Looking to provide a valuable additional service to your clients? Next Day Auto is a Southern Calif.-based referral service that gives agents and brokers an opportunity to earn a little extra cash and gives insureds the chance to save money when purchasing a new or used vehicle.
The program, which was started in 2002, allows agents to refer clients who are in the market for a new car to Next Day Auto, which sells cars online. Once a client purchases a vehicle, the agent or broker who referred the customer is paid a marketing fee. There is no cost to insurance agents or their clients.
There are other advantages for agents and brokers who use the program, besides the payment that they receive, according to Rick Ashby, founder of Next Day Auto.
“They have the opportunity to retain a customer for a longer period of time and earn the opportunity to get additional business through friends and associates of the client that they’ve provided the service for,” he said.
The program also provides significant advantages to the person purchasing the vehicle, Ashby said.
“Customers are always going to get the best Internet pricing on the vehicle of their choice or best used car pricing based on market demand,” he said. “Also there’s the convenience of not having to deal with people that they don’t know and trying to grind out the best possible deal.”
The car dealers in Next Day Auto’s network have been chosen based on high customer satisfaction (CSI) ratings, exceptional satisfaction ratings with the manufacturer and fairness in their pricing policies.
“We want everyone to have the best possible experience,” Ashby continued. “Obviously from CSI approved dealers customers get the best treatment and the best follow-up. It eliminates the hassle associated with buying a vehicle.”
The process begins when an agent finds out that his or her client is in the market for a new car, generally when that client calls to get an insurance quote. The agent then tells his or her client about Next Day Auto and gets permission to submit the client’s contact information to Next Day Auto. The agent submits the client’s information to Next Day Auto’s automotive network through the company’s Web site.
“It takes less than two minutes for the agent or broker to submit the information on their customers through our network,” Ashby said. “They don’t have to do any follow-up, they don’t have to get involved in the transaction whatsoever. They’re basically providing us with contact information on someone that they’re aware of that’s in the market to buy or lease a new or used car.”
Once Next Day Auto confirms that the client truly wants to purchase a car, the company submits the lead to a dealer in its network. The car dealer then contacts the potential car buyer and goes over all the details of the car, including special financing, any manufacturer rebates, etc. If the customer decides to buy the car, an appointment is scheduled and he or she goes to the dealer, signs documents and picks up the vehicle.
The agent that referred the customer then receives a marketing fee.
Ashby started the Next Day Auto program in 2002 after many of his business associates expressed interest in helping friends, relatives and associates get a fair deal when purchasing vehicles, according to its Web site. Every year, 25 percent of the driving public buys a new or used car, according to Ashby.
“That’s millions and millions of people,” he said.
About 80 percent of Next Day Auto’s leads come from insurance agents, but some leads originate with credit unions and private individuals who come across the company’s Web site.
Next Day Auto is currently only available in Southern California, but Ashby said that all of the key relationships with dealers are in place for the program to become available nationwide in the future.
Agents interested in becoming an associate with Next Day Auto can visit the company’s Web site at www.nextdayauto.com. From the home page, agents should click on the associate link and will be prompted to input their information. They will be issued a producer code and a password that will enable Next Day Auto to keep track of the origin of all leads submitted and ensure timely compensation for the agents.
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