The PartsEdge Podcast

Shawn Parrett is a Mercedes-Benz Master Certified Parts Manager with over 25 years of Fixed-Ops experience in the auto industry. Today, he joins Kaylee to discuss the critical role automotive parts play in customer satisfaction. With expertise in commercial sales, customer service, warranty, and logistics, Shawn sheds light on the ever-evolving nature of the automotive industry and its parts.

As technology continues to advance, the automotive industry's needs must adapt accordingly. To stay competitive, parts managers need to focus on growing their parts business. This involves being well-informed about the parts they sell, ensuring customers receive the best fit for their requirements from a knowledgeable and experienced provider.

Shawn says going the extra mile for customers is another crucial aspect of growing the business. When customers feel valued and appreciated, they're more likely to continue their relationship with the parts provider.

Moreover, Shawn adds that parts managers should explore e-commerce and consider offering delivery services to enhance convenience for customers. By delivering parts right to their doorstep, customers save both time and money. 

Lastly, increasing inventory is vital for parts managers. A wider variety of options will not only cater to customer needs but also boost sales. By seizing these opportunities, parts managers can stay ahead in the competitive landscape and elevate their sales figures.

Connect

Shawn Parrett

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-parrett-48390b79

Website: www.mercedesfarmington.com

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: www.partsedge.com

Takeaways

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“You always have to be looking for ways to grow your business."

Allie Peters is the Fixed Operations Director of the Cavender Auto Group and is a rising star in the auto industry, having been featured on the “2021 Automotive News 40 Under 40”. Allie is passionate about helping people, whether professionally or in terms of soft skills and personal growth. Today, Allie joins Kaylee and shares her passion for teaching and helping others improve their professional and interpersonal skills.

Allie’s mantra of “make new mistakes every day” is a great reminder that we should not be afraid to take risks and try new things. Making mistakes is an important part of learning and growing. It is important to look at mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow. When we make mistakes, we can learn from them and use them to become better.

Allie also shares feeling excited about the opportunity that she had to reach certain goals, but when she didn’t hit them as fast as she had expected, she felt like she had failed. She was tempted to give up and go back to what she was doing before, but her parents’ encouragement and her own self-esteem and confidence kept her going. 

This was part of her growth as a person. It can be difficult, and sometimes it can be discouraging, but it is ultimately a rewarding experience. Growth is not a destination but rather a journey, one that requires patience and resilience.

She learned that it is okay to want more and that happiness and contentment can coexist with ambition. Growth requires patience, resilience, and communication, and it is important to remember that it is not about winning or losing but about progress.

Connect

Allie Peters

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allie-peters-b3497322

Website: www.cavenderauto.com

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: www.partsedge.com

Takeaways

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“Opportunity is a powerful tool that can be used to create positive change."

Sean Reyes is the Chief Marketing Officer of Recall Masters, a leading provider of technology and communication solutions to facilitate efficient repair of vehicles with a recall. Today, Sean joins Kaylee and shares his story of how he got started in the automotive industry, discusses how owners are able to reach out to dealers through Recall Masters, and adds how recalls also drive warranty revenue and generally bring customers back to the dealership to buy more parts and services.

When consumers come in to get their recalls attended to, they are often presented with additional products and services that they can purchase. This presents an opportunity for the dealership to make additional revenue. In fact, 52% of the time, people who have a recall reach into their wallet and buy additional products and services from the dealer.

Sean believes in the importance of safety and vehicle recall compliance, and he is committed to the work of informing and educating people about recalls and product liability. Sean Reyes also understands the importance of personal responsibility and takes steps to ensure that he is not associated with dangerous products.

Overall, dealerships must take the necessary steps to ensure that they are not held liable for recalls. By staying up-to-date on any recalls that may affect their customers, dealerships can protect themselves from liability and create a positive customer experience.

Connect

Sean Reyes

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sgrmarketing/

Website: www.recallmasters.com

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: www.partsedge.com

Takeaways

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“Recalls are a great way for consumers to come back to the dealership."

Megan Mahon is the VP of Sales and Business Development for Remarketing Plus, a one-stop-shop for eCommerce remarketing needs and the newest go-to-market vertical subsidiary of Advent Resources, a leader of the automotive digital revolution since 1988. Today, Megan joins Kaylee to talk about her journey and how she got into the automotive industry.

Megan Mahon has an impressive story of success in the automotive industry. After swearing she would never work in the industry due to her father's long hours, she fell into it by accident. Her father was one of the largest wholesalers in Orlando, and she decided to take a six-month break from her job as a food and beverage manager at Disney World to work with him. That six-month break turned into 18 years of experience in the automotive industry.

Megan's experience has helped her improve her skills and learn more about the automotive industry and the product she works with. She has been able to identify the pain points of consignors and developed a platform that can help them move cars faster, make more money, reach more people, do it more efficiently, and make a bigger impact in the industry.

Megan's story is a testament to the power of experience in the automotive industry. Her journey has been long and winding, but it has paid off in the end.

It serves as a reminder that passion and dedication can help create something bigger and better than what was there before.

Connect

Megan Mahon

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/remarketingplus

Website: www.remarketingplus.com

Kaylee Felio

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gotopartsgirl

Website: www.partsedge.com

Takeaways

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“When you're in a startup mentality, you literally wear every hat."

Julie Douglas is the president and CEO of Dealer Pay LLC, a company that provides seamless, integrated payment processing and advanced software solutions to the automotive industry. She's also known as the "Sales Lady Extraordinaire."

Today, Julie joins Kaylee to discuss her experience founding the company over 9 years ago, as well as the challenges they faced when first scaling the company.

Customers value payment convenience when making purchases. Customers now have more payment options than ever before thanks to technological advancements. Dealer Pay began as a payments provider, allowing customers to accept credit cards and checks while also providing reporting. It quickly became apparent to Julie and her team that there was a need for a full point-of-sale solution for dealerships.

With the rise of technology, companies are now able to streamline their businesses through the use of tools like Dealer Pay. This allows them to bill customers once the parts have been delivered. Furthermore, their new mobile app allows parts managers to take payment as a card-present transaction in front of the customer. This convenience factor is a huge time saver for parts managers.

With the help of tools like this, businesses are able to save time and money while providing a better experience for their customers.

Connect

Julie Douglas

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

Website: www.dealer-pay.com

Kaylee Felio

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

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

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“Starting a company requires you to wear multiple hats."

AJ Holst is the President of AJ Holst Consulting and an independent Fixed Operations Coach, Consultant, and Facilitator. He has 37 years of automotive experience and is a highly skilled, passionate automotive professional. Today, AJ shares his 37-year career in the automotive industry with him, initially as a salesperson but later switching to service work to spend more time with his daughter while she pursued her daughter’s softball career.

In the automotive industry, AJ believes that advisors are on the front lines of customer service. They communicate with customers, process transactions, and offer repair and service advice and recommendations. Unfortunately, many advisors are not adequately trained to perform their duties.

According to one advisor, they were simply thrown into the service drive with no formal training. They were expected to figure things out on their own and were blamed when they didn't. This lack of training can lead to costly mistakes and misunderstandings for the dealership and its customers.

By providing advisors with the proper training, dealerships can ensure that their advisors are knowledgeable, capable, and confident in their job.

Connect

AJ Holst

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

Website: www.ajholstconsulting.com

Kaylee Felio

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

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

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“Having a mentor can make all the difference in your career."

Dave Hines is the owner of XSRE.io, a company that allows car dealership’s customers to bundle accessories with their inbound leads, and allow the dealer to fully customize what accessories they push. Dave is also a Field Architect, Customer Engineer at Google Cloud and operates Davehin.es, which creates simple and functional websites for local businesses.

In this episode, Kaylee interviews Dave Hines on his company XSRE.io and its digital organization of accessories for vehicles. Dave talks about the success of his product, its automated process, and the technology that powers it. They also discuss Dave's career, imposter syndrome, the power of golf, and the benefits of teleporting.

As entrepreneurs, it is essential to focus on customer needs. We must be passionate about providing a product or service that meets the needs of our customers. This is the foundation of any successful business. By focusing on it, we can create products and services that will not only meet their needs but also exceed their expectations. We must be willing to take risks and use data and customer feedback to gain valuable insights into customer needs and preferences.

By doing this, we can ensure that we reach our goals and succeed.

Connect

Dave Hines

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-hines-78a3b043/

Website: www.xsre.io

Kaylee Felio

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

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

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“The first thing off-road clients want is to accessorize it. Better tires, wheels, and suspension.”

Shon Kingrey is the VP of Fixed Operations of the Kayser Automotive Group, with over 28 years of experience for a variety of dealerships. Shon believes Fixed Ops is key to success in the current market.

The automotive industry is in a state of flux. As car sales decrease, dealerships are being forced to re-evaluate their operations to remain profitable. Shon is trying to centralize warranty and reduce the number of administrators needed.

Fixed Ops must evolve to succeed in this competitive market. Dealerships must invest in technology, processes, and training to stay profitable. They must also have a team of motivated, knowledgeable employees to help customers. A well-trained staff with proper resources is your biggest advantage.

Connect

Shon Kingrey

Kaylee Felio

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

Website: https://www.partsedge.com

Takeaways

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“We're installing processes one at a time. Not everybody runs at the same pace."

"People need to realize that the parts department is a crucial element in the fixed ops community."

Tully Williams is the Fixed Operations Director for The Niello Company in Sacramento, California. He works tirelessly to ensure his inventory is well-managed and he is able to give back to the company.

Inventory management is the process of tracking and managing the flow of goods, from the point of production to the point of sale. In today’s business environment, it’s essential for businesses to manage their inventory in order to stay competitive and profitable.

The goal of inventory management is to ensure the right products are available in the right quantities at the right time. It’s important to monitor the age of the inventory, special orders, the shelf life of parts, and the working stock in order to ensure that the right products are available in the right quantities at the right time.

Following these tips will help your parts business bottom line!

Connect

Tully Williams

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tully-williams-3b9097a/

Kaylee Felio

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

Website: https://www.partsedge.com

Takeaways

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"People need to realize that the parts department is a crucial element in the fixed ops community."

Ed Roberts is the COO of Bozard Ford Lincoln in St. Augustine, Florida. Roberts has been with the dealership for 10 and a half years and has seen its growth from 43 employees to 318.

Ed attributes this growth to the dealership’s focus on customer centricity. He believes that the automotive industry is behind about 30 years in terms of customer service and that it is their opportunity to get better at it. Ed also believes that taking care of their people first is key to taking care of their customers.

By investing in their employees, they are able to provide a better customer experience.

Connect

Ed Roberts

Kaylee Felio

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

Website: https://www.partsedge.com/

Takeaways

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“Take care of your people first, so your people take care of your customers."