Five questions for … Mr. Vogel!

1. Mr. Vogel, you have been working for Buchbinder for 22 years. What is your job there?

As sales manager, I am mainly responsible for the sale of our used vehicles. Most of them are so-called own-risk vehicles from the joint rental car fleet of Europcar and Buchbinder, i.e. they are vehicles that we bought new and not just leased. After their use, they are sold to traders, primarily dealers and workshops, by auction or direct purchase. My job is to plan these processes. For some time now, the purchase of used vehicles for our sales channels has also been one of my responsibilities. Because despite the current shortage of vehicles, we want to continue to provide our customers with the widest possible selection of vehicles.

2. What is particularly important to you at work?

For me it is crucial to give all buyers the same opportunities. Long-term customer relationships can only be created and the best possible success achieved with honesty, complete transparency and fairness. In addition, a maximum of trust is necessary, which is why personal contact is very important to me and an exchange at eye level.

Of course, I still make sure that I achieve my goals and achieve profits and margins, but that goes hand in hand with maintaining relationships with the dealers.

3. What do you like about your work?

Overall, I really like my job! I think this is also clear from the period that I have been working in this area at Buchbinder and Europcar. Above all, contact with the dealers is fun. I've also been interested in cars since I was young. It is something special when you can combine your personal interest in an area with your own job.

4. What do you think are the biggest challenges in your area of responsibility?

The greatest challenge is due to the current shortage of vehicles. If there are few returns from the fleet, that means for me that purchasing vehicles for our own sales channels is becoming more important. And in connection with this, I not only have to address new groups of people, but also communicate differently. In my area of responsibility, it is always important to be able to quickly rethink and react to current circumstances.

5. What wishes do you have for the future?

Personally, I would like to be as satisfied with my job as I have been for another 20 years. I'm excited about the trends in the industry over the coming years and would like to follow developments. Specifically, I wish that there would be more cars for rental and therefore also for sale, and that I could expand direct sales again in the years to come. As I said before, I really enjoy the direct contact with the dealers. And if I also manage to find an individual solution that suits both sides, it's always a very nice sense of achievement.

I would also like to resume the live events in Neunburg vorm Wald as soon as possible. They offer the perfect setting for face-to-face conversations that, despite all the advances in digital communication, simply cannot be replaced. At the same time, our customers not only get to know us sellers, but also our entire remarketing team. And you can take a look behind the scenes in our logistics center.