John Hawkins, AB&C president and CEO, said the formation of the new division actually started several months ago when the agency started working with the Price Auto Group, one of the pioneers of the negotiation-free selling process. “Working with Price owner and CEO Warren Price, and COO Michael Price—one of the nation’s authorities on negotiation-free sales—AB&C developed an advertising program that helps customers understand the benefits of negotiation-free auto sales.”

In addition to handling Price Auto Group, with multiple dealerships in New Castle and Dover, Delaware and Salisbury, Maryland, the AB&C auto division also represents other large dealer groups such as the Thomas Auto Family in western Pennsylvania and the Patton Group in Georgia.

Negotiation-free auto sales started in the 1970s and grew about ten years ago when several auto dealers abandoned the traditional sales method of engaging customers in haggling to get the best deal. Instead, the bottom-line price was displayed on the vehicle next to the manufacturer’s “suggested” retail price, and the emphasis was placed on customer satisfaction. The negotiation-free method also changed the culture of the dealership. Instead of paying the sales staff commissions based on selling price, the dealers began to reward the sales team for overall sales volume and producing satisfied customers. Another change was the elimination of the notorious gimmicks used to lure customers into the showroom and sleight-of-hand tricks to close the sale. Negotiation-free has demystified and streamlined the entire sales process to reduce the time and stress associated with automobile purchases.

“Negotiation-free automotive dealerships are different; they should advertise differently,” said Hawkins. “That’s the philosophy of the automotive division of Aloysius Butler & Clark.”