Auto Collabs

Amazon has trained consumers to expect convenience, transparency, and fulfillment. But when it comes to selling cars, Carlos Mojica sees one important difference: Amazon still needs the dealer.

Carlos, Senior Manager of Retail Development at LaFontaine Automotive Group, joins Paul Daly and Michael Cirillo to explain why a group with 43 stores across Michigan decided to lean into Amazon Autos instead of treating it like a threat. He walks through the customer experience—from syndicated inventory and financing to deposits, vehicle holds, and delivery—and explains why LaFontaine views Amazon as an addition to its marketing ecosystem rather than a replacement for existing channels.

The conversation also gets into the comparison with Carvana, why Carlos believes Amazon’s model is fundamentally dealer-driven, and what LaFontaine learned from its first Amazon transaction. That customer arrived to find the vehicle actually there, with the transaction matching what they had completed online down to the penny.

And Carlos isn’t expecting Amazon to suddenly become LaFontaine’s biggest source of traffic. He sees something potentially broader: Amazon can put dealer inventory in front of shoppers on a marketplace they already trust—and give the dealership another way to meet customers wherever they’re comfortable buying.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

00:55 How Carlos found his way into automotive retail

03:03 Learning internet sales before it became the norm

04:23 Growing with LaFontaine from 10 stores to 43

05:35 What has—and hasn’t—changed about internet leads

06:52 Why LaFontaine leaned into Amazon Autos

09:53 How an Amazon Autos transaction actually works

12:29 Why Amazon is an addition, not a replacement

13:11 Is Amazon a threat to dealerships?

16:34 What happens when the Amazon brand meets the dealer brand

19:38 What LaFontaine learned from its first Amazon transaction

20:13 Why Amazon traffic isn't the whole point

21:19 Turning Amazon presence into a dealership trust signal

LINKS

Carlos Mojica: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlitomojicajr/

LaFontaine Automotive Group: https://www.familydeal.com/

Amazon Autos: https://www.autos.amazon/

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Carlos Mojica's appearance on Auto Collabs is sponsored by Amazon Autos.

Your Dealership AI Is Only 90% Right. That’s the Problem.

AI can make messy data look usable. But AJ McGowan says that gets a lot more dangerous when you expect AI to actually run dealership workflows.

AJ, VP of Research and Development at Reynolds and Reynolds, joins Paul, Kyle, and Michael for a conversation about what changes when dealership AI moves beyond chatbots and analysis into truly agentic systems. His argument cuts against an increasingly common assumption: just because AI can figure out relationships between disconnected data doesn’t mean you should make it solve that problem every time. At scale, fuzzy matches become a trust problem—and a 90% answer isn’t good enough when software starts taking action.

AJ explains how Reynolds is approaching that challenge with Rey, an AI software agent designed to work across the Reynolds ecosystem, pursue a user’s goal, and pull together information from multiple systems. Today, Rey is being used to answer questions and perform analysis. The bigger step ahead is giving an agent the ability to affect action.

Along the way, AJ traces his builder mentality all the way back to coding a game in first grade and building computers for his parents’ friends in sixth grade. It’s a fitting origin story for a conversation about why the next era of dealership technology will still require something surprisingly old-school: understanding the fundamentals well enough to know when AI’s answer can actually be trusted.

YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro with Paul J Daly and Michael Cirillo

03:40 AJ’s first software project—and his sixth-grade computer business

06:31 How AI changed the way technologists build

08:13 Compressing 15 days of learning into 15 minutes

11:25 How quickly are dealers actually adopting AI?

12:18 Why unified dealership data matters more with agentic AI

14:29 DAGs, data structure, and whether AI can handle the mess

16:42 Why AJ thinks messy data is still a problem

19:31 The danger of the 90% AI answer

20:29 What Reynolds’ Rey AI can actually do today

23:01 When AI starts taking action inside the dealership

24:31 The next big step for dealership AI—and why reps still matter

LINKS

AJ McGowan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajmcg/

Reynolds and Reynolds: https://www.reyrey.com/

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Zach Doran believes dealer relationships are built long before there’s a problem to solve.

As president of the Ohio Auto Dealers Association, he’s pushing the organization beyond traditional advocacy and member services by creating more reasons for dealers to engage, connect, and see the value of the association before they ever need to call with their “hair on fire.”

That approach shows up in some unconventional ways. OADA has brought younger dealers to Washington, D.C., hosted wake-surfing days, built Concert for a Cause, and created new opportunities for members to connect outside the moments when something has already gone wrong.

Zach also takes Paul Daly and Kyle Mountsier inside one of OADA’s smartest communication plays: a quarterly publication that collects the charitable and civic work Ohio dealerships are already doing, then puts those stories directly in front of dealers and elected officials across the state. What started with the association hunting down most of the stories has grown into dealers actively submitting their own work because they want to be included.

Along the way, they get into Zach’s unexpected path to leading OADA, succeeding his father, the entrepreneurial energy of car dealers, and what it takes to make an event with more than 4,000 people and over $100,000 raised for charity feel like the beginning instead of the finish line.

YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro with Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

2:13 Concert for a Cause raises more than $100K

4:21 Why Columbus dealers rallied around the event

7:24 Zach’s unexpected path into the association world

10:57 Rising to the occasion when dealers are counting on you

12:49 Engage dealers before their “hair is on fire”

16:40 Turning dealership community work into a bigger story

19:01 Putting dealer impact directly in front of elected officials

LINKS

Zach Doran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-doran-a320a791/

Ohio Auto Dealers Association: https://www.oada.com/aws/OADA/pt/sp/home_page

OADA Members Spotlight: https://www.oada.com/aws/OADA/pt/sd/news_article/628849/_PARENT/layout_details/false

Auto Collabs: https://daily.asotu.com/auto-collabs

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Everyone is talking about how AI search is changing changing how dealerships are evaluated, how reputation gets interpreted, and which marketing metrics still tell the full story.

Chad Graves of Reunion Marketing joins Paul and Kyle to unpack what’s happening as ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI tools become part of the vehicle research process. Chad’s view is that GEO, AEO, and the rest of the acronym soup still sit on top of strong SEO fundamentals, but the environment around those fundamentals has changed dramatically. AI systems are pulling from more sources, interpreting sentiment, and forming real opinions about dealerships.

That shift also creates a measurement problem. If shoppers can research the vehicle, compare options, understand your reputation, and get most of their questions answered without ever submitting a lead, cost per lead and total lead volume may become weaker standalone indicators of marketing performance.

The conversation also gets into brand, community involvement, reviews, About Us pages, and why dealerships need to do a better job telling the stories that are already true about them. Chad closes with a few lessons Reunion has picked up from working in home services, where operators are often more aggressive about specialization, lead routing, response time, and end-to-end ROI.

Timestamped Takeaways

0:00 Intro with Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

03:22 Is GEO real, or is it just SEO with another acronym?

05:14 When AI starts forming an opinion about your dealership

07:12 Search is fragmenting beyond ChatGPT

09:35 The attribution problem dealers aren’t ready for

11:05 What happens when the shopper never submits a lead

13:26 Are leads becoming the wrong marketing barometer?

14:33 Why your About Us page suddenly matters more

16:40 The dealership stories marketers never knew existed

18:31 What automotive can learn from home services

19:34 Why top HVAC operators route opportunities differently

21:22 The data visibility auto marketers wish they had

23:46 What Reunion is learning about AI, search, and other industries

LINKS

Chad Graves: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-graves-a3506b45/

Reunion Marketing: https://reunionmarketing.com/

Auto Collabs: https://daily.asotu.com/auto-collabs

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Don Hall has spent decades fighting for car dealers. That doesn’t mean he’s afraid to tell one when he’s wrong.

The president of the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association joins Paul, Kyle, and Michael for a conversation that goes well beyond legislation and association work. Don explains why dealers should care about the organizations representing them, what lawmakers often misunderstand about dealership economics, and why advocacy ultimately comes down to something familiar to anyone who has ever sold a car: understanding people.

But Don is just as willing to challenge the industry he represents. He shares the shocking story of a dealership mistake that ended with a customer spending a night in jail, reflects on the hard-driving retail mentality he once embraced himself, and argues that automotive has to eradicate the behaviors that keep reinforcing its worst reputation.

The conversation also gets personal. Don talks about entering the Marine Corps as a troubled 17-year-old and how it changed his life, his refusal to “sit on the bleachers and watch,” and why, after more than four decades around the car business, he’s still pushing people to get involved.

It’s vintage Auto Collabs: blunt opinions, some Diet Mountain Dew energy, and a bigger question underneath it all—what happens when you care enough about an industry to tell it the truth?

YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT

TIMESTAMPED TAKEAWAYS

0:00 Intro with Paul J Daly, Kyle Mountsier and Michael Cirillo

02:10 What dealer associations actually do for the industry

04:55 Why younger dealership leaders should pay attention

07:10 “It’s about people. It ain’t about cars.”

09:20 Telling a dealer when he’s flat-out wrong

12:29 Why Don refuses to sit on the bleachers

13:21 How the Marine Corps changed Don Hall’s life

14:38 What legislators misunderstand about car dealers

17:35 Why dealers need to be tender with customers

19:25 The dealership mistake that put a customer in jail

21:40 Why automotive struggles to tell its own story

25:36 Can better PR actually change how consumers see dealers?

29:16 The perspective Don couldn’t get from retail alone

LINKS

Don Hall / Virginia Automobile Dealers Association: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-hall-864a14234/

Auto Collabs: https://daily.asotu.com/auto-collabs

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After watching the same bad vehicles circulate through auctions, one independent dealer decided to build the solution himself.

Dealer Defender is tackling one of the biggest challenges facing independent auto dealers: wholesale arbitration and the lack of transparency in vehicle auctions. In this episode of Auto Collabs, Travis Baldwin, President of the Indiana Independent Auto Dealer Association and co-owner of Best Deal Auto Sales, shares how a real dealership problem led to building a technology platform designed to make wholesale transactions more transparent and accountable.

After years of watching vehicles with unresolved issues move through multiple auctions under green-light conditions, Travis and a team of fellow dealers developed Dealer Defender to crowdsource arbitration data and give dealers greater visibility into a vehicle's wholesale history. The conversation explores how improving transparency can reduce unnecessary arbitration, improve trust between buyers and sellers, and ultimately create a healthier wholesale marketplace.

Beyond Dealer Defender, Travis discusses the realities of running a large independent dealership group with six locations, four service centers, and nearly 700 vehicles in inventory. He explains why independent dealers continue to innovate, how state dealer associations can become incubators for industry-changing ideas, and what legislative challenges independent dealers face with interstate titling, temporary registrations, and customer experience.

The conversation also covers:

Whether you're an independent dealer, wholesale buyer, auction professional, or dealership

Timestamped Takeaways

00:00 Why wholesale transparency still lags behind retail

02:22 Meet Travis Baldwin and the Dealer Defender story

03:22 Growing up in an independent dealership

05:00 Building Dealer Defender from a dealership pain point

07:17 Dealer Defender and wholesale arbitration explained

09:50 Why arbitration costs dealers money

12:40 Can auctions embrace transparency?

15:37 Legislative challenges for independent dealers

18:01 AI tools inside an independent dealership

20:24 Growing Best Deal Auto Sales

21:49 How to recruit and retain great technicians

22:57 Why Dealer Defender matters for the industry

Links

Dealer Defender: https://dealerdefender.site/

Travis Baldwin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-baldwin-594878172/

Best Deal Auto Sales: https://bestdealautosalesonline.com/

Subscribe to Auto Collabs: https://daily.asotu.com/auto-collabs

AI is being broadly adopted in the automotive industry, but many companies are implementing it without a clear understanding of the customer problem they're trying to solve. In this episode of Auto Collabs, John Coles of ACV explains why successful AI adoption starts with leadership, trust, and operational clarity—not technology.

John shares lessons from a career that spans healthcare, disaster relief, counterterrorism, machine learning, and automotive technology. His perspective cuts through the noise surrounding artificial intelligence and focuses on a simple question: Are you solving a real customer problem, or are you chasing the latest trend?

The conversation explores why teams struggle with AI implementation, how leaders can avoid becoming an "ignorant strong voice," and why understanding who you're serving matters more than deploying the newest tools. John also breaks down the difference between machine learning and large language models, where each creates value, and how organizations can use AI to improve speed, consistency, and trust without sacrificing quality.

You'll also get a look inside ACV's approach to automotive AI, including how the company is equipping frontline employees with AI-powered skills that help them navigate recalls, policies, vehicle conditions, and customer interactions more effectively.

In this episode:

• Why most automotive AI initiatives miss the mark

• The leadership principles behind successful AI adoption

• How customer pain points should drive technology decisions

• The dangers of becoming an "ignorant strong voice"

• Why trust matters more than speed alone

• How ACV is deploying AI for frontline teams

• Machine learning, vehicle valuation, and operational efficiency

• The future of AI-powered automotive retail

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Why Automotive AI Projects Fail Without Clear Objectives

02:35 John Coles' Leadership Journey

05:57 The Biggest Barriers to Team Performance

09:39 AI, Experience, and Human Context

11:48 The "Ignorant Strong Voice" Problem

14:54 Leading Automotive AI Without Chasing Hype

15:55 Solving Real Customer Problems With AI

18:35 Machine Learning and Vehicle Valuation

19:54 The Relationship Between Speed and Trust

22:53 How ACV Uses AI Internally

23:48 Practical Automotive AI Use Cases

24:53 Empowering Frontline Employees

25:37 The Future of Automotive AI

LINKS

Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-coles-28311015/

Learn More About ACV: https://www.acvauctions.com

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#AutomotiveAI #ArtificialIntelligence #DealershipTechnology #MachineLearning #AutoRetail #DealerInnovation #ACV #Leadership #DataAnalytics #AutoCollabs

Compliance changes can create uncertainty for dealerships of every size. Laura Perrotta, President of NJ CAR, explains how dealer associations help retailers navigate evolving regulations, access trusted resources, and stay informed when new compliance questions arise.

Special thanks to Force Marketing for making our coverage of the CBT News Auto Leadership Summit on Fair Pricing & Compliance possible. Learn more at https://www.forcemktg.com/

When compliance questions arise, where do dealers turn for answers?

In this conversation, Laura Perrotta shares how dealer associations play a critical role in helping retailers understand changing regulations, interpret new guidance, and implement best practices across their organizations. As President of NJ CAR, she works closely with dealers throughout New Jersey and has seen firsthand how demand for compliance education and support has accelerated in recent months.

The discussion explores some of the most common questions dealers are asking, particularly around pricing disclosures, doc fees, and the evolving expectations surrounding transparency. While New Jersey dealers have long operated under some of the country's stricter advertising and compliance requirements, recent FTC actions have elevated the importance of ensuring dealership practices align with both state and federal expectations.

Perrotta explains that one of the most important functions of a dealer association is serving as a trusted information resource. From compliance guidance and educational webinars to industry partnerships and expert-led training, associations help dealers quickly access the information they need to make informed decisions.

The conversation also highlights the value of compliance-focused peer groups and roundtables. By bringing together compliance officers, CFOs, dealership leaders, and industry experts, associations create opportunities for dealers to learn from one another and share best practices across organizations.

Beyond compliance, Perrotta discusses how stronger dealer engagement often leads to broader industry collaboration. Whether advocating for legislation, supporting workforce initiatives, or helping dealers respond to emerging challenges, associations serve as a critical connection point between retailers, policymakers, and industry partners.

For dealers seeking clarity in an increasingly complex regulatory environment, this episode offers a valuable look at the resources, education, and support systems available through dealer associations.

00:00 – Why compliance has become a top concern for dealers

00:25 – What brought NJ CAR to the summit

00:50 – The biggest compliance questions dealers are asking

01:05 – Doc fees, pricing transparency, and FTC guidance

01:27 – How New Jersey's compliance rules compare to federal requirements

01:43 – The impact of FTC warning letters on dealer behavior

02:19 – Why compliance is replacing fine-print marketing tactics

02:58 – The growing value of dealer associations during regulatory change

03:31 – Becoming the information clearinghouse for dealers

04:02 – Compliance resources, audits, and industry partners

04:25 – Educational programs and compliance training opportunities

05:05 – Inside NJ CAR's compliance-focused peer groups

05:52 – How compliance leaders influence dozens of dealership rooftops

06:25 – The power of collaboration across the dealer community

06:54 – Why dealer engagement strengthens advocacy efforts

07:14 – Final thoughts on education, compliance, and industry support

Laura Perrotta:

NJ CAR: https://www.njcar.org

Check out more of our CBT News Auto Leadership Summit content: https://daily.asotu.com/t/ftc-summit

Dealership growth doesn't always come from selling more vehicles. Sam Weaver, dealer principal of Chevy Chase Acura and author of Together Is How We Win, explains why many dealerships are overlooking valuable revenue opportunities that already exist within their businesses.

Special thanks to Force Marketing for making our coverage of the CBT News Auto Leadership Summit on Fair Pricing & Compliance possible. Learn more at https://www.forcemktg.com/

What if the biggest growth opportunities in your dealership are the ones you're already seeing every day?

In this conversation, Sam Weaver shares the core philosophy behind his new book, Together Is How We Win, a project inspired by nearly 50 years in the automotive industry. His message is simple: dealerships spend enormous resources attracting customers, but too often fail to identify and capitalize on opportunities that exist beyond the initial vehicle sale.

Using a real-world example, Weaver explains how a customer who decides against purchasing a vehicle may still represent significant business value. While many dealerships simply mark those customers as lost opportunities, he believes organizations should be building systems that connect customers to other services, products, and departments that can continue to serve their needs.

The discussion explores how dealerships can break down internal silos, improve communication between departments, and create incentives that encourage employees to identify opportunities beyond their immediate responsibilities. According to Weaver, the most successful organizations don't just focus on selling vehicles—they create multiple pathways for serving customers throughout the ownership journey.

Weaver also reflects on lessons learned during the financial crisis and how those experiences shaped his commitment to helping other business leaders build more resilient organizations. Through additional ventures such as detailing, repair, and key replacement businesses, he has focused on creating diversified revenue streams that help stabilize performance regardless of fluctuations in vehicle sales.

For dealer principals, general managers, and business leaders looking to strengthen profitability, this episode offers practical ideas for identifying overlooked opportunities, building stronger internal collaboration, and creating sustainable long-term growth.

00:00 – Sam Weaver on Together Is How We Win

00:40 – Why dealerships miss valuable revenue opportunities

01:08 – The Mercedes customer example and cross-department growth

01:45 – Breaking down silos inside dealership operations

01:57 – Incentivizing employees to create new revenue streams

02:07 – Why Sam wrote the book after nearly 50 years in automotive retail

02:33 – The 2008 financial crisis and a defining leadership moment

03:19 – Turning difficult experiences into lessons for other dealers

03:31 – Expanding the book beyond automotive retail

04:22 – Completing the book before his 65th birthday

04:49 – Goals for the second half of the year

05:03 – Building additional businesses beyond vehicle sales

05:24 – Creating stability through diversified revenue streams

05:42 – Why every driver can become a customer

Sam Weaver: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-weaver-4586271a8/

Together Is How We Win: https://www.togetherishowwewin.com/

Check out more of our CBT News Auto Leadership Summit content:

https://daily.asotu.com/t/ftc-summit

Dealership sales training can make or break a marketing investment. Eric Mercado, Chief Revenue Officer and Partner at Force Marketing, explains why even the best marketing campaigns fail when dealership teams aren't prepared to deliver on the customer expectations those campaigns create.

Special thanks to Force Marketing for making our coverage of the CBT News Auto Leadership Summit on Fair Pricing & Compliance possible. Learn more at https://www.forcemktg.com/

Marketing doesn't end when the lead arrives.

In this conversation, Eric Mercado shares why successful dealership marketing requires much more than generating traffic, leads, and showroom visits. While many organizations focus on campaign performance and lead volume, Mercado argues that long-term success depends on how well sales teams understand and execute the strategy behind those marketing investments.

As Chief Revenue Officer and Partner at Force Marketing, Mercado spends much of his time helping dealer groups improve performance, employee retention, and customer experience. One of the biggest opportunities he sees is creating stronger alignment between marketing teams and the employees responsible for handling customer interactions.

The discussion explores how dealerships can better prepare sales teams for upcoming campaigns, product launches, seasonal promotions, and brand initiatives. Rather than treating marketing as a standalone function, Mercado advocates for ongoing training that helps employees understand campaign goals, customer expectations, and the value proposition being communicated in the marketplace.

He also explains how improved training directly impacts employee retention. When sales professionals understand the customer journey, communicate more effectively, and achieve better results, they gain confidence, earn more income, and are more likely to remain with the organization long term.

The conversation highlights the importance of partnership between dealerships and their marketing providers. Beyond campaign execution, Mercado believes the most successful dealer-vendor relationships are built on collaboration, shared accountability, and a deep understanding of dealership operations.

For dealer principals, general managers, marketing leaders, and sales managers, this episode offers practical insight into how training, communication, and operational alignment can improve both marketing performance and employee success.

00:00 – Eric Mercado on growth, retention, and market strategy

00:20 – Why employee retention matters to dealership performance

01:16 – How training improves marketing effectiveness

01:50 – The difference between transactional and transformational marketing

02:23 – Why marketing and sales must work together

03:12 – Identifying gaps in dealership sales performance

03:53 – How training helps employees succeed and stay longer

04:18 – What dealership training programs look like in practice

04:55 – Preparing teams for campaigns, promotions, and product launches

05:35 – Creating employee buy-in around marketing initiatives

05:56 – The role of industry partners in dealership success

06:28 – Building collaborative dealer-vendor relationships

07:03 – Why operational alignment drives better business results

Eric Mercado: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-mercado-b8696920/

Force Marketing: https://www.forcemktg.com/

Check out more of our CBT News Auto Leadership Summit content: https://daily.asotu.com/t/ftc-summit