vAuto Podcast

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Mike O’Toole of Mohawk Honda, Scotia, NY, discuss how O’Toole and his team have overcome used vehicle inventory acquisition challenges by focusing on purchasing cars from customers. O’Toole details how the store uses in-person and virtual appraisals that rely on third-party validated offers and a human touch to provid...

In this vAuto podcast episode, vAuto founder Dale Pollak shares perspective on recent shifts in the wholesale and retail markets, and how dealers should consider stocking and pricing vehicles in a transitioning market. Dale outlines how the appreciation of wholesale values and retail demand have peaked. Moving forward, Dale recommends moderation in both stocking and pricing used vehicles to ensure...

In this vAuto podcast episode, Patrick Janes, director of business development for Stockwave, shares strategies to help dealers acquire inventory in a wholesale market where values are high and supplies are relatively low. Patrick offers a perspective on how dealers can use market data to know the higher-cost wholesale vehicles they acquire are right for their inventories and local markets. Patric...

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast, Mike Boyd, director of business development for iRecon, shares the three top priorities dealers and managers should address as they look to improve reconditioning efficiency to help them increase used vehicle sales throughput and volume. From defining goals to mapping who does what, and by when, Boyd details a best practice plan to help dealers eliminate pinch...

In this vAuto podcast episode, vAuto founder Dale Pollak provides a detailed look at the all-new ProfitTime 2.0, and shares why he believes this system will become a new standard for pricing and managing used vehicles. Dale details how ProfitTime 2.0’s pricing recommendations help dealers price their used vehicles to deliver more investment return while reducing the time required to make pricing d...

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Scott Oller of Suntrup Automotive Group, St. Louis, discuss how a centralized acquisition, pricing and reconditioning operation works for the six-store group. Oller details how his team adjusted its acquisition strategy as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, and the ways he ensures store managers trust his decisions about...

In this vAuto podcast episode, Patrick Janes, director of business development for vAuto’s Stockwave, highlights how dealers can find advantage in a wholesale market despite the higher cost of auction-purchased inventory. Patrick shares how dealers can mine market data to identify wholesale vehicles that offer a profit-positive retail opportunity, and spot emerging opportunities less data-minded b...

In this vAuto Podcast episode, vAuto founder Dale Pollak responds to dealers who asked for guidance and insight on used market conditions in the final quarter of 2020. Dale discusses how a slight softening of retail sales and wholesale values should guide dealers’ decisions to acquire more inventory, and shape their retailing strategies for higher-cost auction vehicles. Dale outlines how dealers m...

In this vAuto podcast episode, Brian Finkelmeyer, senior director of new car solutions for vAuto, and guest David Barash, finance director at Glassman Automotive Group in Metro Detroit discuss how dealers are taking advantage of digital interfaces and virtual tools to complete a deal. David shares that customers know exactly what they want due to the accessibility of information available to them....

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson and Brian Finkelmeyer, senior director of new car solutions for vAuto, discuss how dealers can thrive in a new car market where retail demand currently outpaces inventory supply, and the race to the bottom is now a race to inventory. Brian offers best practices for dealers to ensure they understand their best-selling models, colors, equipment and...

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Nick Anderson, general manager at Chuck Anderson Ford, Excelsior Springs, MO, discuss how market conditions have pushed Nick to rely on alternative strategies to acquire used vehicle inventory. Nick shares how Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer helps him acquire 20 vehicles a month with lower Cost to Market percentag...

In this vAuto podcast episode, Eric Nelson of Nelson Auto, Mt. Prospect, IL, and Patrick Janes, director of business development for Stockwave discuss how Eric uses technology to efficiently find and acquire the right inventory for his dealership. Eric shares how he blends online and proxy bidding to acquire the vehicles he knows will sell in his market, and how Google helps him track retail trend...

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Dan Garwatoski, sales manager at Nissan North, Columbus, OH, discuss how Dan and his team have found success despite ongoing volatility in the retail automotive market. Dan shares how Provision ProfitTime helped the dealership raise prices to meet retail demand and acquire the right cars for the right money, despite a...

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson and iRecon founder Mike Boyd discuss how inaccurate reconditioning estimates in appraisals can undermine a dealership’s ability to acquire and retail used vehicles. Mike shares findings that suggest an average $600 variance between reconditioning estimates and the cost of the actual work—a gap that often translates to lower look-to-book ratios and...

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Cary Donovan, dealer principal at Rolling Stock Specialty Auto Sales, Louisville, KY, discuss the unique retailing strategy Donovan has developed at his warehouse operation. Donovan shares how he manages his customers through appointment-only and details his reasons for choosing not to offer F&I options as part of his...

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson and vAuto founder and Cox Automotive executive vice president, Dale Pollak, discuss current market conditions that suggest dealers take a more cautious approach to acquiring used vehicle inventory. Dale shares his recommendation that dealers should stock a 30-day supply of inventory, based on a rolling 14-day total of retail sales, rather than a f...

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Bobby Sight, operations director at Rob Sight Ford, Kansas City, discuss how Bobby has spent the past year revamping the dealership’s marketing strategy as part of an effort to increase the store’s new vehicle business. A fourth-generation dealer, Sight shares how he studied competitor inventories and sales to find hi...

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson and Brian Finkelmeyer, director of new vehicle business development for vAuto, discuss the current environment for franchised dealers in new vehicles. Brian shares an update on new vehicle sales and inventory supplies, and how these factors create an environment where the margin of error in pricing or vehicle ordering can make a difficult situatio...

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson, Rob Berman, used vehicle manager at Nate Wade Subaru, Salt Lake City and Patrick Janes, director of business development for Stockwave, discuss how Berman has adjusted his inventory acquisition efforts to fit current wholesale and retail conditions. A self-proclaimed “dinosaur,” Berman shares how he’s casting a wider net using technology to find...

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Jonathan Hakes, used vehicle inventory director at Dorschel Auto Group, Rochester, NY, discuss how the group is putting a greater emphasis on capturing more trade-ins and off-street vehicles to feed its used vehicle inventory. Jonathan shares how the group is refining its “sight unseen” appraisal process and using Kel...

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson and vAuto founder and Cox Automotive Executive Vice President Dale Pollak discuss two questions on most everyone’s minds—why is retail demand so strong and how long might it last? Dale shares a perspective shaped by conversations with top thinkers at Cox Automotive that suggests 4 “Cs” are driving retail demand, which are cash, credit, confidence...

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Phillip Gill, general sales manager of Tom Gill Chevrolet, Florence, KY, discuss how business has changed at the dealership since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Phillip outlines how the pandemic disrupted his transition to Provision ProfitTime, and then proved to be a useful way to position the store for a record-sett...

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Jeff VanderWal, founder and president of Clear Shift, a Littleton, CO-based independent dealership, discuss the factors that have helped the operation double its retail sales despite the pandemic. Jeff shares why Clear Shift adopted digital retailing strategies years ago, and how his sales process has offered an advan...

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson, Jim Farkas, general manager of Germain Honda of Ann Arbor, MI, and Mike Boyd, director of business enablement for vAuto’s iRecon, discuss how Farkas used the COVID-19 pandemic to rethink the store’s approach to reconditioning. Farkas details how he’s defined specific performance standards and timelines to shave nearly three days off the time it t...

In this vAuto Podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson and vAuto Founder Dale Pollak discuss key operational take-aways from the automotive industry’s response to COVID-19. Dale shares how a collective focus on customers is helping dealers redefine the way they do business to increase operational efficiency and profitability. Dale shares how some long-held beliefs, like a need for big facilities and c...