The trust factor and peace-of-mind are major parts of the foundation of the certified pre-owned business, but they’re also big selling points for why CPO may be ideal for many consumers.

Couple that with the growing importance of transparency and consumer reviews — particularly in today’s increasingly digital auto shopping environment — and it’s clear that reputation awareness and management are vital to CPO success.

Look at Infiniti's top-ranked certified pre-owned store, for example, whose leadership stressed the role positive reputation plays in driving CPO business. 

Steve Camp is executive manager at Infiniti of Naperville, which was the brand’s top-selling CPO dealer in 2014. The store sold 650 certified cars last year.

And as part of our annual “Best CPO Dealers in the United States” special edition this winter, we asked Camp the following:

What role does a positive reputation among consumers play in driving your CPO business? In other words, what impact does the positive consumer experience have on your CPO sales?

“Consumers want a hassle-free experience,” Camp said. “They also want a product and process that they can trust. CPO programs allow transparency and consistency throughout the dealer network. Consumers know that the manufacturer is standing behind the inspection, reconditioning, extension of warranty and special financing, etc.

“We are proof that a manufacturer’s CPO support allows consumers to trust us at an exponentially higher level than a non-CPO dealer,” he continued.

“You might ask how a few CPO dealers outperform their CPO counterparts. It comes down to the second part of your question, reputation. It’s incumbent for CPO dealers to maintain the highest online and off line reputation,” Camp said. “Successful CPO dealers must be efficient, cost effective and transparent. We must deliver what customers want. It all comes back to a hassle free transparent experience with a product and process they can trust.”