All Podcast Episodes

Today's show features: - Nathan Shaver, Managing Partner at Shaver Auto Group - Christopher Schrementi, Managing Director at Gallagher - Chris Singleton, Managing Partner at Mike Terry Auto Group This episode is brought to you by: Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real transaction data, not theory. By analyzing actual F&I transactions, Zurich Advisor IQ helps id...

In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are John Keohane, VP of Operations and Partner at Temecula Valley Buick GMC, and Liam Golightly, SVP of Customer Success at Podium to discuss how AI operator agents are giving dealership leaders a way to run their entire operation without being in every conversation themselves. John built his own AI agent, which he nicknamed Emily, to scrape telematics data, run weekly revival campaigns on stale leads, and even coach his sales tea...

Today's show features: - Diana Lee, CEO and Founder at Constellation - Felicia Barr, Service Director at Bertera Auto Group - Bobby Perkins, Fixed Operations Director at Lexus Montgomery & Toyota of Montgomery This episode is brought to you by: Digital Dealer – Lost opportunities and slow processes are quietly draining your dealership's bottom line — Digital Dealer fixes that with real sessions, hands-on labs, and live demos covering sales, service, marketing, and AI, so you walk away with ...

Alan Haig is the President and founder of Haig Partners, the leading merger and acquisition advisory firm for auto dealerships, where he has guided some of the industry's largest deals. He tracks buy-sell trends and franchise values across every major brand, and he's watched Infiniti collapse further than any other name in the business while Toyota and Lexus keep climbing. He speaks candidly about which franchises are worth buying today, which ones aren't, and what a wave of new competitio...

Today's show features: - Glenn Lundy, President at 800% Elite Automotive Club - Jaymie Nielsen, Show Director at Digital Dealer - Al Salas, Founder/Chairman at Eco Auto This episode is brought to you by: Digital Dealer – Lost opportunities and slow processes are quietly draining your dealership's bottom line — Digital Dealer fixes that with real sessions, hands-on labs, and live demos covering sales, service, marketing, and AI, so you walk away with strategies you can use the second you're ...

Leo Portaluppi says the accountability gap holding back growing dealer groups is one owners create themselves. He argues that titles without real equity produce managers who still think like employees, and that fixing it means giving partners a real path to owning 10, then 20 percent of the store they run. Topics: 02:10 Fixed Needs Variable, Vice Versa. 04:10 "If You Want Reliable, Don't Buy This." 08:25 Oil-Change Dad Built An Empire. 15:00 Don't Hire Bad Habits, Train Them. 17:00 App St...

Today's show features: - Ashley Cavazos, President at WOCAN & Moderator/Trainer at NCM Associates - Steve Gates, President at Gates Auto Family - Cody Lusk, President/CEO at American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) - David Spisak, President/CEO at Disruptive Growth Solutions, LLC This episode is brought to you by: Digital Dealer – Lost opportunities and slow processes are quietly draining your dealership's bottom line — Digital Dealer fixes that with real sessions, han...

Today's show features: - David Hennessey, VP of Fixed Operations at Harris Auto Group - Tully Williams, Fixed Operations Director at The Niello Company - Owen Montgomery, Service Advisor at Chariot Automotive Group This episode is brought to you by: 800% Elite Automotive Club – 800% Elite Auto is a whole-dealership solution. Live weekly training and 1-on-1 executive coaching align Owners, Sales, F&I, BDC, Marketing, and Culture into one well oiled machine. The result? A guaranteed 25% sales...

In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Eric Cohen, CEO of Merchant Advocate, and Cole Frankman, Owner/Operator of Frankman Motors, to discuss why credit card processing fees keep climbing year after year and how dealers can uncover the hidden increases buried in their merchant statements. Eric reveals that 80 percent of dealerships he reviews are being overcharged by 20 to 25 percent, and explains why the fee never really stops rising: the sales rep who set up t...

Today's show features: - Glenn Lundy, President at 800% Elite Automotive Club - Jay Law, Head of Sales at Car Dealership Guy - Jad Naamani, Director of Marketing at Seez - Chad Cunningham, CEO at DuPONT Registry Exchange and Live This episode is brought to you by: 800% Elite Automotive Club – 800% Elite Auto is a whole-dealership solution. Live weekly training and 1-on-1 executive coaching align Owners, Sales, F&I, BDC, Marketing, and Culture into one well oiled machine. The result? A guar...

Matt Haiken is the President of Prestige Auto Group, a second-generation dealer who has run stores under the Lincoln, Volvo, and Polestar brands for more than 20 years. He built LotVision, an AI platform that gives dealers live analytics on competitors' inventory, and he watched Polestar pull its franchise from under him with almost no warning. Topics: 13:40 Carvana Runs Without Sales Managers. 21:00 Tesla's Calculator Is The Gold Standard. 24:10 Brokers Fill Dealer Blind Spots. ...

Today's show features: - Phil Pecoraro, Operating Partner at Murdock CDJR - Jason Swiech, Sr. Product Marketer, F&I at CDK Global - Jimmy Anderson, GM at Checkered Flag Porsche This episode is brought to you by: 800% Elite Automotive Club – 800% Elite Auto is a whole-dealership solution. Live weekly training and 1-on-1 executive coaching align Owners, Sales, F&I, BDC, Marketing, and Culture into one well oiled machine. The result? A guaranteed 25% sales increase in ...

In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Alex Lawrence, CEO and co-founder of EVauto, and Chris Roig, Director of Sales Engineering at Netchex, to discuss how the country's largest EV-only dealer group is scaling into new states without letting payroll and HR become the bottleneck. Alex reveals a payroll tax scare that nearly caught EVauto off guard and how a surprise refund from the IRS became a turning point. Now growing toward 4,000 cars a year across three ...

Today's show features: - Bob Kuehl, Vice President of Fixed Operations at Zeigler Automotive Group - David Meltzer, Owner at David Meltzer Enterprises This episode is brought to you by: Podium – Most AI is a black box. Podium's is yours to control — and it increases conversion by upwards of 26%. Check it out at podium.com Check it out at https://www.podium.com/ Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG Circles ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cdgcircles.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CDG News ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ne...

Matt Muilenburg is the Chief Product Officer at Impel, a company building the AI platform used by thousands of dealerships to run sales, service, and fixed operations. He has spent thirty years working in dealer technology, starting at the Cobalt Group in the early internet era. He has focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on dealership operations over the last several years. Topics: 09:55 The Trade-In Lead Killing Profits. 18:40 Smallest Dealers Face Biggest Existential R...

Today's show features: - Jeff Laethem, President at Ray Laethem Buick GMC - Malcolm Gage, General Manager at Park Place Motorcars Arlington - Peter McKay, Owner at Car Dealership Kid This episode is brought to you by: Podium – Most AI is a black box. Podium's is yours to control — and it increases conversion by upwards of 26%. Check it out at podium.com Check it out at https://www.podium.com/ Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG Circles ➤ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cdgcircles.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Today I'm joined by Eddie Stivers, President of Stivers Auto Group. He breaks down why his own cost of people sits at 56% of gross against Carvana's 20%, and the plan to fix it within 36 months. Eddie also unpacks how he is using Claude to catch missed fleet sales and rethink decades of gut-feel vehicle ordering. Topics: 03:30Ford Hit Dead Last In Satisfaction. 08:05Stivers Buys Broken Toys. 10:30Repeatable Turnaround Playbook Works. 14:16Car Business Is Now Tech-Driven. ...

Today's show features: - Robert O'Koniewski, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association (MADA) - Dan Mowid, Senior Division Reinsurance Executive, Direct Markets at Zurich North America - Josh Wear, Vice President of Underwriting, Direct Markets at Zurich North America - Chris Hudson, General Manager at Mark Miller Subaru This episode is brought to you by: Podium – Most AI is a black box. Podium's is yours to control — and it increase...

Today's show features: - Jeff Pister, Executive Manager at Honda Marysville - Chris Collins, Owner at Chris Collins Inc - Nicolas Salvo Labelle, Fixed Ops Manager at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Quebec This episode is brought to you by: Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real transaction data, not theory. By analyzing actual F&I transactions, Zurich Advisor IQ helps...

Today I'm joined by Jimmy Douglas, Founder & CEO at Plug. He breaks down why the top used EV dealers turn inventory in 30 days instead of 59 while selling for 3% more, and shares the arbitrage move of stocking a competitor's EV so you capture a sale that was happening anyway. Topics: 00:47 Tax Credits Killed EV Residuals. 08:20 Selling A Computer On Wheels. 18:29 Live With An EV For One Month. 21:35 Stack Teslas For Massive Arbitrage. 27:25 Detroit's Global EV Future Is B...

Today's show features: - Rob Dell, Vice President at Bob Ruth Ford - Jeremy Miller, Director of National Partnerships at In the Car - Kelly Midgett, Owner at Kelly’s Automotive This episode is brought to you by: Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real transaction data, not theory. By analyzing actual F&I transactions, Zurich Advisor IQ helps identify behaviors and...

Today I'm joined by Frank Esparza, General Manager at Tracy Honda. Frank walks through how his Honda store in Tracy, California, turned a stagnant pay plan into more than a million dollars in net profit growth in twelve months. He breaks down enforcing minimum sales standards, why he moved his advertising budget from broad reach to buyers already in the market, and how a lending partner is approving finance deals that traditional banks reject outright. Topics: 03:00 Raising Standards Drove $...

Today's show features: - Paul Sansone III, General Manager at Sansone Jr’s Keyport Kia - Billy Sherman, Sales Manager at Sansone Jr’s Keyport Kia - Travis Baldwin, Vice President at Best Deal Auto Sales This episode is brought to you by: Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real transaction data, not theory. By analyzing actual F&I transactions, Zurich Advisor I...

Today's show features: - Mike Stanton, President & CEO at National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) - Danny Negalha, Corporate Fixed Ops Director at McGovern Automotive Group - Chris Skinner, Fixed Operations Director at Granbury Nissan This episode is brought to you by: Experian – Experian Automotive helps marketers identify and engage high-value auto shoppers, strengthen customer loyalty, grow service revenue, and activate 1,100+ automotive audiences across 30+ advertising platforms....