CARY, N.C. -

To recognize the dealers leading the certified pre-owned car business, the Feb. 15 edition of Auto Remarketing features our annual special section honoring The Best CPO Dealers in the USA.

We reached out to automakers across the CPO spectrum and requested their respective top 10 certified dealer lists based on full-year 2018 sales.

Auto Remarketing also connected with a handful of these top-selling dealers and asked them about the strategies that made them so successful in the CPO market.

Here's what a few of them had to say, via brief emailed Q&As:

How does your store boost the awareness/understanding of CPO among consumers?

  • “Our store boosts the awareness/understanding of CPO among consumers by constantly training our sales people on the value of a certified pre-owned car. They need to establish what sets a Nissan CPO car apart from just a Nissan pre-owned car. 

    “For example, our salespeople know how to explain the Carfax, service comm. (vehicle history), 167-point inspection process, reconditioning, customer benefits (seven-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty), 24-hour roadside assistance and courtesy transportation.

    “We also certify all pre-owned Nissans that we sell.  A great merchandising plan also creates customer awareness.  We use the point-of-purchase materials that Nissan makes available to us such as windshield stickers and license plates that say ‘certified.’  With this successful, plan not only do we sell more pre-owned Nissans we also have a higher gross profit on the sales and a higher per copy ran in finance.” – Michael Spinazze, General Manager, Sutherlin Nissan of Fort Myers
     

  • “The biggest way we go about boosting awareness about CPO to consumers is training the sales people to explain the benefits and advantage of buying a CPO. Many in the public do not know the benefits of purchasing a CPO. And educating the consumer is important. I think the salesman is the most important part of this for overall bigger CPO sales.” – Bryan Blagg, Used Car Manager, Kia of Irvine

To what degree does CPO serve as an entry for newcomers/aspirational buyers to the Land Rover brand?

  • “The CPO business here at Land Rover Parsippany is an integral part of our sales strategy. Its serves as an effective way to cycle through our Land Rover service loaners quickly and allows many first-time Land Rover owners to ‘step up’ into the brand, primarily on the Discovery Sports and Evoques.” – Bill Gonyea, General Manager, Land Rover of Parsippany

How has the increase in off-lease supply impacted your CPO operations?

  • “The increased availability of off-lease Mazdas has helped us better align our Mazda certified inventory with the demands of our customers. By stocking the right mix of popular models and colors, we’ve been able to drive more customers to the dealership. Having the right mix of CPO inventory has also provided our sales team with a great alternative solution to offer our budget-conscious new-car customers.” – John Hine, John Hine Mazda

How do you raise awareness and educate the consumer about the benefits of CPO at your stores?

  • “Whether customers inquire electronically, via phone of in person, our process of educating consumers about benefits of CPO remains consistent. Customers are informed that:

    – CPO vehicles go through multi-point inspection and reconditioning process
    – CPO vehicles are hand-picked, and only vehicles in best condition qualify
    – CPO vehicles have extended warranty protection
    – CPO vehicles qualify for low-interest financing
    – CPO vehicles come with free maintenance
    – CPO vehicles come with satisfaction guarantee exchange policy.

    “Once consumers choose (to) visit our store and demo the CPO model, we make sure that we practice what we preach.” — Dragan Cvorovic, General Sales Manager, Infiniti Of Gwinnett
     

  • “The story on CPO is simple actually. Whether the customer is here at the store, internet lead or a phone customer, the story is the same — no deviation. Dominating the inspection checklist and educating the value of each component of the checklist is very important.

    “Sharing real-world cost of the investment that was made in each section of the CPO process. Not being afraid to share your R.O. with the customer to give them the added comfort of what was spent — i.e. four tires or two; front brakes or rear brakes; exterior investment cost — is a big factor that plays into CPO, as well.” — Rob Pruett, General Sales Manager, Roswell Infiniti of North Atlanta

The full rankings of the top-selling CPO dealers in the US can be found here