NIADA 2021 Dealer Interviews

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Dealer podcast with hosts Luke Godwin and Jeff Watson. A podcast by dealers for dealers. Here we go.

Good morning everybody. Second day of NI88. Today we're going to bring you a few dealers from around the country and just get their perspective on being here and what they can learn today and all that good stuff.

David, where you from?

Canton, Georgia.

What brought you here?

Well, we've been a member of giada for about 10 years, Past President and just love learning and bettering our business.

Cool. What's your business model? You buy here, pay here, you retail?

We're retail. We deal a lot in collector and specialty cars. I have another, have two locations, have another location north of us. We deal more in secondary lending on that location.

Sorry, Jeff.

Topics, what do you look forward to hearing today this week, ways for like.

To better our business? Search engine optimization. There's several things that are coming up. You know how if there's an exit plan of the dealership, you know, things like that.

And one more question. What is your biggest pain point or headache in your dealership right now?

Reconditioning. Reconditioning and getting them through the system.

Amen.

Get them through the system, find the right cars. I'm able to obtain inventory, so I'm pretty good at that. But just get them through the system and get them ready.

For sure. It's everybody's pain point and there's a lot of service bay type stuff going on this year compared to other years. Are you looking forward to that? Do you think we can learn a lot from that as dealers?

Possibly, sir, yeah. Yeah. Because maybe some dealers have some good ideas to help impact, you know, that reconditioning process.

Pretty cool. David, thanks for letting us pull you aside. Look forward to this week.

Yeah, sounds good, thanks.

Hey guys, here we are again. We have got Joe. Joe, where are you from and what's your dealership's business model?

I'm from South Carolina and the dealership model is retail. We're a retail dealership, indirect lending and we stock about 180 cars and sell around 100amonth.

Nice.

He's a big time dealership up in Spartanburg, right? Greenville area?

Yeah, Spartanburg, South Carolina.

And they've been doing it a long time. Your dad started the business, correct?

He did, that's right, yeah.

So. So what's your biggest pain point right now in your dealership?

Pain point right now is inventory acquisition, I guess. You know, just trying to find good inventory at a decent price and just trying to manage this market right now. As crazy as it is, yeah.

It's true.

So being here this week at convention, anything you hope to hear about or learn about, products, vendors, speakers, anything, what are you hoping to learn or hear about?

Absolutely. I mean, I'm always looking for good marketing ideas, things that can help my business, bring me more good customers and just give me a competitive edge, you know, against my competitors, like guys down the street.

Our business model is so different, but, Joe, I mean, you have a big Facebook presence and you're always out there. You're always promoting your dealership, and you're doing a great job, so keep that up. Is that something you like to do?

Yeah, absolutely. I think Facebook's crucial. You know, I don't think enough dealerships really take advantage of their Facebook marketing. And I mean, that's what's in front of these customers faces all day, every day. So you want to get out in front of your customers. Marketing has changed, you know, in this generation, and you've got to be able to keep up with it and get in front of those customers when you can.

Absolutely.

Well, thanks, Joe. Yeah, thanks.

Absolutely. Thank you, guys. Have a good one.

Hey, look at this. We found a Utah dealer. Finding.

Oh, my.

I feel like we always interview South Carolina dealers. This is.

I think we're the only two Utahns here.

This might be it. Where are you guys? We've got Nick Marcos, Northern Utah. Nick, tell the independent dealer community we know where you're from. What's your business model?

We do lease here, pay here, 80%, and then we do about 20% outside regular finance deals.

Yes.

So our lease here, pay here. One of the pioneers.

Yes.

And you? How many lots do you have, Nick?

We have three.

Three, okay. All in northern Utah.

Yeah.

Salt Lake, Ogden, and Logan.

We have a gentleman's agreement that he stays north of the Mason Dixon.

Yeah, we have a line of demarcation.

The demilitarized Z. Anyways, Nick, what's the biggest pain point right now in your dealerships?

I think inventory. You know, I mean, we can get it, but it's just rougher and takes more time to get. And it just sucks to think that we are selling an older, higher mileage car than we were a year ago. But it is what it is. Way more money. Way more money. But it is what it is. There's a lot of demand out there. People need cars, and we're in the business to provide them. So we just find what's in people's budgets and put it on our lot, and that's what we gotta do.

So has your ACV gone up or has your car gone down? What have you?

I mean, our ACVs gone up a little bit, but it's just such a three year old car. Think about it. What was a 18? Well, 17, 16 Altima a year ago versus today. I mean, we're talking from 8,000 to $13,000. You can't change your business model by an ACV of five grand a car. Yeah. So we're buying like, I mean.

All right, Dan, introduce yourself to the independent dealer podcast community. Who are you? Where are you from? What's your business model?

So, Dan Grosvenor, Five Star Auto Plaza, St. Louis, Missouri. The business model, we do about 80% subprime retail deals and about 20% buy here, pay here, full service for both our own customers and then the general public.

Nice. And Dan has been on the podcast before. Check that out. Episode 100 and something.

Something, something.

Dan, we've been asking dealers, what is your biggest pain point in your dealership right now?

So right now my biggest concern is staffing is huge right now. Trying to get good help is next to impossible. And also the uncertainty of the regulation, the regulatory climate of what's to come in that regard. We've had kind of almost a vacation from regulation and what the heck's to come.

And that's scary. And that's a great reason to be here at niada, is to give to the PAC and to talk to the people who talk to our people in Washington. So is that what you're trying to get out of here or what's the biggest thing you're trying to get out of convention this year?

Yeah, so that's very much a big piece of it. And also I'm excited to hear what Bob Voltman has said. As far as the renewed engagement with the association. I felt for years that a lot of the dealers just don't know what's going on with the association and just getting more involvement, getting more support. Again with the whole Washington D.C. initiative, having somebody on the ground in D.C. i think that's huge.

It's interesting when you have the turnover and leadership like that. It's like past presidents talk about it, we've always talked about it. But when you have kind of the new blood or fresh blood with Bob, he seems like he's really going to get some stuff going.

Yes. And hopefully the board is moving and the association is moving in the right direction so we can be ahead of the things that are coming from Washington because they're coming.

Right, Right, right, right, right. Dan, thanks. For your time, man.

I appreciate it.

Thanks for.

See you around this week.

Yep, you bet.

Hey, here we are. Another dealer, Scott.

Yes.

Tell the community, where are you from? What's your business model?

I'm from New Philadelphia, Ohio. Our business model, we sell a little bit of everything, 2,000 to 40,000. We have our own finance company. We use outside sources. So a little bit of everything does it all.

He's the man of all trades.

Transportation specialists.

Oh, yes, look at that. The first one we've had on the podcast. Actual transportation specialist. Yes.

That's a whole new category.

Yes.

That's great.

So, Scott, what is your biggest pain point right now in your dealership like everyone else, Inventory.

You know, if we can source inventory, which we're changing the way we do business, you know, we're trying to adapt and that's how we're going to make it.

So you're sourcing. Are you sourcing mostly from auctions? Are you trying to source off the street? How are you doing?

Just like everything else, we're trying to buy off the street. We're buying smarter at the auctions. We're using different types of auctions.

Does it all.

Yeah.

So this week here at convention, what are you hoping to take away?

There's so much knowledge here. You know, we can learn from the sessions. The networking is what's really amazing.

Second time we've heard that.

That is the second time we heard that.

Networking is amazing. You meet so many people here. There's so much knowledge.

Great.

Yes.

Scott, thanks so much for your time.

Thank you, buddy.

Hey, you know that guy, he looks familiar.

Well, maybe. So who are you?

Good morning, Jack Carter. How are you?

Good, buddy. What you doing here?

Here to learn and be around people from other parts of the country.

Nice. Jack, share with us where are you from? You and kind of the summary of.

Your business model from Atlanta, Georgia. And we are primarily a buy here, pay here, dealership.

Cool. Well, so we're asking all dealers today, what's your biggest pain point right now?

My biggest. My largest pain point beside me right this second, I would say reconditioning. Reconditioning the shop technicians dealing with our service department is probably the most difficult.

Huge theme right now. Getting the cars reconditioning fast enough is our biggest thing. So, Jack, what do you hope to hear or learn while you're here this week, either from vendors or presenters, what are you hoping to take away?

Got. You know, I never know. I'm really hoping to spend some time with people from other parts of the country. That I don't get to see. And I know that somebody will give me some information that I can take back and use it. You don't know what that is? I mean, there's no way to call it or, you know, it's usually something unexpected from somebody unexpected, so.

So do you think that the. The dealer part of this is better than the. Than the session part? I mean, that's what I'm kind of hearing, that you're going to find something from a dealer, or are you talking about from a vendor or from a session?

I almost always find something from a dealer.

Okay.

Almost always. So, I mean, I enjoy the session. I'm gonna check it out and talk to the vendors, but it's the dealers that pass on.

They almost need to just set us up like a big playground.

Yeah.

And just let us, like, loose for three or four days. Right. I'll let the bar.

Oh, goodness. All right.

All right, Jack. Thanks for your time. Thank you, guys.

So glad you joined us. Please take a minute to leave us a review and share this podcast with a friend, the independent Dealer. Podcast Dealers Helping Dealers. So glad you joined us. Please take a minute to leave us a review and share this podcast with a friend, the independent dealer. Podcast Dealers Helping Dealers.

Sam.