Nick Burling has been working in the motor industry all his adult life. Starting at his family’s Toyota dealership in NSW, he worked his way through the company from stock control to become a stellar salesman, racking up major sales figures. This year he established the Burling Motor Group – a brokerage and used car dealership. Nick has done all of this even though he has Cerebral Palsy, a physical disability that means he is unable to walk. His is a remarkable career and proof that, no matter what, a positive attitude, confidence and a passion for your work can overcome any hurdle.

What products and services does Burling Motor Group provide?
NB: We conduct the sale of used motor vehicles as well as a brokerage service for new and used vehicles.

When someone is looking to buy a new car, they may receive one price but think they could do better. They may not want to go around searching multiple dealers so, to get that better price, they can enlist the services of a car broker who will contact multiple dealers on their behalf and get them that better price, saving them time, money and effort.

How long have you been operating?
NB: The business turned one year old in September. The brokerage has been running since the beginning and I received my motor dealer’s licence in April. I moved into this location in August and so the business has been effectively running at a genuine level since then. And since the move into these premises, the business has grown 300-400 per cent.

Starting a dealership from scratch is not easy, but this location works. I have a detailing bay out the back and it’s all on one level with no steps which, being disabled, was the number one thing
I was looking for!

What’s your background in the industry?
NB: Well, I love all things motoring – I was born on wheels and I’m still on wheels!

I am very fortunate that I had a great father who was also the Dealer Principal of Windsor Toyota in NSW. In the early ‘90s I was looking for a job, but it was very hard to find one because of my disability. My mother persuaded my father to give me some work and I landed a role in stock control at the dealership.

I became very good at it I think, and it gave me the grounding and the understanding that to run a dealership is not all about selling cars, but is also about watching the bottom line, about understanding your stock, about understanding and knowing the needs of your customers.

I worked in stock control until 2004 but what I really wanted to do was sell cars. I asked my dad if I could do that and he gave me a chance but added that I would have to work every second weekend – he wanted to make sure that people would see I wasn’t being given preferential treatment because I was his son and had a disability! So, I did that and worked my way up to new car manager.

In 2006, the dealership was sold and that was probably the thing that really kicked me along the path to become a ‘proper’ salesperson. With the change of ownership came a major staff restructure and I went back to stock control. However, a few months later, the dealership was overrun with customers and the manager asked me to come out and talk to a few people. In two days, I sold five cars and I was put back on the floor – although I was still doing stock control as well!

However, even doing both roles, I still managed to outsell the other salespeople in the dealership and in 2007 I sold 282 new cars, 48 of which I sold in June that year. That is, I think, still a record, and I did that at what was the smallest metropolitan dealership in the state.

Over the next six years I reached Toyota Gold Leader status – which meant selling 240 cars a year while also recording a very high customer satisfaction score.
I subsequently moved to the Gold Coast for family reasons before going back to Sydney after my mother died. I worked there as a stock controller at a large Mercedes-Benz dealership but missed selling and wound up at a Nissan dealership.

Then, last year, my dad became unwell and I came back up to Queensland to be close to him.

When did you decide that you would set up for yourself?
NB: Circumstances in life make these things happen. The car industry has been my life since the day I could talk – when I was 13, I was answering the phone at dad’s dealership – and I established the company not only to help customers but also to give myself a purpose. I will say though, that I started the brokerage never thinking I would get this far!

How does your disability impact what you do?
NB: I’ve had Cerebral Palsy from birth and am unable to walk. That is, obviously, quite difficult. However, I remind myself what my parents instilled into me, and how they drove me and told me that life is what you make it. No one is going to give you a free lunch in this world.

I have had to push myself and the hardest thing I learnt was building self-confidence – being able to talk to a stranger. People forget that when you sell cars, customers are responding to you. They warm to you, and that’s important.

You must also have an in-depth understanding of what you’re selling, of course. My dad used to remind me that every morning I should get out in the yard and walk, or scoot, the stock. You should always know your stock and now I can even tell you the rego number of the last five cars I have sold!

You have a great deal of experience but have only recently established the company. What is it that will make it a success?
NB: I like to think I am doing things on a bit more of a personal level. I am a little bit slower because of my physical challenges but that means I take extra time to get things right, and perhaps that often gets forgotten when we make a purchase – whether it be a motor car or anything for that matter. It’s the personal touch, together with the knowledge and understanding that I have. I know I am not perfect and that I am at a disadvantage, but I make up for that in a way that makes it an advantage, and I think that is what makes people respond.

And you need to know your customers and be seen to be doing things the correct way. That’s why I have my licence number on the front of the building and is why I immediately became a member of MTA Queensland – it’s a recognised industry body that people respect, and they will respect the Burling Motor Group because of relationships like that.

What are your plans for Burling Motor Group?
NB: To work hard and expand into a proper dealership, look after my customers and staff and have a workplace that is a happy place to be!

I would love to expand too and, like my father, one day be the dealer principal and owner of my own dealership. So, if there are any franchise opportunities out there, my number is easy to find!

What do you do with your spare time, if you have any?
NB: I love motorsport, it’s in my blood – my godfather Paul Samuels built Wakefield Park back in the day. So, when Bathurst was on, I disconnected the phone and just enjoyed watching that for the weekend! Actually, being involved in motorsport in some way is a personal goal of mine.

And I like to connect with people. I have 17,000 connections on LinkedIn, hundreds on Facebook, and I also have a YouTube channel on which I do car reviews. I love cars and love talking about them but can’t drive them, so the idea is to do a road test with a view from the passenger seat. I offer a bit of a point of difference!

Source: Motor Trader E-Magazine (November 2018)

8 February 2021