Dealer News Today Podcasts

Lifelong Seattle resident Matthew Phillips has seen Car Pros, a family business started by his father, grow from a single small used car lot into a seven-store automotive retail group operating in both Washington and Southern California and totaling $1 billion in annual sales. Under Matthew’s stewardship, Car Pros has become the top Kia retailer in the country. Matthew also has an educational background that’s as impressive as his auto industry success, including MBAs from Cornell University and Queen’s University of Ontario as well as an MA in organizational psychology from Columbia University’s Teachers College.

In this episode, Matthew talks with our host Derek D about why sticking with the Kia and Hyundai brands during tough times was rewarding in the long run, why electric vehicles may not be for everyone yet but are a great choice for many people currently, and why auto dealers therefore need to educate their customer base on electrification. They also discuss why automakers that are more vertically integrated have fared better under supply chain pressure, why Matthew’s favorite recent car is the Kia Stinger, and more.

Matthew Phillips | Car Pros Automotive Group

Episode Highlights:

• How Matthew’s organizational psychology degree taught him the vital importance of change management
• Why supply chain problems go deeper than microchips - and why even paint is affected
• The “irregular situation” Car Pros dealt with regarding their recently-sold VW franchise
• What makes customers leave dealerships with “less car than they came in for”

“Normalize change in your culture - let’s make it so that change isn’t scary... let’s try to give people tools to deal with it.”

— Matthew Phillips

|| Dealer News Today is a Dave Cantin Group production

Boston native Bob Welby now calls Nashville home, and has been a fixture at INFINITI USA for the past three decades, having joined the company in 1997 as a Regional Operation Specialist - in fact, INFINITI has been his employer for his entire career. In his current role, Bob is responsible for a whole spectrum of INFINITI’s processes, including overseeing sales channels, customer experience, pricing and incentive strategy, and product lifecycle.

In this episode, Bob joins our host Derek D to discuss what it was like launching all-new models at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, how softening in used vehicle equity has had a ripple effect on new-car prices, and what he learned from his experience as a ferry boat captain at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Plus, he talks about what’s making automotive retailers go back to the “old ways” of value-based selling, how to keep customers connected to service and maintenance after the sale, and much more.

Bob Welby

Episode Highlights:

• Why it’s important for INFINITI to take as much time as needed for EV development
• How Bob knows we’ve progressed on the microchip supply issue, but aren’t out of the woods yet
• The reasons why Bob loves the automotive industry even though he’s never purchased his own car
• Why customers may need extra support right now, and why that might be critical to maintaining their loyalty

“The biggest thing for us is giving customers the option: How do you set up the business to where they can do business how they want?”

— Bob Welby

|| Dealer News Today is a DCG Media production

“There are a lot of bad habits being formed that are going to have to be addressed, once the situation becomes back to a normal cycle.”

— Steve Barna

Born and raised in Hawthorne, NJ, Steve Barna also owns Hawthorne Chevrolet, which has been a family-owned and operated dealership for over 90 years. Steve got his start in automotive sales when his stepfather asked him to fill in for sales staff who were unable to make it - the rest is history.

In this episode, Steve Barna sits with Derek D to talk about the pitfalls and advantages of a family business, his uncertainty in the last five years of the automotive industry and how he’s managed it and found avenues to succeed, and what the two most major immediate issues facing all dealerships are. He also weighs in on why it’s been especially difficult to sell commercial trucks since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, what has always annoyed his mom when it comes to Thanksgiving with a family of car dealers, and more.

Episode Highlights:

• The benefits of consolidation and shifting location focus in a world still dealing with a pandemic
• How rail transportation of cars from the manufacturer to dealers poses a logistical concern
• The new system being used as a stopgap when premium options are unavailable due to the microchip shortage, and Steve’s concerns with this approach
• How the Northeast’s strong lease market makes it especially vulnerable to supply chain problems

|| Dealer News Today is a DCG Media production

Kevin LeSage’s career has been a dovetailing of two passions—cars and data—that have led him to his current role as Director of Digital Marketing at Autotrader. Today on DNT, Kevin joins Derek D to tell the backstory of his career, and what he’s doing today to transform sales at automotive dealerships.

Kevin digs deep into his digital marketing expertise to relate how, as an auto dealer, you can optimize data across multiple platforms and build custom digital marketing campaigns to funnel quality prospects onto their websites and into their dealerships.

Interview Highlights:

• How Kevin and his team can predict, with over 85% accuracy, which brand an online car shopper will ultimately buy
• Current insights on Search Engine Optimization, Analytics, and other areas of Digital Marketing as they relate to automotive sales
• An analogy that ties automotive dealerships to fast food restaurants (hint: it’s about options)

“My job is to make understanding your marketing efforts and your targeting much easier to take action on.” —Kevin LeSage

-----

Episode Sponsor:

AutoTrader — Your ulitmate online tool for new, certified pre-owned, and used vehicle sales. AutoTrader makes the process of buying and selling easier, and gives you more control than ever before.

Mike Ferrer is based in Charleston, SC and has over 20 years of experience in high-level commercial real estate, having worked with major corporations such as Bank of America, PNC Bank, and Home Depot. He is designated as a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) and Master of Corporate Real Estate (MCR), and is bilingual in English and Spanish. Prior to joining Hickey and Associates, he held roles including broker-in-charge for the state of South Carolina at Lincoln Harris.

In this episode, Mike joins our host Derek D for an insightful conversation on the future of automotive retail and the role of commercial real estate in shaping it. They discuss how federal and state regulations will be the biggest drivers of EV adoption at the dealership level, why quick reaction to trends is crucial, and why electric vehicle viability will vary dramatically according to consumers’ locations and the kinds of jobs they have. Plus, the discussion covers the long-term effects of the CHIPS act on the automotive industry, searching for a viable vehicle power source beyond electricity, and more.

Mike Ferrer | Hickey and AssociatesEpisode Highlights:

• How the government incentives that Hickey and Associates tracked rose fifty-fold as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Why the relative silence of EVs compared to internal-combustion cars can cause safety issues
• The importance of finding secondary uses for electric vehicle batteries

“There’s going to be a certain amount of pain pushed down to the dealers for EVs.”

— Mike Ferrer

|| Dealer News Today is a Dave Cantin Group production