To continue the momentum started by our Women in Remarketing and Women in Auto Finance franchises, Auto Remarketing has launched Women in Retail, an awards program that specifically recognizes leaders on the retail side of the auto industry.

This inaugural class of honorees is spotlighted in the July 1 issue of Auto Remarketing, which includes Q&As with each recipient of the award.

Next up is Laura Hutchinson, who is director of business development at CARFAX. 

Auto Remarketing: What was your career path to the retail auto industry? Did you always see yourself in this line of work?

Laura Hutchinson: I’ve enjoyed working in a variety of roles, including public relations, marketing, business development, sales and account management. I’ve also worked in a number of industries, which include government, technology, non-profits and risk management.

My previous experience helped prepare me for my current role where I work with partners that range from start-ups to industry giants. What drew me to CARFAX was that there is a real sense of purpose behind our product and the services we provide. Our trusted information helps millions of people buy, own and sell cars with more confidence.

AR: What are some of the top challenges (and opportunities) in the retail car business this year? How are you and your company addressing those?

LH: CARFAX has leveraged two of our greatest assets: our vehicle history data superiority and our strong, trusted brand. The result is innovative and game-changing products that help dealers connect with consumers throughout the vehicle lifecycle (shopping, owning and selling).

My team is working to help CARFAX partners leverage these solutions for our mutual dealers at the appropriate touchpoints in the sales and service processes. For example, our new CARFAX History-Based Value tool leverages not just the year, make and model of a vehicle, but also the vehicle’s history to provide a value. Our dealer facing partners may include access to this information in their platforms to help evaluate vehicles at auction and for trade-ins.

Consumer facing partners can also leverage this information to help the dealer build trust in their listings with “Great” and “Good” value badges.

AR: What accomplishment or moment in your career are you most proud of?

LH: Securing integration partnerships with many of the top automotive solution providers in the industry. We work with our consumer-facing partners — dealer websites and automalls, for example — to “unlock” the dealer-paid CARFAX Report for our mutual dealer customers. That helps the dealer build confidence and trust with the consumer in the shopping process.

We also help partners with dealer-facing solutions, such as providing our mutual dealers with the ability to access their subscriber accounts. That means that the information they need is available at the right time and place. In other words, it’s right at their fingertips.

AR: What do you enjoy most about working in the auto industry?

LH: It’s the people, without a doubt. Working with so many brilliant, authentic, caring and fun people — both within CARFAX and through our external relationships — has helped me to grow professionally and personally. 

AR: What advice would you have for someone just starting out in retail automotive?

LH:  Always keep the consumer in mind. They want to have confidence and trust in the vehicle that they buy, maintain and eventually sell. Building that trust is what we do at CARFAX.