Franchisee Spotlight: Derek Suarez

Hey, Raleigh, NC car buyers

We are pumped to have Derek Suarez serving clients in Apex and Raleigh, NC surrounding areas as well as across the country as a YCBA franchisee! Fortunately, for car buyers in all states, you can easily work with Derek to find, locate and negotiate a vehicle all from your home. Our Zoom/Google calls allow us to communicate face-to-face without having to be in the same room if you like. Our YCBA advocates don’t need consumers to visit dealerships or meet with us in person; in fact, we discourage ever going into a dealership unless you need to test drive. Our goal is to eliminate the wasteful time spent at the dealership; those days are gone.

We asked Derek a couple of questions so you can get to know a little more about him.

Tell us, Derek, what led you to YCBA; what's your story?

I have been in the auto industry for many years. I have worked for the dealer constantly trying to earn the business of clients. Yet with every client, I built the rapport with them, became their voice, listened to their needs, connected, and kept in touch even after the sale was completed. This made me think there has to be a better way that I can work for the client and truly always be on their side. Even being in the industry I know the feeling of being overwhelmed during the process.

So, why didn't you just start your own car concierge?

A lot of prospective franchise owners who reach out say that they’ve had this idea. They do research about how to start a car buying concierge and find us; is that what happened for you? 

Yes! I wasn’t sure where to start! I knew in this industry many aspects are needed, like: advertising and lead generating, acquiring clients, marketing, a CRM system etc. I looked into auto brokers but to me they were still working for dealers in a sense. When I came across YCBA it was exactly what I wanted to do. Everything was in place with a reputation already built.

We really love to hear that, because when we first started YCBA we didn’t know what to do first, second or even third. It took a lot of growing pains and misses, honestly. We had to understand fully who our customer was, how to find them and ultimately how to gain trust in an already sketchy industry. It was a struggle to stay in business. We also needed to learn how to be efficient but thorough in the work to be profitable while providing an elite and personal service our customers would return to again and again.

We love that we can package this business model, support you as you grow and prevent you from going through the same stumbling blocks we experienced.

They can read my reviews on Google and Facebook. They can schedule a call with me to get the ball rolling.

I usually start off by asking how they found me and why they are looking for help. I'm selling a car buying service, but at the same time, I'm also deciding if the person on the other line is right for my services. This is because I know who I am able to help the most and bring the most value to. And I care about bring a lot of value to my clients. So we have a conversation about their car buying or selling goals and talk through what they'd like to accomplish by using my services. It's very personalized. If we decide to move forward, I then explain the next steps.

If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a YCBA franchise owner, download our franchise information report.

About the author

Corrie Rumple

Corrie Rumple

Corrie is YCBA co-founder, content writer, wife to Mike and mom to three.

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