after its run through, the vehicle must be removed immediately, increasing the seller’s inconvenience and costs. Direct costs are one thing, but indirect costs from limited visibility are another. This is where you see the true difference between Gateway Classic Cars and traditional auctions. Most auctions attract a limited number of local buyers, which means that the sellers are limited to who is making offers on the vehicles. Additionally, each vehicle only received an average of its 3 minutes of fame on the auction runway, limiting the time that any prospective buyer or buyers can view the vehicle. If you were selling your home, would you want to auction it off to only those that live in your own neighborhood for three minutes before closing the deal? Or would you like to have a relator put your home on the market to get global visibility and exposure to as many buyers as possible to ensure that you got the best price? That is what we thought! Akbani and his team feel the same way and they have built a business of doing just that for 20 plus years. That is why private owners, sellers and estates use Gateway Classic Cars to get their vehicle in one of their 18 indoor showrooms and online so Dusman and his teamcan be proactive about getting their vehicles in front of buyers and capitalize on their reputation in the industry for selling the best. Akbani explained the process to Spotlight on Business which is very simple, you leave your vehicle in oneof their 18 locations and they sell it for you. Each contract is for three months and they will actively promote the vehicle with potential buyers from day one plus handle all of the negotiation to close the sale for a fraction of the cost of a traditional auction while you go on with your daily lives. It is easy to see why the concept continues to grow in popularity with buyers and sellers alike.
told Spotlight on Business that there are plans in place for two new locations, one in San Marcos, Texas (#19) and another location in Norman, Oklahoma (#20), in the new year with additional plans for more westward expansion into California. “You should always sell high quality products and back it up with excellent service.” Akbani goes on to say, “If you do
thatcustomersbecomerepeatcustomers.” Akbani told us about an email that he saw a few months ago, from a gentleman in Australiawhowas purchasing his thirteenth vehicle from Gateway Classic Cars, “I am proud of that fact and we earned his business, by taking care of the customer whether it is the buyer or the seller.”
Akbani is still focused on growing and opening more locations, saying that the only thing that has slowed the expansion process down in the last 8 to 10 months has been the cost of doing business which has skyrocketed especially on the real estate side. So, they have had to slow their pace down to allow for some adjustments in the market. Now in saying that, Akbani also
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DECEMBER 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019
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