Car Dealership Guy Podcast

Devin Daly, CEO of Impel, discusses pivoting from fashion to cars, acquiring a tech company in Eastern Europe, and the impact of AI on automotive retailing. Conversations include dealer data usage, AI implementation, raising $130m, frustrations in dealership experiences, and future industry trends.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Matthew Haiken, President of Prestige Collection Auto GroupThis episode is brought to you by:Stream Companies - Full-service, fully integrated, tech-enabled ad agency doing the ordinary extraordinarily well. Learn more @ https://www.streamcompanies.com/CDK Global - Empowering dealers with the tools and technology to build deeper customer relationships.Learn more @ https://www.cdkglobal.com/dealership-xperience-platformInterested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line hereInterested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name hereTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:13) - Matt’s background and career(00:09:45) - NADA Dealer Candidate Academy(00:11:13) - Matt’s operating philosophy(00:12:52) - Moving away from selling Kia’s(00:15:20) - What’s changed the most in your business over the past decade to successfully operate multiple locations?(00:17:10) - What are you seeing in terms of consumer demand?(00:18:25) - How have your margins changed over the past year?(00:20:04) - Why did you become a Polestar dealer?(00:22:42) - How do you define the agency model?(00:27:03) - How are you making money here?(00:33:00) - Are you considering adding a service arm or selling used?(00:33:51) - Why are you bullish on Polestar?(00:35:07) - Does the agency model have a future in the US?(00:39:08) - Where do you think the market conditions will be as we go into 2024?(00:41:42) - What steps are you taking to insulate yourself?(00:44:13) - What’s next for you in terms of acquisitions?(00:44:49) - Will your kids get into auto?Check out Prestige Collection Auto Group here.Check out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership)This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Jay Vijayan, CEO of TekionThis episode is brought to you by:Car Dealership Guy Industry Job Board - Connecting world-class talent with top-notch companies in Automotive. Find your next role—or start hiring today—at CDGJobs.com.Valvoline - Go beyond the traditional supplier-dealer partnership today by visiting https://partner.valvolineglobal.com/Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line hereInterested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name hereTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:02:34) - Jay’s time at Tesla and career in tech(00:07:51) - Coming up with the idea for Tekion(00:11:26) - What did you learn from Elon?(00:13:45) - Tekion’s first deal(00:25:29) - What were the most shocking things you learned about dealership accounting systems?(00:33:27) - Putting a DMS into the cloud(00:36:43) - Are you building tech around current processes or are you looking ahead?(00:40:27) - What do your feedback loops look like?(00:42:02) - Tekion’s time owning dealerships and closing them down(00:49:54) - What does it take to create a genuine connection with an audience?(00:51:00) - Does anything keep you up at night?(00:52:46) - What are the biggest opportunities for Tekion?(00:58:52) - What’s the big-picture vision for your company?Check out Tekion here.Check out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership)This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Chad Brooks, Head of Dealer Development at Valvoline GlobalThis episode is brought to you by:CDK Global - Empowering dealers with the tools and technology to build deeper customer relationships.Learn more @ https://www.cdkglobal.com/dealership-xperience-platformValvoline Global - Go beyond the traditional supplier-dealer partnership today by visiting https://partner.valvolineglobal.com/Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line hereInterested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name hereTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:02:01) - Experiences at NADA(00:04:05) - Valvoline getting into F1(00:05:40) - Chad’s career(00:07:50) - How is Valvoline reinventing itself in the age of EVs?(00:10:56) - Valvoline’s entry into the tech business(00:15:12) - What are the biggest opportunities for service providers?(00:17:34) - How does Valvoline perceive EVs and what are you seeing dealerships do with regards to EVs?(00:22:26) - Valvoline’s future after being acquiredCheck out Valvoline here - https://partner.valvolineglobal.com/Check out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership)This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Joe Neiman, Co-Founder of ACV AuctionsThis episode is brought to you by:Car Dealership Guy Industry Job Board - Connecting world-class talent with top-notch companies in Automotive. Find your next role—or start hiring today—at CDGJobs.com.CDK Global - Empowering dealers with the tools and technology to build deeper customer relationships.Learn more @ https://www.cdkglobal.com/dealership-xperience-platformStream Companies - Full-service, fully integrated, tech-enabled ad agency doing the ordinary extraordinarily well. Learn more @ https://www.streamcompanies.com/Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line hereInterested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name hereTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:03:06) - Joe’s early career in auto(00:09:21) - Building ACV Auctions(00:17:16) - Have we lost the thrill of the in-person auction?(00:20:41) - What are the major issues with online auctions?(00:23:02) - How do we evolve the online car auction?(00:25:07) - Will you launch an auction platform?(00:26:40) - Having the entrepreneurial mindset(00:34:01) - Why did you leave ACV?(00:38:31) - What’s happening in the wholesale market right now?(00:48:16) - Thoughts on the current market(00:51:04) - Parting advice Check out Dealer ClubGet in touch with Joe: Joe@dealerclub.comCheck out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership)This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Steve Baucom, President of KEYper SystemsThis episode is brought to you by:Private Auto - The safest way to buy and sell vehicles privately. Use code ‘CDG’ to list your car for free. Learn more @ https://privateauto.com/Valvoline - Go beyond the traditional supplier-dealer partnership today by visiting https://partner.valvolineglobal.com/Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line hereInterested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name hereTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:02:40) - Steve’s journey into auto(00:04:37) - Realizing the major key problem in the industry(00:06:25) - Financing the business(00:07:12) - Did you have a gut feeling of ‘this is going to work’?(00:08:35) - How were you able to build this 35 years ago?(00:11:28) - Is there still opportunity for niche hardware businesses in the car industry?(00:13:24) - How do you innovate against the possibility that keys will go away?(00:15:33) - What is the practical next step for keys?(00:17:20) - How do you maintain a culture of innovation?(00:19:38) - What does your product look like today?(00:21:48) - Selling the company(00:25:52) - Is there competition in this space?(00:29:04) - What theft trends do you see at dealerships?(00:32:39) - Crazy storiesCheck out Keyper here.Get in touch by emailing sales@keypersystems.comCheck out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership)This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

Doug Eroh, President and GM of Longo Toyota, discusses his journey from corporate to retail, the scale and amenities of Longo Toyota, their tech stack and AI implementations, tracking daily metrics, concerns about affordability and leasing, Toyota's strategy on EVs, and attracting talent.

Brian Kramer, EVP of Cars Commerce, discusses his rise from a lot porter to a General Manager in the automotive industry. He talks about launching the VR car buying experience, evangelizing Accu-Trade, and the biggest changes we will see in used cars over the next year. They also touch on the broken trade-in process, consumer's ability to appraise a vehicle, and the hope for the evolution of the used car business.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Brian MacDonald, CEO of CDK GlobalThis episode is brought to you by:Valvoline - Valvoline can help drive your service department by streamlining operations and increasing revenue with hands-on technician and sales advisor training, state-of-the-art service lane technology, and a robust preventive maintenance chemical program. They even have programs to help you sell more cars and increase trade-ins! Learn more @ https://partner.valvolineglobal.com/dealershipCDK Global - Empowering dealers with the tools and technology to build deeper customer relationships.Learn more @ https://www.cdkglobal.com/dealership-xperience-platformInterested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Drop us a line hereInterested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name hereTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:52) - Brian’s career in the industry(00:02:23) - Experiences at CDK and transitioning to Sunoco(00:09:26) - Evs & the future of the dealership(00:13:32) - What services and technology are you offering dealerships?(00:16:40) - How are you staying ahead of dealership needs?(00:18:03) - What are your top focuses today?(00:20:48) - How are you approaching integrating all dealership products into one solution?(00:22:42) - What are you looking for when considering an acquisition?(00:25:51) - Thoughts on AI(00:29:46) - At what point does a dealership typically adopt software like CDK?(00:32:41) - Are you seeing SaaS fatigue in dealerships?(00:35:30) - Will we see some international OEM players enter the US market over the next decade?(00:38:51) - Plans for the NADA conference(00:40:09) - How can people get in touch?Check out CDK Global here.Check out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership)This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.

In this episode, I'm speaking with David Domm, CEO at Carmatic.This episode is brought to you by:Cars Commerce - The platform to simplify everything about buying and selling cars. Learn more at carscommerce.incInterested in advertising with CarDealershipGuy? Drop us a line hereInterested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name hereTopics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:38) - David’s early career in gaming(00:08:53) - How did you become the CPO at Cars.com?(00:11:01) - What insights led you to found Carmatic?(00:15:13) - What is the current buying experience and how are you changing that?(00:28:16) - Does this risk anyone’s job at a traditional dealership?(00:30:30) - How are you able to provide the correct payment to the customer if you are not the bank?(00:34:52) - Would Carmatic make digital retailing tools obsolete?(00:42:33) - Carmatic’s early results(00:45:07) - What is the result of mass adoption of this product?Check out Carmatic here.Check out the website for more (https://dealershipguy.com) and follow me on X @GuyDealership! (https://x.com/guydealership)This podcast is meant for informational purposes only and should not be used as a basis for investment decisions.