com 

Andrew Banning. 

Used Car Business Development Director.