InsideAuto Podcast

George Nenni is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Generations Digital, an automotive digital marketing consulting firm that empowers car dealers to eliminate ad waste and maximize their marketing dollars. He is the author of A Car Dealer's Guide to Digital Marketing and A Car Dealer's Guide to Google My Business as well as the creator of the GMBspy Chrome Extension.

For nearly three decades, George has been a leading educator on emerging technology in retail automotive, and he is a highly sought after industry speaker and has been published extensively in industry journals.

A car dealership not only needs to own their own Google My Business and Google analytics accounts but also needs to keep the passwords for these accounts safe. They should only share them with people they trust.

Also, a very critical part of growing a dealership is leveraging the reviews received from satisfied customers. Dealers should never rely solely on third party sites like Reputation.com or Podium.com; instead, they should engage their customers on personal one-to-one requests for reviews. With the right strategy, these types of reviews can help improve SEO for the dealership.

George Nenni, the Founder and Principal Consultant at Generations Digital, is Ilana Shabtay and Josh Sacks' guest in this episode of the Inside Auto Podcast where he explains why dealerships should take ownership of their Google accounts and reputation. George also shares his advice on setting up the right dealership categories and what to look out for in qualifying leads and conversions.

Brian Kramer is the General Manager of Germain Toyota of Naples. He has over 26 years of experience in retail automotive dealerships and made the list as one of the Top 40 Under 40 by Automotive News.

Brian is on a mission to digitally transform the automotive retail world by championing 100% paperless transactions in dealerships and sharing his best practices for selling ethically and profitably. Before joining the Germain Toyota team, he was the General Manager of AutoNation and a General Manager at the Germain Motor Company.

Digital advancements and the coronavirus pandemic have changed a lot, so many dealerships have had no option but to change, too. Although every dealership is unique and there is no cookie-cutter way of running a dealership, it's critical that management adopts the right vision and effectively translates it into reality.

To successfully implement any transformations in a dealership, management has to have clarity on what they want to achieve and how they plan to get there. Part of this means recruiting the right people to apply all the changes they want. It's also important to seek advice from peers and experts in the field. At least, according to 26-year virtual retailing trailblazer, Brian Kramer.

In this week's episode of the Inside Auto Podcast, Ilana Shabtay is joined by Brian Kramer, the General Manager of Germain Toyota of Naples, to talk about executing digital transformations in dealerships. They also discuss the benefits of using the Clubhouse app and the benefits of conducting paperless transactions.

Bob Lanham is the Head of Automotive Retail at Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. He is an experienced automotive retail specialist with a long history of expertise in the internet industry. Before joining Facebook, he was the Regional Vice President for Shazam and Sales Director for Hulu. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications from Elon University.

Working through Facebook data can be challenging for many businesses, including dealerships. Finding the right metrics and figuring out the audience you should target to work can be overwhelming and confusing—but it's all necessary for measuring your company's performance.

Bob Lanham works with dealers on their Facebook advertising strategies to help them grow and scale their businesses. After years of experience working with different media channels, Bob's learned the ins and outs of effective marketing strategies—and he's dedicated himself to helping you learn the same.

In this week's episode of the Inside Auto Podcast, Aharon Horwitz and Ilana Shabtay are joined by Bob Lanham, the Head of Automotive Retail at Facebook, to talk about the right metrics dealerships should use for advertising. They also talk about the use of video snippets in advertising, the four most important Facebook advertising strategies, and Bob's experience working with dealers.

Kyle Mountsier is the Marketing & Business Development Director at Nelson Automotive Group. He is a passionate automotive professional that has over 11 years of experience in every aspect of the dealership space, from fixed ops to variable ops, and marketing to process training.

Kyle is the host of the Contagious Podcast, a husband, and a father. He is also a Pastor at Resonate Church and Founder/Treasurer of The Roadies, Nashville SC Supporters Group.

The automotive industry has been experiencing a lot of changes in the last couple of years, mostly due to advancements in technology. These have forced dealers and other players in the industry to change the way they do business if they want to provide better services to their customers.

To transform the automotive industry and make it attractive to young people, three main things need to be considered: people, processes, and technology. Dealerships have to be creative to improve their company cultures and offer good leadership pipelines and training to their people. They need to create a culture around people, not processes. They have to create systems that make it easier for people to do business with them. And, they have to adopt the right technology to manage their people and processes—and offer better services to clients.

Kyle Mountsier, the Marketing & Business Development Director at Nelson Automotive Group, joins Aharon Horwitz and Ilana Shabtay in this episode of the Inside Auto Podcast to discuss his strategies for transforming the automotive industry. They talk about advancements in technology, using OEM programs, and Kyle's work as a pastor and community leader.

Jack Nerad has spent decades in the automotive industry as a journalist, author, and communicator. His past positions include Editor of Motor Trend magazine, the Editor of Automotive Age, and the Director of Publications at J.D. Power and Associates. In addition to writing countless articles, features, and road tests, he has authored several books over the years, including his newly published book, The GR Factor.Jack also hosts his own podcast, America on the Road.

Matt DeLorenzo is an author specializing in writing car reviews, news, and car buying advice. With over 40 years of experience as an automotive journalist, he has worked as a Senior Editor at Automotive News, Autoweek, and Road & Track. A founding organizer and member of the North American Car of the Year Jury, DeLorenzo has also authorized seven books on models ranging from Corvette to Dodge, and an overview of legendary American automobiles.

Have you ever wondered how vehicles in an auto show are judged? Ever wondered how winning such an award impacts car dealers, manufacturers—and sales volume?

Jack Nerad and Matt DeLorenzo are jurors at the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards (NACTOY) and know exactly what to look out for when judging vehicles. They test the vehicles, write articles and reviews about them, and know which features are important in cars.

In this week's episode of the Inside Auto Podcast, Ilana Shabtay sits down with automotive journalists Jack Nerad and Matt DeLorenzo to talk about working for the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards (NACTOY) and serving in its jury. Jack and Matt talk about the history of the organization, how they judge vehicles, and what makes the 2021 award-winning vehicles great cars.

Glenn Pasch is the CEO of PCG Digital, an Inc 5000 agency that specializes in helping dealerships and businesses generate qualified shoppers. As an expert in digital marketing, he has been featured in CBT News, Dealer Marketing Magazine, AutoSuccess, and Automotive News.

Glenn is also the Host of the You're In Charge-Now What podcast and Co-Author of two books including Selling Cars in the Digital Age and The Power of Connected Marketing. He is also an international speaker who has spoken for NADA, Digital Dealer, NIADA, the World Shopper Conference, and more. In his past, Glenn was also a guest professor on Automotive Digital Marketing at Northwood University.

A good car dealer should be able to match a buyer with a car. But, the best dealers aren't focused on selling cars; instead, their priority is to help customers buy a car.

For years, every car dealer had a shop where buyers would walk in to find the right cars to buy. In this scenario, dealers had the opportunity to physically help buyers find the right cars, but that has since changed. In the last couple of years, thanks to advancements in technology, car dealerships have had to embrace new ways of marketing, communicating, and selling cars.

In this episode of the Inside Auto Podcast, co-hosts Aharon Horwitz and Ilana Shabtay are joined by Glenn Pasch, the CEO of PCG Digital, to talk about the challenges of digital retailing, the similarities between dealerships and the hospitality industry, and the value of personalized conversations. Keep listening!

David Long is the Executive General Manager of the Hansel Auto Group. David has experience with almost every aspect of the auto industry, having been a general manager, owner, operating partner, VP of operations, and consultant in and out of auto.

Before Hansel Auto Group, David was the Used Vehicle Director for the Del Grande Dealer Group and Vice President of Operations at The Niello Company.

Everyone knows the "golden rule": treat people the way you want to be treated. Many businesses, including car dealerships, have been using this rule to provide different types of services and products to their customers. But, because of advancements in technology, there is a need for dealerships to reconstruct this rule.

David Long believes that the new "golden rule" is slightly different:treat people the way they want to be treated. This means that dealerships should figure out how their customers want to engage and use that to their advantage. Some customers prefer text messages, some like talking through the phone, and still others may prefer face-to-face communication. So, how do you discover what your customer wants?

In this episode of the Inside Auto Podcast, co-hosts Aharon Horwitz and Ilana Shabtay are joined by David Long, the Executive General Manager of the Hansel Auto Group, to talk about how dealerships should communicate and sell to their customers. They discuss the "golden rule", how technology and COVID-19 have changed how dealerships operate, and how the Clubhouse app is being used by players in the automotive industry.

Sean Western is the Director of Marketing at Quirk Auto Dealers. For a little over 10 years, Sean has been leading the marketing department and building out its entire digital operation. He specializes in marketing campaigns that leverage online media, TV, radio, and public events to generate and convert leads. Before joining Quirk Auto Dealers, he was a Sales Associate at the Museum of Discovery and Science.

Brandon Sweeney is the Marketing Manager at Quirk Auto Dealers. He is a skilled marketer with a demonstrated history of experience in the automotive industry and expertise in marketing strategy, graphic design, and creative writing. Before becoming a part of Quirk Auto Dealers, he was a Marketing Specialist for Alliance Home Health Care. He holds a degree in Communication and Media Studies from the University of New Hampshire.

Every dealership needs a good marketing team to help effectively reach out to customers and grow the business. So how do you get to that team? To ensure success, there needs to be a collaborative environment between business owners and the management team, where all employees would be willing to jump in and offer assistance when needed.

The marketing team at Quirk Auto Dealers is made of people handling email marketing, social media content, and parts and services. They all work collaboratively to provide the marketing services needed by the dealership and its customers. Every employee has their specialty—but they all share ideas and handle challenges together.

Sean Western and Brandon Sweeney from Quirk Auto Dealers join co-hosts Aharon Horwitz and Ilana Shabtay in this episode of the Inside Auto Podcast to discuss their strategies on how to build a strong in-house marketing team. They talk about Quirk Auto Dealers' decision-making process, how the dealership has evolved over the years, and the future of blockchain in the automotive industry.

Jim Ziegler is the President and CEO of Ziegler SuperSystems. Jim has been in the automotive industry for more than 40 years, conducting business with more than 15,000 dealerships nationwide. He is also a nationally acclaimed celebrity speaker, with more than 100,000 dealers, managers, and factory executives having attended his automobile dealer management seminars.

Jim is also a renowned magazine columnist in the retail automobile industry and has been a featured keynote speaker for the 98 State Automobile Dealer Association Annual Conventions. Jim and his wife Debbie produce four large national conferences annually and consult for auto dealers worldwide. He is also a featured columnist in WardsAuto Dealer Business, F&I and Showroom, and Auto Dealer Today.

Technology has caused a lot of changes in the automotive industry, both good and bad. Many dealerships have adopted technology not only to market their products but also to carry out their business processes. Because of this shift, something else has evolved in the auto industry: sales strategies.

Facebook Ads and Google My Business have created more opportunities for dealers to sell cars—even without a company website. Because of all these changes in the automotive industry, Jim Ziegler strongly encourages dealerships to reinvent themselves to stay relevant and head off the competition.

Jim Ziegler, the President and CEO of Ziegler SuperSystems, joins co-hosts Aharon Horwitz and Ilana Shabtay in this episode of the Inside Auto Podcast to discuss how the automotive industry has evolved over the years. They talk about the need for dealerships to reinvent themselves, how to create effective OEM co-op programs, and how to stay ahead of technological changes.

Kevin Frye is the e-Commerce & Marketing Director at Jeff Wyler Automotive Family and an Automotive Technology Innovator. He is an automotive industry technology pioneer with 15+ years of experience driving e-commerce development, creating integrated sales solutions, and expanding virtual reality & auto subscription services.

Kevin is a keynote speaker who has spoken at national and international industry conferences including NADA, Digital Dealer, Digital Marketing Strategic Conference, Driving Sales, Dealer Think Tank, Thought Leadership Summit, Women in Automotive, and more. He is a former Naval Officer with the US Navy and holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business and a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University.

When looking to buy a car, most buyers love walking into dealerships to see what's for sale, inspect the options, and go for a test drive. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and limited our movement, most customers still want to touch and test drive cars before making a purchase.

Kevin Frye and his team at Jeff Wyler Automotive Family recently performed a study on their customer's response to adding a digital retailing tool to their website. The results? Most responded that they would not buy a car 100% online; they would still want to see and touch it. So, the company shifted to find virtual reality solutions to meet their customer's needs and allow them to test drive their preferred cars virtually. Win-win.

In this week's episode of the Inside Auto Podcast, Ilana Shabtay and Aharon Horwitz talk to Kevin Frye, the e-Commerce & Marketing Director at Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, about the future of augmented virtual reality in car dealerships. Kevin explains how his company and their customers use virtual reality, using customer feedback to improve business processes, and the 3 major steps the company took to deal with shifts in customer behavior caused by the pandemic.