I sell £250k luxury cars to Premier League footballers over WhatsApp – because they don’t want to walk into a showroom
CAR SALESMAN Richard Clark is the go-to dealer for Premier League footballers, including England stars Aaron Ramsdale and Kalvin Phillips.
Since launching his business Premier Sports Solutions in 2005, he has sold 1000s of cars from his Bournemouth showroom.
But, many of clients prefer to message their requests on WhatsApp and - rather than visit 42-year-old Clark in his office.
From the popular £250,000 Lamborghini Urus to the £180,000 Mercedes G63 AMG, he is able to supply their demands with high-end motors, and fast.
Premier Sports Solutions are comfortably the biggest independent supplier footballers in the country.
"It's very simple. Footballers come to us, often after a team mate has recommended us, tell us what they want on WhatsApp and we supply them the car," Clark revealed.
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"Most don't really want to come into the showroom, they're not really interested in that, they just want what they want and on their drive.
"But we have a very strong presence online now with our Instagram profile, which gives people an idea of what cars we can source.
"And we also keep a careful eye on the market, what people want and follow the trends."
SunSport previously revealed how Clark earned the trust of the football world when he was asked by Jamie Redknapp to help him find a car.
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"I fell into cars after I came back from working overseas in the football industry and a big car dealership approached me" Clark said.
"They knew I knew a few footballers and they asked me if I could sell cars to them.
"I was and still am good friends with Jamie's brother Mark, so I've been friends with the Redknapps for years,
"At the time, Jamie wanted a Bentley, so I went in there and managed to sell him one.
"Then, I sold a car to Les Ferdinand and Tim Sherwood."
Respect is key
Clark believes the secret to his success is treating footballers with respect, not ripping them off and making sure they get the best service.
"We don't work off massive margins and we treat everyone the same," Clark explained.
"We try to give footballers the best possible level of service, to their door, and they all come back.
"We've been lucky that we've had a celebrity market ever since then and we have grown significantly.
"Anyone who is young, wealthy, a celeb or a footballer - they come to us."
Whether they are buying or financing, Clark wants to give his clientele the best deal.
He will also resell them for their face value, ignoring taking any money off the top for his own financial gain to give the customer the maximum return on their car.
Clark said: "The majority use finance of some description to buy their cars, but there are some who will just pay for them outright.
"When the lads are finished with their cars, we will retail them if they want us too and not just give a trade bid.
"That way they can rotate their cars hassle free and keeps the ‘buying a car’ process very easy for them with the best deal when they are buying a car and getting the maximum possible return for the part exchange.
"It keeps the client happy."
Best seller
Over the 17 years Clark has been in business, he has seen plenty of expensive motors driven off his lot.
But there's two that have been big sellers among the football community that decorate training ground car parks around the UK.
";Without doubt, the biggest car for footballers has been the Lamborghini Urus," he said.
"We sold 25 last year alone.
"G Wagons have also been massive news, and sold a similar amount of them too last year."
However, Clark has noticed a trend forming among conscientious footballers who are thinking more about the environment.
"We've done great with the Porsche Taycan lately, and we've seen a massive shift towards electric cars with footballers," he said.
"A lot of them, possibly would be considering petrol costs, and many who live in big cities, like London, won't have to pay any congestion charge fee.
"So I definitely think the shift now is certainly moving to electric.
"Footballers are far more switched on than people give them credit for, and I think are looking towards protecting the environment."
And for the next big thing?
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"Without a shadow of a doubt the new Range Rovers. There's a new Vogue out and a brand new Sport coming too," Clark predicted.
"I expect those to be our biggest sellers in the near future."