Beyond The First Pencil

Throughout this podcast, Kathi and Mike have shared techniques and tips on how to  make social media effective throughout the entire sales process. It works well in building a pipeline, nurturing leads, giving and getting referrals and achieving sales goals.  The more things change, the more they remain the same. You can’t close the sale without connecting first. Valuable content (that customers n...

Car prices are coming down and dealers’ vehicle supply is going up. The problem now is that loans are harder to come by. Millennials and Gen Z can’t afford their car loans and it seems to be getting worse.  Delinquency rates on auto loans are hitting record highs: in May 2023, the number of severe delinquencies matched that of 2006, when Cox Automotive first started tracking these. All of this wil...

Now that many of us are starting from scratch on a few new social networks, Kathi and Mike discover that when you’re forced to start over with a clean slate, it’s easy to lose sight of the exceptional talents each of us have. “Stinkin’ thinkin’” gets the better of all of us sometimes so we wanted to share our own tips and tricks for not letting imposter syndrome get the upper hand. In our music se...

Today (7/6/23) is the launch of Threads, Facebook/Meta’s answer to Twitter. Kathi and Mike had already explored it a bit and have a lot to share about it and the other new platforms that are popping up. As things shift and decentralize in the social media ecosystem, it’s more important than ever to begin with a strategy that outlines the goals you want to achieve. Kathi and Mike share a few not-be...

To say there’s been changes in the car business is a colossal understatement. After the challenges from the pandemic, it seems as though dealership processes are all over the place…and that’s to be expected. But now that we are beginning to see a return to some norms, and customers are expecting an improved experience at the dealership, focused training and digital retail tools will get the flow g...

There are consequences of social media behavior. Whether they’re good or bad is determined by you. We talk about it a lot but wow, it’s so crucial to think about how you want to be perceived. Then we talk about ChatGPT and how useful it can be for creating social media content. Kathi shares her insights with the latest Facebook push of short-form video. Lots of opportunity for those without a budg...

This week, we dive into some real-time stories of customer experience at dealerships. Both of us have noticed a deterioration of general behavior within the interactions between dealership personnel and customers and we’re a little worried about where we go from here. Takeaway: Be truthful with the customer.  Music:  On SNL:  Elvis Costello and the Beastie Boys -Radio,Radio Foo Fighters in Sept at...

Kathi and Mike welcome our friend, Kelly Wilson, who’s not only a top-notch dealership Marketing Manager and Internet Manager, but an awesome, high-producing Finance Manager. Kelly gives us a “boots on the ground” recap of the Dealer Knows Summer Camp.  We also talk about overcoming adversity, something that Kelly knows “a little bit” about. She’s a powerhouse of knowledge and enthusiasm.  Highlig...

Car dealers are bombarded by truckloads of vendors who each promise the world, and this is never more true than in the digital marketing and advertising space. Dealership personnel don’t have time to become digital experts so they depend on their vendors. But that dependency is only beneficial when there is trust built between the store and the vendor. Changes are happening quickly and this brings...

Social media is changing dramatically and keeping up requires a focused effort. Kathi and Mike share examples of how stories differentiate you from all the online noise.  In our music segment: Today (5/18/23) is the anniversary of Ian Curtis’ death. Ian was the lead singer and founder of Joy Division, a band from Manchester, England in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist...

Gawd knows, we’ve all heard those worn out car sales tropes promising great success through some “easy” steps. The fact is, creating a lasting career in the car business is hard work and some of that hard work must be done on yourself. But where to start?  Self insight is super difficult to master, which is why so many avoid taking action. Mike shares how his simple experience of choosing a new pa...

Have you been running any Facebook ads lately? Kathi shares her latest go-round with Facebook “Meta” ads (this time for Hanaeleh, the non-profit horse rescue she’s involved with), and you’ll want to hear the results because when you spend your hard-earned money to advertise, you should be able to know where your budget is going.  Then, Mike talks about a profit potential in Fixed Ops that’s been a...

It’s Springtime and that means new beginnings, fresh starts, and positive changes. When it comes to dealership operations, it’s the opportunity to update outdated processes that may be costing you money. Join Kathi and Mike as we share some of our dealership process experiences, positive and not-so-positive. What we learned might inspire you to explore outdated things in your own world. In our mus...

We are just a couple of car peeps spreading helpful tips when we see ‘em. Please allow us to tell you about Google Lighthouse (and the Google Lighthouse Chrome extension). You can use it to audit any website you want for free. Spring is in the air(!) and we are here to remind you that it’s a good time to assess things. Clear up the clutter, so to speak. We also share a tidbit about dealership cont...

We’re in the car business and maybe you are too. But even if you aren't,  have you ever wondered what it’s actually like to buy a car online? And if you have, was your experience everything you imagined? Kathi and Mike have a chat with their friend Anielka Gallo, who worked at car dealerships in the marketing dept and now freelances her awesome graphic designs. Get ready to hear about her rea...

For those of us who spend time on Twitter (even though it has seriously degraded since Elmo took over), the changes have not been positive. We would like our platform back and of course, that's not in the cards, which is why we must turn to self care. Self care in the form of a rant. Join us, won’t you? Afterwards, we explore how dealerships can do this ONE thing to increase their social medi...

Kathi and Mike welcome back our friend, Bill Playford from Dealer Knows. We got to talking a few weeks ago about the sad state of automotive conferences and Bill is here to share some exciting news. Bill and his partner Joe Webb have been working hard to deliver a very different alternative that will likely change your mind about what a conference can be.  One of the many outstanding attributes in...

Great content that people are interested in doesn’t have to be a chore. Social media is supposed to be fun (and profitable) but when you’re stressed and at a loss for what to post, it’s anything but fun. Implementing even a rudimentary strategy for social media content will greatly increase your chance of success.  Kathi and Mike discuss some of the techniques they’ve used (and still use!) that ca...

We are back from a short mental health break just in time to discuss the sale of the last Cal Worthington store here in So Cal. Kathi and Mike both grew up with Cal Worthington coming through their TVs (maybe you did too?). He was the OG car dealer and there'll never be another like him. Yesterday was John Doe's birthday so we are celebrating by talking about one of our favorite bands: X...

Mike and I haven’t really shared our views on the whole “Full Self Driving” saga that’s been causing so much harm to unsuspecting drivers and by extension the driving public. Today we break our silence to convey how happy we are that a recall was announced saying that FSD “may cause a crash.”  Then, we talk about a fool proof way to always have thoughtful content to post on social media. Hint: Mem...

We are so happy to have Justin Osburn on the show this week. Justin is a leader in our industry for many reasons and when you listen, you’ll see why.  Franchise or independent retailer, finding cars to sell is an art. Introducing BDC (Business Development Center) tactics can improve your success substantially and we talk with Justin about how to change and adapt to a new process that leverages our...

First, we discuss a little bit about how the car business stereotype is still alive and well. Both Mike and I have spent our careers fighting the stereotype and we think it’s time to fix it. Then we cover ChatGPT and how we might be using AI today and in the future of the car business. ChatGPT is an AI chatbot system that OpenAI released in November to show off and test what a very large, powerful...

It’s crazy to imagine but did you know that only a small fraction of the millions of US businesses use their Google Business Profile? Our guest today is Craig Darling of Darling Local and he’s on a mission to change that. Google Business Profiles are the single best way to get noticed in Search...for FREE.  Craig is a long-time friend of ours. He was a superstar Chevy salesperson and ended his car...

It’s a new year, and it’s a good time to review your social media strategy.  What do you want out of social media? Do you have the resources to get there? There are a thousand different ways you can use social media and we talk about taking a multi-pronged approach. Hiring a social media manager is the first step and then supplement their efforts with ads, training and content created by employees...

It’s a New Year! In this episode, we share our insights on Cox Automotive’s Jonathan Smoke’s predictions for 2023. Having managed dealership operations for many years, we both feel strongly that challenges are coming - but nothing that we haven’t seen before. We are car people which means we always persevere through the tough times to come out on top.  Link to Cox Automotive Predictions 2023: HERE...