By Nick Schneider
Global Wings, LLC
Before an aircraft is widely advertised for sale on the internet, both sellers and buyers can benefit from a little advance knowledge. When an aircraft broker or dealer gets a heads-up that an airplane will be offered in a month or so, they can activate their internal confidential network of personally trusted dealers and brokers.
What has worked for us, and others, is to tell an owner that we’re going to promote the airplane for the first month as an off-market airplane by approaching a fairly substantial network of trusted dealers around the world.
Once an airplane is fully advertised for sale, numerous publications and websites carry information about the aircraft. It is out there and everyone knows about it. No one has a unique advantage
To counter that, we will typically give a heads up to a select number of trusted brokers and dealers around the world: NARA Certified Broker/Dealers, former Beech dealers, Bombardier dealers, and so on. These individuals, then, can go to a customer that’s looking for a Learjet or a King Air and say, “I have something that nobody else knows about.”
Using In-Country Brokers
When we market an airplane around the world for a seller – we generally use an in-country broker or dealer as a partner – a buyer in that country will feel more trust and have a better comfort level. He’s not just buying an airplane from America that some unknown broker/dealer has advertised on the Internet. It’s that relationship that works because he’s getting a chance to work with someone he knows in-country. This process also gives the dealer in, say, Europe or South America the opportunity to offer clients something off the grid.
Buyers And Sellers Both Benefit From Off-Market Deals
From the perspective of the seller, giving the broker’s confidential network first crack preserves price integrity. And the buyer gets advance knowledge of the best aircraft and the best deals before they actually hit the market. Usually we get one or two strong offers within the first 30 days without the airplane ever being advertised.
After all, everyone wants to feel they have a unique advantage in the marketplace over the person next door.
About Global Wings
Global Wings, LLC provides custom tailored solutions for business aviation, specializing in Aircraft Sales, Acquisitions, Brokerage, and Management. Global Wings is considered an industry expert in Hawker Beechcraft products with an emphasis on King Airs, all Hawker models and the Premier 1A, as well as Bombardier Learjet products.