Up Your Auto Retail Game: Do What You Say. Do What You Don't (Now) w/ Brian Kramer

In this episode of the KPI Cafe, our guest is Brian Kramer, General Manager of Germain Toyota of Naples. He's been a vocal thought leader in automotive retail on how to break the status quo and embrace methodologies that champion consumer expectations and shopping behaviors, as well as apply the best of what disruptors like Carvana are doing -- that many dealerships are not. You'll hear perspective on sourcing vehicles, digital retailing, reducing friction, and much more.
By the end of the episode, we hope that you'll have some constructive challenges to ensure that you're doing what you say and doing what you're not (today).
Here's what you can expect:
Show Opens

How is Brian an Ohio State Fan? (3:20)

A Breakdown of Carvana (5:04)

• Vehicle Sourcing
• Branding
• Advertising
• Transparency/Fairness

Distilling It All Down: What Do “They” Get Right? (12:58)

• Clarity
• “Doing What We Said We Would Do”

Dealer Mindset to Embrace These Changes (17:27)

• Culture
• “Put It in the Slow Cooker”

Why Haven’t Dealers Dominated Sourcing Local Vehicles? (20:08)

• Consistency
• “I’m the Only One”
• Short-Sighted Fixation

What Should Dealers Model in Digital Retailing After Carvana? (24:16)

• What You Can Do, We Can Do, Too
• First-Party Data
• Instacart Comfortability
• Pay for Time

Cautionary Tips in Embracing Digital Retailing (31:49)

• Stress Testing
• Work on Inefficiencies
• Focus on Top 3 Things

Prognosticating the Importance of Brick’n’Mortar (37:08)

• The Meeting Place
• Disney Club Example
• Innovation/Leveraging Networks
• Service/Body Shop/Parts

Reducing Friction Points in the Dealership’s Purchase Process (41:33)

• Airborne, Not Chairborne
• KPIs vs. Customers
• “Why Can’t You Do It Like Germain?”

Lessons Learned from Today Applicable to Service? (50:12)

• Why We Did It
• Training Staff and Customers
• Need the Data

Connecting with Brian Kramer (56:08)