Auto Collabs
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Top 10 Auto Collabs Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Auto Collabs episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Auto Collabs for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Auto Collabs episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Talking in Parables with Ben Hadley
Auto Collabs
10/06/22 • 34 min
A tech person for tech people.
Ben Hadley has led an influential journey through automotive. He’s worked with Clarivoy and CreditIQ and helped found Auto Genius. He knows the definitions to all the big words and has a way of communicating almost in parables to bring that heady knowledge down to earth for the layman. And he believes we’re only about 5 years away from a major breakthrough in the way automotive technology works.
What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.
4:23 Ben, Paul and Kyle talk about the challenge of raising little ones, as they all have children aged 2 and under.
9:42 Equipping a tech product’s end users, in other words, the people at the dealership who use it. It is like creating the Jarvis to the Iron Man suit for the salespeople to execute faster.
14:39 Ben Hadley helped found Auto Genius, along with Kyle Mountsier and Kevin Gervais. Ben and Kyle walk through that founding and why they chose “Market, product, fit” rather than “Product, market, fit.”
22:43 The data in automotive is disconnected, and one of the things Ben is passionate about is finding a way to help everything talk to each other, so it can be connected.
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Learn about Auto Genius
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09/02/22 • 32 min
If there was an Oscar for dealership commercials...
Brian Ortega would probably have one. He’s the Creative Director at Valley-Hi Toyota, home to some of the most creative commercials in the industry. The team creates a new story-based 30 second commercial every month, with Brian as one of the star actors. It’s been successful in building Valley-Hi’s brand and ingraining them deep into their community.
What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.
4:05 Brian grew up making videos with any camera he could get his hands on. That led him to film school at UC Santa Barbara.
10:35 When Valley-Hi Toyota started making commercials, it was just their GM Todd Stokes in front of the camera. Brian would direct him occasionally, and someone suggested that Brian and Todd do them together. This was the start of Brian’s car commercial career.
15:44 Every month, the team brainstorms and creates a new 30 second commercial with over-the-top memorable characters. This commercial becomes the focus of all the content for the month for Valley-Hi.
27:11 Brian has cached all of his commercials, behind the scenes footage and outtakes at https://brianjortega.com/ for your viewing pleasure.
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Digging For Story with Erin Sparks
Auto Collabs
08/31/22 • 29 min
Do you have someone in your organization that touches every department?
For DeNooyer Automotive Family, that person is Erin Sparks. As the marketing director, she has a lot on her plate and a lot of tabs open on her computer. But she makes it her responsibility to read reviews, walk the service lane, check in on the BDC team and more. She does all of this to break down barriers and bring the teams together, all as she tells the story of the dealership.
What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.
5:44 Erin’s early years were spent around cars, because her father was a certified master technician.
12:46 When Erin entered the dealerships she works for, they were heavily focused on an OEM-based message. Erin has worked to change that to a dealership story-based message.
“In the last, you know, three years or so is, every time we go into a change, or we look at doing something different, especially in marketing. My question is like, what's the story? What do you want people to know? And please don't tell me that you want to tell them that wiper blades are 19.99, because that's cool. And like, also a good message. But that can't be the only message. So because a lot of what I have always seen is that everything is price related, everything is offer related. And while there's a time and a place for that, it should be like 80 20 80% story 20% offer.”
15:00 DeNooyer Automotive Family is trying to do mobile service, but it’s not without its hiccups. Erin throws out some examples that their team is trying to work through, like software update recalls in low cell service locations.
21:19 Erin views her job in marketing to keep digging in every department to help better tell the story of the dealership and bring the team together as one.
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Frameworks that Free You with Glenn Pasch
Auto Collabs
08/17/22 • 33 min
Glenn Pasch has seen a lot.
Now he works directly with dealerships to build structure and processes. He views the world as a puzzle to be solved for the customer’s sake, and believes that as you ask the right questions and design the right roles, everything will click into place. The more guardrails you have, the faster you can run, and the better you can perform.
What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.
3:48 According to Glenn, asking the right questions makes you a better leader.
“I think that a lot of people get stuck in the classroom. So think of it that way. You're stuck in listening to a podcast, or you read a book and you get stuck with a bunch of ideas that are written down. And if you're not asking the right questions of okay, well, what do I do with this information or this data, then it just sits there. And then, you know, people get frustrated that nothing's changing. And so I think that the essence of a good leader is not to tell people what to do. It's to ask them the question, so they end up finding the path I want them to go on. But they find the path themselves. And so my best trait, or I think one of the best traits of good leaders is asking questions that you may already know the answer to, but it's not my idea. It's yours.”
9:44 Retail automotive is a personality driven business. But we can fall into the false belief that a great personality outweighs structure. Glenn understands personality on top of structure lets a person execute more quickly.
20:42 Glenn talks about building job descriptions and duties so that someone else can fulfill that role if needed, especially when they’re promoted. He says that too often we write job descriptions based around a person currently in the position.
23:48 Kyle compares this type of collaboration and structure to jazz music, and how all the musicians have to understand each other and where they are in the song. It’s intricate, but it's next-level music. It’s the same in the dealership where there is structure and understanding.
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Out Of Town Experts with Danny Zaslavsky
Auto Collabs
08/10/22 • 36 min
It may not be sexy, but it has a lot of heart.
One might say that inventory management and how we procure, merchandise, and make inventory accessible to the consumer is what keeps the heart of today’s digital dealership beating.
Danny Zaslavsky, the DP/GM and Country Hill Motors and Managing Partner at VINCUE joins to share his unique vantage point about how efficient inventory management systems can lead to an elevated customer experience.
What we cover in this episode:
0:00 Intro
2:18 Danny shares the origin story about how his software company, VinCue, got started. Looking back it seems like a logical progression of meeting the right people at the right time, but Danny admits that you never quite know what life is preparing you for in the micro moments of the journey.
6:10 After immigrating from the Ukraine to The United States, Danny’s father opened a shoe repair business down the street from what would soon be their family’s dealership. A pioneer in his own right, and with an immigrant entrepreneur’s spirit, Danny shares that his dad found innovated ways to procure inventory for the store that was years ahead of their competitors.
14:33 Kyle points out that in order to solve inventory management problems requires several different handshakes to work effectively. Often dealers are utilizing several platforms in order to accomplish their inventory management and merchandising. Danny explains a little about how VinCue is solving real inventory related problems for car dealers. With a nod to industry pioneers, such as Dale Pollak, Danny explains that he is seeking to take inventory management to a whole new level.
20:04 Danny’s experience as a dealership owner as well as technology vendor allows him to see both sides of the industry from a unique perspective. The one consistent element is that we are trying to create an improved customer experience. When it comes to the auto industry there are many factors that contribute to a heightened CX, but they are sold as separated things, like websites and digital retailing tools, as an example.
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The Internet and 1998 with Jasen Rice
Auto Collabs
08/09/22 • 34 min
Have we been looking at CRMs all wrong?
Jasen Rice, our guest on Auto Collabs, thinks so. Jasen is a veteran of the industry. He was selling 100% online at a time when AOL was still mailing Internet CD-ROMs to homes. Consequently, he’s helped launch Digital Dealer, vAuto and much more. In his conversation with Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier, he dives deep into CRMs, conversion rates and a new way of thinking about leads.
What we cover in this episode:
4:00 Jasen started working in the industry in 1997 and was selling exclusively online by 1998. He shows the guys his Microsoft CarPoint Certification from back in the days.
18:13 CRMs aren’t looking at the right metrics. Jasen blows up some of the ways that CRMs use age of vehicle and age of lead in ways that simply don’t make sense.
24:37 In Jasen’s mind, the Used Car Manager and Internet Director are the same person.
“The Used Car Manager needs to be your Internet Director. They need to understand every lead and be just as responsible. I pull it up all the time. I said, “Guys, what would you do if a customer was in your showroom for 10 minutes and no one said ‘hi’? You would throw a chair through the window. But here's five leads that no one's called for 14 days, 10 days and 8 days. What do you do about that?”
27:10 The power of switches.
“A lot of times when you get a fresh car, we price it up 104-105%. We wait for photos to get done. So of course, we're not getting much activity on this car. But I'm showing dealers, you got a three day old car that you're at 105%. Fair enough, but you have no leads, but you got 10 switches, you got 10 Other people right now that you could call. They are interested in the segment in this price range, they don't need to know you're 105%. That Escape sold, will they take this Jeep Liberty? And even though it's 105%, it's still within their segment in their price point. So it's like your best salesman that sees the nice trade that came in yesterday, and he's on the phone with five people and he has it sold before it goes to the service department. Right? That's what you need to be doing with this too. There's opportunities here without having a race to the bottom and waiting till the pictures are done to get some eyeballs on this car.”
Listen to the full episode for more insights and context from our conversation with Jasen Rice
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Somebody's Going To Quit with Glenn Lundy
Auto Collabs
08/08/22 • 32 min
Energy.
That is what Glenn Lundy brings to life, whether it’s consulting with the 800% Elite Automotive Club, hosting Breakfast with Champions or calling Michael Cirillo out of the blue to interview him. Michael, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier were reminded by Glenn that doing great things requires change, and change means someone is going to quit or be fired. But taking steps today will make your business great down the road, and Glenn believes that’s achievable for everyone.
What we discuss in this episode:
8:58 Glenn talked about his start in the industry and how he got promoted because of sales results, but not because he knew how to lead people. We talked about putting the right people in the right place to help you succeed.
11:21 Glenn believes that you should learn a new skill to pass it on, not just to be good at something yourself.
13:37 Leadership means getting in the trenches with your team and being involved.
“Just be involved. And when your people see that you're involved, they don't want to disappoint you, they don’t want to let you down and they'll ultimately shine in the different areas. And it helps you as a leader to be able to get people in the right seats when you're in the room learning the same things.”
28:04 We wrapped up by talking about how you need more than a 30 day plan. Glenn thinks that the biggest issue in the automotive industry is that you can’t reinvent the wheel or make big moves in 30 days. He encouraged us to have more vision.
“Give yourself some runway, have a three year plan, have a five year plan, have a 10 year plan and start deciding right now to invest today to get the results three years from now, five years from now, and 10 years from now.”
Listen to the full episode for more insights and context from our conversation with Glenn Lundy.
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Connect with Glenn Lundy
Connect with the 800% Elite Automotive Club
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Applying Farming Principles To The Service Drive To Harvest Customer Retention with Nick Shaffer
Auto Collabs
08/01/24 • 25 min
Cultivate loyal customers by turning your service drive into fertile ground with Nick Shaffer’s farming strategies.
In this episode, the hosts welcome Nick Shaffer, the VP of Sales at TVI-MarketPro3, to discuss innovative approaches to improving customer retention. Shaffer, who recently moved from Northern California to Houston, brings a wealth of experience from his extensive career in automotive retail, particularly in fixed operations. The conversation delves into the importance of shifting focus from customer satisfaction to customer retention, likening the process to farming rather than hunting. Shaffer emphasizes the necessity of a cohesive effort across departments and the value of establishing a robust handoff from sales to service.
The discussion highlights the groundbreaking approach of integrating mobile service drives into the customer experience. Shaffer shares a compelling story of a Ford dealership that effectively markets its mobile service by displaying it live in the service drive, providing customers a tangible and reassuring experience. This fundamental yet radical approach has proven successful in retaining clients by making the service process transparent and convenient.
Timestamped Takeaways
0:00 Intro with Paul J Daly, Kyle Mountsier and Michael Cirillo
3:32 From Northern California to Houston: Nick shares his recent move and how it impacted his mountain biking hobby.
4:32 Extensive Experience in Fixed Ops: Nick discusses his journey in the automotive industry, starting from 2005, and his roles, including being a service manager at Hendrick Automotive Group.
7:15 Shift from Customer Satisfaction to Retention: Nick talks about the industry's pivot from focusing on customer satisfaction to measuring and enhancing customer retention, explaining why it's crucial for business success.
11:25 The Farming vs. Hunting Mentality: The conversation dives into the analogy of treating customer retention like farming, which requires patience and consistency, versus the immediate results-driven hunting approach.
16:02 Mobile Service Drives: A Radical Fundamental: Nick shares a story from ASOTU CON about a Ford dealership successfully integrating mobile service into their customer experience by showcasing it in the service drive.
19:02 The Sales-to-Service Handoff: Nick emphasizes the importance of a smooth handoff from sales to service, which is crucial for retaining customers and ensuring they return for service.
Nick Shaffer is the VP of Sales at TVI-MarketPro3
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08/22/22 • 39 min
Ron Duan.
What does a kid from Kyle Mountsier’s freshman tennis team have to do with the Social Dilemma documentary? Apparently a lot, if you ask Dr. Nicole Lipkin. She spends time with Paul, Kyle and Michael talking them through the mental health issues facing our world, or if we’re being honest, the issues we all are facing. Nothing’s off the table, from mental agility, to social comparison, to the emotional contagions.
What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.
9:29 Dr. Nicole Lipkin understands group dynamics, meaning that she studies how people relate to each other, and she’s found that if we understand our own internal workings, it will help us relate to those around us.
“And so when I'm doing this work, it's not about like, follow these five steps to be a really great leader or have a really great team or have a great culture. It's about getting what's going inside here. Get what's going inside your team a little bit, understand a little bit about human dynamics and group dynamics, so we can all maneuver a little bit better. And when we group together, it's awesome, man, when we step on each other's feet, the world's not over. If we could learn to groove a little bit better, and know that like, it's all about being flexible and open and getting it and understanding our own internal workings like we wouldn't be fighting so much.”
13:33 For some reason, we’ve minimized mental health, but Dr. Nicole Lipkin recognizes that mental health is what gives us our ability to do everything else.
“We minimize the mental stuff. Because we don't see it. It's not tangible. Like we think about mental health, we think about mental wellness, we, you know, we think about the guy on the side of the street, freaking out screaming, talking to himself. We don't think about us on our every day, you know, our everyday work in life, but the reality is, mental health and mental wellness and flexibility, mental flexibility and agility. Like, that's how you're productive. That's how you wake up in the morning and get motivated to get out of bed.”
26:53 What is an emotional contagion?
“You smile, I smile, you frown, I frown, we mimic one another. And it can happen in our electronic communication, it can happen in our face to face communication. This is one of the reasons why you know we are having global contagion right now from the pandemic like this is one of the reasons why we're seeing a rise in road rage, a rise in domestic violence, crazy fights on airplanes, like all of that stuff.”
30:10 Dr. Nicole Lipkin talked about finding your identity, and recognizing that it might not be the same for everyone. For some people, it’s 18 hour work days. For others it’s looking forwar
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Fixed Ops To The Front with Dan Shine
Auto Collabs
04/18/24 • 24 min
Fixed ops is the real front door.
Dan Shine, Senior Editor for Automotive News, brings a fresh yet deeply informed perspective to the backbone of automotive retail - fixed operations. With a journalistic journey spanning over two decades, including significant stints in both newspaper and educational sectors, Dan's career path led him unexpectedly into the automotive sphere. His approach combines a rich historical knowledge of Detroit's automotive culture with a pragmatic view of current industry challenges, offering a unique lens on the evolving dynamics of automotive retail.
In his down-to-earth demeanor, Dan discusses the essential role that fixed ops play in the financial health of dealerships, contrasting it sharply with the more "showy" sales side of operations. He brings to light the innovative and essential strategies dealerships are implementing to tackle challenges such as customer retention, the introduction of EVs, and the necessary pivot back towards providing comprehensive services including tire sales and windshield repairs.
Timestamped Takeaways:
0:00 Intro with Paul J Daly, Kyle Mountsier and Michael Cirillo
0:45 Contrasting Fixed Ops and Sales
3:12 Dan's journey from traditional journalism to automotive
6:39 Starting a new job during the pandemic
14:32 The need for innovative customer retention strategies
18:36 Finding new revenue streams in fixed ops
22:19 Building Customer Loyalty
Dan Shine is the Senior Editor at Automotive News
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FAQ
How many episodes does Auto Collabs have?
Auto Collabs currently has 133 episodes available.
What topics does Auto Collabs cover?
The podcast is about Entrepreneurship, Automotive Industry, Startup, Podcasts, Automotive, Technology and Business.
What is the most popular episode on Auto Collabs?
The episode title 'Snowboards to SAAS with Mike Colacchio' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Auto Collabs?
The average episode length on Auto Collabs is 29 minutes.
How often are episodes of Auto Collabs released?
Episodes of Auto Collabs are typically released every 3 days.
When was the first episode of Auto Collabs?
The first episode of Auto Collabs was released on Jul 20, 2022.
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