In this episode of the Sensei Playbook, Katie Naughton shares her upbringing in an automotive family, including a grandfather who rose through Ford with Lee Iacocca and helped turn around Chrysler, and a father who ran Mike Naughton Ford for 47 years and modeled hard work, relationship selling, and customer-first service. Katie describes carving her own path, training through NADA Dealer Academy, then moving to Toronto at 32 to buy and operate a Kia dealership as part of the less-than-1% of female dealer principals, navigating intimidation in a male-dominated industry by reading the room and building allies. She explains shifting from a tough management style to employee-first leadership, removing toxic performers, and using culture standards like constant hospitality and "Cinderella doesn't have a bad day." After COVID border constraints, burnout, and selling both the family Ford store and later her Kia store, she joined DSMA to guide M&A and valuations, and founded Drive Her Forward to provide deeper, community-based leadership development for women.

00:39 Introduction 01:55 Growing Up in the Car Business 12:38 Navigating as a Female Dealer Principal 16:03 US vs Canada Operations 16:58 Leadership Evolution 24:18 Building Culture 27:55 The Decision to Sell 38:05 Drive Her Forward 49:21 Legacy and Impact

Connect with Katie Naughton

Website: https://www.driveherforward.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiemnaughton/

Watch more episodes of The Sensei Playbook Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiR2e-qlKR_6tb99b9j2kuiovVry89fCL

In this episode of the Sensei Playbook Podcast, Chris Snellgrove interviews Jean Reitelbach, a seasoned automotive marketing strategist with over 12 years of experience in the industry. Jean shares her journey from traditional marketing to automotive marketing, emphasizing the need for a strong connection between brand and operations. She discusses her role as an independent consultant assisting organizations in amplifying their brand messaging and operations. Jean also highlights the importance of leveraging technology, developing proactive strategies, and fostering a trust-based team culture in dealerships. The conversation delves into effective reputation management, conflict resolution, using reviews as data points, and the potential of AI tools in enhancing customer experience.

Welcome to The Sense Playbook! In this episode, we sit down with Larry Feldman, a 30-year veteran of the automotive industry. With experience ranging from salesperson to dealer principal, Larry shares his passion for recruiting, training, and developing talent within dealerships. We discuss his recent busy schedule, including training sessions across states and handling over 100 ads for various dealership positions. Larry also opens up about his positive experience at NADA, the importance of customer experience, the symbiotic relationship between sales and fixed operations, and his philosophy on staying optimistic and hard-working in the industry. Additionally, Larry and Chris Snellgrove discuss the value of video testimonials and effective customer engagement strategies. Don't miss out on Larry's invaluable insights and upcoming events aimed at enhancing dealership operations.

In this episode of the Sensei Playbook, listeners are treated to an invaluable discussion with Ali Reda, the current world record holder for the most cars sold in a year, and his mentor Damian Boudreaux, a top automotive trainer in the US. They delve into the transformative power of relationship selling, emphasizing the importance of community involvement, personalized customer care, and the immense value of believing in one's potential.

Ali shares his journey from selling 30 cars a month to over 100, attributing his success to a customer-centric approach that avoids transactional sales methods in favor of building lasting relationships. The episode provides actionable insights for general managers of car dealerships on enhancing customer experience and leveraging community engagement for sustainable success in the automotive industry.

Auto Training Academy - https://autotrainingacademy.com/

Damian Boudreaux - https://damianboudreaux.com/

Reputation Sensei - https://reputationsensei.com/

Welcome back to the Sensei Playbook! In this exciting episode, our host Chris sits down with Tim Hayden, the CEO and founder of Brain Trust Partners. Tim shares invaluable insights into transforming the automotive industry with AI and data-driven strategies. Discover how to train AI models securely to know your business, improve customer experience, and boost sales.

Learn about the critical role of data, entity resolution, and personalized engagement in modern marketing. Whether you're a general manager or owner of a car dealership, this episode is packed with actionable insights to elevate your business. Don't miss out on this deep dive into the future of automotive marketing!

Peter Smith, founder and managing partner of Lion Partnership, shares his extensive journey in the automobile industry, from his early love for cars to building a successful consulting service aimed at transforming the industry.

During the discussion, Peter recounts his innovative approaches in car sales, touching on his role at Ford in Europe, as well as his remarkable success in selling a large volume of Volvos across the U.S. Peter emphasizes the importance of improving customer experience and the necessity for change in dealership operations, advocating for transparency, trust, and better training for dealership staff. He criticizes the traditional fear-based models and highlights a need for a more customer-centric approach.

Peter also delves into the role of technology and social media in modernizing the sales environment and stresses the significance of internal culture in affecting external customer perceptions. His ultimate goal is to create a more respectful, efficient, and trustworthy car-buying experience.

This episode of the Sensei Playbook features Steve Roessler, a Chief Evangelist Officer with a deep background in technical sales and the medical industry, who transitioned to serving the automotive industry.

Steve discusses the importance of customer engagement over traditional metrics in automotive dealerships and shares insights on how modern tools like AI, video messaging, and CRM platforms such as DriveCentric can vastly improve customer interactions and engagement rates.

The conversation also touches on the cultural shift required in dealerships to prioritize customer behavior and experience to achieve higher sales and better retention. The podcast is aimed at professionals in the automotive dealership industry, emphasizing the role of effective customer communication, reviews, and testimonials in building trust and driving referrals.

This episode of the Sensei Playbook Podcast features Katie Mares, a motivational speaker, best-selling author, and customer experience designer. The discussion focuses on enhancing customer experience in the automotive industry, particularly when selling to women. Key points include the importance of genuine human interactions, the five steps to a five-star experience, and the physiological and psychological differences between male and female consumers. Katie shares her inspiration drawn from her own negative car-buying experiences and her drive to create inclusive environments. The episode also touches on utilizing social media effectively and the role of storytelling in customer relations. Katie discusses her nonprofit work with 'Ladies Take Control' and upcoming events designed to train car dealers on experience design.

Links:

Ladies Take Control: http://www.ladiestakecontrol.com/

The Power of Experience: www.thepowerofexperience.ca

Ladies Take Control pod: https://www.podpage.com/LTC/

Katie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiemares

TEDx Tickets: 2024 TEDx Southlake | Innovating the Human Experience, tickets available: https://www.tedxsouthlake.com/event-details-registration/2024-conference-innovating-the-human-experience

In this episode of the Sensei Playbook podcast, the hosts interview Derek Simonds, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and former COO of Ziegler Automotive, now Executive Vice President at a Silicon Valley AI communications platform company. Derek shares his extensive experience in the automotive and technology sectors, discussing the transformative impact of AI on the automotive industry. Topics include improving customer experience, tackling communication challenges in dealerships, staff retention, and high turnover rates. Additionally, Derek draws parallels between his martial arts journey and his business tactics, emphasizing dedication and a competitive spirit.

In this episode of the Sensei Playbook podcast, the hosts interview Duke Brubaker, an experienced automotive industry leader from Champion Ford in Owensburg, Kentucky. Duke shares insights from his early days selling cars in the 1990s to working with his father and transitioning into owning a dealership. The discussion covers various aspects of the automotive industry, including the challenges of customer satisfaction, the importance of online reviews, and evolving customer behavior. Duke reveals how he manages his dealership, emphasizes the value of personal customer interactions, and discusses the impact of digital retailing and attribution tools in modern car sales. The episode also touches on Duke's personal and professional philosophy, encapsulating his commitment to family, fair business practices, and continuous improvement in customer service.