Alien Brokers Invading New England!

Several foreign (say, Alien!) brokers are invading New England! Talk about disruptors.

GW Marketing Services has been in business for more than 40 years. We’ve sold hundreds of stores and performed hundreds of valuations. When it comes to dealership transactions, we have seen it all: OEM total interference using ROFR processes, deals growing for 20 pages to 90+, and complex market representation issues. These are situations other parts of the country do not have because in New England we have more stringent franchise statutes in our dealer-flooded marketplace. Not to mention the OEM push to terminate dealers.

I was born into the auto dealer world as the son of a dealer principal. I had a healthy 12+ year career with an OEM responsible for 300 branded dealerships in New England. I started GW Marketing Services to help dealers get the best deal possible after seeing too many get taken advantage of. These were people and businesses I grew up knowing.

In 1980, our first year in business, there was no such thing as a dealership broker. We were the only company in the business for almost two decades.  By 1983, I had developed an auto-industry-specific appraisal technique that has been used industry-wide for decades to produce the most accurate valuations possible.

The point is, no one knows the New England market like we do. New England dealers sell to other New England dealers 95 percent of the time, usually one within a 20-mile radius. Why would a New England dealer looking to sell his business enter an exclusive 4-to-6-month contact and list with an alien broker from outside New England? Brokers from the Midwest, Southwest, or, of all places, the west coast don’t know the buyer like I do.  We maintain an active database of all the dealers in New England, New York and New Jersey, along with thousands of other potential buyers in our system.

Alien brokers shop your store to every other area dealer, whether they’re qualified buyers or not.  How would they know who’s qualified? They’re making phone calls from an office 350 miles away. Word gets out on the street that you’re selling, resulting in employees and managers running scared, damaging your business and its value.

Notably these alien brokers say they have large dealer groups looking to break into the New England market. They make big promises, requiring long term exclusive contracts, and promising you more Blue Sky than anyone ever has before. 

We’re in the least consolidated market in America. A whopping 70 percent of our region is still family-owned businesses that own 1-3 branded dealerships. Let’s be honest. Large dealer groups do not buy modest-sized stores. They’re looking to buy other big groups – stores that are high-volume and will pump out hundreds or thousands of monthly units.  So, nothing happens. You’re stuck waiting in the dark for a magical deal that never comes. Alien brokers collect listings like quarters in a jar, but they’re lucky to close one or two deals in New England annually. Are you feeling lucky? Think you could be the one?

New England can’t be treated the same way as the rest of the country. You need someone local who knows the market and has personal relationships with lots of dealers. We are the someone who can get you the Blue Sky that your store is worth. We are the someone with hundreds of contacts. We hear all the rumors and whispers of who’s looking to buy. We keep the sale and transaction discreet, so your entire management team doesn’t jump ship.

Not all brokers are created equal. While some other brokers may not stay 100 percent devoted to their clients, we stay in touch throughout the whole sales process, and we support our sellers through the closing.  We have brokered the most stores in New England and have the most loyal client base and best reputation of any other broker in the market.

When you’re ready to sell your dealership, contact the deal wizard at gordon@gwmarketingservices.com or 508-395-2500.