ConnectedPodcast

This week on Connected, Greg's sitting down with an old friend: Amberly Montgomery, growth and development manager at Naked Lime Marketing.

They talk about Naked Lime's 2023 Brand Retention and Defection Report, Amberly's recent speaking engagements, and the big announcement that Naked Lime will soon be under the Reynolds umbrella.

On this episode of Connected, we talk through accessory selling success with Armando Penales, assistant sales manager at Manhattan Beach Toyota.

It comes down to the process they have in place that's making an impact for them.

Armando has solidified Manhattan Beach Toyota as a great success story for getting the most out of accessory selling. He talks about why his ownership group is so invested in accessories, which accessories are the most popular, and how he's taken the accessory selling process and made it his own!

For today's episode of Connected, we have the opportunity to hear from Jack Shepp, a recent car buyer, as he walks us through a customer's perspective of buying a car almost entirely online.

While managing a cross country move, Jack was in the market for a car. When the dealerships in Arizona didn't have the vehicle he was looking for, he turned to dealerships in his new state of Ohio to find his new truck. The end result? Buying it sight unseen.

Jack breaks down every step of his experience and paints the picture for what online car buying really looks like for consumers today. He even shares some tips on how dealers can make the online experience more personal for their customers.

On this episode of Connected, Greg was joined by Andy Runyan and Forrest Pace from Brightline Insurance for a timely conversation that dives into all things cybersecurity.

The idea of cyber insurance started in the 2000s when large corporations were being targeted. However, since the pandemic, activity in cyberattacks against smaller businesses, especially dealerships, have increased.

Forrest had a great analogy stating "it's like your blind side tackle, you don't think about it until you get sacked." That's why professional IT help is critical to the security and integrity of your business.

What do you do when faced with a problem that doesn't have a solution? If you're Elliot Silk, service director at Suntrup Automotive, you design and develop the solution yourself!

If you remember last fall, Hyundai and Kia vehicles were experiencing notable theft issues due to a software malfunction. Unfortunately for Elliot, St. Louis was one of the top five cities in the U.S. where this malfunction turned crime was at its peak. His dealer group alone was dealing with the repercussions of 30-40 break-ins a week! When faced with a problem that didn't have an immediate solution, Elliot created one himself.

Learn more about this anti-theft solution and Elliot's entrepreneurial spirit by watching this week's Connected!

https://visdevices.com/

On today's episode of Connected, Jenell Ross, dealer principal at Bob Ross Auto Group, joins Greg in studio to talk about her path to being a successful minority dealer, her favorite part of working in the industry, and everything in-between!

"We can tell them what everyone else is working on so they can see how their role, and their life, and their work fits in the greater whole."

On this episode of Connected, Greg is joined by the co-hosts of the Daily Drive podcast, producer Kellen Walker and Jaime Butters, Executive Editor of Automotive News.

With extensive backgrounds in broadcast, journalism, and automotive, they've had the unique opportunity of sharing B2B news in our complex industry. Jaime touched on the importance of informing a broad audience – engineers, retailers, marketers, designers, and so many more – to connect and strengthen the automotive ecosystem.

“We aren’t using technology to replace relationships, but rather to maximize them.”

On this week's Connected, Greg's talking with John Carpenter, General Manager at Joe Ball GMC. They talk about how to infuse a human touch into the car buying experience with newer generations. From looking at your audience from a high level to the benefits of artificial intelligence, what does the future of customer engagement look like?

At NADA, Reynolds and Reynolds will be unveiling a new brand and logo! That doesn't happen very often, so we're pulling out all the stops for this episode of Connected. Greg's guest is Reynolds President Chris Walsh! Chris talks about the decision to rebrand, why this is the perfect time to do it, and what else people can expect to see in Dallas this week.

With NADA 2023 fast approaching, we can think of no better person to interview than this week's guest: Chairman of Pohanka Automotive Group and incoming NADA Chairman Geoff Pohanka!

Geoff and Greg chat about some of the biggest issues dealers are facing right now and discuss why they're excited about this year's show.