Podcasts

Tuesdays are for Troublemakers. Today we cover Ford’s layoff of 3000 workers, the guilty plea of a Chinese former employee working in Apple’s automotive division, and why so many TikTockers are talking about Costco.

Parts guy. Service Advisor. Parts and Service Director. Fixed Ops Director. General Manager. These are all parts of Brian Singh’s retail automotive experience. He’s used all that knowledge to bridge the gap between different departments and help them overcome their pain points. Now, he leads evrdrive, a customer experience that he hopes will change the way people buy cars.

Ron Duan. What does a kid from Kyle Mountsier’s freshman tennis team have to do with the Social Dilemma documentary? Apparently a lot, if you ask Dr. Nicole Lipkin. She spends time with Paul, Kyle and Michael talking them through the mental health issues facing our world, or if we’re being honest, the issues we all are facing. Nothing’s off the table, from mental agility, to social comparison, to the emotional contagions.

It’s the start of another great week as we talk about Dodge’s noisy little addition to the EV race, Tesla bumping the price of Autopilot in a tweet, and your favorite striped cereal mascot becomes a YouTuber. And it’s only Monday.

We made it all the way to Friday and we’re just getting started. Today we talk about Toyota’s new Head of Sales’ predictions on that what and when of inventory recovery. We also dig into Uber and Lyft’s plans to get deep in the ad game, as well as a new study revealing the dollar amount associated with raising a child.

On the go. Where Matt Lasher goes, the insights follow. So when you have the chance to interview him, you take it, even if it means recording in a car on the way to NYC. Paul J Daly and Matt talk about the trends they’re seeing for the industry plus how marketing has changed for West Herr.

Carter Myers Automotive has been around for 98 years, meaning they lived through the Spanish Flu of 1918. Liza Borches hasn’t seen all of that, but as the 3rd generation President and CEO of CMA, she knows the stories of the company. She knows the joys and the pains. And she has led the organization through growth and culture shift, overcoming her own ideas about retail auto and even some misogyny from those in her organization. Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly, and Kyle Mountsier ask her about an opportunity at General Mills, Honda’s 3 Joys, and why groups are asking CMA to acquire them.

On this glorious Thursday we’re covering the continued retail drama as Target reports major Q2 Losses. We also cover a very real-world F-150 Lightning review, as well as Apple’s next big thing.

Glenn Pasch has seen a lot. Now he works directly with dealerships to build structure and processes. He views the world as a puzzle to be solved for the customer’s sake, and believes that as you ask the right questions and design the right roles, everything will click into place. The more guardrails you have, the faster you can run, and the better you can perform.

Welcome to Wednesday as we take a look at Walmarts earnings report which indicates a new type of clientele at its stores. We also cover GM welcoming a luxury brand member to its board, as well as an candid EV review we think every Dealership employee should read.

Brian Kramer is in a whole new ballgame. After spending years on the dealership side, he has joined Cars.com as their EVP and GM of Accu-Trade. Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier talk to Brian about this transition, and the issues that he’s now experienced on both sides. They also touch on haircuts, lead fatigue and pitch slapping.

This Tuesday we’re talking about unconventional healthcare with big time satisfaction. The Walmart - Amazon rivalry takes another step up. We also cover Apple's return to work (finally) and layoffs at Best Buy which could benefit Dealership employee searches.

If you give Scott Simons your phone number, he will text you at least once a year. Everything is about relationships for Scott, and he has a lot of them. His college roommate from Sri Lanka, Grant Cardone and the other 6000 contacts in his phone. Relationship is the way that Scott sells cars, and the way he teaches his team to sell. It’s like having 233 people on your marketing team. Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier spend time learning about this system and hearing how much Scott cares for people.

It’s a fantastic Monday to sell and service some cars. Today we’re talking about the shifts Dealerships are seeing in used cars, and how hundreds of Dealers and Industry Partners are coming together to take advantage of the changing landscape head-on. We also cover a Utah grocer who is breaking convention to serve consumers the way they want.

“How’s your family?” This is the essence of Todd Caputo, our guest today on Auto Collabs. Todd is the definition of loyal and caring. And on top of that, he’s a really skilled operator. He sold his 4 dealerships, but before that, his dealerships retailed 6000-6500 vehicles annually of which 5500 were used car sales. Paul J Daly and Todd spend time talking about what Todd is up to now, and some of the trends he’s tracking

Not only is David Long a strategic operator, he is proving that it’s possible to both lift and empower others while providing the structure and accountability required to grow. Also, he has the best hugs, according to Michael Cirillo. Michael, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier listen to David’s insights on building up the culture of an organization, and keeping it laser focused on its goals.

Walking into a much cooler Friday than last week for most of the country, we’re covering a move by startup Autonomy to boost EV offerings, GM retooling and simplifying its chip infrastructure, as well as the Gen Z trend of trusting TikTok for search.

We hope you’re up and at ‘em this Thursday as we share a great story about a recent acquisition deal between two families on a handshake. We also cover Disney’s moves in streaming and theme parks to keep consumers happy, as well as a big day coming for cryptocurrency Ethereum.

Danny Zaslavsky, the DP/GM and Country Hills Motors and Founder at VinCue joins to share his unique vantage point about how efficient inventory management systems can lead to an elevated customer experience.

This is an eventful Wednesday as we unpack some business and some drama while we talk about the Shift/CarLotz merger, GM forcing a very expensive subscription on buyers, Echo Park hiring a cutting edge social agency, and Google trying to shame Apple to get rid of it’s blue imessage bubbles.

Have we been looking at CRMs all wrong? Jasen Rice, our guest on Auto Collabs, thinks so. Jasen is a veteran of the industry. He was selling 100% online at a time when AOL was still mailing Internet CD-ROMs to homes. Consequently, he’s helped launch Digital Dealer, vAuto and much more. In his conversation with Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier, he dives deep into CRMs, conversion rates and a new way of thinking about leads.

Tuesday is all about loyalty as we talk about the continued decline of both brand and Dealership loyalty, the lack of confidence in Auto brands, Dealerships, and the housing market. We also talk about premium brand McLaren getting into the sneaker game.

Energy. That is what Glenn Lundy brings to life, whether it’s consulting with the 800% Elite Automotive Club, hosting Breakfast with Champions or calling Michael Cirillo out of the blue to interview him. Michael, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier were reminded by Glenn that doing great things requires change, and change means someone is going to quit or be fired. But taking steps today will make your business great down the road, and Glenn believes that’s achievable for everyone.

Welcome to a fresh, shiny new week as we follow up on the weekend’s progress of the EV Tax credit bill we covered last week. We also talk about the advice circulating the internet regarding the best time to buy a car, as well as CVS’s plans to expand into primary care.

Every hero has an origin story. Understand the origin story and you understand the hero. Steve Greenfield has spent more than 20 years of his professional career in automotive industry leadership roles and today, he is an authoritative voice when it comes to automotive technology and the innovators that are revolutionizing our space. Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier had so many questions for Steve that they actually ran out of time, but that’s how it goes when you’re talking to a hero.