Podcasts

We can’t tell you what’s going to happen in the future. But Michael Johnson has a sneak peek. Part of this is because he lives in Australia, several hours ahead of us in the US. The other part is that dealers in Australia have been experiencing things that are relatively new or not even on the horizon for those of us in North America. Inventory issues and the agency model are normal in Australia, and Michael shares his insight from the industry partner side.

Chad Graves knows marketing. He began in the marketing department of a dealership group before leaving with members of that team to start Reunion Marketing. Now, Reunion works with dealers to lift the gates of transparency, break down the silos, and formulate an entire dealership strategy. Paul J Daly, Kyle Mountsier and Michael Cirillo find out that Chad knows that to look for from the moment he steps foot into a dealership, and also has a good handle of what SEO is and how it works.

We have some work to do this Thursday as we cover the FTC declining of the deadline for public comment on proposed legislation. We also cover the barrage of negative dealer coverage on YouTube. We’re also going to take a look at EV adoption data.

Some people always bring the sermon. Tim Cox is one of them. He is the co-founder of CarNow, and has so many thoughts for the automotive industry. But what’s special about Tim is that he is genuine all the time and you can hear his heart when he is speaking. Kyle Mountsier and Paul J Daly spend time talking about the history of CarNow, how someone on the team has to be right, integrity, and some things that are coming in 2023 that dealers need to be ready for.

Everything’s bigger in Texas. Including Classic Chevrolet’s buy center in an 80x30ft tent. Eric Hall is the Internet Director for Classic Chevrolet, and he talks about staying on top as one of the largest volume dealers in the nation, the challenges and success of looking at a buy center in a different way, and what he sees for retail automotive in the next 6 months.

Your background informs your now. That’s what Colby Joyner has experienced, going from the auto industry to the Air Force, to being an air traffic controller, to a massage therapist and then back into the auto industry both on the dealer and partner sides. It’s allowed him to see things in a different light and helped him as he organizes and automates processes.

A 50 year veteran. Tommy Gibbs has been selling cars longer than Paul, Kyle or Michael have been alive. What made him such an effective operator and what makes him a great consultant now is his emphasis on the basics. You might not get the latest flashy trick play from Tommy, but it will be effective if you work at it and get good at it. Plus, there are plenty of football analogies along the way.

Today we take a quick-shot look across the EV space as we talk about the heavy lift following the recent Climate Bill, the Sony Honda collab destined to change the in-car experience, and get into the details of the latest Tesla update.

Tuesdays are for Troublemakers. Today we cover Ford’s layoff of 3000 workers, the guilty plea of a Chinese former employee working in Apple’s automotive division, and why so many TikTockers are talking about Costco.

Parts guy. Service Advisor. Parts and Service Director. Fixed Ops Director. General Manager. These are all parts of Brian Singh’s retail automotive experience. He’s used all that knowledge to bridge the gap between different departments and help them overcome their pain points. Now, he leads evrdrive, a customer experience that he hopes will change the way people buy cars.

Ron Duan. What does a kid from Kyle Mountsier’s freshman tennis team have to do with the Social Dilemma documentary? Apparently a lot, if you ask Dr. Nicole Lipkin. She spends time with Paul, Kyle and Michael talking them through the mental health issues facing our world, or if we’re being honest, the issues we all are facing. Nothing’s off the table, from mental agility, to social comparison, to the emotional contagions.

It’s the start of another great week as we talk about Dodge’s noisy little addition to the EV race, Tesla bumping the price of Autopilot in a tweet, and your favorite striped cereal mascot becomes a YouTuber. And it’s only Monday.

We made it all the way to Friday and we’re just getting started. Today we talk about Toyota’s new Head of Sales’ predictions on that what and when of inventory recovery. We also dig into Uber and Lyft’s plans to get deep in the ad game, as well as a new study revealing the dollar amount associated with raising a child.

On the go. Where Matt Lasher goes, the insights follow. So when you have the chance to interview him, you take it, even if it means recording in a car on the way to NYC. Paul J Daly and Matt talk about the trends they’re seeing for the industry plus how marketing has changed for West Herr.

Carter Myers Automotive has been around for 98 years, meaning they lived through the Spanish Flu of 1918. Liza Borches hasn’t seen all of that, but as the 3rd generation President and CEO of CMA, she knows the stories of the company. She knows the joys and the pains. And she has led the organization through growth and culture shift, overcoming her own ideas about retail auto and even some misogyny from those in her organization. Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly, and Kyle Mountsier ask her about an opportunity at General Mills, Honda’s 3 Joys, and why groups are asking CMA to acquire them.

On this glorious Thursday we’re covering the continued retail drama as Target reports major Q2 Losses. We also cover a very real-world F-150 Lightning review, as well as Apple’s next big thing.

Glenn Pasch has seen a lot. Now he works directly with dealerships to build structure and processes. He views the world as a puzzle to be solved for the customer’s sake, and believes that as you ask the right questions and design the right roles, everything will click into place. The more guardrails you have, the faster you can run, and the better you can perform.

Welcome to Wednesday as we take a look at Walmarts earnings report which indicates a new type of clientele at its stores. We also cover GM welcoming a luxury brand member to its board, as well as an candid EV review we think every Dealership employee should read.

Brian Kramer is in a whole new ballgame. After spending years on the dealership side, he has joined Cars.com as their EVP and GM of Accu-Trade. Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier talk to Brian about this transition, and the issues that he’s now experienced on both sides. They also touch on haircuts, lead fatigue and pitch slapping.

This Tuesday we’re talking about unconventional healthcare with big time satisfaction. The Walmart - Amazon rivalry takes another step up. We also cover Apple's return to work (finally) and layoffs at Best Buy which could benefit Dealership employee searches.

If you give Scott Simons your phone number, he will text you at least once a year. Everything is about relationships for Scott, and he has a lot of them. His college roommate from Sri Lanka, Grant Cardone and the other 6000 contacts in his phone. Relationship is the way that Scott sells cars, and the way he teaches his team to sell. It’s like having 233 people on your marketing team. Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier spend time learning about this system and hearing how much Scott cares for people.

It’s a fantastic Monday to sell and service some cars. Today we’re talking about the shifts Dealerships are seeing in used cars, and how hundreds of Dealers and Industry Partners are coming together to take advantage of the changing landscape head-on. We also cover a Utah grocer who is breaking convention to serve consumers the way they want.

“How’s your family?” This is the essence of Todd Caputo, our guest today on Auto Collabs. Todd is the definition of loyal and caring. And on top of that, he’s a really skilled operator. He sold his 4 dealerships, but before that, his dealerships retailed 6000-6500 vehicles annually of which 5500 were used car sales. Paul J Daly and Todd spend time talking about what Todd is up to now, and some of the trends he’s tracking

Not only is David Long a strategic operator, he is proving that it’s possible to both lift and empower others while providing the structure and accountability required to grow. Also, he has the best hugs, according to Michael Cirillo. Michael, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier listen to David’s insights on building up the culture of an organization, and keeping it laser focused on its goals.

Walking into a much cooler Friday than last week for most of the country, we’re covering a move by startup Autonomy to boost EV offerings, GM retooling and simplifying its chip infrastructure, as well as the Gen Z trend of trusting TikTok for search.