January 2010 Subprime Superstar

You worked in traditional automotive retail before coming to Herbies. What prompted the move?
Actually, my brother works for Weld County Garage, the sister company of Herbies … and it just caught my attention. The way that they do business, not only selling cars, but actually helping customers, really caught my eye and that was just something I wanted to be a part of.

What’s the biggest difference for you between doing regular retail and BHPH?
I guess the biggest thing is the ability to help the people that really need help. … When I worked for the other dealerships, the minute we saw somebody that was not capable of getting outside lending sources … it was a race to see how quick you could get them out the door. … Those people need help as well. Most people, with this economy today, are having a hiccup or two along the way, and to be able to help them is … why I really wanted to do this.

You handle many of Herbies’ bankruptcy customers. What is it about that particular segment that interests you?
It’s just something that I really enjoy doing … By the time they come to me, a lot of people have talked to other dealerships and had the door slammed in their faces and come to me scared and thinking that’s going to happen again … Most of them had good credit at one time [but] something significant happened along the way—divorce, medical bills, something like that … I can help them meet their automotive needs and get their life back together and know that there is life after bankruptcy.

What would you say was the biggest challenge for you in adjusting to BHPH after working in traditional automotive retail?
I think the hardest thing for me to understand was that … we’re more of a “needs” versus a “wants” store. A lot of people … hear about Herbies, that they’re a BHPH program, and … come in with the expectation that they can buy anything and everything that they want. You have to explain to a customer that we’re a “need” store, not a “want” store; we’re here to help you, and there are transportation needs versus wants. That was kind of my hardest thing to get through.

What else makes your experience at Herbies different from your previous dealership experience?
When I was at the other dealerships, we were more individualists; here, we do work as a team a lot more. When I worked at the retail stores, it was all about yourself and you didn’t care about anybody else. Here, I get just as much satisfaction at seeing one of my teammates get a deal.

After just over a year at Herbies, about 50 percent of your business is repeat and referral. How have you so successfully built that customer base?
By the time my customer leaves here, I’m on a personal level with them. They’ve got to trust in me before they can trust in the product, so I sell myself first. … When I have the customer right in front of me after I’ve sold them and everything, I try to get [referrals] while they’re hot. I always ask them, “Who else can I help? I want to be able to help somebody else, and … with our referral program I can help you put money back in your pocket … I can help you make your car payment; all you’ve got to do is send somebody to me once a month.” 

Totally random question: It’s a new year. Do you have any resolutions for 2010?
I want to increase my goals a little bit … We are a little bit north of Denver and I was doing a lot of Denver [business], and I’m just going to try to target northern Colorado a little bit better. … My goal for 2010 is to increase my sales in bankruptcy and continue to help everybody out around me.

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