The VIN-dow Podcast

Inventory challenges continue to make headlines, but has the used car market shifted?  "By the time you've ready about it in the Wall Street Journal, it's already too late." - The Wolf of Wall Street From Robert Hollenshead's perspective, the market is softening, and cars aren't selling like they were 3-5-8 weeks ago. Inventory predictions for the latter half of 2021 have shifted after Ford receiv...

This week we asked Bob, "What's happening in the market and what should dealers keep in mind when using market reports right now?" His answer... "Right now, market reports could be the worst thing you could refer to.... the market report is your enemy."  Keep in mind: 1. Expectations are not being met in the lanes.  Sellers are not getting the money they were hoping to get and are no longer sellin...

Dealers are starting to STRIKE OUT in this market. Normal consignors are back to 40-60% no sales as the market softens to the whisper of cars coming back.  What "strikes" start to matter:  Previous rental? STRIKE.  Challenged history? STRIKE. Market report? STRIKE. (Watch out - these reports are your enemy now, not your ally).  We watch, understand and transact with all kinds of different players....

How does Accu-Trade change prices?  With a team of analysts and experienced Traders taking a look at every VIN that rolls under their nose. Base prices are set by thirty five analysts, and then an algorithm takes over for VIN-specific characteristics of each car (ie: vehicle source, accident history, equipment, mileage, condition). You want books? Those satellite dishes are available for you withi...

Now you're watching you see what you got in stock. Now you're seeing the same identical car, even though you wish it wasn't identical. It is. And they're not bringing the candy. This is where I think we'll see things start to slide to the other side. You can't point to statistics at the moment to show that except we own Galves and our analysts in other words, report facts. But we also do a little,...

After Bob sold Trade In Marketplace to Cox automotive, now Kelly Blue Book Instant Cash Offer, he added retail data to his platform and went to Canada with Accu-Trade in 2015.  Accu-Trade provides dealers with liquid value (cash for any car), auction value (what you can expect to pay to buy this car in the marketplace or what you can expect to sell the vehicle for in the marketplace), and retail (...

The platform that enables knowledge prior to ownership, knowledge during ownership, and knowledge through transfer of ownership, will eliminate all post sale arbitration. There would be no reason for $900 auction fees. Using data and science, the buyer and seller could use the same platform to co-validate information and communicate would: Eliminate buyer and seller frustration; Overcome miscommun...

Podcast Transcript It’s been an absolutely irrational, insane market. So let’s talk about that, or talk about where it's going or what happens when it's over.   Well, that's something do you know, let the steam out of the brain a little bit in that when you take a second to, you know, take a deep breath, cause you can't even believe that it's happening, what's happening. Right. You know, when you'...

Sales departments are wondering where to find vehicles to wholesale and retail, without exploring all of the vehicles that are actually brought to their building for service "Squeeze out all the juice" of what's happening at your dealership "Know the answer before asking" -- Don't start a conversation with a potential seller without knowing ALL you can about the vehicle Accu-Trade tools (with OBD...

In this week's episode, Bob shares snapshots of data extracted from Galves and Accu-Trade to showcase why dealers should be buying and pricing based on replacement value, not retail.  Accu-Trade has information totally unique to our industry because we are traders ourselves.  “We are by nature traders. We have 1300 years of experience with our little group of folks that have been with us since the...

Selling to the Current Market You were talking about how at the beginning of COVID last year and this is quote, quote I was stupid enough to know that we were definitely staying current to the market, so we are selling. So why have you always gone that route, Bob? You're not holding back. Oh God, what a good question, Sean. This is really simple. And now we have other people that follow our method...

You may not know that Bob has been an avid gardener for decades. When it comes to keeping your grounds looking fresh, Bob compares garden plots to dealership inventory in  a one to one relationship. He's known for his analogies... and this is one you don't want to miss!  What you need to manage your used car inventory:  G-ardener (4:00), A-ttractive (10:00) and Adverse (16:00), R-ub off (9:00), D-...

In this week's VIN-dow podcast, Robert shares where wholesale profits are made and why wholesale is no longer a "dirty" word. The most successful publicly traded companies are not looking to break even wholesale.  Check out their financial statements online. Where you find "wholesale", you will find profits. Carvana and Carmax are doing it! Three rules to follow to make a wholesale profit:  1) Buy...

In this week’s VIN-Dow podcast Bob explores “Cheap” cars.  It’s a discussion worth listening to as we and automotive dealerships navigate the hyper-market we are currently in. Listen in as Bob defines: Those “cheap” cars that may seem cheap based on the market information at your disposal, but become very expensive when you can’t sell them. And the actual “cheap” cars, that have the “double-take f...

When Covid First Hit You know, last year on this day is when it officially became a disaster of the world, right? In other words:  everybody's shutting down. You didn't know what you were going to do with cars. Some people said they were smart enough to understand that they should keep them. I was stupid enough to know that we're definitely staying current to the market so we are selling.   And we...

The VIN-dow Podcast is brought to you by Accu-Trade . Do you want to improve your vehicle acquisitions with transactional transparency for your customers? What about the trade-in process?  Developed by the largest independent wholesale dealer in history, Robert Hollenshead. It’s the same tool they use every day to do their job. Every lesson learned from over $20 Billion in transactions and 900 cum...

The VIN-dow Podcast is brought to you by Accu-Trade . Do you want to improve your vehicle acquisitions with transactional transparency for your customers? What about the trade-in process?  Developed by the largest independent wholesale dealer in history, Robert Hollenshead. It’s the same tool they use every day to do their job. Every lesson learned from over $20 Billion in transactions and 900 cum...

The VIN-dow Podcast is brought to you by Accu-Trade . Do you want to improve your vehicle acquisitions with transactional transparency for your customers? What about the trade-in process?  Developed by the largest independent wholesale dealer in history, Robert Hollenshead. It’s the same tool they use every day to do their job. Every lesson learned from over $20 Billion in transactions and 900 cum...

The VIN-dow Podcast is brought to you by Accu-Trade . Do you want to improve your vehicle acquisitions with transactional transparency for your customers? What about the trade-in process?  Developed by the largest independent wholesale dealer in history, Robert Hollenshead. It’s the same tool they use every day to do their job. Every lesson learned from over $20 Billion in transactions and 900 cum...

The VIN-dow Podcast is brought to you by Accu-Trade . Do you want to improve your vehicle acquisitions with transactional transparency for your customers? What about the trade-in process?  Developed by the largest independent wholesale dealer in history, Robert Hollenshead. It’s the same tool they use every day to do their job. Every lesson learned from over $20 Billion in transactions and 900 cum...

Check out this and other episodes on Youtube.     The VIN-dow Podcast is brought to you by Accu-Trade . Do you want to improve your vehicle acquisitions with transactional transparency for your customers? What about the trade-in process?  Developed by the largest independent wholesale dealer in history, Robert Hollenshead. It’s the same tool they use every day to do their job. Every lesson learned...

Thank you for listening to this recording of The VIN-Dow Podcast with Robert Hollenshead, from January 14th, 2021.    Check out the YouTube episode and other.    The VIN-dow Podcast is brought to you by Accu-Trade . Do you want to improve your vehicle acquisitions with transactional transparency for your customers? What about the trade-in process?  Developed by the largest independent wholesale de...

Why should you be acquiring vehicles through service, and how you can do it? We can upload any spreadsheet into Accu-trade for an instant condition report and offer for every trade running through your shop.  Previously, Bob spoke with Keith McCord from VIN-tel, an an OBD reader that decodes the truth of every VIN and instantly associates the diminished value in Accu-Trade. The transparency that i...

Check out this episode and many others on YouTube .    1:23 When did dealers start buying cars directly from the public?    2:50 What is the epitome of the market that will never repeat itself?    3:33 What two things happen when you get your dealer license? The whole world knows that you’re a pile of dirt; You become the ultimate optimist.    4:02 Who does the automotive industry attract? Freedom...

"Uncertainty causes wars. Lack of communication, and uncertainty."  "The rainbow of different needs of all categories of dealers it dictates that there has to be a common sensical, universal, agnostic set of solutions that let people have the capability of communicating with buyers and sellers, wholesale and retail." - Robert Hollenshead.  Bob has built a suite of solutions that do just that: www....