Automobile Middleman Money Maker

This is an unusual service which solves a problem seen in a majority of human beings i.e. Fear of Being Taken Advantage Of. With negligible investment and low costs, this business has the potential to realize huge profits.

This business is about helping people in their search for a new/used car. This service is targeted at people who fall into one of the following categories:

1) Don’t know how to negotiate themselves.
2) Don’t have enough time.
3) Are not aware of the resources for research.
4) Know the resources but do not have patience to do the research and still want the best deal.

This pretty much defines the market for your service and can act as a good categorization of prospective buyers of your service. Hence, your advertisements should be designed to cater to all these categories.

One time newspaper inserts could also help in advertising to people that such a service is available. Since people don’t tend to remember where they read about a particular service, a single page website would help your customers in reaching you. Print concise but attractive pamphlets and distribute them at car service stations and other place having a large influx of people.

The most difficult part of this business is getting clients. Once you have a client and know what his/her requirements are, the actual job is pretty simple and can be described through the following steps:

1) Search for cars, which fit your client’s requirements. The Internet is a good resource for such a search. There are special websites that cater specifically to this subject e.g. www.edmunds.com/. Other resources are local newspapers, classifieds, magazines and of course eBay (www.ebay.com).

Tip: Since you are going to use Internet for your research on every job, you should compile a list of good websites (10 websites should be enough) before hand. Keep changing this list as you find new and better websites.

2) Compile this information into a good format so as to clearly highlight and differentiate various features and price of each car. Two levels of detailing would help enhance clarity and facilitate decision-making. The first level could include only those features that are of primary interest to the client and the second level could go on to reveal each and every detail.

Tip: It’s imperative that you understand all about cars and their features as a first step in this business. The Internet, books, and newspapers (for the latest developments) should be used for developing these skills. www.nadaguides.com , www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=3268648266365&type=author&find=Newbury,+Stephen are good resources. Consumer Reports, www.consumerreports.org is an excellent place to get details too.

3) Present the information to your client and ask him/her to shortlist the ones that he/she would be interested in viewing

4) Arrange viewings by contacting the car owners.

5) Negotiate the price with the owner and help finalize the deal.

6) Collect service fee from your client.

Tip: Take a picture of your client with the car he/she selects. Fit this picture to a frame and present it as a memento to your client along with the invoice for your service.

Tip: Get some customized stickers printed. These should contain your contact details and your website details. Stick the sticker to the front of the picture frame you present to your client.

As your business becomes more popular you could start offering even more comprehensive packages which could include things like inspection by a mechanic, car insurance, and annual maintenance contracts. These services would of course be provided by professionals from the relevant field with you being just a middleman.

The following resources could prove to be useful to you:

1. dealernet.com/
2. www.kbb.com/
3. www.nadaguides.com
4. www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=3268648266365&type=author&find=Newbury,+Stephen
5. www.edmunds.com/
6. www.ebay.com
7. www.consumerreports.org