Send us a text Here’s some numbers for you: 16 rooftops. 25,000 cars. $1 billion in sales. 15 photographers. 3 full-time web developers. 3 graphic designers. And another handful of people handling CRM, data analytics, social media, paid search and more. This is the team that Nathan Hollenbeck leads at Del Grande Dealer Group. He joins us on Auto Collabs to share his story and the things that are working at DGDG. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and...
Sep 16, 2022•30 min•Ep. 43
Send us a text Mergers and acquisitions. You’re seeing it more and more in the automotive industry. In 2021, there were over 750 of them. Alan Haig represents some of these dealers during their recent sales, and so has insights into the state of the industry. He sees the way that the public groups are building for the future and has thoughts on how the local dealers can respond and compete. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 2:35 ...
Sep 13, 2022•28 min•Ep. 42
Send us a text A natural storyteller. When your family has been in the automotive industry for decades, you’ve seen some things and have some story. Rick Ricart joins the guys to talk about his family’s legacy, how cars and driving are cool again, and NIL deals with Ohio State football. Plus he tells some great stories from his time in the automotive industry. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 5:20 Ricart Automotive has always le...
Sep 12, 2022•40 min•Ep. 41
Send us a text How do you respond to a bad customer experience? Some of us would write a review, or vent about it to our friends and family. But not Slawek Potasz. He’d design a robot to fix the problem. And that’s exactly what he did when he created CarScanner, a photographic robot that replaces a photo booth. From Poland to Canada to Syracuse, NY, Slawek shares his outside perspective on America and the automotive industry. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, P...
Sep 10, 2022•28 min•Ep. 40
Send us a text Everything in the automotive industry is about providing a great customer experience. And someone who really understands customer experience is John Clavadetscher of Outsell. He’s spent years studying consumer shopping trends and how retail is categorizing and marketing to the individual customer. There’s a lot packed into this interview, from helping to grow Cars.com to the “automotive itch.” What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyl...
Sep 10, 2022•29 min•Ep. 39
Send us a text Without Ryan Osten, there might not be an Automotive State of the Union. That’s right. Paul and Kyle were introduced in a marketing room hosted by Gubagoo’s former marketing director, hired by none other than Ryan Osten. Ryan shares the unique ways that Gubagoo is solving problems, and reflects on how chance encounters really can change the trajectory. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 4:56 Gubagoo is all about bui...
Sep 09, 2022•29 min•Ep. 38
Send us a text Connection matters. And ActivEngage is all about making a connection, through their chat platform to their TikTok accounts. Carol Marshall, their COO, found her first dealership job as a GSM, coming right from retail. She joins us to talk about acronyms, conversation and what today’s customers are looking for when they shop. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 3:09 Paul and Kyle both remember the first time they lear...
Sep 09, 2022•31 min•Ep. 37
Send us a text Dan Moore helps us come back down to earth. It’s easy to get caught up in the world of reports, gut feelings and keeping up with the Joneses. But Dan Moore of Vistadash has a way of seeing through the buzzwords and talking about what actually matters. Be prepared for metaphors, laughs and great insights into the world of business intelligence. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 7:58 Having been through several acqui...
Sep 08, 2022•34 min•Ep. 36
Send us a text Some people have seen it from both sides. Anthony Jingoli of Effectv is one of them. When he started working for Comcast over 20 years ago, cable television was the disrupter. But then as digital and streaming exploded, cable TV was the one being disrupted. Now, through changing the perspective and evolving, television advertising is moving back to the disrupter spot. Today’s interview covers targeting specific segments, audiences and geography, the power of a story based brand, a...
Sep 07, 2022•31 min•Ep. 35
Send us a text 7 hours online before they visit a showroom. CARS.com has a lot of consumer data, and is seeing many trends and disconnects in the automotive industry. CEO Alex Vetter joined us on Auto Collabs to talk about the digital customer experience, trust reservoirs and giving power back to the small business owner. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 4:29 Alex and CARS have a philosophy of “If you want to go fast, go alone, ...
Sep 06, 2022•31 min•Ep. 34
Send us a text If there was an Oscar for dealership commercials… Brian Ortega would probably have one. He’s the Creative Director at Valley-Hi Toyota, home to some of the most creative commercials in the industry. The team creates a new story-based 30 second commercial every month, with Brian as one of the star actors. It’s been successful in building Valley-Hi’s brand and ingraining them deep into their community. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly ...
Sep 02, 2022•32 min•Ep. 33
Send us a text There are a lot of excuses for why a company doesn’t invest in social media. Nathanael Greklek has a counter for every single one of them. As the Chief Digital Branding Leader for Mohawk Auto Group, Nathanael has built an organic social media presence that gets millions of impressions a month. They’re able to track sales back to those impressions, and are a machine of content creation, averaging 500 pieces of content per month. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with M...
Sep 02, 2022•27 min•Ep. 32
Send us a text The computer on the Starship Enterprise that crew members could talk to. R2-D2. Jarvis. Science fiction has been showing us AI and digital assistants for years. And Josselyn Boudett and the team at Stella Automotive AI are bringing them to life. Stella is a phone answering AI that books service appointments while helping customers get loaners or talk to specific employees. It’s unlike anything on the market today. Josselyn explains how Stella came to be and how digital voice assis...
Sep 01, 2022•29 min•Ep. 31
Send us a text A digital retail perspective. Doug Miller has helped some significant brands make big digital transitions. Ever heard of Ticketmaster? Doug was there when they sold their first ticket online. What about Expedia? They started by faxing orders to hotels. So when it comes to the automotive industry, an industry that Doug started in, he’s confident about the digital/physical hybrid future. He’s the President and Chief Commercial Officer of CARS.com, and we are grateful to be able to s...
Sep 01, 2022•29 min•Ep. 30
Send us a text Do you have someone in your organization that touches every department? For DeNooyer Automotive Family, that person is Erin Sparks. As the marketing director, she has a lot on her plate and a lot of tabs open on her computer. But she makes it her responsibility to read reviews, walk the service lane, check in on the BDC team and more. She does all of this to break down barriers and bring the teams together, all as she tells the story of the dealership. What we talk about in this e...
Aug 31, 2022•30 min•Ep. 29
Send us a text Transportation is freedom. Mike Darrow, President and CEO of TrueCar, recognizes that automotive can often live in the space between supply and demand, where a dealership is looking to purchase cars in order to meet the needs of customers. And TrueCar has a lot of experience in that position. This conversation jumps around a bit, from the chip shortage to serving dealers to serving consumers to tracking the shopping journey to building community. The threads that tie it together a...
Aug 31, 2022•31 min•Ep. 28
Send us a text A marketer turned developer now marketing a marketing tool. After working in the industry for several years, Jeff Gonzales saw a need for dealers to quickly be able to do their own marketing and ad campaigns. The tool that he developed, AET Automotive, incorporates all of the compliances that dealers face with their marketing. A punk rock vibe, some crazy stories and some insight into the future of marketing made for a fun interview. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro ...
Aug 30, 2022•31 min•Ep. 27
Send us a text Building a product strategy based on target audience. AutoLeadStar is playing the long game. They are developing products to address the entire industry, not just the needs of one or two dealers. And that means they are focused and innovative. Ilana Shabtay is the Director of Marketing for this Israel-based tech company and she joins the Auto Collabs crew for a thoughtful conversation. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mounts...
Aug 30, 2022•28 min•Ep. 26
Send us a text Sometimes you meet someone for the first time on a Zoom call. This was the experience interviewing Sarah Carter of Upstart Auto Retail. Sarah has 20 years of experience in the industry, and she has a good perspective on the intersection of digital and physical, from the way leads are handled to how other countries are ahead of the US digitally. Plus, Cirillo considers skiing, and Paul learns what push/pull integration is. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael...
Aug 29, 2022•34 min•Ep. 25
Send us a text Auto is BIG. You never know where a conversation with Darren Doane will go, but it will keep you thinking long afterwards. Darren is a director, first of music videos and now of documentaries. He’s been around many types of business and sees things from outside of the automotive industry. And he is impressed with how big auto is. That makes it able to try things in a way that other industries can’t. Today’s conversation talks about scrap metal, Newsies and yes, how Michael Cirillo...
Aug 29, 2022•41 min•Ep. 24
Send us a text Unboxing, ride alongs and cars in the community. There’s a sort of punk rock aura around Jeff Revilla. His first business was a skate shop where he was buying ad words on Overture. Then he joined Smail Auto Group, where he monetized their Youtube channels and got their videos seen all over the internet. All of this while not looking like every other car dealer out there. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 6:09 Jeff ...
Aug 26, 2022•32 min•Ep. 23
Send us a text Steven Apicella is a man on a mission. He’s out to influence the automotive industry and specifically the way that F&I has worked in the past. You can hear the passion in his voice, how much he cares for both the dealer and the customer. His company, Strategic DX - Your Dealer Experience, consolidates and tracks your third-party offerings in a way that keeps the customer connected to the dealership. Steven talks about his experience coming up in the automotive world and what s...
Aug 26, 2022•32 min•Ep. 22
Send us a text We can’t tell you what’s going to happen in the future. But Michael Johnson has a sneak peek. Part of this is because he lives in Australia, several hours ahead of us in the US. The other part is that dealers in Australia have been experiencing things that are relatively new or not even on the horizon for those of us in North America. Inventory issues and the agency model are normal in Australia, and Michael shares his insight from the industry partner side. What we talk about in ...
Aug 25, 2022•34 min•Ep. 21
Send us a text Chad Graves knows marketing. He began in the marketing department of a dealership group before leaving with members of that team to start Reunion Marketing. Now, Reunion works with dealers to lift the gates of transparency, break down the silos, and formulate an entire dealership strategy. Paul J Daly, Kyle Mountsier and Michael Cirillo find out that Chad knows that to look for from the moment he steps foot into a dealership, and also has a good handle of what SEO is and how it wo...
Aug 25, 2022•32 min•Ep. 20
Send us a text Some people always bring the sermon. Tim Cox is one of them. He is the co-founder of CarNow, and has so many thoughts for the automotive industry. But what’s special about Tim is that he is genuine all the time and you can hear his heart when he is speaking. Kyle Mountsier and Paul J Daly spend time talking about the history of CarNow, how someone on the team has to be right, integrity, and some things that are coming in 2023 that dealers need to be ready for. What we talk about i...
Aug 24, 2022•32 min•Ep. 19
Send us a text Everything’s bigger in Texas. Including Classic Chevrolet’s buy center in an 80x30ft tent. Eric Hall is the Internet Director for Classic Chevrolet, and he talks about staying on top as one of the largest volume dealers in the nation, the challenges and success of looking at a buy center in a different way, and what he sees for retail automotive in the next 6 months. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 3:59 Eric talk...
Aug 24, 2022•29 min•Ep. 18
Send us a text Your background informs your now. That’s what Colby Joyner has experienced, going from the auto industry to the Air Force, to being an air traffic controller, to a massage therapist and then back into the auto industry both on the dealer and partner sides. It’s allowed him to see things in a different light and helped him as he organizes and automates processes. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 5:50 Colby started ...
Aug 23, 2022•38 min•Ep. 17
Send us a text A 50 year veteran. Tommy Gibbs has been selling cars longer than Paul, Kyle or Michael have been alive. What made him such an effective operator and what makes him a great consultant now is his emphasis on the basics. You might not get the latest flashy trick play from Tommy, but it will be effective if you work at it and get good at it. Plus, there are plenty of football analogies along the way. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and ...
Aug 23, 2022•31 min•Ep. 16
Send us a text 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. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael...
Aug 22, 2022•40 min•Ep. 15
Send us a text 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. What we talk about in this episode: 0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier. 3:23 Bri...
Aug 22, 2022•29 min•Ep. 14
