Being an innovator in any industry takes more than just a good idea; it also demands both the courage to try and a willingness to accept and learn from the results. Ed Mullinax, who died Aug. 4 at 85, was an innovator of the highest order when it came to auto retailing.
Mullinax pioneered one-price, no-haggle selling in 1975 at his Ford dealership in Amherst, Ohio, seeking to remove the inevitable tension point between a seller and a buyer. When he tried it out, he didn't know how it would go. But he soon found out: The store sold 40 cars in the first five hours.
Others have tried to follow Mullinax's retailing innovation since then, with varying degrees of success. But regardless of the results, they have Ed Mullinax to thank for blazing the trail.
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