Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick, powered by CBT News

Panos Kotselas, Senior Director of Payment Operations at myKaarma, joins Inside Automotive to explain how dealerships can manage credit card surcharge compliance across state lines and payment channels. In the first installment of a three-part series, Kotselas discusses how varying state laws and card network requirements affect dealer groups, why employee training matters and how clear payment processes can protect the customer experience.

• Why surcharge rules become more complex as dealer groups expand across multiple states
• The differences between credit and debit card surcharge requirements
• How myKaarma’s rules engine helps dealerships maintain compliance across online and in-person payments
• How remote and on-site training prepare employees to explain surcharges and address customer questions
• Why transparency helps prevent payment surprises and improve customer confidence
• How alternative payment options, including buy now, pay later, can support customers with different payment needs

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Andrew LaCivita, founder of milewalk Academy and author of Signal Strength, joins Inside Automotive to discuss how dealership leaders can communicate more clearly, build trust with their teams and keep employees aligned around shared goals. LaCivita explains how a few practical communication habits can help dealers deliver clearer updates, explain difficult decisions and create an environment where employees feel comfortable speaking honestly.

• How to prepare mentally before important conversations and consider the listener’s perspective
• How the CAR technique, context, action and result, helps teams deliver concise status updates
• How “what, so what, now what” clarifies decisions, their importance and the next steps
• Why explaining the reasoning behind difficult decisions builds understanding and trust
• How consistent leadership encourages employees to share concerns and honest feedback
• Why clear expectations, structured meetings and effective training help teams stay aligned

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

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Dejuan Ross, Group Vice President and General Manager of the Lexus Division at Toyota Motor North America, joins Inside Automotive to discuss Lexus’ growth priorities for 2027. Following a record-breaking 2025, Ross outlines the brand’s sales outlook, inventory strategy, electrification plans and efforts to help dealers protect profitability while navigating affordability challenges.

• Lexus’ projected sales growth from 2026 into 2027
• How a multipath powertrain strategy balances hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs
• Why disciplined inventory levels help dealers manage costs and profitability
• How Lexus is addressing affordability and higher lease payments
• Opportunities in fixed operations and certified pre-owned vehicles
• Why dealer confidence and investment are central to Lexus’ growth plans

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

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Sean Gardner, Instructor and Sales Trainer at the Joe Verde Group, joins Inside Automotive to explain how dealerships can turn “just looking” shoppers into buyers. With customers visiting fewer dealerships before making a purchase, Gardner emphasizes the importance of treating every showroom interaction as a sales opportunity and following a consistent process from the first conversation through the vehicle demonstration and close.

• Why “just looking” can signal a serious buying opportunity
• How to build rapport and uncover customer needs without rushing the sale
• Why a thorough vehicle presentation and demonstration matter
• How to guide customers toward a decision while addressing questions and objections
• Why ongoing sales training can improve performance and dealership gross
• How dealers can generate more value from existing showroom traffic

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

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Tim Batchelor, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Open Road Capital, joins Inside Automotive to discuss how equity partnerships give dealership owners an alternative to selling their businesses outright. The model can help family-owned dealerships navigate succession challenges, provide liquidity to owners seeking financial diversification, and give established operators access to capital for acquisitions while preserving their role in the business.

• How partial equity sales can resolve family ownership and succession challenges
• Why dealership owners may seek liquidity without giving up their business entirely
• How equity partnerships can help operators acquire additional dealerships
• Ways capital partners can help dealership managers become owners
• How OEM relationships and governance agreements shape partnerships
• What the Herrin-Gear partnership reveals about succession and employee continuity

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

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Dave Mondragon, Founder and CEO of AutoTrust Dealer Alliance, joins Inside Automotive to explain how dealer-owned group purchasing can help franchise dealerships reduce operating costs while building long-term equity. By combining purchasing volume across hundreds of rooftops, AutoTrust aims to give independent dealer groups the negotiating power typically available to larger public groups and private equity-backed organizations.

• How pooled purchasing can reduce costs across software, parts, payment processing and other categories
• Why a dealer-owned cooperative offers benefits beyond vendor discounts
• How AutoTrust members build equity while retaining control of their individual dealerships
• The potential savings from reducing addressable operating expenses
• How lending programs can create additional value for participating dealers
• Why a growing network increases collective purchasing power

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

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Chris Saraceno of Kelly Automotive Group and David Kain of Kain Advisory join Inside Automotive to remember former Ford executive Jim O’Connor, who died Sept. 25 at age 83. After more than four decades at Ford, O’Connor became known for his close relationships with dealers, shaped in part by his experience running a dealership himself.

• How O’Connor’s time as a dealership general manager shaped his approach to retail
• Why dealers developed such a strong connection with O’Connor
• His role in navigating major changes within Ford’s retail strategy
• The leadership lessons O’Connor shared with dealers and employees
• How he remained involved with Kelly Automotive Group after retiring from Ford
• O’Connor’s contributions to FordDirect and Ford’s digital initiatives

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

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Gerrick Wilkins, Founder and CEO of Omega Advisors, joins Inside Automotive to discuss dealership valuations, M&A, strategic divestitures and the factors shaping future earnings. With more than 25 years of experience, Wilkins explains why buyers and sellers need to look beyond historical performance and consider risk, market conditions, brand strength and operational opportunities.

• Why future earnings and risk matter in dealership valuations
• How brand strength and market position affect store values
• Where buyers are finding opportunities across OEM brands
• How AI could influence dealership operating costs and future earnings
• Why strategic divestitures are creating opportunities for smaller dealer groups
• How OEM approval and employee considerations influence transactions

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

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RevDojo Founder and CEO Kyle Disher returns to Inside Automotive for a live test of dealership phone skills, putting real cash on the line to see whether salespeople can turn shopper inquiries into appointments. During three mystery-shop calls, Disher offered escalating cash prizes, reaching $1,000, but none of the salespeople secured an appointment or received a manager callback.

• What three missed appointments reveal about dealership call handling
• How salespeople can turn an unavailable vehicle into a showroom opportunity
• The call guide RevDojo uses to move shoppers toward an appointment
• Why order-taking can cause salespeople to lose control of the conversation
• How managers can help recover calls that end without an appointment
• Applying the same follow-up process to internet leads

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

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Protomiq CEO Jorge De Castro joins Inside Automotive to discuss the company’s evolution from TradePending’s trade-in widget into an intelligence-driven platform designed to help dealers turn digital customer signals into showroom opportunities. Now serving more than 5,000 dealerships across the U.S. and Canada, Protomiq combines data from multiple consumer touchpoints to help sales teams identify buyer intent, affordability and the right time to engage.

• Why TradePending rebranded as Protomiq
• How TradeIQ, PaymentsIQ and OfferIQ work together to identify buyer intent
• Using digital behavior to understand affordability and purchase readiness
• Why the closing window matters once a shopper engages
• How transparent pricing and trade values can build trust
• Protomiq’s plans to bring intent data into fixed operations

Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive.

For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.