Beyond The First Pencil

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Social media isn’t dead—but it’s definitely not what it used to be. In this episode, we dig into the shifting landscape of social platforms and what it means for car dealers trying to stay visible and relevant. Is organic reach a thing of the past? Are paid ads worth the spend? Tune in as we break down what’s working, what’s not, and how to rethink your so...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 In this episode, we dig into one of the most overlooked threats to dealership performance: ego-driven leadership. From plummeting morale to costly turnover and stalled growth, unchecked egos can quietly drain profits and poison culture. We’ll explore how to recognize the signs, shift from control to collaboration, and build a team environment where respect...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Dealership marketers, buckle up—things are shifting again. A new study reveals that desktop usage is making a surprising comeback, throwing a wrench in mobile-first assumptions. Meanwhile, Meta’s unleashing AI bots on Facebook that want to "befriend" your customers (creepy, right?) Google's latest Business Profile update is cracking down on...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Many dealerships pour time and money into chasing likes, comments, and shares — but what happens when all that engagement doesn't move a single unit? In this episode, we unpack the myth that social media popularity equals sales success. Learn why focusing on vanity metrics wastes resources and how to shift your strategy toward real-world results that...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Let’s talk about the scary stuff—aka uncertainty . If you’ve been in the car business for more than a minute, you’ve seen your share of storms. We’ve weathered recessions, inventory shortages, interest rate hikes—you name it. And we’ll get through this round too. But seriously... can someone hit pause on the madness? Now, here’s something that’s been on Ka...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Marketing budgets are getting tighter, but the pressure to bring in leads hasn’t let up. In this episode, we break down how dealerships can stretch their marketing dollars further, cut the fluff, and focus on what actually drives traffic and sales. Whether you’re a GM, GSM, or marketing manager, you’ll pick up real-world tips to boost ROI without blowing t...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 What happens when beloved brands make moves that contradict their core identity? In this episode, we dive into Southwest Airlines’ quiet removal of its “First Bag Flies Free” policy and Elon Musk’s increasingly controversial influence on Tesla. From customer trust to brand erosion, we unpack how decisions at the top can ripple through brand equity—and what...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 We are back from hiatus and Mike’s got a new job! Kathi shares a story to introduce today’s topic around customer experience. Mike tells us how one simple relationship turned into four car deals and counting. He also shares a pretty epic real-time 5 star review story from a dealership non-customer. Here’s the link to the CD player Kathi got Becoming Kather...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 This week, we circle back to a subject that is near and dear to us: Google My Business, aka Google Business Profiles. These profiles are super helpful in local SEO/search and adding photos regularly is a best practice. SearchLab has just completed a car dealer study and let’s just say, the industry is losing out on some powerful marketing by ignoring even...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Instagram's recent decision to remove the ability to search by #hashtags marks the end of an era for social media users. In this episode, we reflect on the impact of losing this once-powerful discovery tool. We also explore a growing trend among tech companies — prioritizing features no one asked for, while phasing out the ones that users rely on most...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 How does a manufacturer create and sustain a vehicle brand that customers love?  Kathi and Mike discuss manufacturer brands and re-branding (ie: Jaguar + more) and how others have fared in the past (from a dealer and dealership management perspective).  Music: The Pogues: FairyTale of New York w/Kirsty MacColl American Murder: Lacy Peterson (documentary)...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Kathi and Mike are happy that more dealers are talking about the power of video, even if it’s nearly 15 years after we began urging dealers to welcome it. Mike’s blog post: Sales Management by C.P.A.  The Jam: About a Young Idea “Modern music, emphasis on Mod. The Who kissed by Motown with a dash of the Clash.” The Jam: Beat Surrender The Style Council: Lo...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Kathi returns from a great Used Car Week conference and shares a few tidbits. Then, we spend most of our time discussing this trend of companies forcing their staff to share and promote their employer on their personal social media feeds…without compensation. Ed Zitron’s Web Summit Remarks: Ed Zitron - Why Are All Tech Products Now Shit? Duran Duran: Duran...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Kathi and Mike take a detour from our regular topics to call out hate. Neither of us can stand what we witnessed at Madison Square Garden over the weekend and we feel we must speak up. Both of us were shocked to see a so-called automotive influencer on the stage spewing hate, whether or not he says he wasn’t does not change what we witnessed.  We’ve crosse...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Both of us are sad. The open web is no longer and while it’s not just his doing, Google’s Head of Search, Prabhakar Raghavan was certainly the catalyst to its demise. Organic traffic as we know it is gone. Yes, posts and information from actual experts has been replaced by SEO spam, spam bots and the “AI Overview” that is wrong 44% of the time on financial...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Kathi and Mike discuss the latest issues with Threads’ AI moderation, which has gone “CRACKERS” and rings the same bell as the experience Kathi continues to have with Facebook/Meta ads. We are tired of billionaire tech-bros.  Social Selling is still a great way to generate your own leads. Classic Cars of Beverly Hillbillies George Barris: Car designer to t...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 What did we do before social media to build a customer-centric culture? How did we get potential buyers to know about how unique the dealership was...and why customers should buy from us? Mike shares a real-life experience (that’s totally doable today) of surprising and delighting a customer so much that her coworkers became customers! Kathi shares the sec...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 We promised you an update in the ongoing Facebook ads issues that Kathi (and others) are having and while it’s utterly disappointing, you won’t be disappointed in the story/update. If you’re having ad issues, we’d love to hear from you. Then, the Wordpress framework runs over 40% of the world's websites (including Kruse Control's and others that...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Not only are some dealers failing customers but they are failing themselves. The things we are witnessing now - the behaviors and lack of oversight - can only lead to trouble. We went a little long on this episode but it’s a subject that is near and dear to us as car people.  Music segment: Everything But The Girl - lead singers bday “Take Me”   Stevie Nic...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Kathi shares her experience fresh from evacuating the horse rescue after the Airport Fire got too close for comfort. Then, we talk about the concerning data around car loan delinquencies, how we got here and what might be in store for banks, dealers and customers. Music segment: The Doors anniversary of getting kicked off Ed Sullivan The Doors - Light My F...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 This week, Kathi and Mike cover the ground-shift that has happened and is happening with two of the largest companies on earth, Google and Facebook. Both platforms are under pressure to grow even bigger and all of us users are being left out in the cold, including millions of small business websites that have seen their traffic reduced by up to 94%. Podcas...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Carrying the subject matter over from last week’s pod, Kathi and Mike cite examples where appreciation, recognition and specific training can go a long way for service advisors, who are the “salespeople in the service dept.”  Music segment: August 27th Anniversary of the B52s second album, “Wild Planet” Private Idaho Radiohead Perform "Creep" Liv...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 In this special episode, Kathi goes solo in a conversation with her long-time friend, Laurie Down, an amazing customer service manager (who is currently working as a successful Service Advisor).  If you’re in the car biz, especially in Fixed Ops, you’ll enjoy hearing Laurie's real-time stories that reveal her credo that guides her approach to customer...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 We explore the trials and tribulations of attempting to advertise with Facebook. Warning: the endeavor may make you cough with frustration (like Kathi). Then, we discuss dealership customer experience, particularly in the Service Dept. How are dealerships going to succeed in competing with independent repair shops and chains like Valvoline? Kathi shares an...

👉 Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here 👈 Kathi and Mike explore the advantages of email (hint: there are many) but only with a strategic, consistent approach. "Email blast" is a term we've all heard but it's effectiveness is dubious. Spamming has a totally different meaning today than it did even 2 years ago and it’s easy to waste resources. Let's do email right! Then we...