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Franchised Dealers Podcasts

"Customers Calling the Service Dept is a Sign of Failure" — Inside How the Best Dealerships Are Evolving | Industry Spotlight
July 17, 2025

"Customers Calling the Service Dept is a Sign of Failure" — Inside Ho…

Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with ...

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“Innovate Or Evaporate”– How Small Dealer Groups Can Win In Ultra-Competitive Markets | Richard Lupo, Fixed Operations Director at Apple Tree Automotive
July 15, 2025

“Innovate Or Evaporate”– How Small Dealer Groups Can Win In Ultra-Com…

Today I’m joined by Richard Lupo, Fixed Operations Director at Apple Tree Automotive. We dig into why he’s training master techs from the ground up, how streamlining the online service flow drove a 10x jump in appointments, a...

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Becoming Canada’s #1 VW CPO Dealer: What’s Working, What’s Broken, and Where Profit Is Slipping Away | Greg Smith, VP Operations at Leavens Automotive Group
July 3, 2025

Becoming Canada’s #1 VW CPO Dealer: What’s Working, What’s Broken, an…

Today I’m joined by Greg Smith, VP operations at Leaven Automotive Group. We dive how he became the #1 Volkswagen CPO dealer in Canada, why he’s mystery shopping his own stores every month, his loss-leader strategy behind auc...

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Cracking the Code on Scalable Customer Care in the Car Business | Industry Spotlight
June 19, 2025

Cracking the Code on Scalable Customer Care in the Car Business | Ind…

Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with ...

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You Can’t Be a Leadership Fraud: How Shane Wood Built Dealership-Wide Trust | Shane Wood, GM at Bruce Titus Automotive Group
June 17, 2025

You Can’t Be a Leadership Fraud: How Shane Wood Built Dealership-Wide…

Today I’m joined by Shane Wood, General Manager at Bruce Titus Automotive Group. We dive into why a shortage of Ford technicians is pushing dealerships into economic warfare, how a service drive bottleneck kills profitability...

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The Truth About Culture, Cash Flow & Customers—From a Dealer in the Trenches | Anthony Marino, President of Marino Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram
June 10, 2025

The Truth About Culture, Cash Flow & Customers—From a Dealer in the T…

Today I’m joined by Anthony Marino, President of Marino Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram. We dive into his P&L sheet and get a raw view at what drives his business, How he calculates a good investment vs. a wasted expense, the culture...

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The Secret To Scaling: Taking A Single Point To Regional Powerhouse | Ben Faricy, President at The Faricy Boys
June 3, 2025

The Secret To Scaling: Taking A Single Point To Regional Powerhouse |…

Today I’m joined by Ben Faricy, President at The Faricy Boys. We get into his game plan for expanding across Southern Colorado, why he's starting to let go and give his GM's permission to succeed, how hiring a leadership coac...

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How Subaru Quietly Took Over the Northeast—And Lessons for Dealers from Its Billionaire Distributor | Ernie Boch Jr., CEO of Subaru of New England
May 20, 2025

How Subaru Quietly Took Over the Northeast—And Lessons for Dealers fr…

Today I’m joined by Ernie Boch Jr., CEO of Subaru of New England. We go behind the scenes of his billion-dollar Subaru distribution empire, how he’s influencing Subaru’s design strategy, his #1 message to dealers facing the r...

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The Road To 900 Cars Per Month: How One Dealer Is Pushing His Team To Sales Excellence | Brad Wise, Executive Manager at Ferman Chevrolet Mazda
May 6, 2025

The Road To 900 Cars Per Month: How One Dealer Is Pushing His Team To…

Today I’m joined by Brad Wise, executive manager at Ferman Chevrolet Mazda. We dive into his mission to sell 900 cars a month, why he’s handing out hundreds in cash to his service team five times a day, how “energy vampires” ...

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Industry Spotlight: The New Playbook For Vehicle Titling: How One State is Leading the Charge
May 4, 2025

Industry Spotlight: The New Playbook For Vehicle Titling: How One Sta…

Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with ...

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Why a 2x Auction Founder Is Flipping the Wholesale Script—And Paying Dealers When They Sell Cars | Joe Neiman, President of DealerClub
May 1, 2025

Why a 2x Auction Founder Is Flipping the Wholesale Script—And Paying …

Today I’m joined by Joe Neiman, President of DealerClub, part of the Cars Commerce ecosystem. We dive into the details behind his $25M exit, how reputation-based wholesale is shaking up the auction block, why he’s paying deal...

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4x'ing Used Car Sales: This Franchise Dealers Ultimate Pre-Owned Playbook | JR Toothman, Dealer Principal at Toothman Ford
April 29, 2025

4x'ing Used Car Sales: This Franchise Dealers Ultimate Pre-Owned Play…

Today I’m joined by JR Toothman, Dealer Principal at Toothman Ford. We break down how he’s quietly 4x’ing used car sales—his secret acquisition playbook, the hailstorm that led to his biggest sales day ever, and the behind-th...

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Industry Spotlight: Why Most Dealers Fail at Lead Follow-Up—And How Tech Closes the Gap
April 24, 2025

Industry Spotlight: Why Most Dealers Fail at Lead Follow-Up—And How T…

Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with ...

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"GMs Don’t Get Finance": How This Operator Uses F&I to Outrun the Market | Chase Channell, General Manager of Victory Honda Jackson
April 22, 2025

"GMs Don’t Get Finance": How This Operator Uses F&I to Outrun the Mar…

Today I’m joined by Chase Channell, General Manager of Victory Honda Jackson. We get into how he went from college dropout to GM by 25, why mastering finance separates good GMs from great ones, and why he still personally des...

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Industry Spotlight: Who Killed The Loaner Car– And Why Service Customers Don’t Miss It
April 17, 2025

Industry Spotlight: Who Killed The Loaner Car– And Why Service Custom…

Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with ...

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How Family Turmoil—And A Patriarch’s Dying Wish—Sparked A Bold New Chapter For Crain Automotive | Christian Crain, VP of Operations at Crain Automotive
April 15, 2025

How Family Turmoil—And A Patriarch’s Dying Wish—Sparked A Bold New Ch…

Today I’m joined by Christian Crain, VP of Operations at Crain Automotive — a 16-store dealer group based in Arkansas. We dig into a story that’s both unique and all too common in the car business: generational turmoil, how c...

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Industry Spotlight: How a Superbowl Champion Helped Cable Dahmer Crack The Code On Interstate Vehicle Shipping
April 10, 2025

Industry Spotlight: How a Superbowl Champion Helped Cable Dahmer Crac…

Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with ...

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Average Is the Enemy: How Hospitality Became This Dealer's Strategy for Standing Out | Michael Wood, GM at Jaguar and Land Rover of Virginia Beach
April 8, 2025

Average Is the Enemy: How Hospitality Became This Dealer's Strategy f…

Today I’m joined by Michael Wood, GM at Jaguar Land Rover Virginia Beach. We discuss Jaguar returning to its roots as a niche sports car brand, the existential crisis facing car dealerships, whether “negotiation-free” really ...

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Auto Tariffs Are Coming– Now What? | Emergency Podcast With 8 Top Dealers And Insiders
April 1, 2025

Auto Tariffs Are Coming– Now What? | Emergency Podcast With 8 Top Dea…

Today on the show: A powerhouse panel breaks down one of the most urgent issues facing auto retail — tariffs. With major policy shifts on the horizon, I brought together some of the industry's top operators, economists, and i...

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Humbled, Sober, and Scaling to $1B a Year: The Faith-Driven Rise of a 5th-Gen Auto Dealer | Andrew Dahl, President at Dahl Automotive
March 25, 2025

Humbled, Sober, and Scaling to $1B a Year: The Faith-Driven Rise of a…

Today, I’m sitting down with Andrew Dahl, President at Dahl Automotive, a 12 franchise dealer group based in Wisconsin and Minnesota to discuss: How He's Scaling to $1B a Year, Why 'entitlement' almost ruined a 5th-generation...

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State of the Car Market: Luxury Squeeze, Leasing Lifeline & OEM Tech Failures | Andrew Wright, Managing Partner @ VINArt Dealerships
March 11, 2025

State of the Car Market: Luxury Squeeze, Leasing Lifeline & OEM Tech …

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Andrew Wright, Managing Partner at Vinart Dealerships. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Phone Ninjas - Is your store missing opportunities befor...

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Benzs and Bowties: Dealership Secrets of The General Sales Manager Redefining Automotive Content | Doug Horner, General Manager of North Olmstead Mercedes-Benz
March 6, 2025

Benzs and Bowties: Dealership Secrets of The General Sales Manager Re…

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Doug Horner, General Sales Manager of North Olmsted Mercedes-Benz and the creator behind the wildly popular Benzs and Bowties social media accounts. ...

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Industry Spotlight: Tasca Auto Group's Secret to Bringing Long-Lost Customers Back To The Dealership
March 4, 2025

Industry Spotlight: Tasca Auto Group's Secret to Bringing Long-Lost C…

Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with ...

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Lessons From Lithia And Beyond: The Habits Driving A Successful Dealer Group With Happy Employees | Michael Speigl, Dealer Principal of WE Auto
Feb. 27, 2025

Lessons From Lithia And Beyond: The Habits Driving A Successful Deale…

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Michael Speigl, Dealer Principal of We Auto, a Michigan-based dealer group. We discuss the lessons he learned from working for Lithia and how they sh...

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