Podcasts about vauto

Today I'm joined by Derek Hansen, VP of Operations at Cox Automotive. We get into how AI is reshaping inventory pricing, pro tips for navigating vehicle tariffs, where vAuto is innovating next—and more. If your dealership is interested in learning more, reach out to Derek by email: derek.hansen@coxautoinc.com This episode is brought to you by: 1, Toma – If your BDC or Service Advisors are buried in calls, it's time for a smarter solution. Toma builds custom AI agents that answer 100% of your dealership's inbound calls and handle tasks like booking service, checking recalls, and scheduling test drives—without tying up your team. Dealers using Toma are saving 30–40 staff hours a week and booking 100+ extra appointments every month. Exclusive for CDG Listeners: Start your no-risk, 1-month free trial @ toma.com/cdg 2. Experian Automotive - Like most Car Dealership Guy Listeners, you're constantly looking for the inside edge on the auto industry. So if you're ready to step up your game to the next level – outpacing the competition and building customer loyalty – there's only one place to go from here: Experian Automotive. They're the only ones with exclusive data across vehicles, consumers, and credit—plus expert data scientists who connect the dots to uncover the insights you need. Get the industry-leading insights from Experian Automotive today! Learn more by visiting @ https://carguymedia.com/4cfcLjZ Need help finding top automotive talent? Get started here: https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here: https://cdgpartner.com Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here: https://bit.ly/3Suismu Topics: 00:15 Biggest inventory challenges today? 00:34 What shaped your career path? 01:08 How is AI changing auto? 03:38 Current market trends to watch? 07:11 Best dealer strategies now? 09:37 How to improve appraisals? 15:45 Global car sourcing tips? 21:39 How predictive analytics helps sales? 33:09 Future car inventory predictions? Check out Car Dealership Guy's stuff: CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Jobs ➤ https://jobs.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Recruiting ➤ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ My Socials: X ➤ x.com/GuyDealership Instagram ➤ instagram.com/cardealershipguy/ TikTok ➤ tiktok.com/@guydealership LinkedIn ➤ linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy Threads ➤ threads.net/@cardealershipguy Facebook ➤ facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683 Everything else ➤ dealershipguy.com This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this vAuto podcast, general manager Bill Stanley of the North Dakota-based Ryan Family of Dealerships details his experience working with vAuto's development team to create a better, faster way of assessing and addressing rooftop-level performance. Stanley also outlines why he expects his team will be “rocking and rolling” this summer, despite the risks of less favorable market conditions due to tariffs and other factors. Hear how Stanley uses a new enterprise-level dashboard to reduce discounting to an average of $150, zero in on pricing, people or process issues that need attention, shave hours of time he previously spent to compile performance reports and strengthen the group's 60 percent Look to Book average to maintain a balance between sales and stocking levels.

In this vAuto podcast, vAuto and Cox Automotive associate vice president Patrick Janes shares perspective on how dealers can address the impact of tariffs as they manage new and used vehicle inventories. Janes offers pointers to help you acquire inventory from customers in a supply-constrained market; ensure your new/used vehicle pricing keeps pace as the market moves; adjust your inventory/sales momentum as market demand shifts.

In this vAuto podcast, Josh Orthel, director of sales for the Iowa-based McGrath Group and his vAuto Performance Manager Brian Kurtz discuss how the group is achieving its goal of 10 percent growth in new/used vehicle sales this year. Hear how Orthel and his team at the nine-store group right-size their used inventories and align pricing to balance gross/turn objectives. Also, Josh discusses how McGrath tightened their appraisal process to gain inventory acquisition efficiency. Finally, hear about their focus on key new vehicle metrics to drive turn and minimize holding expense.

In this vAuto podcast, Cox Automotive executive analyst Erin Keating and vAuto strategic planning director Bethany Johnson discuss how a rise in market uncertainty and volatility could dampen what's turned out to be better-than-expected new and used vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2025. Hear why and how economic trends have spurred a two-sided market where luxury and lower-end vehicles rank as the hottest segments. Also, learn about how affordability will remain a challenge for some time, putting pressure on dealers to focus on market-efficient inventory allocations and sourcing. Finally, they discuss how as-yet unchanged federal tax incentives and better battery diagnostics will drive an ever-growing EV opportunity in new and used vehicles for dealers.

In this vAuto podcast, Patrick Janes and Micah Tindor discuss common appraisal process variances and customer disconnects that can result in missed opportunities to acquire a vehicle or appraisers putting the wrong money on the right car. They detail appraisal process steps where the “right” money often goes wrong. Plus, they share how dealers can bring customers into appraisal conversations to build trust and understanding that, more often than not, leads to a “yes” with initial offers and inventory you acquire for the right money.

In this vAuto podcast, dealer principal Marc Cross of San Antonio-based Jordan Ford opens his playbook to share a creative approach to moving aged new and used vehicles—a “Brown Banana” sale. Cross discusses how he spiffs his team to move the cars and ensure customers understand an aged unit for the store means a great value for them. Cross also details a remarkable car business career that started as a Ford rep, pioneering one-price selling, and an operational philosophy that's remained constant for nearly 40 years.

In this Q1 2025 edition of Live Market View, vAuto founder and Cox Automotive executive vice president Dale Pollak joins Derek Hansen at NADA 2025 to discuss market conditions dealers will face as the year unfolds. Dealership profitability and the need to acquire inventory—and provide greater transparency to win more vehicles from customers—top the list of key NADA take-aways. In addition, they discuss Dale's transition efforts in his final year at Cox Automotive.

In this episode of the podcast, Zach sits down with Randy Kobat, President and CEO of Repair On Demand, a provider of innovative reconditioning solutions for dealerships. They discuss how reconditioning has become a critical factor in dealership success, the common inefficiencies that slow down the recon process, and how technology can help dealers cut turnaround time and maximize profitability. Randy shares lessons from his extensive background—leading brands like vAuto, Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer, and HomeNet—along with key insights from his decade at Cox Automotive. They also touch on how EVs bring new challenges, such as battery diagnostics, and how a streamlined recon workflow can give dealers a competitive edge.Below are the main questions Zach asks Randy, along with approximate timestamps:Q) How did you get started in automotive tech, and what led you to your current role?Q) From scaling vAuto and Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer, what lessons stand out for dealers today?Q) Why should dealers rethink how they manage their reconditioning process?Q) Where do you see the biggest inefficiencies in dealership recon right now?Q) How can dealers fix the communication breakdowns between sales, service, and third-party vendors?Q) What are the main financial and operational benefits of a streamlined recon process?Q) How does Repair On Demand help dealers eliminate recon inefficiencies?Q) Which innovations in recon technology are most exciting to you?Q) Any key takeaways from your time at Cox Automotive that you've brought to Repair On Demand?Q) With EVs on the rise, what new recon challenges do dealerships face (like battery diagnostics)?Q) What's next for Repair On Demand in the coming 12 to 24 months?Q) How can listeners reach out if they want to connect with you?Listen to more episodes here: https://www.sellyautomotive.com/podcastRead the full transcription: https://blog.sellyautomotive.com/blog/randy-kobat

In this vAuto podcast, Nick Wright, director of client performance management, discusses how football coaching and play-calling principles can help dealers improve the consistency of appraiser performance to bring in more vehicles on the money. Nick outlines how persistent inconsistencies across appraisers translate to everyone effectively calling their own plays on specific vehicles—something football coaches don't allow. Hear how you can help your appraisal team follow a strategy that defines the right money on every vehicle, improve the consistency of their vehicle condition assessments, and call the right audibles if/when it's necessary to make deals.

In this vAuto podcast, vAuto's Derek Hansen, Patrick Janes and Micah Tindor discuss the innovations vAuto will debut at NADA 2025 in New Orleans. They discuss how the new solutions help dealers and dealer groups implement a more consistent appraisal process with customers looking to sell or trade a vehicle, and centralize inventory management decision-making to improve rooftop-level performance.

In this vAuto podcast, vAuto founder and Cox Automotive Executive Vice President, Dale Pollak shares a sneak peek of his new book, Invested: The New Science, Strategy and System of Used Vehicle Investment Management. Pollak shares: Why he believes market conditions now require dealers to adopt investment management principles to contend with higher vehicle costs and declining front-end grosses. How the book gives dealers a way to establish strategic, investment-minded objectives for vehicle acquisition, appraising and pricing. Where he thinks the market will head in 2025 (hint: mostly favorable, with some uncertainty).

In this episode of the Used Car Dealer Podcast, Zach dives into an engaging conversation with Brian Kramer, GM of AccuTrade. They discuss the current shifts in the used car market, the innovative appraisal tools offered by Accu-Trade, and how these tools help dealers make smarter decisions while enhancing the customer experience. Brian shares insights on navigating misconceptions in vehicle appraisals, success stories from dealerships, and AccuTrade's plans for 2025. Dealers of all sizes will find valuable advice on staying competitive in a digital-first market.Some of the questions asked were:Q) Brian, can you tell us about your background and what brought you to AccuTrade?Q) What do you think are the biggest changes in the used car market today?Q) How does AccuTrade's appraisal tech help dealers assess vehicle values more accurately?Q) What makes AccuTrade stand out from other digital appraisal tools?Q) What are common misconceptions about vehicle appraisals and valuations?Q) How do Accu-Trade's tools improve the buying and appraisal experience for dealers and customers?Q) Can you share a success story from a dealership using AccuTrade?Q) What advancements is AccuTrade planning for 2025?Q) What advice would you give to single-store dealers adapting to the digital and appraisal changes?Listen to our other podcast episodes: https://www.sellyautomotive.com/podcastTranscribe of this podcast - https://blog.sellyautomotive.com/blog/brian-kramer-accutrade-2024

Shoot us a Text.We're closing out the week talking about how industry titan Dale Pollak will leave Cox Auto at the end of 2025. Plus, almost all of the public groups saw F&I gross profit dip in Q3 and apparently OpenAI is building its own web browser.Show Notes with links:Cox Automotive announced Dale Pollak, founder of vAuto and a pioneer in inventory management, will leave the company at the end of 2025 after nearly 50 years of shaping the industry.Pollak will spend 2024 transitioning key relationships and continuing his influential NADA teachings.At January's NADA Show, he'll release Invested, his seventh book on vehicle investment strategy.Since founding vAuto 20 years ago, Pollak has driven innovation and success for Cox Automotive, helping dealers optimize inventory.Steve Rowley, Cox Automotive president, expressed deep gratitude: “Dale has poured himself into our company, our customers, and everything automotive for most of his life. We are very grateful for his unwavering commitment.”Five of the top six public dealership groups experienced slight declines in F&I gross profits per vehicle in Q3 2024. Group 1 Automotive was the exception, posting a modest 1% gain year over year, aided by stronger penetration rates for service contracts and new vehicle financing.AutoNation saw the sharpest decline, with F&I profits falling 6% to $2,589 per vehicle.Lithia Motors faced a 2.8% decline due to lower sales of service contracts. However, its captive finance unit Driveway Financial saw profitability rise, financing 12% of Lithia's vehicle sales.Asbury Automotive's same-store F&I profit per vehicle dropped 4.9% year-over-year in Q3, falling $108 to $2,111.Sonic Automotive posted a 3% drop and Penske saw a 1.5% dip.Jeff Lick of Stephens noted that F&I remained resilient, contrasting with the sharper spikes in new-vehicle gross profits seen during inventory shortages.OpenAI is reportedly exploring a ChatGPT-integrated browser and AI-driven search tools, challenging areas historically dominated by Google.A potential OpenAI browser would integrate with ChatGPT, enhancing conversational search experiences.OpenAI is also developing "NLWeb," a tool allowing conversational interactions on travel, retail, and real estate sites.OpenAI has hired former Google Chrome developers, signaling serious exploration of this competitive space.Google, holding 65% of the browser market and 82% of the search market, is ramping up AI in its search platform, starting with mobile changes.Google's monopoly faces scrutiny, with the DOJ seeking to force a sale of Chrome to address antitrust concerns.Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle MountsierGet the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email

In this vAuto podcast, Lee Segal, general sales manager at Rodland Toyota, Everett, WA, details how the dealership uses a blend of online and physical auctions to efficiently wholesale roughly 100 vehicles a month. Segal details how the dealership's multi-channel wholesaling strategy strengthens the store's ability to acquire vehicles from customers and feed their retail inventory. Segal also highlights wholesaling best practices he follows to build relationships and trust with buyers and deliver an optimal return for each vehicle they wholesale.

It's a head-scratcher: Despite ample inventory and relatively strong demand, new vehicle sales aren't living up to expectations. What gives? vAuto's Derek Hansen and Chris Hanna provide answers and practical next steps in the Q3 edition of vAuto's Live Market View. Get a quick view of how affordability, risk-averse lenders and more-difficult-to-manage incentives put the onus on dealers to move metal. Hear best practices to more effectively manage your new vehicle investments—all with an eye to help you capture a greater share of your market despite the headwinds.

In this vAuto podcast, vAuto Performance Managers Jim Tourigney and Patrick Wright detail best practices to help dealers avoid the five most-common merchandising missteps that result in used vehicles not moving when they should. From rethinking the role merchandising plays in your sales process to an over-emphasis on re-pricing rather than re-merchandising vehicles, Tourigney and Wright offer practical pointers to help dealers gain efficiency as they get more from their merchandising and related promotion efforts. Bonus: The pair also distill key distinctions between merchandising new and used vehicles to better engage their respective buyers.

In this vAuto podcast, Scott Crompton, Marketing Manager for Victory Automotive Group and Dustin Corder, vAuto Performance Manager, share how they work together to help Victory drive success across its nearly 45 stores in 10 states. Crompton details how Victory establishes operational guidelines and key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure individual rooftops serve the broader group's interests as they make vehicle acquisition, appraising and pricing decisions. Crompton also outlines how he manages and measures the group's marketing spend in traditional and digital channels to support individual rooftops and the Victory brand.

In this vAuto podcast, Alicia Rudowyj and Bethany Johnson, who work with vAuto's new vehicle incentives and solutions teams, discuss how the new vehicle landscape has shifted to include a larger share of Vehicle Information Number (VIN)-specific incentives to help dealers move aged inventory. Rudowyj and Johnson detail how the shift away from a one-size-fits-all approach to incentives by some OEMs creates pricing and inventory management challenges for dealers. Hear their recommendations on how dealers should assess each new vehicle's risk profile—and the vehicle's likelihood to receive an incentive—to ensure their pricing, merchandising and inventory management decisions should combine to connect with today's affordability-minded new vehicle shoppers and buyers.

In this vAuto podcast, general manager Walt Kelsey of Kelsey Chevrolet, Greendale, IN, shares how he and his team engineered an impressive turnaround in their used vehicle department. In early 2024, Kelsey's inventory had nearly twice as many vehicles in stock as they were selling, with more than 100 units over 60 days old and underwater. It was a post-pandemic, wake-up moment. Kelsey outlines how he and his team attacked the distressed inventory, reasserted a more disciplined approach to pricing and appraising and faced significant financial pain as they put the department back on a money-making track. Kelsey's experience and success offers a what-to-do roadmap for dealers who find themselves with an out-size share of distressed, over-age inventory.

In this vAuto podcast, dealer Mark McKie of McKie Ford Lincoln and Greg Plank, senior team leader of dealership operations for vAuto's Performance Management team, discuss some of the playbook principles McKie and his team to drive new and used vehicle success at the dealership. McKie discusses his strategies for maintaining a tight turn on used vehicles that drives his dealership's 1.5:1 used/new sales ratio. McKie also shares how he keeps his team focused on strategic objectives through daily management meetings and collective walks of fresh trades to finalize plans to get them retail-ready. On the new vehicle side, McKie outlines how he aims to optimize allocations and keep pace with changing incentives from his OEM partner.

In this vAuto podcast, Tim Hlavenka, national sales director for Rick Case Automotive Group, shares how the organization has grown used vehicle sales while maintaining its top-tier new vehicle performance. Hlavenka outlines how the group looked inward—to fresh trades—to source used inventory for retail sale and how the group determines the rooftop that's right to retail each vehicle from Day 1. Hlavenka also discusses how ProfitTime GPS helps his team properly identify and manage the turners and earners to grow used vehicle volume and gross, while helping the group achieve its new vehicle objectives.

Dealers are feeling a profitability pinch in new and used vehicles as new vehicle supplies grow and potential buyers face their own pocketbook pressure. Watch the Q2 edition of Live Market View were we share practical pointers to help dealers manage new vehicle profitability through more efficient allocation, incentive and merchandising management.

In this vAuto podcast, Christian Hanna, Associate Vice President of Performance Management for vAuto, offers an overview of the coaching role that Performance Managers provide vAuto dealers to help them achieve greater success. Hanna details his own Performance Management career, including high points and low points, and shares how the Performance Management team has begun to deliver a “One Cox” experience in its dealer engagements. Hanna also taps his new vehicle inventory management experience, offering pointers to help dealers adjust to today's higher inventory, higher cost and lower margin environment.

In this vAuto podcast, Chris Williams, general manager at Southern Pines (N.C.) Chevrolet and vAuto Performance Manager Ted Welpott share how they teamed to connect the dealership's sales process to new/used vehicle merchandising. Hear how this effort has tripled SRP/VDP conversions by reinventing each vehicle's VDP carousel to provide a value-minded gateway to the cars and experience customers can expect. Find out how Williams uses new merchandising tools to cut the time required to merchandise each vehicle and quickly pivot to update merchandising as OEM incentives for new and CPO vehicles change.

In this vAuto podcast, Cebastien Chery, marketing associate at Pristine Mitsubishi, Commack, N.Y., shares how he helps differentiate the dealership's used vehicle inventory by doing more merchandising on individual vehicle VDPs. Chery outlines how he determines specific vehicle features to call-out on VDP images and uses Vehicle Intelligence 360 to save significant time making sure each vehicle stands tall. Chery also discusses how he measures and monitors merchandising metrics to freshen up vehicles that haven't sold.

In this vAuto podcast, Northwood University seniors Skylar Burless and Dominic Nowling share their perspectives on why they picked the car business to launch their professional careers, and their take-aways from spending time with the vAuto team at the recent NADA convention. Both outlined the challenges and opportunities they expect to encounter in their respective roads ahead and offer pointers for dealers looking to work better with the incoming generation of automotive leaders.

In this vAuto podcast, Aaron Norman, a used vehicle manager and head of vehicle acquisition for Ken Grody Ford stores in California, shares his perspective on how the new Global Search tool inside ProfitTime GPS is making the task of acquiring inventory easier and more profitable. Norman outlines: - How he uses Global Search to find and purchase more on-strategy vehicles for his inventory. - Why he calls ProfitTime GPS a “guardian angel” for his business. - How ProfitTime GPS has helped his department gain an estimated $200,000 in additional gross profit and improve inventory turn.

In this vAuto podcast, we detail how used vehicle market conditions will return to "normalcy," which means greater pressure on front-end grosses as dealers contend with softer retail demand. Then, hear how dealers can strengthen their profitability through new innovations featured at NADA 2024 like more global- and strategy-minded vehicle acquisition, vehicle value-specific merchandising, and a clear understanding of each vehicle's optimal exit strategy at the moment of appraisal.

In this vAuto podcast, a trio of the company's thought leaders—Alison Spangler, Patrick Janes and Nathan Fox—outline opportunities for dealers in three distinct areas of used vehicle operations: Acquisition, your retail/wholesale exit decisions and merchandising. Get a clear understanding of how you can optimize your opportunity in each area and understand how new solutions vAuto will be featuring at the upcoming NADA 2024 convention in Las Vegas can help.

We released this episode ahead of schedule to provide you with an exclusive opportunity to take advantage of the deal Peter offered. Act fast, as the offer concludes during NADA 2024. Don't miss out! In this compelling episode, Herb and Peter Dufy from Dealer Image Pro engage in a candid conversation, delving into some of the industry's pivotal issues. They explore intriguing questions, such as the curious absence of WebP images in website providers, the reluctance of companies like vAuto to update their technology code stack, and a pressing concern shared by many in the industry: the scarcity of APIs that could revolutionize technology for car dealers in significant ways.

While supply remains low, consumer demand is still high. That means you need to source creatively to stock the cars your customers want. Listen to vAuto's Derek Hanson and Patrick Janes discuss how multi-channel sourcing is the key to finding inventory. They also cover how the end of the UAW strike will ignite the new car market, creating an uptick in trade opportunities.

In this vAuto podcast, Jeremiah Mowry, director of operations for independent dealer group, Atlanta Auto Brokers, shares how he's managing his inventory and team to meet the challenges acquiring, pricing and selling vehicles in the current market. Mowry outlines how he aims to assess each vehicle's best exit strategy in the retail or wholesale market, and the blend of art, science and technology that drives the decision. Mowry also provides an outline of the group's efforts to reduce the share of auction acquisitions in favor of acquiring vehicles directly from customers. Looking ahead, Mowry offers a view of his key priorities for the months ahead, starting with a greater focus on supporting and scaling his team for future growth.

This whole episode is a vibe! He's genuine. He pushes limits. He uncovers his true self and unlocks his next level in life….all from just well, changing!  It's hard to embrace change and even the unknown. Not many are up for it! Do you feel like you are not meeting your potential sometimes and feel challenged to try something new? We get into it on a personal and professional level! Meet Danny Zaslavsky, Co-Founder of tech company, VinCue. He's also a car dealer. He opens up on how and why he ventured into learning software! He exposes meaningful and impactful insights we can all gain from! This is an episode like no other I've done and it's one of my fav's! "Run faster" is his motto - "Leaders should have vision, pace and do what they expect others to do! Get out there and make yourself uncomfortable and do things to help others without worrying about what's in it for me." We talk: ✔️Identifying purpose ✔️Your why ✔️The people/partners in your life ✔️Experiencing pain can launch new thinking and new successes ✔️Ridding noise that takes up valuable time & space in your life ✔️Intentions  ✔️Leadership ✔️Risk tolerance  Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast |Jennifer@edealersolution.com | 800-625-1590 | edealersolutions.com

In this vAuto podcast, Dale Pollak, vAuto founder and Cox Automotive executive vice president, discusses how used vehicle market conditions may evolve in the face of the United Auto Workers strike and affordability issues that can weaken retail demand. Dale shares how dealers can strengthen the performance of used vehicle operations with a more strategy-minded approach to pricing, appraising and acquisition. He also details why some dealers are finding opportunities with used EVs other dealers currently avoid.

In this vAuto podcast, Daniel Salazar, corporate vice president for the Atlanta-based ALM Automotive Group, outlines how his dealership brand and marketing efforts have shifted to account for the rise of affordability challenges for new/used vehicle buyers. Salazar highlights how declining lead closing rates signaled the first signs of affordability issues and steps the group's taken since to maintain sales volume and profitability even as it becomes more difficult to match finance customers with lenders.

In this vAuto podcast, hear from Micah Tindor of Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer and Matt Talbert of vAuto discuss how dealers build an exit-minded strategy for acquiring and disposing of consumer vehicles. Hear their market predictions for the rest of the year and how dealers can get ahead of the game by using new tools to know their profitable exit at the point of acquisition.

In this vAuto podcast, Patrick Janes of vAuto and Micah Tindor of Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer share best practices to help dealers source inventory more effectively and profitably in non-traditional acquisition channels. Get pointers to establish a standard (and measurable) appraisal process you can deploy in your service drive, private party and other sourcing channels. Find out how new tools provide metrics to manage appraiser performance and manage the money-making potential of vehicles sourced in specific channels to meet your stocking strategy and used vehicle department objectives.

In this vAuto podcast, James Skop, general sales manager at Fletch's Buick, GMC, Audi in Petoskey, MI, details the results of his experience during a 90-day challenge to maintain 85 percent pricing alignment or better in ProfitTime GPS. Hear how Skop and his team reversed a trend of low grosses and losses on Bronze vehicles, while making even better grosses on Gold and Platinum cars, during the three-month challenge. Skop also details the car-specific circumstances that he believes signal a need to go above or below ProfitTime GPS pricing recommendations to achieve optimal outcomes.

In this vAuto podcast, Jeremy Nowling, director of sales, digital retailing and implementation for Rohrman Auto Group, shares how he/his team make their new/used vehicles show up and stand out for vehicle shoppers to capture their business. Nowling details the elements that drive merchandising success—the right mix of photos, complemented by specific call-outs in billboards and overlays and more—for new and used vehicles. Plus, he outlines how he measures merchandising efficiency and effectiveness, while overseeing merchandising-focused managers at individual rooftops in the group.

In this episode of the vAuto podcast Mark Thompson, Used Car Operations Director at Bergey Automotive, joins Mike Boyd, Senior Director of Business Development and Founder of vAuto's iRecon, to discuss how Bergey's has reinvented itself in an unpredictable market. They'll discuss how Bergey's changed their merchandising approach, tightened up reconditioning and got creative with acquiring inventory – all while keeping the customer experience at the forefront.

Photos alone don't tell the story today's vehicle shoppers want to understand about your vehicles. That's a take-away from recent research into consumers' vehicle purchase processes. In this episode of the vAuto podcast, Nathan Fox, AVP Operations, Merchandising at Cox Automotive and vAuto, distills key research findings and insights to help dealers give shoppers a better and more influential experience. The research insights are part of the 2023 Consumer Merchandising Insights eBook. Download your copy here: https://www.vauto.com/learning-center/vauto-content/vat-2023-consumer-merchandising-insights-ebook-feb23-v4

Welcome to Wednesday as we talk about GM reversing course on a subscription and their CMO taking Barra's buyout. We also talk about the major wholesale/retail used car gap, as well as the new version of Chat GPT that can tell you what a meme means.A reversal in a subscription sales decision after less than a year and a departing CMO have GM is in the news today.Last summer GM began adding a $1500 line item to every new Buick and GMC vehicle for a mandatory On Star subscriptionNow, they are reversing course for the 2024 year and only including it on premium Denali and Avenir models and making it part of the purchase priceThe service includes crash detection, remote features, and unlimited data streamingAll other models will receive OnStar Remote Access Features for freeAfter GM's announcement of voluntary retirement via a buyout incentive, one of the highest profile exits will be from General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl who started with the company as Cadillac CMO in 2018 and was promoted to Global CMO in 2019Wahl was an auto industry outsider coming from McDonald's North America and was one of Automotive News' 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry list in 2000, 2005 and 2020Our friend Dean Evans, EVP at cars.com and former CMO at Hyundai and Subaru encouraged replacement from outside auto: “while we've been sitting here in an archaic industry that needs to move forward, why would we put a retread into that?”EDUCATIONAL MOMENT: Wholesale Used car prices are crazy. We've personally seen evidence of this in several vAuto accounts and there are experts across the industry talking about it. Wholesale valuations going up and retail values (book value) not keeping up meaning Dealers are buying used cars for thousands more than they can sell them for meaning a front end lossJust as you were getting used to the idea (or maybe not) of the Chat GPT AI language model doing your kids homework and writing your next job cover letter, Open AI has announced the new version, GPT-4 which is more advanced and nuanced…and it can look at pictures.The company claims the model is “more creative and collaborative than ever before” and “can solve difficult problems with greater accuracy.” It can parse both text and image input, though it can only respond via text.One way improvements are benchmarked based on the systems performance on standardized tests such as the Uniform Bar Exam, LSAT, SAT Math, and SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing exams on which it scored in the 88th percentile Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/ Read our most recent email at: https://www.asotu.com/media/push-back-email Share your positive dealer stories: https://www.asotu.com/positivity ASOTU Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/automotivestateoftheunion

In this episode of the vAuto podcast, Bruce Harrington, Used Car Director at Paso Robles Chevrolet, shares why he considers buying used vehicles in the wholesale market akin to ordering new cars from the factory. Hear how Bruce uses technology and tools to get the right cars, at the margins he expects, for his inventory and individual customers who want a specific car. Get an inside look at how Bruce spends only minutes to get the vehicles he needs and how he's gained comfort in buying almost everything online.

In this vAuto podcast, Mike Maheras, vice president and general manager of Phillips Chevrolet, and Jack Gronner, vAuto Performance Manager, discuss how Mike's adopted a new way to wholesale vehicles that reduces risk and results in consistently profitable outcomes. Mike details why he describes Cox Automotive's Upside solution as "legalized gambling with used cars and no downside." Hear how Mike's team now appraises every potential acquisition with greater confidence, knowing each vehicle's optimal exit strategy, and why the elimination of "no sales" when they wholesale cars through Upside makes a big, profitable difference.

In this episode of the Used Car Dealer Podcast, Zach interviews Dale Pollak, the Founder of vAuto and one of the most well-known speakers and authors on inventory management. They discuss used car inventory management, trends, challenges, opportunities, and other related topics for dealersSome of the questions asked include:Q) What is your background and can you tell us about the founding of vAuto for those who may not be familiar?Q) How has the vAuto product set evolved from the original product you founded to the suite of products today, including the Global Acquisition system inside ProfitTime GPS?Q) What were some of the top industry trends and discussions you heard at NADA, and what is top of mind for industry movers and shakers like yourself as it relates to the used car industry?Q) What factors do you believe have contributed to the recent strength in used vehicle sales, and why is the data a "head-scratcher"?Q) What are the factors that are likely to affect the market in the near future?Q) How has your view of inventory management changed post pandemic?Q) How can dealers achieve more consistency and fewer disconnects between appraising and pricing?Q) What are your thoughts on preowned EVs, and should dealers approach inventory management differently with these vehicles?Q) At what point (ex. vehicles sold per month or on lot) should a used car dealer consider using ProfitTime GPS software to scale their business?Q) What are some key takeaways for dealers interested in reading your most recent book, "Whole Truth: A Fresh Money-Making Method to Wholesale, the Most Misunderstood Side of Your Business"?Q) What can we expect from vAuto and the Cox Inventory team in terms of new developments or products for 2023?Listen to our other podcast episodes: https://www.sellyautomotive.com/podcastTranscribe of this podcast - https://blog.sellyautomotive.com/blog/dalepollakmar2023

In this episode of the vAuto podcast, Patrick Janes details five reasons dealers are going beyond Velocity and adopting vAuto's new Variable Management strategy for managing used vehicles. More market variability. More margin compression. More distressed cars in dealer inventories. Janes shares how Variable Management helps dealers overcome these and symptoms of today's more uncertain used vehicle market. The key: Knowing each vehicle's investment value, while appraising and pricing every car, to consistently make the right decisions. Find out how dealers who have fully adopted Variable Management now outperform their peers in used vehicle gross profits and sales volumes.

Two things will define success for dealers in 2023—better operational discipline and greater trust in outcome-driven decision-making. Those are two key take-aways Derek Hansen, VP Operations for vAuto, and Dale Pollak, vAuto founder, gleaned from their discussions with dealers at NADA. Hear how dealers can achieve greater success in the year ahead, despite uncertainty about today's more variable market.

In this episode of the vAuto podcast, Brian Langley, director of service operations for the Sam Leman Automotive Group in Central Illinois, and Mike Boyd, founder of vAuto iRecon, discuss how Langley has brought more accountability and efficiency to the group's used vehicle reconditioning. Langley outlines two metrics he tracks daily to avoid a backlog of vehicles waiting for reconditioning and reduce approval times on ROs from hours to minutes. Hear Langley's tips other dealers can use to achieve team buy-in and diligently use technology-driven solutions to get used vehicles through service, detailing and online faster with more sales-to-service collaboration and far less friction.

In today's episode of the Jake Dunlap Show, we get to meet Gail Rubinstein- the Queen of social media strategy in the automotive industry.She shares with us the hard moments that fueled her drive for success, her determination to stay true to her path of educating people about the secrets of the automotive industry and how she helps her clients overcome their fears and start believing in the power of positive energy.  Time stamps: 00:52- Introducing today's guest, Gail Rubinstein, the Queen of social media strategy in the automotive space;03:06- Growing up in Winnipeg, a small city, colder than Mars;04:56- Her parent's divorce- the anger that fueld her start in the automotive industry and how she managed to transform that energy into something positive;09:32- Quitting vAuto, creating her own path as an entrepreneur and finding the healing power of work-life balance;14:50- Retail Resilience- they continue to transform their services to accommodate all of their customers;17:22- Staying true to her path- educating people and sharing the secrets of social media marketing and the auto industry;19:13- It's all about the customer- listen and improve your solutions to your client's needs;22:33- Helping her customers overcome their fear of being judged;26:43- The first Retail Resilience automotive retreat;30:01- How energy plays into people's success;33:45- Social media trends that are exciting and their influence on the automotive industry;36:43- Recap and parting words.  Quotes “In terms of entrepreneurship, I found that or at least my perception of the world was, that there were larger opportunities elsewhere and that Winnipeg was a small city, and yes, I could have a career there, but I could find more opportunities somewhere else.” “To respond to your message about the cold (in Winnipeg), in January, one year, it was -51 ℃ and it was reported colder than Mars.” “This may not be the answer people would expect, but I'll be brutally honest. I fueled my drive off of my anger, and I'm not kidding, around my family's divorce.” “I basically was like, ok, sink or swim, do or die, I might fail at this, I might not, but I have to at least try it because when I'm older and I look back, I don't want to say I never tried.” “(Her accident) It was a reality check that like life is not work, work, work. (...) That's when I left vAuto, started my own business, started meditating regularly, started doing energy healing work, got way more in tune with God or a higher being, and started the work-life balance.” “Don't ever be afraid to call a customer and ask them if they canceled what's wrong and how you can improve and be better. You've got to humble yourself. If you're an entrepreneur you've got to throw your ego out the door, because it's not about you, it's about the customer.”______________________________ Get in contact with Gail: LinkedinInstagramFacebookTwitterYoutube  Gail's company, Retail Resilient: Website______________________________  Mentions: vAuto- company that developed a dealership management software that offers both new and used car dealers the power of a live market view to drive better decisions Digital Dealers- conference and expo held biannually that brings together automotive dealers, OEMs, thought leaders and solution providers __________________________  Follow Jake: WebsiteInstagramLinkedInTwitter