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Like eating your own cooking or living in the house you built.

A tech company that is using its product regularly is going to understand what the end user faces and make sure that it works well. So when DriveCentric started, they used their CRM product as their CRM. Steve Roessler, DriveCentric’s Chief Evangelist Officer joins Auto Collabs to talk about how we can rethink CRMs and how to communicate with today’s generation in a way that they want to be communicated to.

What we talk about in this episode:

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

5:15 Like so many others, Steve’s journey to automotive wasn’t a straight line. He started in engineering, and then moved to medical. One day, his neighbor asked him to look at a CRM that he was working on. The CRM was DriveCentric.

9:12 DriveCentric started by using DriveCentric as its CRM. Kyle and Steve talk about the pros and cons of this approach.

19:06 What can auto learn from dating apps? Steve lays it out.

22:48 Kyle and Steve discuss how B2C sales can look a lot more like B2B sales.

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This might be the most we’ve laughed on a podcast.

Normally, Auto Collabs is hosted by Paul J Daly, Kyle Mountsier and Michael Cirillo, but during a special in-person recording in Atlanta, Paul and Kyle turned the tables on Cirillo, interviewing him. It almost doesn’t need to be said, but what followed was full of laughs, Cirillo’s amazing word pictures and a lot more insight into the Real MC.

What we talk about in this episode:

0:00 Intro with Kyle Mountsier.

2:10 The interview starts with Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier explaining a new podcast that ASOTU just launched called “In The Dirt,” which of course, Cirillo makes fun of them about.

4:57 Michael talks about how for the last 60 years, Cirillos have generated their own revenue. He then tells a story about how his dad started a phone book company.

12:59 The tech and marketing business that Michael had its start in 2006-2010. Michael shares how it came about and grew into what it is today.

19:18 Bring about meaningful change is actually going to take hard work, but doing that work will scale into something amazing.

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It’s an Auto Collabs first!

We have 2 guests joining us today. Michael Lucki and Matthew Vollmers are NADA Academy Instructors, helping to mold and develop the next generation of dealers. They talk about their experiences in the program, how they’ve seen it change and shift, and what it takes to stay relevant in an ever changing landscape.

Michael Lucki also spoke at ASOTU CON during the Managing Profitability During an Inventory Shortage panel in the Sales and Culture room.

What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.

5:33 Michael and Matthew talk about the diversity they’ve seen in NADA Academy students, and how the size of the classes has grown over the years.

16:42 Staying relevant is important to Michael and Matthew, and they are constantly working to improve their content. One of the advantages of the NADA Academy is that any graduate can retake any of the classes any time for free.

18:51 There are 3 buckets to help you think about the future, according to Michael, Awareness, Preparedness and Act Now.

“So in my mind, there's three buckets, there are things that you have to be aware of that might be coming in the future. But you don't have to do anything about it right now. There are things to prepare for, that you have to have a strategy on that are already happening around you, or that you want to be the leader on. And those are things that you need to be strategizing with your management team, usually maybe a quarter or a half a year ahead of time. And then there's the last bucket, which are things that you have to act on right now. Otherwise, you are missing the boat or we're getting left behind. So in our class, I like our students to write down everything we're going to cover. There's going to be some things in the awareness bucket, there's going to be some things in the preparedness bucket and there's gonna be some things in the act now bucket.”

26:58 What’s going to be the most important skill going forward, according to Matthew? Learning how to unlearn and relearn things.

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There’s a through line here somewhere.

Mike Colacchio has gone from minor-league baseball to selling snowboards to Dealer.com to DealerInspire to AutoLeadStar, where’s an advocate for connected data and Customer Data Platforms. He joins us on Auto Collabs and shares his story, plus his vision for the future of data.

Mike also spoke at ASOTU CON on “Our Data Has An Automotive Problem.” Get access to the entire Marketing/Tech room today!

What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

2:51 Mike started off as a minor-league baseball player working for snowboard company Burton in the offseason. He got a call to come work at Dealer.com while taking batting practice.

8:55 From Dealer.com, Mike went to Dealer Inspire and now AutoLeadStar. He talks about some of the innovative things that those companies have been doing.

13:07 Dealers are sitting on a lot of data, but the challenge is being able to unlock and connect all that data.

22:14 Mike gives us an example of how a Customer Data Platform (CDP) would work when all the data is connected.

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A tech person for tech people.

Ben Hadley has led an influential journey through automotive. He’s worked with Clarivoy and CreditIQ and helped found Auto Genius. He knows the definitions to all the big words and has a way of communicating almost in parables to bring that heady knowledge down to earth for the layman. And he believes we’re only about 5 years away from a major breakthrough in the way automotive technology works.

What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.

4:23 Ben, Paul and Kyle talk about the challenge of raising little ones, as they all have children aged 2 and under.

9:42 Equipping a tech product’s end users, in other words, the people at the dealership who use it. It is like creating the Jarvis to the Iron Man suit for the salespeople to execute faster.

14:39 Ben Hadley helped found Auto Genius, along with Kyle Mountsier and Kevin Gervais. Ben and Kyle walk through that founding and why they chose “Market, product, fit” rather than “Product, market, fit.”

22:43 The data in automotive is disconnected, and one of the things Ben is passionate about is finding a way to help everything talk to each other, so it can be connected.

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Learn about Auto Genius

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He might be the handsomest man in automotive.

Durran Cage is someone you want to be around. He oozes kindness and has a genuine passion for people. He pours himself into his work, mentally and emotionally. As a consultant, he sees a lot of what is working and what isn’t working, and is able to speak to dealers out of his own personal experience.

What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.

4:30 Durran shares about the 3 phases of his journey through retail automotive, from selling cars, to the digital transformation and then putting that all together.

6:56 During Cash For Clunkers in 2008, Durran and his team had the innovative idea of purchasing a domain with the words “cash for clunkers” in it. The site provided information and then directed customers back to the dealership.

14:46 Clear communication of the process is an area where Durran sees dealerships drop the ball. The process should be simple and explainable. Durran says that his 3rd grade son should be able to understand it.

18:59 Durran teaches out of his personal pain because there’s been times when he hasn’t had his priorities right. But they’ve been learning experiences that he is now able to share with others.

“Now I do chase positivity, family, friendship, and things of that nature. Because that's really what's important at the end of the day, man. Automotive is great and stuff, but at the end of the day, it's all about us just connecting with one another and helping each other out. That's what helps us enjoy life.”

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Tom Ryan likes change.

And Tom Ryan knows he can navigate through change. He’ll figure it out. He’s been doing it his whole career, and figuring it out over and over again has given him a directness and an optimism that’s infectious. To him, automotive is a simple place: Let the customer buy the way that they want. We talk about that plus a lot more.

What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.

2:53 Paul and Kyle both share stories about the first time they met Tom, and the conversation pivots to Lululemon’s history and pregnant pauses in conversation.

8:38 Tom traces his journey through automotive, from working his way up through the Walser Automotive Group to having a falling out and reconciliation with Paul Walser to founding and launching FUSE Autotech.

19:18 There’s only one north, in Tom’s mind, and the goal should be always moving towards that north. For Tom, that means transparency and honesty.

25:19 The reason that there are 3rd party vendors in automotive is because the customer hasn’t been able to buy the way they want to, according to Tom. He’s excited for the changes that are going to come to retail automotive because it means that the good dealers who are helping customers will rise to the top and succeed.

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From the outside looking in, auto is a curious industry.

Whether it's the dealership dialect of tech and service or that dealers bring home a variety of makes and models, retail auto is unique. And once you’re in and you’ve caught the bug, it stays with you. That’s the story of Jason Stein. He traces his journey from newspaperman to Automotive New Retail Forum to where he is today at Flat Six Media. And along the way, he shares insights about the reputation of the industry and the speed of change that it’s experiencing.

What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.

4:17 Jason worked as a sports writer in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He covered the Indianapolis Colts, Notre Dame and Indiana University. Eventually he started a car column because there was nothing about cars in the newspaper he worked for.

11:16 The last 2 years have been more impactful than the previous 20 years, according to Jason, in the way dealers have had to shift and grow.

“The last two years have shown that the changes can be even more remarkable than we imagined, not necessarily in a bad way. And actually, the value of the American car dealer is greater than ever. I would argue against the direct selling method, but they've learned to become just better direct sellers in general. And they've learned to connect with their communities in a better way and a deeper way. They've learned how to provide service in a way that maybe they didn't realize before. And you know, now they're more successful than ever.”

14:38 Car dealers have a similar reputation to dentists, for whatever reason. Jason talks about the strides dealers have made to change that reputation and what more they need to be doing.

20:03 The transition to EV is an opportunity for the car dealers to show their value to the consumer. Jason argues that most local shops will not be equipped to service EVs and it will be up to the dealers to be prepared and ready to service those vehicles.

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When we asked Charlie Chesbrough about the key economic indicators he’s watching…

We expected a completely different answer. Charlie, Senior Economist with Cox Automotive, pointed us to consumer-facing indicators. It was a real reality check moment, and a reminder of what this podcast is all about. It’s about getting everyone, from OEMs, dealers, industry partners, to press in and work together for the consumer’s sake. Charlie also tells us about his journey to the automotive industry and what he has coined “the iPhone-ification of automotive.”

What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.

4:48 Charlie’s first job out of college was as a floor trader at the Chicago Board of Trade. He shares how it was everything you see in the movies, a phone headset on his head and a lot of yelling.

8:59 The iPhone-ification of automotive has become more and more prominent in the last few years, as manufacturers deliver over-the-air updates and changes to existing models to make them more appealing to customers.

13:42 The most important economic indicators are the ones that inform consumer sentiment. Charlie says to watch gas prices and interest rates. 

“We've seen consumer cost confidence has fallen dramatically over the last few months as people get really concerned about inflation. And one thing we know about the US economy is nothing makes people feel worse than seeing high prices at the gas pump that just kills the American consumer. They hate it. It's right in their face every day.”

23:40 Another key indicator that Charlie is watching is the percentage of leasing in retail activity. Before March of 2020, leases accounted for 30% of retail activity. In June of 2022, that number was down to 17%.

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You might not understand where Matt Jones starts in a conversation.

But you’ll definitely know when he lands his punchline. He is a thoughtful and deep communicator, with analogies and illustrations to help drive his points home. He’s all about looking elsewhere to learn and always expanding what is possible. He’s studied consumer behavior and what’s important to them, and the answers might surprise you.

What we talk about in this episode:
0:00 Intro with Michael Cirillo, Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier.

4:10 Matt takes us into the deep end right from the start by talking about his football career and the importance of using every resource you can find. Of course, he relates it to back to cars.

11:58 Understanding what is possible is important to breaking your own barriers. Matt tells about the salesman in his store who sold 100 cars a month and how that was a barrier that he didn’t break until he got more perspective.

16:34 According to the data Matt sees, we need to meet customers where they are. That means adopting an “and” mindset. Letting digital retailing AND brick and mortar AND social media all work together rather than viewing them in competition with each other.

21:52 Is price the biggest thing that matters to consumers? Matt argues that it's important, but not as important as how the customer is treated in a store.

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