Meet Neel Mehta | Co-founder and Chief Negotiator at Car Concierge Pro

We had the good fortune of connecting with Neel Mehta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Neel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As observed in the case of most entrepreneurs, the whole journey of their startup venture begins with acknowledging a common problem and innovating a potential solution. My process wasn’t any different and was fueled by the thought which stuck through me when I faced a personal crisis while buying a new car. At that time, I was a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Informatics at Arizona State University, USA.

I still clearly remember how desperate I was to own a Nissan Rogue back then and thus began exploring various dealerships in the area. To my astonishment, I discovered that each dealership had its complicated price structure for the same Nissan Rogue, which got me riled up about the whole car buying process. Amidst all the frustration, my determination grew more vital to get a new vehicle, and that too at the lowest price possible. My pursuit of the same went on for three weeks of thorough research and meetings with various dealerships. Eventually, I could buy the car of my choice while saving $7450 off the selling price.

At that very moment, it dawned upon me that although the entire car buying process is time-consuming and exhausting, the final savings can astoundingly be worth your while. Thus after acknowledging this simple problem, I began searching for a solution to address the issue of countless people who want to purchase a new car. In an attempt to do so, I began sharing my story with my friends and welcomed their opinion about the idea. And once my peers started reaching out to me for car deals, enough endorsement from them strengthened my stance on the vision. Gradually, I started negotiating car deals for people who eventually paved the road to our business model of Car Concierge Pro.

What should our readers know about your business?
Car Concierge Pro is being built around the concept of making the car buying process in the United States both time and money-saving. Our car buying and negotiation services have been operational in the US for four years. Car Concierge Pro simplifies the complete car buying process based on the client’s preference & budget. It delivers the best deal within the given timeframe. The one thing that makes our car concierges proud or excites us is that we have cultivated outstanding negotiation skills and tactics to save our clients their hard-earned money.

However, what sets Car Concierge Pro apart from other players in the market is that we have devised our car buying process that places the needs of our clients above everything else. Our technologically driven methodology provides a differential offering in the car concierge market. That is what sets Car Concierge Pro apart from other car concierge services.

Although, our journey began as an individual practitioners when my peers came to know about my negotiation skills when I bought my first car. As soon as the word got out, they started approaching me to help them with their car dealerships. One after the other deal, not only did my negotiation skills get recognition, but I also became confident enough to consider it a boutique consulting business. Slowly and steadily, I assembled a team of analysts and researchers to grow my idea into the business Car Concierge Pro is today.

As is the case with any business model, the road wasn’t always a smooth ride; we have encountered countless bumps which have slowed us down for sure but never did we let those challenges dampen our spirit. And when I talk about the challenges we have faced along the way, two instances cross my mind. The first instance is when I started building the website and business cards for Car Concierge Pro back in 2018. Initially, I used to visit one dealership to another to negotiate the car prices. Still, the process grew cumbersome for me as well as the client. At that time, a need was felt to make the process more efficient, thus encouraging me to deploy the right technology and personnel for the initial car selection process.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we temporarily shut down the business; however, now that I look back, it did help us to digitize and robust our business operations. Finally, I would like to say that the most important lesson I have taken from my past experiences is that money & success aren’t easy. There might be some lucky ones with Midas’ touch, but the rest of us have to hustle to reach places. Hustle blended with perseverance and a positive outlook are keys to success.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were to visit me in Scottsdale, then in my view, a week’s duration won’t be enough to explore the city, that’s for sure. Yet, I would try my best to show them around the places that are my happy-to-go places. Although the list is quite long in itself, here are a few I would like to mention. Mill Avenue is the perfect place to experience the nightlife famous for its college night events. As a student myself, I was often accompanied by friends and would spend hours hanging out with fantastic food and drinks to pour down with. Thus for a Monday evening, I would happily choose Mill Avenue anytime.

As for Tuesday, I would reserve the day for Taco Treat at one of my favorite authentic Mexican restaurants down the block. The savoring flavors of the cuisine served there have people drooling over the Mexican taste. We would start our Wednesday with an adventurous hike and burn some calories for the better part of the day while reserving our evening for Kierland Commons in North Scottsdale.

Come Thursday; we would head to the Fountain Hills to explore and witness the picturesque view of one of the oldest places in the valley. The region is blessed with scenery that attracts fascination from the eye that beholds it. If my best friend were fortunate enough to arrive during the annual music fest, that would be an overall plum to the pudding.

On Friday, just as the weekend was around the corner, we would sit back and hang out with our mutual friends, all the while enjoying full course meals and drinks at the Arizona Biltmore. The timeless beauty and modern charm of the iconic resort in the area will surely leave them awed as it does to me. As the weekend kicks, we would begin it with a calming and relaxing Yoga session followed by poolside brunch. After spending our morning in such a way, we would then head to the Scottsdale Fashion Square to check out the trending fashion accessories. And I hope my best friend would also enjoy the evening walk at the Scottsdale Waterfront, followed by dinner at Olive N Ivy.

On Sunday, we would hit the Old Town Scottsdale, rich in its cultural heritage and a wonderful place from savoring delicious brunch to late-night get-togethers. We would then bring a delightful end to the week-long trip by hitting the bar lounge at W Scottsdale and unwinding with friends. All the activities mentioned earlier are carefully picked as per my personal preferences that, in my opinion, will ensure a wonderful and memorable stay in Scottsdale, the place that I call home, has a lot to offer, from business connections to living a peaceful and happening life.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In my opinion, any man or woman who has climbed or is in the process of ascending the ladder of success often comes across people or associations who come forward to lend a helping hand. One who walks down the road to realizing their dreams often crosses roads with influential people who directly or indirectly end up playing crucial roles in your story. Such parts are worth acknowledging in the form of mentors, peers & family in your success story. Speaking personally, I got my fair share of support from others along the way in realizing my dream of entrepreneurship. Although the path often needs to be walked alone, guidance, love, and encouragement from the right people always make the journey easy.

As far as the story of Car Concierge Pro is concerned, I, too, have people and organizations who deserve to be acknowledged in my account. First of all, I am thankful to have been mentored through the Arizona State University Edson Student Entrepreneurship Program and the SCORE Group. These organizations helped me harness the proper knowledge and the required skill set, which was essential to enter the entrepreneurial world. The mentorship programs helped me bring clarity while testing my idea of Car Concierge and nudged me to realize the concept into a fully operational business plan. Another group that is crossing my mind and deserves this shoutout is Project U Phoenix, which originated from Arizona State University. We connected with fellow students and colleagues to bring together each other’s business endeavors through this project. Through this excellent platform, we were able to lend helping hands to support and co-create different ideas to realize our concept and ultimately aim toward growth.

Besides mentorship, the self-cultivated motivation through reading books also had a significant influence in molding me into the way I am today. As it is rightly said, “A man who reads lives a thousand lives before he dies,” the same thought motivated me to read. However, the books that directly influenced me in my pursuit were The Connection Effect by Gordie Bufton and E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. The Connection Effect helped me carefully connect my present moment with the professional edge. The critical takeaway from the book was to find a way to draw a bridge between an ambitious life and a life connected with the present moment and, more importantly, how the two can come together. While in the E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber walks you through the steps in the life of a business.

Lastly, I am in debt to Bhavya Mehta, who has stuck with me altogether through my journey and laid the foundation of the Website Infrastructure, which helped me to take Car Concierge Pro online. The tireless efforts of Bhavya have helped streamline the business operations and digitalize the methodology adopted by the business. His sincere efforts in curating a user-friendly website have paid us in many ways by directly connecting to the right audience and delivering our services in the best possible way.

Website: https://carconciergepro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carconciergepro/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/carconciergepro/

Other: Call us @ +1 480 447 9777