[responsivevoice voice=”US English Female” buttontext=”Listen to this”]
Like the vast majority of people, Josh Troxell had never heard of Meeker or Rio Blanco County until a friend of a friend threw his name in the hat for a job at the local car dealership.
Troxell, who was living in Durango at the time, came out for the interview and, “fell in love with the place the second I drove through town,” he said.
The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Troxell is beginning his third month of employment as Northwest Auto’s sales manager.
His wife Lynlee, a San Juan County dispatcher, and her two boys, ages 5 and 6 (they “like throwing anything and everything they can find to throw, inside or outside,” according to Troxell), hope to join them in Meeker soon.
Troxell also has two boys, ages 8 and 18. “We’re a mixed family and very happy about it,” he said.
PENS, TOO
Troxell grew up in Englewood and began his auto sales career in Denver.
“I went in for the interview and the thing that they had me do was try to sell them a pen,” he said. “Every single dealership afterward has done the same thing, with the exception of the last few because I tell them ahead of time that I hate that question.”
Troxell served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years and was stationed in Miramar, California. “It was the greatest experience of my life,” he said.
After his military service, Troxell went back to selling cars. He discovered along the way he much preferred locally-owned dealerships to corporate ones, and, opposite the stereotypical “used car salesman” portrayals in movies, he has an approach that focuses on integrity and transparency.
“It’s all about being real … the more real you are, the more open and transparent, the more they (the customer) understand you. It’s the biggest value you could have in this business,” he stated.
ONE-STOP SHOP
Whether you’ve been eyeing one of the shiny new cars on the Market Street lot, or dreaming of something different, Troxell is your guy.
“If we don’t have a vehicle, the normal dealership response is, ‘Sorry, can’t help you, have a nice day.’ To close that gap, my approach to all of it, and the bigger opportunity for Northwest Auto, is to actually go find the car.”
Troxell uses a network of 5-star rated, reputable dealerships and auctions to track down vehicles with requested specifics like mileage and price. Once found, each vehicle undergoes a rigorous inspection.
Then, Troxell sticks with you through the rest of the buying process.
“I like to think of myself as a one-stop shop. Same person, same face when you close the deal, sign all your paperwork … you’re going to talk to the same person for delivery and follow up as well.”
ALL THE SPREADSHEETS
True to his commitment to transparency, Troxell is also focused on helping customers understand the financial impacts of their purchase. “There’s millions of dealerships in the nation, and a very small handful that believe in looking after people’s finances,” he said. Troxell is a Microsoft Excel wiz and can work up customized spreadsheets to help calculate the true costs of vehicles and financing.
With economic uncertainty swirling, this can be especially helpful.
Troxell was recently asked to help a customer who had suffered serious economic loss as a result of the pandemic. He worked up a spreadsheet with all the customer’s information, and then went after new financing on trade-ins. “I was told ‘no’ numerous times by certain lenders, but I kept going,” he said. He ended up helping the customer save more than $30,000 per year when it was all said and done.
But it’s not just about the sale. “People are my passion. It’s not necessarily the car. Car sales are a way that you get to know a lot of people, but it’s also a way you can truly affect someone’s life for the better.”
GIVING BACK
Troxell is ramping up the marketing arm of Northwest Auto, with giveaways and raffles on social media and a “few other things in the works to just give back to the community as a whole.”
That ties directly into Troxell’s “keep it local” philosophy.
“When someone buys a car, the dealership sends business to other (local) businesses,” whether for parts, cleaning, bodywork, or something else, Troxell explained. “That’s what I think Meeker needs the most, that potential.”
When he’s not coding Excel spreadsheets or sleuthing for your dream ride, Troxell enjoys the outdoors (but “not the wind”) and “absolutely loves” woodworking.
Welcome Josh to the community at Northwest Auto, 485 Market St., Meeker, or call 970-878-5026.
[/responsivevoice]
By Caitlin Walker | [email protected]
