CARY, N.C. -

More than 110 dealer principals and other store managers registered to listen to two Pre-Owned Automobile Dealers Alliance members who have enjoyed great success with the CarMark Certified program say how it can benefit a variety of rooftops.

This week’s free edition of the POADA’s Pre-Owned LIVE Webinar series included Graham Edwards, dealer principal of Albany Honda in Albany, Ga., and Ken Champagne, president of Champagne Motor Car Co., in Willimantic, Conn.

Edwards is a fourth generation retailer as his great-grandfather sold vehicles in Texas starting back in the 1920s. He’s been with his standalone Honda franchise operation for 12 years.

“We’re having the same challenges as everyone else — car prices are going up, and customer demands are increasing,” Edwards told Webinar participants.

“We’re using CarMark to fit a niche for our non-Honda used cars. We do a lot certified Honda business, but we couldn’t offer this great of a warranty on our other used cars. That’s what drove me to this program,” he continued.

Champagne has a deep family history in the business, too, one that dates back to the 1970s. He became dealer principal of the family’s Chevrolet store in 2000, but he lost the franchise when General Motors restructured.

“I had to stop feeling bad for myself and find another product to pay the bills in here,” shared Champagne, who turned his former GM store into a lot that sells brands ranging from Porsche and BMW, to Toyota and Honda, as well as domestics.

“Then I read about the CarMark program coming out from POADA. It was just fate because I just fell in love with the product. I saw who was backing the CarMark product so I was very comfortable,” Champagne added.

David Colville, national director of CarMark Certified, went into an in-depth presentation during the free Webinar titled, “CarMark Certified Pre-Owned — A CPO  Program for ALL Dealers,” about program’s benefits, including:

—Administered by EasyCare, a nationally recognized warranty company.
—No franchise fees and no territories.
—Franchise dealers can certify non-OEM units.
—Former franchise and top independents have the franchise feel without the franchise fee.

Some dealers questioned the return they might get through reconditioning vehicles to meet CarMark’s CPO standards. Both Edwards and Champagne quickly dispelled any hesitance about filling their lots with as many certified models as possible.

“If you’re going to take a long-frame perspective on what we do, you’ve got to provide the best possible product. That involves reconditioning that car to its fullest,” Edwards insisted.

“I have this conversation a couple times a month with different sales managers. At the end of the day, if we miss something or something breaks in four, five, six months, we’re going to pay for it so let’s go ahead and recondition the car fully and properly. We want to sell these people three, four or five cars, not one,” he continued.

“I think if you start looking at the dollars and cents, I think that’s when you lose perspective,” Edwards added.

Champagne echoed the points, stating, “If you’re going to be a successful pre-owned dealer, you have to invest into your product. That’s how you actually gross more over the long haul.

“I don’t think the investment has hurt my gross profits at all. I think it’s actually increased my profits by allowing me to sell more cars with more referrals,” Champagne shared.

More commentary from Edwards and Champagne about the benefits of CarMark Certified and POADA shared during the free Webinar presentation can be downloaded here.

Previous installments of POADA’s Pre-Owned LIVE Webinar series that include tips on stocking inventory that turns quickly, dealer compliance and more can be found here.

Furthermore, dealers can download a free, informative white paper created by POADA to find out how a third-party, other-makes-and-models (OMM) certification program can help your dealership sell more and profit more in your pre-owned sales and operations.

Visit www.poada.biz/whitepaper to find out the answers to these and other questions:

—How much money are dealers leaving on the table if they are not certifying all makes and models in their inventory?
—How can franchise dealers certify their other-makes-and-models vehicles?
—What certification options are available for independent and former franchise dealers?
—What should dealers look for in a third-party OMM certification program?

For more information about future Webinars, the white paper and more, contact Marilu McQuilkin at mmcquilkin@poada.biz or (800) 608-7500. And to learn more about free membership in the POADA, visit www.poada.biz/join.