The Costco Auto Buying Program allows members to save money on new and used car purchases through their network of approved dealers. Costco touts that they sell 400,000+ cars through this program, which would rank them second in the nation behind publicly traded, AutoNation, for most vehicles sold. So, is Costco a good place to buy a car? Can you get a better deal through Costco? And how does it rank against other buying programs? Tune in to find out.
Surrounded by some of the most accomplished sales and product specialists in the luxury automotive field, Dennis Wisco relaxed in his chair and took a moment for surreal reflection amid the festive and crowded room in Munich, Germany.
Selected to represent his dealership at an event to introduce the Audi A3, Wisco pondered how far his journey has taken him, figuratively and literally, from an automotive industry novice to one of Audi’s best performing salespeople in 18 months.
Wisco is as passionate as he is knowledgeable about present and future trends in the automotive industry. That is no surprise when you learn about the non-traditional route to car sales taken by the Orange County, California native and UC Irvine co-founder of the Rip’em ‘Eaters school tradition. The innovative path he has explored started with college athletics and evolved to automotive retailing.
During his career, Wisco has helped thousands of clients successfully buy, sell, maintain and modify their cars. His knowledge and relationships with dealers and aftermarket shops provide a level of access and knowledge that most car buyers are not granted.
Years before he shared his industry insight– and that of automotive business experts – through his rapidly growing Wisco Weekly podcast, the show’s namesake served as Director of Annual Giving in the UC Irvine athletic department. That is where he cultivated his approach to automotive sales, and the inspiration for launching the automotive business podcast that details the future of automotive through the voices of automakers, transportation professionals and automotive retailers.
“My role at UC Irvine included fundraising and sports marketing and when the time arrived when I ventured into auto sales at a Toyota dealership in 2010,” Wisco said. “I immediately found there are numerous similarities to college sports and the automotive industry, so I applied the techniques I learned at UC Irvine to selling cars.
“When meeting with donors about million dollar gifts, obviously you must be comfortable talking about money, and explaining the benefits of donating those funds,” Wisco added. “Raising money for student-athlete scholarships is a noble endeavor, and I sought to apply this same mentality to car sales. Instead of student athletes, I’m raising money for automotive engineers, allowing them to continue designing and perfecting exceptional products. That is how I found a sense of purpose in the auto industry, and I thrived once I adopted that mentality.”
After one year at the Toyota location, Wisco moved to an Audi dealership where he transformed a new challenge into the next stage of his automotive entrepreneurial endeavors.
“It was intimidating for the initial months at Audi because I was a novice with my knowledge about the products, and my colleagues were advanced,” Wisco said. “I felt like I was in elementary school while everyone else was pursuing their Ph. D.”
In a year and a half, Wisco emerged as one of the dealership’s top salespeople, and he was rewarded with the honor of representing the store for the aforementioned product launch event in Munich. Eventually, Wisco’s original clients returned after three years to return their lease and purchase a new car. Some of those people had another request as well.
“They not only wanted to get a new Audi, but they asked about finding a less expensive yet safe and reliable car for their 16-year-old kid. They wanted to know my recommendations and thoughts,” Wisco said. “That spurred the idea to launch a concierge business to help existing clients buy and sell cars.”
Americans love their vehicles; however, purchasing those vehicles has too often been perceived as a chore. Dealer Visit Experience, the car buying and leasing concierge business that Wisco founded, allowed him to use his industry expertise and dealership contacts to represent clients directly, like a Realtor does for homes.
Wisco finds a vehicle that matches the client’s criteria, negotiates the best possible deal, manages preliminary paperwork and schedules the client’s visit with a DVE-certified product expert at the dealership. The car is prepped and ready to drive home, and all the client does is quickly sign additional paperwork.
When Wisco left the Audi dealership to debut DVE, he developed a niche as an automotive industry source in Orange County. As the months and years passed, the business grew through referrals from existing clients, and Wisco poured time and money into marketing to flourish even further. That is when he debuted Wisco Weekly.
“Eventually, people called me to provide guidance and insight, and not just to buy or sell their car,” Wisco said. “Wisco Weekly started as a podcast for helpful tips about buying and selling, and the audience grew and I became a trusted, unbiased source, I expanded the show to include interviews about the dealership of the future and transportation mobility.
By sharing the voices of automakers, transportation professionals, and automotive retailers, Wisco wants to bridge the science fiction future of transportation with the emotional feelings of buying and owning a car. He is also developing online courses to aid in education towards this end.
Through expanding Wisco Weekly and developing online courses, Wisco is enhancing his role as “a fundraiser of automotive engineers,” the same approach that provided Wisco with motivation and a sense of purpose when he stepped into the Toyota dealership and started his automotive career.
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