42 Business View - January 2016
ness, as well, largely driven by the increased sales of
light trucks, minivans, and SUVs - especially because
of the long-term financing arrangements that deal-
ers have made available for these vehicles, such as
84-month car loans. “A truck person will invest two or
three thousand dollars in after-market purchases, the
first twelve to twenty-four months of ownership,” he
says. “We have financing available, where people can
spend 1,000, 1,500, or 2,000 dollars on their vehicle
and pay for it with no interest and with terms where
the cost is anything from a few to a hundred dollars
a month. They’re able to protect their investment and
keep that car looking like new for as long as they own
it, so that when they do pay it off, in 84 months, if they
want to trade it in, or sell it themselves, the vehicle is
in good shape and it retains its retail value.”
Although Ziebart is not the only player in the market-
place, Baker believes that its longevity, its diverse
product line, and its trusted name, help the brand out-
shine the competition. “There are no national or in-
ternational companies that offer the complete service
lineup that we do,” he says. “Most of our competition
is regional in individual categories that we do business
in. The thing that makes us successful is because of
our wide range of product offerings. When you have
what we have available in our stores, your up-sell and
cross-sell opportunities are fantastic. And because
we’ve been in business since 1959, we are the brand
that people trust. We’re professional and we know
what we’re doing. And we have the solution to meet
their needs to keep their car looking like new for as
long as they own it. And that’s really the proposition
that we operate under and keeps us moving forward,
today.”
PREFERRED VENDORS
Rhino Linings
- Since 1988, the mission of Rhino Lin-
ings has been to develop top quality, proprietary, high
performance polymers. Today, the company is the
Dan Baker, President of Ziebart Corporation
FRANCHISE
