How Pro Legal Services Drive Success in the Automotive Industry

It’s no secret that most car showrooms, including Kamal Auto TATA, would like to make more sales, and it’s also no secret that everyone wants to keep costs down. But while both of those things are good for business, they don’t go very far in terms of explaining why having legal representation on your side is always the smart thing to do. If you need some proof, just look at the setup at Kamal Auto TATA in Rajasthan. Focusing exclusively on TATA vehicles, everyone on-site is well-versed in providing a full range of customer friendly services that keep customers coming back. From new and used vehicle sales to financing applications and warranty coverage, the “one stop shop” model of Kamal Auto TATA is an example other car showrooms can follow. Of course, these days “customer friendly services” don’t translate into: If anything, knowing how quick these contracts become disputed is exactly why legal representation can be such a major asset to car showrooms. Even if initial sales contracts are fair, it doesn’t take much to turn simple sales and warranty agreements into contentious litigation. All it takes is a few bad sales reps and suddenly every customer is filing arbitrations because someone misrepresented their vehicle’s mileage or sold them an after-market option that isn’t covered under the warranty. With a “one stop shop” whose customer facing model hinges on honesty and truth in advertising, this is why Kamal Auto TATA has both strong legal representation on hand whenever a contractual relationship is at stake and has pro legal services whose job it is to ensure that every employee understands her role in the process of closing sales. Don’t take my word for it. The contract disputes that come with car showrooms are a very real business risk. But if you don’t believe me, ask anyone who operates an independent car showroom. Both warranty service centers and independent repair stations are essentially an extension of any car showroom’s sales staff. And in the same way sales reps cross-sell customers all the time, both of these facilities make the majority of their money on repair jobs. But every vehicle is different. Whereas a new car showroom can sell 100 of vehicles from the same manufacturer with the same warranty inside of a week, there is no guarantee that the same “one stop shop” model will equally benefit either of warranty service centers or independent repair stations. This is why legal representation is so valuable. I don’t just mean by ensuring compliance with the various automotive industry regulations for each service center, but in terms of more permanent relationships too. Nothing is guaranteed in business and no one should ever take anything for granted. This goes double when discussing warranties and guarantees because, as many car showroom owners have learned the hard way, it doesn’t take much to jump from consumer law to auto industry investigations and auto dealer fraud defenses. It may not be an example of a “one stop shop”, but even a simple car dealership can benefit from an ongoing relationship with a lawyer and pro legal services. This is why it’s such a common practice for most businesses to seek out legal representation even when those businesses have no “real” exposure to liability differently from the rest of their competitors. Even though having a “one stop shop” car showroom like Kamal Auto TATA may be a lot of fun for customers, and even though the owner is definitely interested in keeping Kamal Auto TATA up and running for years to come, that doesn’t mean their problems are always going to stay exclusively on-venue. It doesn’t mean, having pro legal services that can help is a bad thing either. Because part of why pro legal services are so valuable is the long-term vision. The owner of Kamal Auto TATA already knows that the market for vehicles like they sell is going to expand into the future. They know that the Indian automotive market is going to continue its growth in the year ahead, so having steps in place to ensure Kamal Auto TATA can service their customer base a decade from now is just as important for their long-term survival as meeting the current demand.