The Walk Around

Latest Episodes:

S01E41 - Leadership Skills for Top Dealers Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

Leadership continues to be one of the hottest topics in business – not only in our industry but across the spectrum of business, in general. So, what are successful dealers doing to lead their retail automotive teams?

Glenn Pasch, CEO at PCG Digital, unpacks answers to that question in a frank and informative conversation on The Walk Around, with JM&A Group’s Nick Funsch and Danny Vendrell. At dealerships, leadership styles can vary as widely as personalities and business goals often do. Being willing to grow and evolve as a leader can be as important as a dealer’s willingness to listen and adapt – and to nurture their team.

In this episode of The Walk Around, Glenn, Nick, and Danny explore many aspects of retail automotive leadership by diving into these questions:

What advice have you received over the years about leadership?
What separates leaders from laggers at dealerships?
What are leading dealers keeping in mind today?
What trends are you monitoring for yourselves and dealers?

According to Glenn, paying close attention to talent, teams, and customers, can help retail automotive dealers become successful leaders in their business and our industry.

For more about Glenn, visit his LinkedIn profile.

Watch the full episode here or on your favorite podcast streaming site.

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S01E40 - Optimize Your Sales Process in 2022 Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

Whether it’s in-store, online, or a hybrid of both approaches to sales, your dealership’s process can always use at least some level of refinement. But with so many changes in our industry and among our consumers, how do dealers create a system that works for them and their customers?

Beau Jarrett, VP at JM&A Group, joined our hosts Nick Funsch and Danny Vendrell to share his insights about optimizing the sales drive and meeting the demands of an evolving consumer base. Speaking from hands-on experience, Beau broke down some of the methods and tactics that he has seen work for successful dealers. He also shared his view of 2022 – and how dealers can take steps to keep up with market and consumer trends.

A great conversation that addresses some of our industry’s most important questions:

How can dealers assess opportunities for improvement?
What are some of the trends dealers should be thinking about for 2022?
Are inventory challenges enabling bad habits among sales teams?
How can dealers navigate the challenges of in-store vs online retailing?

Beau leaves us with an important takeaway: whether it’s online or in-store, the sales process is still about people. Learning to listen – to your customers, your team, and your industry colleagues – sets you and your dealership up for continued success and prosperity.

Beau Jarrett started his career in automotive after working in customer experience in other industries. His retail automotive journey began on the sales floor and quickly moved to the finance side of the business. He has delivered results for JM&A Group and its customers for over 14 years, serving our Southeast region in various management and leadership roles. After many years and varied experiences, Beau still feels inspired by what excited him about working, in the first place: people.

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S01E39 - The Benefits of Adding Auto Insurance to the Dealership Process Dec 20, 2021

Show notes

Adding an extra step to the retail automotive sales process seems like a crazy idea.

But...what if that extra step can potentially create savings for consumers, as well as an average of $538 in F&I gross on the backend for dealers? Would that be an extra step worth taking?

Ryan Fitzgerald, VP of Business Development at Polly (formerly known as DealerPolicy), thought so. He and his company created a seamless integration that empowers dealers to connect their customers to licensed Polly agents so they can get great deals on auto insurance – at the point of sale. When customers save money on auto insurance through Polly before signing on the dotted line, dealers may turn those savings into potential profits or higher margin vehicles at the store. Happy customers, happy dealers.

Ryan visited The Walk Around podcast to chat about the early days of Polly and the impact his company has had on both dealers and consumers. In this episode, we’ll discuss:

How auto insurance at point of sale created other opportunities for profits
What we hope to experience in our industry, in 2022
How dealers can introduce new products and services to the sales process

Ryan leaves us with a key takeaway: seamlessness makes a big difference. Vendors that refine the technology dealerships use to offer consumers the best value possible can win big in 2022.

Born into a retail automotive family, Ryan began his professional career at a young age. From assisting with test drives to owning his own independent dealership, Ryan has hands-on experience in the industry. After completing his studies at the University of Vermont, Ryan also achieved success for many years as an investment banker – before returning to the automotive industry to build what would become Polly.

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S01E38 - Lessons from a Career in Automotive Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

A long career in automotive is neither an easy feat nor a boring journey. In an industry that continues to evolve alongside customer needs, technology, oil and gas prices, and car maker innovations, staying power depends on our ability to adapt and share knowledge.

Ed Sheehy, President of Southeast Toyota Distributors, joined The Walk Around podcast for a frank conversation about the lessons lived and learned through his decades-long career in automotive. Ed will soon be a retired veteran of our industry. He plans to enjoy some boredom, improve his golf game, travel, and keep his mind sharp by learning Italian.

In the meantime, he answered some very helpful questions:

What are some of the big changes in our industry over the past 30 years?
How has the industry remained the same – what's the common thread, no matter the chapter?
What’s on the automotive horizon?
Ed also reflected on his career, sharing wisdom for dealers by revisiting some of his own successes and lessons. His number one piece of advice to dealers?

Pay attention to all trends, particularly those effecting consumer behavior, and be prepared to adapt regularly. Change, even when it feels sudden, is normally gradual, announcing its arrival in subtle ways well in advance of mass adoption. The best retailers will be looking for the indicators and already moving.

Ed leaves us with an important takeaway: study up on all types of business and industries, because automotive does not exist in a bubble.

Ed Sheehy leads Southeast Toyota Distributors as President and has been with JM Family and SET since the early 1990’s. A true veteran of our industry, he has been part of some of the automotive industry’s best and most challenging chapters in recent history.

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S01E37 - Focus on Your People to Win in 2022 Nov 22, 2021

Show notes

As a new year approaches, we start to look ahead with eyes made wise by the lightning-quick evolution of our industry. Quick pivots towards an emphasis on digital retail, a younger generation rising to the top of the consumer list, a chip shortage that won’t seem to end, and the emergence of EV’s as possibly more than a short trend, have all given our industry an opportunity to grow through challenge and opportunity.

What should dealers be looking at and aiming their businesses towards, in the new year? From the perspective of a business built to support dealers in their growth and profitability, what are some of the keys to continued success for dealerships?

Enter Frank Abate, Zone VP at JM&A Group. A seasoned automotive retail veteran, Frank has seen many trends become standards, changes that transformed the industry, and successful dealers that navigated challenges towards opportunities. He visited The Walk Around for a frank and insightful discussion about keys to dealership success. Hint: the list includes retention, prudent planning, and listening to consumers.

What drives a high-performance showroom?
How do successful dealers align people with purpose?
What should dealers be doing to improve customer experience?
How can dealers and their teams budget accordingly for 2022?
What are some predictions for the new year?
How can retail automotive talent prepare for long careers in our industry?

Frank reminds us that ups and downs happen in our industry – but successful automotive retailers persevere when they stay true to their roots but evolve with the times.

Frank Abate has enjoyed a long and successful career with JM Family. He worked alongside Founder Jim Moran three decades ago at JM Pontiac. Since then, he has continued to serve as a true partner for dealers and an expert in our industry’s keys to success. He also enjoys pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving...and Squish-Squish.

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S01E36 - Invest in Diversity and Digital Retail to Evolve the Sales Process Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

Two of our industry’s most important topics for the past year have been digital retail and diversity in retail automotive. Some might see them as two separate topics, but Kerri Wise sees them as a singular call for innovation.

As VP of Marketing at AutoFi and President of Women of Color Automotive Network (WOCAN), Kerri Wise has her finger on the pulse of both topics. She recently joined The Walk Around podcast for a conversation about embracing these two types of change in our industry – and the potential advantages she sees possible, if individual dealers get on board and move the needle before disruptors and dealer groups do.

Among the questions we explore in this episode:

Why should dealers invest in both digital retail and talent diversity?
When it comes to digital retail innovation, should dealers stay on the sidelines and let someone else go first?
What are the risks of trying new tools or steps in the automotive retail sales process vs keeping things as they are?
How are digital retail and diversity similar, as opportunities for industry innovation – and what are the potential benefits of answering the call?

Kerri leaves us with a brilliant idea: digital retail is just retail. If dealers can embrace the moment and break away from old ideas, they can optimize the sales experience for their customers AND their businesses. Imagine an industry where dealers and their teams can do more because they’re leveraging data, tools, and more diversity of perspectives in their workflows.

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S01E35 - Meeting Consumer Demand Despite Low Inventory Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

As our industry continues to embrace and integrate digital retail tools and strategies, consumer data has more value than ever before. But what types of data should dealers be collecting and analyzing? And what should dealers be looking for in the data? More importantly, how can dealers use consumer data to inform their marketing, advertising, and sales tactics?

Peter Leto, CEO at Foundation Direct, joins our very own Nick Funsch and Danny Vendrell for a candid and detailed conversation about the important role data plays in modern dealerships. Peter shares from his experience working with dealerships through Foundation Direct, as well as his previous experience at Google. Peter, Nick, and Danny break down data, marketing and advertising, and keys to digital retail success for dealerships.

Among the questions answered in this episode:

How can dealers meet the demand of consumers with limited inventory?
What can dealers do to market at the increasing speed and expectations of consumers?
How do dealers use data to impact the customer experience and increase through put in the store?
What should dealers be thinking about when they analyze consumer data?

Peter reminds us that consumer demand is at an all-time high, despite the inventory shortage – and that dealers have an unprecedented opportunity to meet consumers where they are on many platforms. All it takes is a commitment to using data to inform communications decisions.

Prior to becoming CEO of Foundation Direct, Peter Leto led retail automotive initiatives for Google for 11 years – including serving as Founder of Google’s Retail Automotive division. He continues his work in our industry through Foundation Direct, where he helps guide long-term strategies and future-proof businesses. He can be found on LinkedIn or at Foundationdirect.com.

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S01E34 - Data, Leadership, and Opportunity in Fixed Ops Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

Communication and teamwork have track records of success in businesses across all industries. In retail automotive, the need for collaboration has never been greater. As technology and customer experience evolves into a faster pace with more inputs and touch points, dealerships need to move swiftly and collaboratively in order to keep up with demand. How? By innovating and creating solutions as teams.

One area of the dealership that stands to benefit from collaboration between departments is Fixed Ops. With a growing shortage of technicians and higher demand for new skills and certifications, service departments all over the country have been scrambling to find fresh talent. Warren Henry Automotive Group created a solution to this talent shortage that not only benefited their business but also created career opportunities for young people in the Miami-Dade area.

Erik Day, Chief Financial Officer of Warren Henry Automotive Group, joins The Walk Around to discuss communication, leadership development, collaboration, data, and how their business created their own technicians.

In this episode, we’ll break down:

How to use data to help teams become more successful
Keys to breaking down barriers between departments
Addressing fears that limit knowledge sharing and training
A solution to the technician shortage – and how Warren Henry created Fixed Ops opportunities

Erik also leaves us with an important bit of wisdom...about wisdom: “Knowledge is knowing the answer; Wisdom is knowing what questions to ask.”

A twenty-year veteran of the automotive industry, Erik Day has served as Chief Financial Officer of Warren Henry Automotive Group since 2005. He has led the business through growth and expansion, more than doubling revenue in his tenure. Erik started his automotive career in financial services, then OEM, then onto the retail side. His deep understanding of the vertical also includes hands-on experience with IT, programming, and database engineering. A true visionary, Erik Day also co-founded Flex Wheels, a vehicle subscription company and subsidiary of Warren Henry Automotive Group.

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S01E33 - Our Favorite Moments From the Past Year Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

Time really does fly. We started The Walk Around a year ago to share industry insights and introduce our Insiders to retail automotive thought leaders. Here we are, with over 30 episodes recorded and thousands of listens from all over the world. Thank you all for being part of the show – as guests, listeners, and fans.

This week, our hosts Nick Funsch and Danny Vendrell celebrate one year of epic conversations by reflecting on some of our most memorable moments:

Jake McKenzie talks about margin compression and how to differentiate your dealership.
Brian Benstock explains why customers value time more than money.
Jason Stein breaks down how the pandemic accelerated digital retail in automotive.
Jesse Itzler shares how to start building your life resume.
Michelle DiTondo explains the importance of communication during a period of disruption.
TJ Prayner discusses the ways that digital retail reflects the world we live in.
Damon Lester emphasizes the importance of embracing diversity in automotive retail leadership.
Bob Lanham shines light on the differences and influence of sales vs marketing backgrounds among dealership leaders.
Brian Kramer breaks down how to keep leadership and teams motivated during digital transformations.
Sacha Lindekens explains how to use empathy to understand customers and boost sales.

Nick and Danny share their excitement about the state of our industry, the future of retail automotive, and the varied perspectives, tools, and strategies available to dealers right now.

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S01E32 - How Dealers Can Reduce Friction for Buyers and Sellers Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

The past few years have raised the bar for automotive retail online shopping. Technology continues to improve and top shoppers become younger. What can dealers do to keep their sales pipeline flowing towards profitability?

Enter Durran Cage, Founder and CEO of Cage Automotive. He joins The Walk Around podcast for an exclusive conversation about the modern sales process, improving customer experience, and reducing friction points for both buyers and sellers.

What should GSM’s and Internet Directors at dealerships be focused on?
How can dealers identify the friction points in their sales process?
Where is retail automotive headed?
How can dealers self-evaluate and prepare for change at their stores?

In a conversation loaded with actionable advice, Durran Cage leaves us with this nugget: Use praise to reinforce the behaviors you want more of at your dealership. Self-evaluation and process optimization is important, but equally important to the success of your dealership is the buy-in of your team.

Durran Cage is a 15-year veteran of retail automotive. He began his career on the sales floor, moving up then over to Chrysler, where he became a District Sales Manager in Memphis, TN. In 2008, as the economy stumbled, Durran saw promise and opportunity in online sales and marketing. Putting it to work worked for him and his team, and a few years later Durran moved from dealership to consulting. In 2018, he founded his own company, Cage Automotive, where he and his team impact the employee and customer experience on all levels.

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