The Future of Car Buying Isn’t One Offer

Most dealerships still structure deals around a single approval and a single offer.

But customers don’t shop that way anymore. In this episode of Leadership in the Dealership, Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer sit down with Ben Atkinson, VP of Auto Lending at Upstart, to break down why multi-offer financing is changing the dealership experience and what it means for dealers moving forward.

They get into:
• Why “single-single” financing feels outdated
• How multi-offer lending creates more flexibility
• Why choice changes the customer experience
• The trust problem still hurting dealerships today
• How AI and modern lending tools are reshaping approvals
• Why the future is about working with the customer, not against them

Because at the end of the day, “the customer and the dealer should feel like they’re working together.

The dealers adapting to this shift are already closing more deals.