vAuto Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Perspectives from a Fundamentals-Minded Dealer Jul 18, 2024

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In this vAuto podcast, dealer Mark McKie of McKie Ford Lincoln and Greg Plank, Senior Team Leader of dealership operations for vAuto’s Performance Management team, discuss some of the playbook principles McKie and his team enable to drive new and used vehicle success at the dealership. McKie discusses his strategies for maintaining a tight turn on used vehicles that drives his dealership’s 1.5:1 used/new sales ratio. McKie also shares how he keeps his team focused on strategic objectives through daily management meetings and collective walks of fresh trades to finalize plans to get them retail-ready. On the new vehicle side, McKie outlines how he aims to optimize allocations and keep pace with changing incentives from his OEM partner.

Growing the Group: How Used Vehicles Became a Higher Priority for Rick Case Automotive Jun 28, 2024

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In this vAuto podcast, Tim Hlavenka, national sales director for Rick Case Automotive Group, shares how the organization has grown used vehicle sales while maintaining its top-tier new vehicle performance. Hlavenka outlines how the group looked inward—to fresh trades—to source used inventory for retail sale and how the group determines the rooftop that’s right to retail each vehicle from Day 1. Hlavenka also discusses how ProfitTime GPS helps his team properly identify and manage the turners and earners to grow used vehicle volume and gross, while helping the group achieve its new vehicle objectives.

vAuto Live Market View | Q2 2024 Jun 17, 2024

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Dealers are feeling a profitability pinch in new and used vehicles as new vehicle supplies grow and potential buyers face their own pocketbook pressure. In the Q2 edition of Live Market View, Derek Hansen, Vice President of Operations for Cox Automotive and vAuto, and Erin Keating, Executive Analyst of Economic and Industry Insights for Cox Automotive, share practical pointers to help dealers manage new vehicle profitability through more efficient allocation, incentive and merchandising management. They also share tips to help dealers stock, price and sell used vehicles to optimize each unit’s ROI potential in a market where depreciation has returned.

An Evolutionary View of vAuto Performance Management May 03, 2024

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In this vAuto podcast, Christian Hanna, Associate Vice President of Performance Management for vAuto, offers an overview of the coaching role that Performance Managers provide vAuto dealers to help them achieve greater success. Hanna details his own Performance Management career, including high points and low points, and shares how the Performance Management team has begun to deliver a “One Cox” experience in its dealer engagements. Hanna also taps his new vehicle inventory management experience, offering pointers to help dealers adjust to today’s higher inventory, higher cost and lower margin environment.

Your Merchandising Is Your Sales Process Apr 11, 2024

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In this vAuto podcast, Chris Williams, general manager at Southern Pines (N.C.) Chevrolet and vAuto Performance Manager Ted Welpott share how they teamed to connect the dealership’s sales process to new/used vehicle merchandising. Hear how this effort has tripled SRP/VDP conversions by reinventing each vehicle’s VDP carousel to provide a value-minded gateway to the cars and experience customers can expect. Find out how Williams uses new merchandising tools to cut the time required to merchandise each vehicle and quickly pivot to update merchandising as OEM incentives for new and CPO vehicles change.

Putting More Merchandising Punch in Your VDP Carousels Mar 22, 2024

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In this vAuto podcast, Cebastien Chery, marketing associate at Pristine Mitsubishi, Commack, N.Y., shares how he helps differentiate the dealership’s used vehicle inventory by doing more merchandising on individual vehicle VDPs. Chery outlines how he determines specific vehicle features to call-out on VDP images and uses Vehicle Intelligence 360 to save significant time making sure each vehicle stands tall. Chery also discusses how he measures and monitors merchandising metrics to freshen up vehicles that haven’t sold.

Next Gen Perspectives: Northwood University Students Share Views of NADA and More Mar 07, 2024

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In this vAuto podcast, Northwood University seniors Skylar Burless and Dominic Nowling share their perspectives on why they picked the car business to launch their professional careers, and their take-aways from spending time with the vAuto team at the recent NADA convention. Both outlined the challenges and opportunities they expect to encounter in their respective roads ahead and offer pointers for dealers looking to work better with the incoming generation of automotive leaders.

Under the Hood: A Review of ProfitTime GPS’ New Global Search Tool Feb 22, 2024

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In this vAuto podcast, Aaron Norman, a used vehicle manager and head of vehicle acquisition for Ken Grody Ford stores in California, shares his perspective on how the new Global Search tool inside ProfitTime GPS is making the task of acquiring inventory easier and more profitable. Norman outlines: - How he uses Global Search to find and purchase more on-strategy vehicles for his inventory. - Why he calls ProfitTime GPS a “guardian angel” for his business. - How ProfitTime GPS has helped his department gain an estimated $200,000 in additional gross profit and improve inventory turn.

How to Start and Stay Strong in 2024 Feb 20, 2024

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If you’re like most dealers we talked to at NADA, you’re looking to find ways to extend the success you’ve achieved the past few years. You also understand this success will require re-establishing the traditional disciplines of running a successful dealership. In this audio, Derek and Dale highlight how your opportunity in 2024 will take shape and where to focus to achieve the success you seek. Listen as Derek and Dale reveal three important takeaways. First, why two long-awaited shifts will put more car shoppers in a position to pull the trigger on their next vehicle purchase. Second, how to re-think used vehicle stocking to eliminate the costly pitfalls of an over-stocked inventory. Finally, the quickest, easiest way to mine every acquisition channel and put more of the “right” vehicles on your lot.

A View of Market Conditions and Your NADA Opportunity Jan 25, 2024

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In this vAuto podcast, we detail how used vehicle market conditions will return to "normalcy," which means greater pressure on front-end grosses as dealers contend with softer retail demand. Then, hear how dealers can strengthen their profitability through new innovations featured at NADA 2024 like more global- and strategy-minded vehicle acquisition, vehicle value-specific merchandising, and a clear understanding of each vehicle's optimal exit strategy at the moment of appraisal.

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