An industry on the move. Where does your dealership stand?
Advice from someone who knows the car trade from the inside: 28 years at the board table of the Dutch dealer association, first regionally and later on the national board.
From dealer to agent.
Under the agency model, you no longer own the transaction. The car stays with the importer, the price is set centrally, and you act as an intermediary for a fee.
That means less stock risk and less capital tied up in cars on your lot. But your margin is allocated to you instead of earned by you, and that makes you more dependent on the manufacturer.
At the same time, the whole market is under pressure:
- new brands from China;
- CO₂ targets for manufacturers (CAFE);
- reviews of dealer networks;
- mergers between manufacturers.
Waiting is a choice too.
If you look away, you only start moving once others have set the agenda. If you start the conversation yourself, with numbers and a view of your own, you're in a stronger position.
Your place in the network
How does the manufacturer see your place in the network of the future, and does that fit your own plans?
The conversation with the importer
Level-headed preparation for negotiations, from someone who knows both sides of the table.
Value and transfer
The more your results depend on the importer contract, the more that contract determines what your business is worth. We look at network position and transferable value as one story.
A clear look at where your business is heading.
Book a one-hour conversation with no obligation.
›Book a free introduction Read: From dealer to agent (in Dutch)