In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Cary Donovan, dealer principal at Rolling Stock Specialty Auto Sales, Louisville, KY, discuss the unique retailing strategy Donovan has developed at his warehouse operation. Donovan shares how he manages his customers through appointment-only and details his reasons for choosing not to offer F&I options as part of his customer-centric sales process. Donovan outlines how he determines if a vehicle is right for his customers and his effort to become a trusted advisor to win a customer’s business and satisfaction.

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson and vAuto founder and Cox Automotive executive vice president, Dale Pollak, discuss current market conditions that suggest dealers take a more cautious approach to acquiring used vehicle inventory. Dale shares his recommendation that dealers should stock a 30-day supply of inventory, based on a rolling 14-day total of retail sales, rather than a full 30-day snapshot. Dale also suggests dealers should rethink cars that “cost too much” at auction and offers a benchmark to help dealers capture a higher percentage of lower-cost, trade-in opportunities to ease their reliance on auction purchases.

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Bobby Sight, operations director at Rob Sight Ford, Kansas City, discuss how Bobby has spent the past year revamping the dealership’s marketing strategy as part of an effort to increase the store’s new vehicle business. A fourth-generation dealer, Sight shares how he studied competitor inventories and sales to find his own opportunities to grow market share. Sight details how his more aggressive approach to new vehicles created positive momentum that has helped him grow retail sales by 27 percent despite the disruption and low inventory levels caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sight also shares how he and his team are faring in used vehicles as they contend with unprecedented competition and cost for wholesale inventory.

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson and Brian Finkelmeyer, director of new vehicle business development for vAuto, discuss the current environment for franchised dealers in new vehicles. Brian shares an update on new vehicle sales and inventory supplies, and how these factors create an environment where the margin of error in pricing or vehicle ordering can make a difficult situation even worse. Brian offers three ways dealers can optimize their new vehicle inventory to capture the right cars and customers amid the current market volatility.

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson, Rob Berman, used vehicle manager at Nate Wade Subaru, Salt Lake City and Patrick Janes, director of business development for Stockwave, discuss how Berman has adjusted his inventory acquisition efforts to fit current wholesale and retail conditions. A self-proclaimed “dinosaur,” Berman shares how he’s casting a wider net using technology to find the cars that match his buying parameters, regardless of where they are. Berman also details how and why more targeted, profit-focused auction acquisitions helped drive record-setting used vehicle sales volume and gross profits in June for his dealership.

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Jonathan Hakes, used vehicle inventory director at Dorschel Auto Group, Rochester, NY, discuss how the group is putting a greater emphasis on capturing more trade-ins and off-street vehicles to feed its used vehicle inventory. Jonathan shares how the group is refining its “sight unseen” appraisal process and using Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer to get more accurate, consumer-led assessments of a vehicle’s condition. view of a vehicle’s condition. Jonathan also details the group’s goals to achieve a Look to Book ratio of 60 percent in the coming months.

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson and vAuto founder and Cox Automotive Executive Vice President Dale Pollak discuss two questions on most everyone’s minds—why is retail demand so strong and how long might it last? Dale shares a perspective shaped by conversations with top thinkers at Cox Automotive that suggests 4 “Cs” are driving retail demand, which are cash, credit, confidence and cheap money. Dale also encourages dealers to right-size their used vehicle inventories to current retail demand to avoid carrying too much inventory if retail demand loses steam as summer turns to fall across the country.

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Phillip Gill, general sales manager of Tom Gill Chevrolet, Florence, KY, discuss how business has changed at the dealership since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Phillip outlines how the pandemic disrupted his transition to Provision ProfitTime, and then proved to be a useful way to position the store for a record-setting pace of sales in May. Phillip also shares some of the ways he’s changing his sales process to retain and grow the share of customers who now prefer digital retailing, and the opportunities for greater efficiencies and profitability for dealers willing to adapt their businesses to new retailing realities.

In this episode of the vAuto Podcast Retail Revival series, host Randy Kobat and Jeff VanderWal, founder and president of Clear Shift, a Littleton, CO-based independent dealership, discuss the factors that have helped the operation double its retail sales despite the pandemic. Jeff shares why Clear Shift adopted digital retailing strategies years ago, and how his sales process has offered an advantage in the current market. Jeff also shares pointers for other dealers to help them reengineer the way they sell cars by putting an earnest and honest focus on serving customers in the manner they want to be served.

In this vAuto podcast episode, host Lance Helgeson, Jim Farkas, general manager of Germain Honda of Ann Arbor, MI, and Mike Boyd, director of business enablement for vAuto’s iRecon, discuss how Farkas used the COVID-19 pandemic to rethink the store’s approach to reconditioning. Farkas details how he’s defined specific performance standards and timelines to shave nearly three days off the time it typically takes to get vehicles frontline-ready faster. Farkas shares how he has changed pay plans and tied shop rates to specific time targets to ensure vehicles are out of the shop and detailed/online within 72 hours.