Dealership spotlight: how Deals on Wheels grew from a Facebook page to a multi-million business

Started as a Facebook page in 2018, Deals on Wheels quickly took its place in the car market in Lithuania. 6 years later, they’re among top 15 biggest dealers in the Baltics, with a combined revenue of 40 mln. euros.

Laurynas Bogusevicius, the CEO of Deals on Wheels, isn’t your typical business owner. With tattooed arms, a t-shirt, and a big smile, he doesn’t strike you as someone who built a company selling around 1,000 cars every year. “It was not easy to get where we are, but we managed to achieve this through communications and customer service,” explains Bogusevicius. The Lithuanian shares his unusual business story and strategies for finding their audience.

Accessible on Facebook 24/7

“If you use some communications channel, you must do it for a reason,” says Bogusevicius. In the early days of his company, he would write long posts on Facebook about cars and engage with readers. By employing a unique tone of voice, he quickly became known as an automotive expert, which helped his business kick off.

Deals on Wheels grew their audience organically without spending money on advertising. The company started investing in Facebook ads only last year. While the popularity of Facebook is shrinking worldwide, it still brings Bogusevicius lots of clients.

The same can’t be said about Instagram and TikTok. “At the time, Facebook seemed like a logical choice, as you could reach a wide audience. Now Instagram is more popular than Facebook. However, it’s not for us, because pretty pictures aren’t enough to sell a 50,000 EUR car. TikTok is for killing time, and it’s mostly used by young people. Our customers are over 30 – they still use Facebook actively,” explains Bogusevicius.

When it comes to customer service, Bogusevicius has a unique approach. The company can be contacted on Facebook Messenger 24/7, meaning customers can expect an immediate response even in the middle of the night. “We try to answer our clients within 2 hours. If I see that none of my employees have answered a message, I occasionally do it myself. There’s no point in having a Facebook page if you’re not employing it,” says Bogusevicius.

Podcasts as a marketing channel – yes or no?

The CEO of Deals on Wheels admits that in order to grow and stay ahead of competitors, businesses need to find new communication and marketing channels. At the moment, the company is actively searching for podcasts in Lithuania with whom it could do paid integrations.

Many people listen to podcasts attentively, giving businesses an opportunity to deliver their message and reach new customers.

Bogusevicius plans to test several podcasts by using a promo code for car purchases and see which of them brings the most customers. “You need a strategy for every channel you use. And dealers shouldn’t be afraid to change that strategy if it doesn’t work,” explains Bogusevicius.

The company takes inspiration from Lithuanian tech companies that use similar business practices and employ various podcasts to attract new customers. While these types of podcast integrations are common in the tech industry, the tactic is new in the Lithuanian automotive industry.

Building reputation with carVertical reports

A big part of the Deals on Wheels business comes from finding cars for their clients upon request and then importing them to Lithuania. The company doesn't keep vehicles in stock, making imports more time-sensitive, and therefore riskier.

To avoid cars in poor condition, the company checks the history of every vehicle on carVertical. “We use carVertical at least 40 times per day. It allows us to perform a basic check and evaluate if the car is worth the bargain,” says Bogusevicius.

Many clients come to him with a specific car in mind and want it to be delivered. However, not all of those cars are worth the price, and Bogusevicius has to convince people otherwise: “About 15% of cars we check on carVertical have past damages or mileage discrepancies and it becomes obvious they should be avoided. I tell clients they’ll have to spend money on repairs if they get that car, but they don’t always want to listen. A carVertical report helps me convince them. When they see the car has had 5 accidents, they don’t argue anymore. We take the promise to find dream cars seriously, and carVertical helps to deliver this promise,” says Bogusevicius.

Deals on Wheels has created a good reputation among its clients over the years, and carVertical is one of the tools to maintain that reputation. A car with hidden defects isn’t only disappointing, but also harmful for the company’s reputation. “Recently, we had a Porsche whose engine broke. A few weeks had past, so we could have said this was no longer our problem, but we swallowed that pill and fixed the car, which cost us 18,000 EUR. I always preach that clients come first, and I keep that promise”, says Bogusevicius.

Word of mouth marketing: the strategy that never fails

When asked about his business success, Bogusevicius claims that attention to clients and simple communication are key. “Simplicity and sincerity attracts clients. When you come to a Bentley dealership, all the sellers look so fancy. However, Bentley buyers don’t dress like that, they come with sneakers and jeans,” laughs Bogusevicius.

The CEO of Deals on Wheels claims that many dealers don’t show attention to their customers after the sale is closed. However, this isn’t the case with his company, as every client gets a call after 1 week to ensure that they’re satisfied with the car and everything is fine.

While these are small things, clients value long-lasting relationships. “Our sales managers don’t switch off their phones at 6 pm and go home. The company’s top seller sometimes sends deals to clients at 3 am. It’s a cultural thing. You have to believe it or not. My employees can call me any time. Day or night. It never takes me 3 days to reply to a customer or employee,” says Bogusevicius.

He proudly claims personally knowing at least 10 families in which 4 members bought cars from Deals on Wheels. Sometimes, they even buy cars for their businesses because they already know the company and were satisfied with its services in the past. “Sometimes, a client wants a 70,000 EUR SUV, but after speaking with them, we see that they don’t drive a lot of kilometers, live in the city center, and their job is 2 km away from home. We advise them they don’t need such a car and that a small 25,000 EUR SUV will do its job just fine. Of course, we’re left with a smaller margin, but that’s how we build trust,“ notes Bogusevicius.

Word of mouth has been one of the key factors contributing to the success of Bogusevicius' business. However, he also emphasizes the importance of not being stuck in the past: “The world changes more rapidly than we do. You must go with it to be at the top of the game.”