Dealers Bid for Qualified Buyers

A Florida car dealer has developed a new Web-based lead referral site that lets dealers bid for access to credit-qualified customers.

Ben Freeland, a third-generation dealer and owner of Harbor Nissan and Naples Nissan, is launching the new enterprise, Auto2Auto.

Dealers pay $25 for the right to bid on leads from StraightAway, a company founded by Freeland in 1998 that helps customers get automotive financing. Only three dealers will be allowed to bid on each customer.

In this case, the lowest bid wins. The bid is the lowest price for which the dealer is willing to sell the car. The customers already have secured financing and have indicated the type of vehicle they are considering. Dealers will be matched with qualified customers considering their brand.

Freeland says the idea came to him when he realized StraightAway was generating hundreds of potential leads. “Here we were, helping hundreds of customers a week get financing and then sending them out on their own to shop for a car,” he says.

“We think this service helps the customer by providing them with a dealer, and we think it helps the dealer by giving them access to customers who are actually in the market for a vehicle.”