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An Independent Dealer’s View of Inventory Acquisition and the Road Ahead

Published Date
Author Patrick Janes

In this vAuto Podcast episode, Eric Nelson of Nelson Auto in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, and Patrick Janes, director of business development for Stockwave, discuss how Eric uses technology to efficiently find and acquire the right inventory for his dealership. Eric shares how he blends online and proxy bidding to acquire the vehicles he knows will sell in his market, and how Google helps him track retail trends that inform the amount and type of inventory he needs. Eric also details why he believes, despite 2020’s raft of disruptions, his store will end the year ahead of its retail performance in 2019.

About the Author

Patrick Janes brings more than 30 years of automotive industry knowledge to team vAuto. As the senior business development director for Stockwave, vAuto’s wholesale sourcing solution, Patrick knows firsthand the biggest risk to ROI is buying inventory at auction, having previously managed day-to-day operations for nine years as a dealership general manager. Before his dealership experience, he spent the first half of his career working with dealers across the country in several field offices for an OEM. For three years, Patrick served as a vAuto performance manager, building a solid understanding of customer needs and expectations. He has seen firsthand an exciting new generation of technologically savvy used car managers and owners that find Stockwave saves time and enables a more strategic approach to the acquisition process. Patrick received his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Bradley University. Patrick has served as a lecturer for Northwood University since September 2018. He teaches vAuto Velocity Principles to students enrolled in Automotive Marketing & Management major: Role & Function of the Auto Dealership and Dealership Variable Operations.

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