The AB&C Auto Communications staff of specialists in direct mail, creative, media and account services will work with the Bill Marsh Automotive Group family of dealerships to develop strategic marketing for trust branding. Using its unique methodology, AB&C Auto Communications will launch a campaign with a series of television and radio commercials. The Bill Marsh Automotive Group is located in Traverse City, Michigan, and is Northern Michigan’s largest auto dealer.

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 sales teams for overall sales volume and customer satisfaction. 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.

AB&C Auto Communications clients include the Price Auto Group, one of the pioneers of the negotiation-free selling process with multiple dealerships in New Castle and Dover, Delaware, and Salisbury, Maryland; the Thomas Auto Family in western Pennsylvania; and the Patton Group in Georgia.

AB&C Automotive Communications is a division of AB&C, a 34-year-old communications agency established in business-to-business and consumer marketing. The agency is one of the largest full-service advertising and public relations agencies in the region and brings a fresh perspective to local, regional, national and international accounts in a variety of industries, including healthcare, finance, technology and tourism. AB&C is a member of the Transworld Advertising Agency Network (TAAN), the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the Advertising Clubs of Delaware and Philadelphia, the Art Directors’ Club of Philadelphia and the American Marketing Association.