vAuto Podcast

Latest Episodes:

vAuto Founder Dale Pollak Previews What’s New for NADA 2022 Mar 05, 2022

Show notes

In this vAuto podcast episode, company founder and Cox Automotive executive vice president Dale Pollak shares an overview of new solutions and a book that will debut at the NADA 2022 convention in Las Vegas. Find out how the ProfitTime Global Acquisition system helps dealers manage multi-channel inventory sourcing efforts, enabling the application of key metrics to drive success in each channel. Dale outlines how Cox Automotive’s Upside solution will help dealers implement a new method to turn wholesale vehicle sales into a profit center. Dale also discusses key take-aways from his latest book, Whole Truth: A Fresh Money-Making Method to Wholesale, the Most Misunderstood Side of Your Business, which provided the vision behind the Upside solution. Learn more by reserving your demo at the NADA 2022 Show in Las Vegas now: vAuto.com/NADA2022

Learn to acquire more at NADA Show – Kelley Blue Book® Instant Cash Offer Feb 26, 2022

Show notes

It’s no doubt the way dealers source used vehicle inventory has changed in the past two years. In this podcast, Micah Tindor, Senior Director for Kelley Blue Book® Instant Cash Offer, discusses how dealers can improve their efforts to acquire more vehicles directly from consumers. Learn how you can more quickly engage customers with vehicles to sell or trade and ensure your first offer is your best offer to make the deal. This episode also provides a sneak peek of new solutions Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer will showcase at the upcoming NADA Show. Reserve your demo of Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer at NADA 2022 now. https://bit.ly/3p3FNvL

Transform Your Media Carousel Into A Storytelling Experience To Win Consumers Online | vAuto Feb 19, 2022

Show notes

In this podcast, our lives are becoming more digital, and the car business is no exception. Consumers spend an average of 7 hours doing online research and shopping in their car buying journey. For most shoppers, the media carousel is the first place they click when on the VDP – over 60% of VDP visits on dealership websites include engagement with the photo carousel. However, most dealers do little to nothing beyond providing high-quality photos to “sell” the vehicle or their dealership within the carousel. Dealers are wasting a prime opportunity with a captured audience. vAuto Intelligent Promotion helps achieve this by making it efficient for dealers to transform the media carousel experience so they can engage shoppers and win their business online. Get your demo of Intelligent Promotion here: https://cloud.e.vauto.com/IntelligentPromotion

A Recipe to Drive Social Media Success at Your Store Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

In this vAuto podcast, Dominick Gagliano, Social Media Director and Sales Manager at Lexus of Las Vegas, joins host Micah Tindor, Senior Director for Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer, to discuss the playbook Dominick uses to execute a successful social media strategy for his dealership (@lexusoflasvegas on Facebook and Instagram). Dominick shares how he selects, pays and equips “social media ambassadors” to create sales- and service-oriented content that drives customer engagement and sales. Dominick addresses how he coaches and monitors ambassadors to ensure they consistently promote and protect the dealership’s brand, and how their efforts improve in-store culture and produce popular posts (like the weekly Coffee Run segments) that drive new business. The episode’s a must-listen for dealers and teams looking to sharpen their social media strategy and more effectively connect with customers.

A View of 2022 for Franchise Dealers Jan 07, 2022

Show notes

Hear from Brian Finklemeyer, Sr. Director of Business Development at vAuto, and Mike Stanton, CEO and President of NADA, as they discuss what’s ahead for franchise dealers in 2022. Find out why Stanton is betting on the future of the franchise system, as evidenced by record-setting buy/sell activity, and the resilience of dealers as they’ve adapted to inventory shortages, the rise of direct-to-consumer EV startups and the shift to digital retailing. Stanton also shares where NADA will focus its lobbying efforts in the year ahead, including LIFO and tax relief for dealers and EV incentives. Finally, get sneak-peek of what is to come from the NADA show in Vegas as the organization goes big to reconnect the industry.

2021 in Review: 5 Take-Aways to Shape Your 2022 Success Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

In this vAuto podcast, vAuto founder and Cox Automotive executive vice president Dale Pollak shares five take-aways from 2021 that will drive success in the year ahead. As dealers continue to face constrained used vehicle supplies in 2021, they will need to continue selling more cars from smaller inventories and acquiring vehicles directly customers. Dale also discusses how customer-centric appraisal processes will help dealers compete for customers cars with larger, digital retailers, and why investment value-based used vehicle pricing helped some dealers out-perform competitors in sales volume and profit. Dale also believes the wholesale market will offer opportunity for dealers who follow a holistic assessment of each vehicle’s optimal exit strategy as they acquire inventory.

Why Used Vehicle Managers Are Stealing a Page From the New Vehicle Playbook Dec 10, 2021

Show notes

In this vAuto podcast, Patrick Janes, Sr Director of Business Development for vAuto’s Stockwave solution, shares that used vehicle wholesale supply is down 22% from normal levels and how these current market conditions have spurred a shift in the way dealers source inventory. Patrick details how dealers should not only use local auctions for inventory but can benefit by sourcing from the service lane, dealer to dealer trades, private party listings, and more. Also, some used vehicle managers are stealing a page from new vehicle sales by “taking orders” to proactively find vehicles for customers in the wholesale market. Patrick also details why he believes the wholesale sourcing challenges dealers faced in 2021 are likely to persist in the new year and possibly beyond.

We’ll Make Money on Every Car We Can Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

In this vAuto podcast, Greg Palmer, inventory and marketing director at the Ron Marhofer Auto Family in Clinton, OH, shares how a firmer commitment to managing inventory as investments has helped the dealer group achieve even better gross profit and volume outcomes. Greg details how the commitment has helped the group resist the temptation to reduce prices on vehicles with high investment value to juice sales volume and hold out for gross on vehicles that started out with little or no investment value on Day 1. He also discusses how ProfitTime pricing recommendations help him achieve optimal gross/volume outcomes for every retail unit and how the system’s precious metal grades help appraisers and managers bring in vehicles with a crystal-clear understanding of each vehicle’s investment potential.

Progressing the Sales Experience during the Inventory Shortage Nov 09, 2021

Show notes

In this vAuto podcast episode, Brian Finkelmeyer, Senior Director of Business Operations at vAuto, and Colton Ray, Chief Marketing Officer of Walser Automotive Group (MN), discuss sales and marketing strategies to get ahead on the new car business. Colton shares how Walser has navigated through the inventory shortage by moving to a more progressive sales model that includes preselling incoming inventory, a “price-the-product” strategy, and rethinking the customer sales experience.

Digital Dealer Wrap-Up: Pointers for Customer Car Acquisitions, Comp Plans Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

In this vAuto podcast, Mike Boyd, director of business development for vAuto iRecon and Micah Tindor, senior director at Kelley Blue Book® Instant Cash Offer, discuss take-aways from their recent Digital Dealer workshops. The conversation covers how customer emotions and expectations should shape the processes dealers use to acquire more inventory from customers across different sourcing channels. Mike and Micah share the reasons they believe dealers should use sales associates rather than managers to lead engagements with customers interested in selling their vehicles, and why a “hit low and walk down” strategy for appraisal offers no longer works. In addition, they discuss how dealers should align compensation plans to drive behaviors that build transparency and trust in the appraisal/acquisition process, ensure collaborative assessments of a vehicle’s condition and provide an positive experience that leads to profitable vehicle acquisitions and happy customers.

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