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SPECIAL
ENQUIRER INVESTIGATION:
BIGGEST SECRET IN THE AUTO BUSINESS
How you can save big bucks on a new car
December 10, 2002 — Get a great deal on wheels - simply
by dealing with a fleet manager.
An ENQUIRER investigation discovered one of the best kept secrets
in the auto business: You can save thousands of dollars and a
lot of headaches by insisting on dealing directly with the individual
who handles a dealership's bulk sales.
"It's one of the biggest secrets in the car business,"
Michael Royce, a former car salesman and author of "Beat
the Car Salesman," told the ENQUIRER.
And John Melendez, a top fleet manager for seven years at a Dodge
dealership, told us:
"You're not only going to save yourself thousands of dollars,
but a lot of time and aggravation as well because you won't have
to haggle to get the price down."
Explained Royce: "The fleet manager is not as concerned
about price as the retail sales department because he's selling
cars in bulk."
"The profit margin is much lower on the fleet side and the
fleet manager has got far fewer overheads."
The fleet manager is usually allowed to deal with individual
buyers - and he can close the deal without conferring with a sales
manager:
"But most people don't know about buying from the fleet
department because dealers aren't going to advertise it when they
can get higherprices on the retails sales side," said Melendez.
Working with a fleet manager also makes the car buying experience
quicker and more enjoyable, observed Royce.
"A lot of people don't like buying a car because of the
process they have to go through. They never know if the salesman
is telling them the truth. And then they have to go through a
negotiating game that can take hours. It's a huge hassle."
To deal with a fleet manager do not just walk into a
dealership and ask for him - because you're likely to be steered
into the retail sales department.
"And don't get on the phone and ask to speak to the fleet
manager because there's a little game that goes on at a lot of
dealerships," warned Royce. "Regular salesmen will come
the phone, pretending to be the sales manager, and you'll get
treated like any other retail customer.
"What you do is call the dealership and ask for the name
of their fleet manager, and once they give it to you, then ask
to speak to him."
Once you track him down, he'd be happy to get your business because
he wants to sell as many cars as he can.
Melendez has a website called www.teamfleet.com which people
can access to get the name of a fleet managers at most dealerships.
"Don't expect the fleet manger to give a lot of information
about the car. You need to know exactly what car you want, and
what options you want," said Royce. "You need to do
your homework first."
"Then you call the fleet manager and tell him what you want.
He'll tell you the price on the vehicle - and that's it. Don't
expect him to negotiate with you. There's no haggling.
"You dont have to pay cash. You can still get financing.
The fleet manager will arrange it."
Royce said sometimes you can even buy a used car from a fleet
manager. "It varies from dealership to dealership. The only
way to find out is to call the fleet manager.
- Philip Smith
"FLEET SOLUTIONS" LOOKING TO NETWORK WITH THE BEST
FLEET / INTERNET MANAGERS IN THE COUNTRY TO LAUNCH AN AUTO BUYING
SERVICE FOR FREE, TEAMFLEET.COM
DIAMOND BAR, CA, February 10, 2002—Fleet Solutions has announced
the launch of TEAMFLEET.com, the automobile-Fleetail networking
marketplace. Based in Southern California, TEAMFLEET.com is the
first free nationwide online networking and automotive buying
site to offer real auto buying solutions to dealers and consumers
alike.
TEAMFLEET.COM provides consumers with a direct line of contact
to some of the Best Fleet / Internet Managers in the nation. Participating
Fleet / Internet Managers also use the network to refer their
best clients for makes they don't offer.
TEAMFLEET.COM is free to dealers and consumers but all Fleet
/ Internet Managers who participate are required to give a no-hassle
experience, outstanding and prompt service with competitive pricing!
TEAMFLEET.COM has reserved the right to remove any members at
their discretion.
“Consumers have been led to believe that the Internet buying
services have created a better method of buying a car, but the
truth is, Fleet Managers have been selling cars and trucks at
low Fleetail prices without the hassle way before the Internet!”
explained John Melendez, the company’s founder. “What
the Internet has done, is create a well informed consumer who
can research online, but the reason why the Internet buying services
have failed and will fade away is because most auto buying referral
services or brokers prefer to send their clients to fleet departments,
because there is no one more knowledgeable or better prepared
to help customers special order cars, locate or consummate a deal
without a hassle,” concluded Mr. Melendez.
John Melendez, who is an active Fleet Director, founded the company.
John’s majority of clients come from referrals and repeats.
Many of his clients have enjoyed his buying process and low Fleetail
pricing, but not all wanted to purchase his specific make of vehicle.
So what John did was to research and find other dealership Fleet
departments that could deliver the same level of service for his
referrals. Networking with other Top Fleet / Internet Managers
has been a win-win situation for John. His clients have appreciated
what he did for them, and the other Fleet / Internet Managers
have appreciated the business, so John gets more referrals from
those clients and the other Fleet Managers. John is a firm believer
in “what comes around goes around.”
The Company continues to look for Fleet / Internet Managers who
are committed to a standard of excellence in product knowledge,
customer service and competitive fleet pricing. Those who would
want to participate can enroll on line at (http://www.teamfleet.com/join).
For more information please contact:
John Melendez
Founder - TEAMFLEET
Phone: (909) 833-1046
Fax: (909) 594-1741
johnm@teamfleet.com
Find a TEAMFLEET
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