The car business feels broken right now.
Showrooms are quiet. Sales teams are restless. Managers are asking the same question:
“Is it slow out there, or is it just us?”
Everyone’s looking for answers — but the truth isn’t in the rumors or social media posts. It’s in the data.
In this premiere episode of Follow The Money (Ep. 18) on The Get More Frank Show, I sit down with Brian Kramer, EVP at Cars Commerce, to break down the Q3 automotive market data that every dealership leader needs to hear before heading into Q4.
We’re not talking about feelings — we’re talking about facts.
📊 Inside This Episode:
Why the car business feels slower than it really is — and what the Q3 data actually shows
The truth about new and used car demand in the current U.S. market
How dealerships are misreading “slow” showrooms and missing opportunities
Why the $30K–$49K price band is the new battleground for both dealers and buyers
How AI (like Carson from Cars Commerce) is already shaping shopper behavior and search visibility
Why 88% of buyers haven’t decided where they’ll buy — and how to win before they walk in
The secret that’s quietly destroying used car gross and how to fix it
Why reputation, reviews, and culture are the most valuable marketing you have in 2025
This isn’t doom and gloom. It’s clarity. It’s truth. It’s what every Dealer Principal, GM, GSM, Sales Manager, and Salesperson needs to understand to lead with confidence and control.
💡 The Reality:
The data says:
✅ Demand is stable.
✅ Inventory hasn’t crashed.
✅ Prices are holding steady.
So if the market isn’t broken — what is?
It’s not the market. It’s mindset. Dealers who adjust process, embrace technology, and lead with transparency are thriving. Those who keep chasing the old playbook are falling behind.
In this episode, we’ll expose why your gut might be lying to you — and how data, AI, and reputation can flip your dealership back into growth mode.
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
How to lead your sales team when emotion and fear are high
How to price and position inventory where buyers are actually shopping
Why transparency and speed are now your top two profit levers
How to prepare your dealership for the next wave of AI-driven car shopping
What every GM should be focusing on before Q4 begins
This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to understand what’s really going on in the retail automotive world right now — from affordability and pricing trends to AI’s role in dealership operations.
If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “It just feels slow,” this conversation will show you why that feeling doesn’t match reality.
Because in today’s car business, success doesn’t come from how you feel — it comes from what you know and how fast you act.
So buckle up.
This is the conversation the industry needs to hear.
It’s time to stop guessing, stop complaining, and start following the money.
🎙 Hosted by Frank J. Lopes — President of Strong30 Automotive, the company that provides the best marketing, advertising, strategy consulting, and sales training in retail automotive.
Frank has worked with hundreds of dealerships nationwide, helping them grow traffic, leads, and gross with data-backed strategies and high-performance sales execution.
If it doesn’t grow the store, he doesn’t recommend, execute, or teach it.
#CarSales #AutomotiveRetail #DealershipMarketing #CarsCommerce #GetMoreFrank #Strong30Studios #FollowTheMoney #AutoIndustry #UsedCars #CarDealership #AutomotiveLeadership #Strong30Automotive #CarBusiness #DealershipTraining #AutomotivePodcast #FrankJLopes
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By Frank J LopesThe car business feels broken right now.
Showrooms are quiet. Sales teams are restless. Managers are asking the same question:
“Is it slow out there, or is it just us?”
Everyone’s looking for answers — but the truth isn’t in the rumors or social media posts. It’s in the data.
In this premiere episode of Follow The Money (Ep. 18) on The Get More Frank Show, I sit down with Brian Kramer, EVP at Cars Commerce, to break down the Q3 automotive market data that every dealership leader needs to hear before heading into Q4.
We’re not talking about feelings — we’re talking about facts.
📊 Inside This Episode:
Why the car business feels slower than it really is — and what the Q3 data actually shows
The truth about new and used car demand in the current U.S. market
How dealerships are misreading “slow” showrooms and missing opportunities
Why the $30K–$49K price band is the new battleground for both dealers and buyers
How AI (like Carson from Cars Commerce) is already shaping shopper behavior and search visibility
Why 88% of buyers haven’t decided where they’ll buy — and how to win before they walk in
The secret that’s quietly destroying used car gross and how to fix it
Why reputation, reviews, and culture are the most valuable marketing you have in 2025
This isn’t doom and gloom. It’s clarity. It’s truth. It’s what every Dealer Principal, GM, GSM, Sales Manager, and Salesperson needs to understand to lead with confidence and control.
💡 The Reality:
The data says:
✅ Demand is stable.
✅ Inventory hasn’t crashed.
✅ Prices are holding steady.
So if the market isn’t broken — what is?
It’s not the market. It’s mindset. Dealers who adjust process, embrace technology, and lead with transparency are thriving. Those who keep chasing the old playbook are falling behind.
In this episode, we’ll expose why your gut might be lying to you — and how data, AI, and reputation can flip your dealership back into growth mode.
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
How to lead your sales team when emotion and fear are high
How to price and position inventory where buyers are actually shopping
Why transparency and speed are now your top two profit levers
How to prepare your dealership for the next wave of AI-driven car shopping
What every GM should be focusing on before Q4 begins
This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to understand what’s really going on in the retail automotive world right now — from affordability and pricing trends to AI’s role in dealership operations.
If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “It just feels slow,” this conversation will show you why that feeling doesn’t match reality.
Because in today’s car business, success doesn’t come from how you feel — it comes from what you know and how fast you act.
So buckle up.
This is the conversation the industry needs to hear.
It’s time to stop guessing, stop complaining, and start following the money.
🎙 Hosted by Frank J. Lopes — President of Strong30 Automotive, the company that provides the best marketing, advertising, strategy consulting, and sales training in retail automotive.
Frank has worked with hundreds of dealerships nationwide, helping them grow traffic, leads, and gross with data-backed strategies and high-performance sales execution.
If it doesn’t grow the store, he doesn’t recommend, execute, or teach it.
#CarSales #AutomotiveRetail #DealershipMarketing #CarsCommerce #GetMoreFrank #Strong30Studios #FollowTheMoney #AutoIndustry #UsedCars #CarDealership #AutomotiveLeadership #Strong30Automotive #CarBusiness #DealershipTraining #AutomotivePodcast #FrankJLopes