Only 1% Can Pause at the Right Time

• The on-screen point of this video is blunt: only 1% can pause at the right time, so good timing is rare and worth working on.

• In a used car department, the right moment to buy a customer's vehicle is set by the customer, not by your sales calendar.

• Stores that stay in front of owners consistently are in position when that moment arrives, instead of hoping to get lucky.

• Monthly value updates and service drive alerts are practical ways to be present at the right time without being pushy.

The headline on this video makes a short, blunt claim: only 1% can pause at the right time. Mike Crothers, CEO of MOTO(acquire), files this one under odds and ends, so watch his take above first. Below is how the idea of timing shows up for a dealership GM, used car manager, or dealer principal trying to buy more cars from the public.

Every store knows the feeling. A customer you sold three years ago trades in down the street, and nobody on your team knew they were thinking about it. The car was available. The timing just was not yours.

Why does timing matter so much when you acquire used vehicles?

Customers decide to sell or trade on their own schedule. A lease is ending, a family is growing, a repair bill shows up, or they simply see what their vehicle is worth and start thinking. None of that lines up neatly with your monthly objective.

That means the right moment is hard to predict and easy to miss. If you only reach out when your lot is light, you are guessing. If you stay in front of owners in a steady, useful way, you are there when they are ready.

Getting timing right is less about one perfect call and more about being consistently present. Nobody nails the moment every time. The stores that do better simply give themselves more chances to be in the room when it happens.

Staying in front of owners without wearing them out

There is a difference between being present and being pushy. Dealers who hammer customers with offers they did not ask for train those customers to tune out. Dealers who send something genuinely useful earn attention over time.

A few practical ways stores stay in position:

• Share the vehicle's value regularly. Owners like knowing what their car is worth, and it keeps your store top of mind.

• Use the service drive. Customers already in your building are a natural place to start the conversation.

• Make the website trade tool easy. When a shopper is ready on a Sunday night, the tool should be ready too.

• Let your people share their own links. Salespeople posting on social reach owners your ads may not.

Where MOTO(acquire) fits

MOTO(acquire) builds software that helps hundreds of dealers acquire used vehicles from the public. The tools are designed around the idea of being there when the customer is ready.

• MOTO(retain) sends past sales and service customers their vehicle's value every month. Those value tracking emails have a 36% open rate and 99.5% deliverability.

• MOTO(drive) handles service drive acquisition using DMS data and automated texts, pushes VIN and miles to inventory tools, and alerts the sales team when a customer is ready.

• MOTO(convert) is a website trade tool with instant valuations, firm offer requests, and monthly value tracking, and it includes the free buying power tool.

• MOTO(social) gives each person posting on social their own link, with leads attributed in the CRM.

You can browse more short videos like this one in the Odds and Ends topic, or book a demo to see how these tools would work in your store.