This Alabama dealership has been beating employee pricing way before tariffs

"We have to give the customer a reason to even find us since we are in a small town,” said dealer principal Taylor Bentley Conner. (4 min. read)

Author

Anna del Villar
June 09, 2025

Howard Bentley Buick GMC

When automakers started pushing employee pricing promotions because of tariff concerns, dealer principal of Howard Bentley Buick GMC, Taylor Bentley Connor, and her husband, general sales manager Jon Conner weren't impressed. They've been beating those prices for over a decade in their small town of Albertville, Alabama.

Driving the news: Their dealership saves customers an average of 5% compared to traditional pricing—often several thousand dollars per vehicle. It's not a gimmick or a temporary promotion. It's how they've done business for eleven years, and it has turned the store into one of the top GMC dealerships in the country.

"We have to give the customer a reason to even find us since we are in a small town in Alabama," Taylor told CDG News.

Why it matters: Their pricing strategy started as pure necessity. Eleven years ago, Taylor and Jon wanted more trucks from GM, but their small-town location wasn't moving enough volume to justify a better allocation.

The math was simple: if they wanted more inventory, they needed more sales. And if they wanted customers to drive to Albertville, Alabama (instead of shopping locally) they needed to make it worth their while.

"We wanted to earn a little bit more new car inventory, and the only way to do that is to give customers a good enough reason to even consider a dealership in Albertville, Alabama," Taylor said.

So they slashed their margins.

"Yes, they are much lower, obviously, on the vehicle," Taylor admits. "But at the end of the day, we just try to look at the big picture. The faster you turn your inventory, there are so many other ways you can save money rather than solely focusing on gross profit on the front."

Lower floor plan costs when vehicles move quickly. Volume bonuses from GM for hitting sales targets. More service work because every new car needs pre-delivery inspections. It all adds up.

But cutting prices is the easy part. The hard part is making customers feel good about buying a truck from a place they've never heard of. Howard Bentley solved this with personal vehicle delivery. They'll drive your new truck right to your driveway up to 225 miles away for free, and the location ships nationwide.

"Our team's been able to create a digital footprint and presence to bring our story right into those homes in New Jersey and, of course, with an aggressive and attractive offer," explained Jon.

This approach created something highly valuable—customers who tell their friends.

"Our number one source of leads is referrals," Taylor confirms.

The downside is that running this kind of operation can sometimes be a logistical "nightmare," as Jon put it.

"You're actually having to work 10 times harder to make it all work," Taylor says. "Most people would view it as 'you cut the price and then it's all done.' No, you're having to work 10 times harder."

"It's our people who make the difference, from the people washing the cars, getting the cars ready, to all our sales staff and all the way through the dealership," Jon adds.

Bottom line: While the industry debates pricing strategies in the tariff era, Howard Bentley stands as proof that aggressive pricing isn't always a desperate last resort. It can also be a strategic weapon for building sustainable competitive advantages.

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