Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

Some leaders earn a title. Others earn the trust of an entire industry.

Sandy Fitzgerald-Angello started working in automotive at just 15 years old. Today, she's a respected dealer operator with Pohanka Automotive Group and a leader within the National Automobile Dealers Association. But what makes her story exceptional isn't how far she's climbed. It's how she's led along the way.

On this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Sandy shares the principles behind her remarkable career, including her Seven C's of Leadership, her commitment to servant leadership, and why the best leaders take responsibility when things go wrong and give their teams credit when things go right.

She opens up about difficult decisions, developing future general managers, creating a culture where people feel valued, embracing AI, and turning business challenges into opportunities.

And don't mistake her people-first philosophy for a lack of competitive fire. Sandy is still selling cars, solving problems, raising expectations, and challenging her organization to achieve more.

This is a conversation about character, courage, accountability, and what it really takes to build a legacy through people.

Because great leadership isn't measured by how many people work for you. It's measured by how many people become better because you led them.

Listen in for an inspiring conversation with one of automotive retail's most respected leaders.

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LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | [email protected] | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx

Your dealership's AI is answering calls, scheduling service appointments, sending texts, and speaking with hundreds, sometimes thousands of customers.

But who's actually managing it?

In this solo episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen tackles an emerging leadership challenge inside automotive dealerships: We're rapidly deploying customer-facing AI, but are we giving it the same attention, coaching, and accountability we'd expect from a human employee?

Jen shares real situations she's witnessed inside dealerships, including customers arriving and asking for an employee by name only to discover they've been communicating with AI. She also explores what happens when AI schedules an appointment that the service department can't fulfill, transfers a frustrated customer to a dead end, or creates expectations the advisor knows nothing about.

The problem isn't necessarily the technology. It's often the disconnect between the AI, the dealership's processes, and the people responsible for delivering the customer experience.

Drawing on her experience training dealership teams and working directly with automotive voice AI, Jen challenges GMs and fixed ops leaders to rethink how they measure success.

It's not just about how many calls AI answers or appointments it books. It's about whether the customer's needs were resolved, promises were kept, information was transferred accurately, and the human team was ready to continue the conversation.

Jen also shares a practical challenge every dealership leader can implement immediately: mystery shop your own AI with a complicated customer scenario.

Because the future of dealership AI isn't just about having better technology.

It's about developing better leadership around the technology—and making every interaction feel like one connected customer experience.

Watch Jen's latest CBT News interview on similar topic here - https://bit.ly/4dBUgZ1

🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥

LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. Want 30-Days FREE? Go To https://bit.ly/4dv62Ef for a LIMITED TIME!

ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | [email protected] | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx

She walked into a dealership looking for a job. Seven years later, she's the CEO of a six-store automotive group.

How does that happen? And how do you earn the respect of experienced dealership leaders? And you didn't have family or successorship on your side?

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen sits down with Nikki Lawson, CEO of Peltier Automotive Group, for a conversation about ambition, trust, humility and what it really takes to lead at the executive level.

Jen has known Nikki for years, long before she became CEO, and watched her earn the confidence of general managers and dealership executives through curiosity, consistency and a genuine commitment to helping people succeed.

Nikki shares her journey from receptionist and cashier to sales, inventory management, executive leadership and ultimately CEO. But the conversation goes much deeper than her career progression.

They explore the uncomfortable 360-degree leadership review that changed how Nikki communicates, why successful GMs can still create unhealthy dealership cultures, how she balances corporate consistency with GM autonomy and why developing future leaders matters just as much as producing strong financial results.

Nikki also reveals how she evaluates dealership chemistry, why treating every employee exactly the same isn't always effective leadership and what she's had to stop doing to become a better CEO.

For anyone looking to advance their automotive career, or already responsible for leading dealership teams, this episode offers a powerful reminder: A title gives you authority. Your actions earn you respect.

What does it take to lead one of New York's most respected luxury automotive groups when margins are shrinking, customer expectations are rising, and AI is changing the dealership business?

Jen Suzuki sits down with Juliana Terian, President & CEO of Rallye Motor Company, a premier Long Island luxury automotive group representing Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, and Acura, for a candid conversation about leadership, profitability, and the future of automotive retail.

Juliana shares how she's navigating today's challenging market, what she expects from her general managers, and why keeping employees motivated and engaged has become more important than ever. They explore the realities of running high-performing dealerships, the connection between employee culture and customer loyalty, and Rallye's thoughtful approach to adopting AI without sacrificing the personal relationships luxury customers expect.

From empowering leaders to protecting customer choice, Juliana offers a refreshing perspective on what truly drives long-term dealership success.

Her philosophy is simple: When your people thrive, your business thrives.

An insightful conversation for dealers, general managers, and automotive leaders looking to build stronger teams, embrace innovation, and compete at a higher level.

🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥

Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. Want 30-Days FREE? Go To https://bit.ly/4dv62Ef for a LIMITED TIME!

LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | [email protected] | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx

Michael's operation has grown to 17 dealerships, but what stood out to me in this conversation wasn't the size of Empire Automotive Group. It was how intensely he still talks about getting better.

Michael Brown joins me for a wide-open conversation about growth, leadership, accountability and what it actually takes to keep a large organization moving forward when the market gets tougher.

We get into why he believes hunger is the quality that separates exceptional leaders from average ones, why confrontation can actually strengthen a team when trust and accountability are already there, and how Empire continues developing its next generation of leaders instead of waiting until a leadership position opens to start looking for one. Michael shares how their internal leadership program exposes future leaders to financial statements, outside coaching, accountability and the realities of running a dealership. Pasted text

Then we get tactical.

With affordability pressure changing the business, Michael explains why Empire is concentrating on the things it can actually control. That includes technology utilization, vendor relationships and a major focus on fixed absorption. One example: they stopped treating Saturday service like a shortened workday and redesigned staffing, scheduling and technician availability around the opportunity. The result? Michael says it has created a meaningful new revenue opportunity. Pasted text

We also talk acquisitions, overnight service, what he looks for before buying another dealership, adversity, raising daughters and why, after all the success, Michael still believes passion and purpose matter more than simply chasing the next win.

This is one of those conversations that reminds you that growth doesn't come from finally figuring everything out.

It comes from refusing to believe you're finished.

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LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 |

[email protected] | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx

What does it take to build a dealership confident enough to tell customers, "Just Google Us"?

Jen Suzuki sits down with longtime client and friend Jay Mealey, author of Just Google Us, for a candid conversation about transforming a family business through transparency, customer trust, and leadership.

Jay Mealey is a high-performing Mazda, Subaru and Chevrolet dealer in greater Orlando, FL!

From the early internet lead days to today's AI shift, Jay shares how public reviews changed his dealership culture, why he removed pay-plan components that encouraged the wrong outcomes and the challenge of bringing his team along when he sees change coming.

They also discuss the principles Jay inherited from his father, the story behind Mazda's Masahiro Moro writing his book's foreword and what people should do with the time technology gives them back.

For dealership leaders navigating change, this conversation asks a practical question: How do you keep evolving the business while protecting the relationships that make it work?

🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥

Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. Want 30-Days FREE? Go To https://bit.ly/4dv62Ef for a LIMITED TIME!

ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.

LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | [email protected] | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx

What if the best thing you could do when an internet lead comes in is NOT immediately pick up the phone?

Give me 60 seconds.

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I'm breaking down how I approach internet leads before the first call ever happens and why great salespeople don't just call leads. They call stories.

Where does the customer live? Have they bought or serviced with you before? Have they submitted other leads? What do the CRM notes tell you? What are they driving now? What might have brought them back into the market?

Those clues change the conversation.

We'll get into why salespeople become too attached to one VIN, how to ask questions that open up more possibilities, how to make an appointment actually worth leaving home for, and why your text and video strategy should sell something customers can't find on your website: YOU.

Because customers have plenty of cars, inventory and information.

What they don't have everywhere is someone who understands them, makes the process easier and gives them a reason to trust where the conversation is going.

Before you dial the next internet lead, read the story.

You'll ask better questions, show you value and appreciate people and create an appointment with a whole lot more value.

🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥

LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. Want 30-Days FREE? Go To https://bit.ly/4dv62Ef for a LIMITED TIME!

ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.

What if the biggest service problems your dealership faces aren't happening when the customer arrives?

What if they started days earlier?

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen shares a lesson from a veteran advisor that completely changed the way she teaches appointment preparation:

"Don't wait for problems to show up. Go looking for them."

Elite advisors don't just manage appointments. They preview them.

They look ahead for the landmines that create frustration:

• A recall part that never arrived
• A customer who declined work last visit
• A high-mileage vehicle with possible surprises
• A transportation issue
• A customer history that should change the conversation

Because customers remember surprises far longer than they remember great service.

Jen breaks down how professional advisors can use appointment notes, vehicle history, recommendations, rewards, recalls, and preparation to create smoother conversations, stronger trust, and better approval opportunities.

The appointment doesn't start when the customer arrives.

It starts when you decide to prepare for them.

🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥

LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. Want 30-Days FREE? Go To https://www.edealersolutions.com/try-matador for a LIMITED TIME!

ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | [email protected] | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx

What if one of the biggest opportunities to improve CSI, service retention and work approvals happens before the MPI is even completed?

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I'm breaking down the first 90 seconds of the service experience and why service managers should be paying a lot more attention to what happens when an advisor first walks toward that vehicle.

Customers pull into the service drive with uncertainty. How long will this take? What's this going to cost me? Is something expensive about to be wrong with my car? Before they trust the recommendation, they're deciding whether they trust the person making it.

That's where great advisors separate themselves.

We'll talk about how curiosity, preparation, body language, better questions and clear expectations can completely change the customer experience. I'll also give service leaders a simple coaching exercise they can use right on the drive: stand back, watch the interaction and ask yourself whether you can tell which advisors genuinely enjoy helping people.

This isn't about teaching your team another script. It's about helping advisors slow down, pay attention, reduce uncertainty and become the person customers actually want helping them make decisions about their vehicle.

Because when we win the first 90 seconds, everything that happens next gets easier.

🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥

Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. Want 30-Days FREE? Go To https://www.edealersolutions.com/try-matador for a LIMITED TIME! Mention this show!

LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 |

[email protected] | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx

What if the biggest mistake with an internet lead happens before you even say hello?

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I'm breaking down why I want salespeople to take 60 seconds before making that first call not to wait, but to investigate.

Where does the customer live? Have they done business with the dealership before? What's sitting in the CRM? What might they be comparing? Those clues can completely change the conversation.

We'll get into why curiosity beats jumping straight into the vehicle, how to make an appointment actually worth showing up for, why more options can create more customer confidence, and how texting and video can help customers remember YOU not another walkaround of a car they've already seen online.

The car isn't the differentiator anymore. Information isn't either.

Your ability to understand the customer, make their life easier, and give them confidence in the next step is.

Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. Want 30-Days FREE? Go To https://bit.ly/4dv62Ef for a LIMITED TIME!

LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | https://apple.co/38lmHM1 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | [email protected] | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx