ACA has grown since its founding in 2007 in part by anticipating long-term value through strategic corporate partnerships. One of the highest producing corporate partnerships ACA maintains is with CarMax, the largest retailer of used vehicles in the United States. While each of the Guiding Principles has played a role in helping ACA grow and evolve the relationship with CarMax, an example of humility in action was instrumental in setting ACA apart from its competition.
Early in the partnership with CarMax, ACA experienced an issue with its loan originations system that had the potential to impact CarMax loan application processing. Mike Grant, IT Lead Business Analyst, recalls the moment it happened: “As soon as my team noticed the issue in the system, I decided to call my contact at CarMax and be honest with him about the forthcoming issues.”
Rather than waiting to see if CarMax would be affected, the IT team demonstrated humility by proactively reaching out to CarMax to make them aware of the issues with their system and the potential impact it could have on applications. Mike goes on to say, “I believe open communication really strengthened our relationship with CarMax because it showed that ACA is a valued partner who genuinely cares. These actions greatly helped build our credibility.”
If this story sounds familiar, there’s a reason for that. Curt Sidden, CEO of ACA, frequently references it when recalling examples of humility and the pride he has in his teams.
“My proudest moment in our relationship with CarMax was when I got a call where they said, ‘Of all of our partners, your team is the only one who calls us proactively when there is a problem with the computer system. You differentiate yourself in that way, and that allows us to have mutual trust with you,’” says Curt.
In concert with all of the Guiding Principles, this type of humility has been instrumental in creating a deep and enduring relationship over the years. Today, every CarMax store in the country is enrolled with ACA, and CarMax is ACA’s largest corporate partner.