“We have a lot going on around the customer experience” || Bob Welby, Senior Director of Sales, Marketing, Product, and Customer Operations, INFINITI USA
03/28/23 • 27 min
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.
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
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.
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
Previous Episode
“Our role is to put things that happen in context” || Stephanie Brinley, Associate Director of AutoIntelligence, S&P Global Mobility
Three-decade automotive industry veteran Stephanie Brinley has serious Michigan roots, having been raised in the state and gotten her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Eastern Michigan University and Michigan State, respectively. In her position at S&P, Stephanie oversees the development of daily analytical content in addition to special research reports, turning the constant flow of automotive industry news into something actionable for clients. A member of the Automotive Press Association, Stephanie also has past experience in supplier-based strategic communications and supplier-OEM marketing relations, among other specialties in the automotive field.
In this episode, Stephanie talks to our host Derek D about why she loves working in an industry that’s always changing and moving, how the impact of COVID-19 and the rise of electric cars have made that change even faster than she anticipated, and why registration data is so important for forecasting automotive retail. Plus, she discusses the major sources of the learning curve for new, high-tech vehicle models, the future of auto shows, why dealerships need to work on pricing and financing transparency, and more.
Stephanie Brinley | S&P AutoIntelligence
Episode Highlights:
- Why Stephanie is so excited about how the passion and enthusiasm inspired by cars will manifest themselves in new ways
- The affordability issue and educational concerns around the increasing technology in cars
- Why tablet-like interfaces in cars need to be both intuitive and expressive
- How dealers can make the in-store car buying and financing process less painful, and therefore more attractive
“We still don’t have as many cars as we have people who want to buy them.”
— Stephanie Brinley
|| Dealer News Today is a DCG Media production
Next Episode
“What if you don’t build a hybrid cell, but a hybrid system?” || Dr. Sebastian Pohlmann, Vice President of Business Development, Skeleton Technologies
Dr. Sebastian Pohlmann was born and raised in Germany and got his PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Münster, but now lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia. He started working at Skeleton Technologies in 2016 in the material development department, and quickly rose within the company while helping Skeleton win innovation grants totaling more than €60 million. Today, he works with major automakers around the world and says one of his biggest motivators is getting to see the products he helps develop actually perform on the road.
In this episode, Sebastian joins our host Derek D for a fascinating technical discussion about his work on electrochemical double-layer capacitors, more commonly known as supercapacitors or ultracapacitors. The conversation covers how the Honda CR-V “Beast” concept project first introduced Sebastian to the commercial and business development side of things, the major weakness of supercapacitors and how Skeleton’s SuperBatteries aim to correct it, why the innovation inherent in the automotive industry fascinates him so much, and more.
Dr. Sebastian Pohlmann | Skeleton Technologies
Episode Highlights:
- Why vehicles as different as delivery vans and VTOL drones could be good SuperBattery use cases
- Developing a “new kind of chemistry” for capacitors
- The reasons why lead-acid batteries are on their way out and new 12-volt options will take over
- Why Sebastian believes different dealerships should take the electric vehicle transition at different speeds - and the geographic factors that matter
“In the end, there’s no silver bullet. You don’t have one energy storage concept that takes it all and you don’t have one drivetrain concept that takes it all.”
— Dr. Sebastian Pohlmann
|| Dealer News Today is a DCG Media production
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