The Real Reason 90% of Dealer Listings Don't Sell Cars | Industry Spotlight
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RSS Feed In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Shawn Dennis, Marketing Director of the Ron Marhoffer Auto Group, and Patrick Janes, AVP of Inventory Solutions at vAuto to discuss why more than 90 percent of vehicle listings fail to sell themselves, and what it actually takes to merchandise a car the right way in 2026. Shawn breaks down why proper merchandising, accurate options, a clean Carfax, real angles, video and walk arounds, takes three to four hours per car and functions as a full time job on its own. Patrick shares how his team traces stalled listings back to the exact moment a shopper clicks away, and how a new AI powered health score now audits every photo and description across a dealer group before a performance manager even picks up the phone. At Shawn's five stores, that shift already lets a merchandising staff of two keep pace with roughly 1,200 vehicles a month, freeing him to spend his time on the details a machine still can't catch, like the real story behind a one owner trade in. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by vAuto. Topics: 03:46 Your recon bill has selling points buyers never see. 07:10 Why correctly priced cars still sit unsold. 08:26 Your best sales pitch may be missing online. 09:18 The hiring gap behind weak vehicle listings. 10:44 Your merchandising shouldn’t collapse when an employee leaves. 13:06 How Cox Automotive plans to uncover hidden listing gaps. 15:26 Why more AI insights can mean more work. 17:04 Your strongest selling points are getting buried. 22:48 Buyers may not understand what your photos show. 28:50 Waiting for recon could cost you the first lead. Cox Automotive - As the industry’s premier provider of end-to-end inventory management solutions, vAuto gives every dealer—from a single point store to the largest groups—the data, insights and tools they need to maximize returns from the new and used vehicle inventory investments.
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