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 pu...
Feb 20, 2024•6 min
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.
Jan 25, 2024•24 min
In this vAuto podcast, a trio of the company’s thought leaders—Alison Spangler, Patrick Janes and Nathan Fox—outline opportunities for dealers in three distinct areas of used vehicle operations: Acquisition, your retail/wholesale exit decisions and merchandising. Get a clear understanding of how you can optimize your opportunity in each area and understand how new solutions vAuto will be featuring at the upcoming NADA 2024 convention in Las Vegas can help.
Jan 12, 2024•24 min
While supply remains low, consumer demand is still high. That means you need to source creatively to stock the cars your customers want. Listen to vAuto's Derek Hanson and Patrick Janes discuss how multi-channel sourcing is the key to finding inventory. They also cover how the end of the UAW strike will ignite the new car market, creating an uptick in trade opportunities.
Nov 20, 2023•5 min
In this vAuto podcast, Jeremiah Mowry, director of operations for independent dealer group, Atlanta Auto Brokers, shares how he’s managing his inventory and team to meet the challenges acquiring, pricing and selling vehicles in the current market. Mowry outlines how he aims to assess each vehicle’s best exit strategy in the retail or wholesale market, and the blend of art, science and technology that drives the decision. Mowry also provides an outline of the group’s efforts to reduce the share o...
Nov 17, 2023•33 min
In this vAuto podcast, Dale Pollak, vAuto founder and Cox Automotive executive vice president, discusses how used vehicle market conditions may evolve in the face of the United Auto Workers strike and affordability issues that can weaken retail demand. Dale shares how dealers can strengthen the performance of used vehicle operations with a more strategy-minded approach to pricing, appraising and acquisition. He also details why some dealers are finding opportunities with used EVs other dealers c...
Oct 13, 2023•29 min
In this vAuto podcast, Daniel Salazar, corporate vice president for the Atlanta-based ALM Automotive Group, outlines how his dealership brand and marketing efforts have shifted to account for the rise of affordability challenges for new/used vehicle buyers. Salazar highlights how declining lead closing rates signaled the first signs of affordability issues and steps the group’s taken since to maintain sales volume and profitability even as it becomes more difficult to match finance customers wit...
Sep 22, 2023•19 min
In this vAuto podcast, hear from Micah Tindor of Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer and Matt Talbert of vAuto discuss how dealers build an exit-minded strategy for acquiring and disposing of consumer vehicles. Hear their market predictions for the rest of the year and how dealers can get ahead of the game by using new tools to know their profitable exit at the point of acquisition.
Aug 25, 2023•30 min
In this vAuto podcast, Patrick Janes of vAuto and Micah Tindor of Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer share best practices to help dealers source inventory more effectively and profitably in non-traditional acquisition channels. Get pointers to establish a standard (and measurable) appraisal process you can deploy in your service drive, private party and other sourcing channels. Find out how new tools provide metrics to manage appraiser performance and manage the money-making potential of vehicl...
Aug 03, 2023•26 min
In this vAuto podcast, James Skop, general sales manager at Fletch's Buick, GMC, Audi in Petoskey, MI, details the results of his experience during a 90-day challenge to maintain 85 percent pricing alignment or better in ProfitTime GPS. Hear how Skop and his team reversed a trend of low grosses and losses on Bronze vehicles, while making even better grosses on Gold and Platinum cars, during the three-month challenge. Skop also details the car-specific circumstances that he believes signal a need...
Jun 16, 2023•31 min
In this vAuto podcast, Jeremy Nowling, director of sales, digital retailing and implementation for Rohrman Auto Group, shares how he/his team make their new/used vehicles show up and stand out for vehicle shoppers to capture their business. Nowling details the elements that drive merchandising success—the right mix of photos, complemented by specific call-outs in billboards and overlays and more—for new and used vehicles. Plus, he outlines how he measures merchandising efficiency and effectivene...
May 12, 2023•27 min
In this episode of the vAuto podcast Mark Thompson, Used Car Operations Director at Bergey Automotive, joins Mike Boyd, Senior Director of Business Development and Founder of vAuto’s iRecon, to discuss how Bergey’s has reinvented itself in an unpredictable market. They’ll discuss how Bergey’s changed their merchandising approach, tightened up reconditioning and got creative with acquiring inventory – all while keeping the customer experience at the forefront.
Apr 28, 2023•20 min
Photos alone don't tell the story today's vehicle shoppers want to understand about your vehicles. That's a take-away from recent research into consumers' vehicle purchase processes. In this episode of the vAuto podcast, Nathan Fox, AVP Operations, Merchandising at Cox Automotive and vAuto, distills key research findings and insights to help dealers give shoppers a better and more influential experience. The research insights are part of the 2023 Consumer Merchandising Insights eBook. Download y...
Apr 07, 2023•15 min
In this episode of the vAuto podcast, Bruce Harrington, Used Car Director at Paso Robles Chevrolet, shares why he considers buying used vehicles in the wholesale market akin to ordering new cars from the factory. Hear how Bruce uses technology and tools to get the right cars, at the margins he expects, for his inventory and individual customers who want a specific car. Get an inside look at how Bruce spends only minutes to get the vehicles he needs and how he’s gained comfort in buying almost ev...
Mar 14, 2023•24 min
In this vAuto podcast, Mike Maheras, vice president and general manager of Phillips Chevrolet, and Jack Gronner, vAuto Performance Manager, discuss how Mike's adopted a new way to wholesale vehicles that reduces risk and results in consistently profitable outcomes. Mike details why he describes Cox Automotive’s Upside solution as "legalized gambling with used cars and no downside." Hear how Mike's team now appraises every potential acquisition with greater confidence, knowing each vehicle's opti...
Mar 10, 2023•19 min
In this episode of the vAuto podcast, Patrick Janes details five reasons dealers are going beyond Velocity and adopting vAuto’s new Variable Management strategy for managing used vehicles. More market variability. More margin compression. More distressed cars in dealer inventories. Janes shares how Variable Management helps dealers overcome these and symptoms of today’s more uncertain used vehicle market. The key: Knowing each vehicle’s investment value, while appraising and pricing every car, t...
Feb 17, 2023•22 min
Two things will define success for dealers in 2023—better operational discipline and greater trust in outcome-driven decision-making. Those are two key take-aways Derek Hansen, VP Operations for vAuto, and Dale Pollak, vAuto founder, gleaned from their discussions with dealers at NADA. Hear how dealers can achieve greater success in the year ahead, despite uncertainty about today’s more variable market.
Feb 13, 2023•5 min
In this episode of the vAuto podcast, Brian Langley, director of service operations for the Sam Leman Automotive Group in Central Illinois, and Mike Boyd, founder of vAuto iRecon, discuss how Langley has brought more accountability and efficiency to the group’s used vehicle reconditioning. Langley outlines two things he tracks daily to avoid a backlog of vehicles waiting for reconditioning and reduce approval times on ROs from hours to minutes. Hear Langley’s tips other dealers can use to achiev...
Jan 05, 2023•32 min
In this vAuto podcast episode, three vAuto leaders, Dale Pollak, Derek Hansen and Nathan Fox, offer a preview of the new solutions and thought leadership the company will bring to the 2023 NADA convention in Dallas. Hear about current used vehicle challenges and how they’ll shape the year ahead, followed by a rundown of the NADA presentations that aim to help dealers improve their used vehicle retailing, wholesaling and merchandising. Plus, you get a sneak peek at the new innovations vAuto will ...
Dec 16, 2022•27 min
In this episode of the vAuto podcast, Nathan Fox, vAuto AVP Operations, Merchandising Software, outlines an opportunity gap for dealers with the VDPs on their online vehicle listings. Fox explains that while dealers have successfully optimized listings for SRPs, their VDPs have not kept pace with consumer expectations. Fox shares how dealers should think differently about the VDP experiences they offer consumers and the steps they can take to improve VDP engagement and relevance. Fox also descri...
Dec 10, 2022•16 min
In this vAuto podcast episode, vAuto founder Dale Pollak explains why Variable Management, a new way to manage used vehicles based on each unit’s unique investment value, drives better outcomes for dealers than Velocity Management. Dale details how the data science behind Variable Management helps dealers avoid cheap selling their best cars for the sake of volume and holding out for gross on their worst cars to avoid losses—a common problem in the current market. Dale also shares how Variable Ma...
Nov 18, 2022•33 min
In this vAuto podcast episode, Vaida Presniakovaite, president of Midway Autohaus, Bridgeview, IL, shares how she and her team have adjusted to retailing vehicles in an era of historically low and high-cost inventory supply. Presniakovaite details how her retailing strategy has shifted to lower-cost inventory and why she now prefers a technology-driven method to source these vehicles through a wider network of online auctions to drive greater efficiency and profitability. Presniakovaite also out...
Oct 06, 2022•31 min
In this vAuto podcast episode, Mike Boyd, founder of vAuto’s iRecon, and Jade Terreberry, Senior Director, Strategic Planning & Business Development (Autotrader, KBB, & Dealer.com) discuss the ever-growing importance of fixed ops in increasing customer lifetime value (CLV)—and how a consumer-focused, digitally driven strategy in service helps them achieve the goal. Hear how consumer expectations have shifted during the pandemic and how dealers must proactively engage their customers thro...
Sep 23, 2022•26 min
In this vAuto podcast episode, Brian Neeley, president of the four-store independent dealer group, Drive N-Motion, shares how he and his team have shifted to acquiring nearly 90 percent of their inventory from online auctions. Neeley outlines how he uses technology and tools to minimize the time required to find and appraise available vehicles and expand his buying team’s ability to cover multiple lanes at multiple auctions across multiple states at the same time. Neeley details how he uses CR s...
Sep 09, 2022•24 min
In this vAuto podcast episode, Mark Strand, senior director of economic and industry insights for Cox Automotive gives a data-driven perspective on how the used vehicle market will evolve in the final months of 2022. Strand shares how depreciation will continue to affect specific vehicle segments more than others, and how the relative stability of current retail prices creates near-term profit opportunities for dealers. Strand details why vehicle acquisition will remain more digitally driven in ...
Aug 05, 2022•27 min
In this vAuto podcast episode, Brian Benstock, vice president of Paragon Honda and Paragon Acura, Queens, NY, and vAuto founder Dale Pollak discuss how they believe dealers should respond to less-favorable market conditions in the months ahead—and get out of what Benstock dubs a “profit coma.” The pair also discuss why service lane acquisition will need to become an even higher priority for dealers to ensure they maintain retail sales volumes in light of ongoing inventory constraints. Benstock d...
Jun 24, 2022•27 min
Ever think about what other profitable dealers are doing to stay ahead of the game? Mike Boyd, founder of vAuto’s iRecon sat down with Alex Andreus, COO of Murgado Automotive Group, to talk about the steps he takes to keep his business prospering. They discuss actionable points that’ll get you thinking about your own dealership, like: - The current market and its turning point - The best tools and insights to make data-driven decisions - What’s keeping dealers up at night - Why building a good b...
Jun 12, 2022•24 min
In this vAuto podcast episode, Paul Metrey, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, and David Regan, Executive Vice President for Legislative Affairs at NADA detail the association’s efforts on Capitol Hill to pass legislation that would provide relief from LIFO tax liabilities many dealers incurred this year. The conversation outlines why LIFO liability has become a problem for dealers, the reasons NADA’s lobbying efforts moved from the U.S. Treasury to Congress and where House and Senate ...
May 19, 2022•32 min
In this vAuto podcast, Micah Tindor, Senior Director for Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer, discusses the importance of adjusting consumer acquisition processes to better align with consumers’ changing expectations. Tune in to learn how consumers are more aggressively price shopping, what they now expect/need, and how to position your dealership to win more vehicles.
May 13, 2022•26 min
No two dealerships look the same but one thing that is constant is change is hard. Any good dealer knows that change is a necessity to keep growing and finding future successes. Join us as Mike Boyd, Founder of vAuto’s iRecon, and Sean Kelley, CEO of Car Motivators, discuss how to successfully bring change to your dealership. They’ll discuss the number one challenge dealers are facing in today’s environment (hint, it’s not what you think) and how to effectively coach to overcome this challenge. ...
May 06, 2022•31 min
