One of the most recognizable faces and reliable voices in Retail Automotive, Jim Fitzpatrick from CBT News has been immersed in our industry for over 25 years. Jim began his Retail Automotive career on the sales floor of Toyota dealerships in South Florida, rising to the role of Dealer Principal by age 40. During his storied career, Jim has also held executive positions at JM&A Group and AutoNation. In 2004, Jim founded Force Marketing, which quickly became one of the biggest digital marketing companies in the automotive industry.

In 2012, with his wife and business partner, Bridget, Jim co-founded CBT News – the only news platform specifically for Retail Automotive, at that time. With over 300,000 unique monthly visitors and daily newsletters received by over 37,000 subscribers, CBT News serves our industry as a leading source for news, training, best practices, and marketing trends. Fun fact: more people view news segments on CBT News than any other automotive media platform.

With decades of hands-on experience and a following that includes franchise dealers, OEM executives, and vendors, Jim Fitzpatrick has more sight lines than most in our industry. He joins Nick Funsch and Danny Vendrell on The Walk Around podcast for a conversation about how dealers can set themselves up for success as consumers and technologies evolve.

Among the burning questions we discuss in this episode:

• Which industry topics should dealers be focused on in 2021?
• What did 2020’s pandemic teach us about digital retail and the consumer shopping experience?
• Is digital retail here to stay, worth investing in, or a fad that will eventually lose momentum?
• How can dealers position themselves for growth, regardless of their current opinions about digital retail?
• Will the EV surge continue, and what can dealers do about it?

Jim leaves us with important reminders for dealers to listen to their customers and peers, embrace some of the changes, and adapt their businesses to meet consumers where they are.

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