The Dealer Playbook

Car dealers are aiming to provide a "Carvana-Like" experience, but what are the risk issues that dealers will face moving into a remote retail environment? Tom Kline, founder of Better Vantage Point explains the "Home Solicitation Act" and why dealers need to be aware of it.  It may not be as simple as just delivering vehicles or "selling" vehicles at the car shoppers...

Tom Kline is the founder of Better Vantage Point ; a dealership dispute, compliance, and risk mitigation company. With over 30 years of experience, and a history co-owning his family dealership, Tom is on a mission to help dealers mitigate the risk which costs them millions per year. What we discuss with Tom Kline: The retail automotive industry is wasting hundreds of millions of dollars per year...

This is an episode about Mathematics, but if you listen carefully, there's an underlying message. Scott Flansburg a.k.a. The Human Calculator holds the Guinness World Record for fastest mental calculation and is on a mission to help people learn math.  Scott explains something that can have a direct impact on your career in the automotive industry and in your life. From a young age, we learn...

Should you call yourself the "Cadillac Guy?" Ali Reda says, "Don't even get me started on that!" Often we spend more time thinking about the perfect slogan or the most captivating logo, but Ali suggests that it's all a waste of time until you know who you are in the business. Your actions throughout your career dictate the strength of your brand.  Listen closely to wh...

Ali Reda is best known among his colleagues in the retail automotive industry as the highest-performing car sales professional in the world. To his customers, he's Ali, the guy who has devoted his career to being a good person, neighbor, and community member.  In this exclusive behind-the-scenes interview, you'll hear Ali share his best advice about how anyone in car sales can achieve si...

One of the most common problems with selling more used vehicles is Turn Around time, says LotPop founder, Jasen Rice. One of the things dealers often forget about is holding costs. How much does it cost to hold a vehicle in the "slot?" Some dealers are paying between $30 - $100 vehicles per day. Learn what you can do to overcome the expense of holding used vehicles for too long so that t...

Jasen Rice is the founder of LotPop.com, the wildly successful firm that helps dealers improve gross and volume. He's an expert at all things vehicle sales and merchandising, and joins the podcast to share his wisdom about how car dealers can improve their used vehicle sales process.  A year ago (2020), Jasen joined the show to explain how used vehicle inventory would be the saving grace for...

There's no substitute for preparation, and the same is true for building a powerful business network.  Whether you're a car sales professional or dealership owner, industry titans like Ali Reda have demonstrated how crucial having a network in place can be, especially when a crisis hits.  In this episode, Listen as Judi Fox and Michael Cirillo explain why it's important to build you...

Judi Fox has mastered the ability to grow and monetize brands on LinkedIn. She's the founder of The LinkedIn Accelerator, a brand and video marketing strategist, and a public speaker.  Judi joins Michael to share how car sales professionals and car dealers can leverage LinkedIn to grow their brand and business opportunities! LinkedIn is rewarding active participants in its platform right now...

To humanize something means that you do it in a more humane or civilized way.  The car industry is still plagued by negative stereotypes, many of which are perpetuated by the fact that some dealers are hanging on to the past.  Listen as Fred Lennartz shares his insights about how to change that narrative so that we can provide a culture that serves the needs of the community far beyond just moving...

Frederick Lennartz (a.k.a The Subprime Hero), is the host of the Car Guy Coffee Podcast and has nearly 20 years of automotive retail under his belt. Fred's mission is to help the automotive retail community be the very best it can be, and he's doing that by helping shift the way car dealers approach the road to the car sale. In this episode, Fred shares how he works tactical sales strate...

Anyone can develop a relationship, but there is a key difference when it comes to developing strong partnerships.  In this quick snippet from the full episode featuring Laurie Foster, listen as she explains the difference between just having a relationship with someone and developing a profitable partnership.  Can we achieve this outcome in the retail automotive industry? - - - Leave a Review: If...

Dealers! What should you do if you have bad vendor relationships? Vendors... same question! Laurie Foster is the founder of Foster Strategies and works with car dealerships and vendors to help create more profitable business relationships. Over the years the automotive industry has accepted lackluster relationships as the norm, but there are many change agents within the industry who are moving be...

As you can imagine, being able to scale your business efficiently has more to do with one's mindset than anything else. A healthy and positive mindset will impact the action that follows.  But maybe it's time to sell your dealership, ring the bell, and check out. In this segment, Chris Martinez shares his advice for those wondering if now is the time or not.  Connect with Chris Martinez:...

Is selling 1,000 cars per month even possible? Yes... yes, it is. Chris Martinez is the Executive Director of Sales and Marketing at Jackie Cooper Imports of Tulsa and automotive best-selling author.  His vast experience in growing profitability for dealerships is second to none, and that's apparent as he shares how he helped a single point Toyota store increase their sales to 1,000 cars per...

"Every single day I'm reminded that there's no one in my dealership that looks like me and that I'm the only woman at the table." Erikka Tiffani from the Women of Color Automotive Network shares her unique perspective about what it takes to grow within the car business. Whatever the odds working against you may be, Erikka's inspirational story and analogy about "...

Erikka Tiffani is a co-founder of the Women of Color Automotive Network (WOCAN) which was founded to attract, support, connect and empower women of color in the automotive industry.  Listen carefully and learn how she was able to stand up and stand out in the retail automotive industry, and what you can do within your career to do the same. Erikka's inspiring story is one of rising to the cha...

The best car sales tactics in the world won't work unless you do. Car sales professionals and dealer owners who take the time to work through their brand will be able to sell anything according to Jaylissa Lea. To build a successful brand, car dealers need to have a clear goal and then be able to identify where the gaps are in achieving that goal. For example, what values drive your internal...

Jaylissa Lea has a background in clinical psychology, neuro-linguistic programming, and hypnotherapy and utilizes those disciplines to help her clients create powerful brands. In this episode, you'll learn how to create a personal brand within the car dealership so that you can impact your customers and community in a positive way. Jaylissa teaches that brands are more than fancy logos or cat...

Car Dealers around the world have been keeping a close eye on emerging tech companies like Carvana for quite some time. Their direct-to-consumer car purchase model has proven to be a viable option for those who wish to bypass the traditional car dealership experience.  That's why it's important for dealers to take action today. Mark McGovern is an online school teacher with zero connecti...

Today's car shoppers are more savvy and educated than ever before. That means they require fewer vehicle features and price information (which is easy to find), and more value messaging. They need to know why they should choose your dealership rather than your competitors.  In this episode, Michael breaks down a simple 3 step process that will help you craft more appealing "Why Buy"...

It's easier to be negative than it is to be positive. Having a positive mindset requires discipline. It requires you to reframe the lens by which you see the world, and that's not an overnight process.  That's probably why those with a negative bias far outnumber those who have cultivated a positive mindset -- who see an opportunity in every circumstance.  David Long shares his best...

The real change-makers in the retail auto industry all have one thing in common. They believe and deploy the power of a positive mindset before any job-specific tactics. Isn't it ironic? Those who focus strictly on tactics never seem to get a head while those who have a positive, willing, and committed mindset tend to rise the leaderboard consistently? David J. Long is the Executive General M...

There is a massive shift coming to the retail automotive industry, and dealers need to wake up and focus on what matters most if they want to weather the storm.  The next 10 years in the industry will see the biggest shifts the industry has ever seen. The retail dealer community will shrink, while big tech and dealer groups take over in an online environment.  That's why more dealers are step...

Brian Kramer is the general manager of Germain Toyota of Naples and is the pioneer of the 100% paperless car sales transaction. His work has forged the path in assisting his dealership and others with the digital evolution.  In this episode, Brian will speak about how to galvanize your existing dealership processes so that you can meet the needs of today's car shoppers. He'll also explai...