4th of July Special w/ Hall, Haig, Zeigler, Cardone | Daily Dealer Live
Car Dealership Guy Podcast · Jul 3, 2026
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Term
franchise model
The standard way we buy cars where a local dealership acts as a middleman between you and the company that built the car. Laws usually protect these local dealers so car makers can't bypass them and sell directly to you.
Brand
Polestar
A modern electric car brand that started as a performance division of Volvo. Even though it is designed in Sweden, it is heavily owned and manufactured by a Chinese automotive giant.
Car
BMW X5
The BMW X5 is a premium, mid-sized family SUV made by the German automaker BMW. It is designed for people who want a spacious, comfortable vehicle with a high-end interior and a smooth, powerful ride.
Car
Genesis G70
The Genesis G70 is a small, upscale four-door sedan made by Genesis, which is the luxury brand owned by Hyundai. It is built for drivers who want a fancy, comfortable car that is also fast and fun to drive.
Car
Hyundai Genesis
The Hyundai Genesis was a large, comfortable luxury sedan made by Hyundai. It was designed to offer the high-end features and smooth ride of an expensive luxury car but at a more affordable price.
Car
Ford F-150 Lightning
The Ford F-150 Lightning is a fully electric version of the popular Ford F-150 pickup truck. Instead of gasoline, it runs entirely on battery power, meaning it does not have an exhaust pipe and can be charged at home or at public charging stations.
Car
Ford F-150
The most popular pickup truck in America, built by Ford. It is famous for being incredibly versatile, used by everyone from construction workers to families.
Car
Ford Mustang
A legendary American sports car that started the 'pony car' craze in the 1960s. It is famous for its sporty looks, loud engine options, and affordable price tag.
Car
Ford Pinto
A small, cheap car from the 1970s built by Ford. It is unfortunately famous for a safety issue where getting hit from behind could cause the gas tank to catch fire.
Car
Ford Model T
The historic car built by Henry Ford that made driving affordable for everyday people. It was the first car built on a moving assembly line.
LIVE
Hey
Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of The Daily Deal Live. I'm your host Sam
Dark and thanks for choosing to be here with us this 4th of July weekend. America, she's
turning 250 and few industries tell this American story better than the car business. Cars have
always represented freedom, the first road trip, the first set of keys, the first job,
the family business, the local dealer sponsoring that parade. The salesperson building a life
and the entrepreneur, well, they've built futures. But today we're not just looking
backward. Today we look ahead. When America turns 300 in 2076, what will auto retail
look like? Will the franchise model still exist? Will consumers still own vehicles,
subscribe to them? Or will they be summoned? Will AI replace the salesperson or make great sales
people superhuman? Will family-owned dealerships still thrive? And what happens if Chinese vehicles
become one of the biggest forces reshaping American automotive? Well, to answer that,
we've got five major voices with very different lenses coming up today. Don Hall, Grant Cardone,
Aaron Ziegler, and Alan Haig. Today, we're allowing the production team to take a break. So
today's episode is pre-recorded, but we're still in the chats. So post those comments across all
CDG social media platforms. And with that, let's dive into our first guest conversation today,
Don Hall, president and CEO of the Virginia Auto Dealers Association. Don, welcome to the show.
Thank you and happy 4th of July to each and every one of you out there.
Happy 4th of July. And in your usual fashion, I was at your big America 250 party last week
and your own birthday party. You know how to throw a patriotic party there. And drones included,
by the way, you did a very nice job with that. So, Don, when you think about dealers and American
freedom, what comes to mind first as the head of the Virginia Auto Dealers Association?
Well, first and foremost, long ago I got in this auto industry because it's a business
that doesn't care from once you come who your mom and dad is, what race you are,
what your choices are. It cares about your willingness to work hard and care about the
people that you service, the people that you sell to and so forth. That's what made this country
what it is. Pioneers willing to go out and to sacrifice and work hard and have the dividends
returned to them. So we in the auto industry, though 100 plus years of age, are still working
hard making massive changes for the future because we are ready for the future. We are ready for
300 year anniversary because we're going to be around. We're going to be selling cars and people
are going to be enjoying cars because they are still your basic freedom in life is an automobile
because you can do and go and be whatever because of that car or truck that one of our good folks
have sold to you, leased to you, and so forth. So God bless the auto industry.
God bless the 4th of July and our 250th anniversary. All right, so let's pressure test
that. What is dealer, I like it. We've got our own, we've got our own birds in the background.
What is dealer independence Don really mean in 2026? What needs to happen this year to ensure
that that continues for another 50 years? Forgive me for a brief moment, Sam. I had the
privilege of going through the NADA Academy as a guy getting ready to turn 70 years of age. I
just finished the program. And at the end of the day, someone said, what's the big difference today
circa 2026 versus when I started back in the business in 1979. I said, well, technology
obviously is very different. However, what is not different is dealing with people understanding
people, reading people properly, meeting their needs. Grant Cardone is the best of the best.
He will, I'm sure we'll talk about people. This is a people business. God bless it for
being such. We get to go out, listen to people and meet their needs, whether it's payments,
whether it's in the car fixed or buying that new car or truck, whether it be a used or brand new
vehicle. That's not going to change. We have a long road ahead of us because we're made of pioneers,
we're made of people who sacrifice a lot of hours in our business, a lot of hard work in our business.
But we're also one of the few industries out there, regardless of them, once you come,
you can make a hell of a lot of money and have lots of many opportunities afforded to you
because of this great thing called the automotive industry. So you say it's primarily a people
industry and it provides a lot of independence to those people who are in it. But there are threats
to that today, direct to consumer models by manufacturers, Chinese vehicles coming into the
U.S. And even AI, many would argue, would replace the people element in automotive.
Which of those threatens the future of the franchise or our current American auto industry
in your mind? From a lot of perspectives, people say, well, they all threaten the
business. But the truth of the matter is, they all make us better at what we do and make us more
important if done right. Look, we're a big industry. We have car dealerships and service
facilities and body shops throughout this great nation of ours. We need to rally together. We
ought to be the best, biggest patriots in every single community that reside in. Our business
is about opportunity. And so at the end of the day, we'll use AI to help the customer have a better
buying experience. We'll use the various tools out there to help the customer have a better
buying experience. But you still need me because I'm the one that can help you understand it.
I'm the one that's going to learn to make things more concise. We've got to get better at that.
But most importantly, we kind of lost a little bit of what we're all about. And we're all about
people. People are our biggest asset that work for us. People, our customers, are our biggest
asset as well. We need to get back to the basics, caring about people. Do that. We will win. We'll
win big and we'll be around for 50 more years because people will say, I love my dealer because
they care about me. There's an opportunity. There's a reason to celebrate the 4th of July.
This country was built on people and sacrifice. Our industry is built on the same thing,
and we can do a great job. But we got to come together, be smart about it, and let's do it.
Let's roll. Some things do threaten the auto industry. The FTC sent a letter out to 97 dealer
groups across the country a couple of months ago and sent a message about advertising transparency.
As we go into this 4th of July weekend and as we think about the next 50 years,
what should dealers take away from that letter? And where's the line between healthy government
oversight that protects consumers and overreach that makes it harder for dealers to operate?
I'm grateful to the FTC. They did what we couldn't do without somebody else telling us to do it,
and that is to make sure the customer is having great buying experiences.
Ladies and gentlemen, that ought not to have been the case. We should have done this to ourselves,
but sometimes we allow the dollars to get in the way of things. It's all about the money.
The money is a byproduct. What we do is we dispense transportation. We fix those things.
That is our freedom. Do it with enthusiasm. great integrity. Do it in a way that
customers understand what's going on, and the government doesn't come after us. The government
just wants us to do what is natural and as human beings we should want, and that's to totally
understand what the hell we're doing, meaning when I buy, what does it mean? And oh, by the way,
remember, we do a lot of research before we come into the dealership. Don't treat me like I'm a
novice. Don't treat me like I have no clue. The truth of the matter is I understand. Now work with
me. Care about me. Have some empathy for the position I'm in. Payments are high these days.
It's tough, but I need a car because that's my freedom to make choices in my life. Deal with
me as human being. Deal with me as someone that you care about, and I promise you I'll buy with
great loyalty. I'll spend more on the car than you would think, and I'll send a lot of people
to see you because you care about me. Do that, and the FTC is only reminding us we have an obligation
and an opportunity, and for that I am grateful. A little loud, a little big bark, but it was
necessary. Now let's get our shit together, and let's go out and take care of our customers,
and let's disclose what I actually can buy a car for when I drive that dealership minus
those fees that are regulated by the state and are required.
All right, before we have you back for the round table, you can't come on this show without talking
Chinese vehicles. It's a debate you and I have had multiple times. Don, do Chinese vehicles represent
a threat to American automotive over the next 50 years economically, technologically, or even
from a national security standpoint? And if so, why?
Sam, I was with a very senior member of the House of Representatives this very day. We talked about
this very subject this very day. Senator Morano, one of your guest speakers, who is a great man,
has the same philosophy, but will actually stay even better and stronger than I can.
Do not trust the Chinese. They are not the Japanese. They are not the Germans.
They are different. Their goal and their role is different. They don't have to fight us on the shores
with my marine brothers and sisters fighting those battles. They'll fight us in our country
by taking over our markets and controlling what we do. The Chinese are not to be trusted.
And damn it, let's not think about 30 days. Well, I can make a lot of money, boss.
These cars are less expensive. Think long term, 250 years long term. Let's think 50 years long
term. They're not good for us. Let's get good at what we do. Let's give our customers even better
products. The Japanese are waking up to that and many others. They're our partners, not the Chinese.
So last week, auto dealers who are franchise dealers of Polestar across the country received
phone calls saying they cannot continue to sell a vehicle that's owned by a Chinese manufacturer
but produced here in the U.S. Were there Virginia dealers impacted by this? And what's your take
on it? Is that a ban with logic or is that an irrational, exuberant response?
I read that some of the New Jersey dealers made some comments. Look, I understand that all of a
sudden you put money into this and then all of a sudden the government changes its mind and says,
hey, they're out of here. They're not playing by the rules. You've got money at stake. Look,
I look at negatives like this. If you're the dealer, it's a negative. Okay,
But it also means I get to focus on what I do have and the franchises I do own. How can I get
better at that? How can we do more for customers? How can I be more involved? How can I make sure
as a result the byproduct is greater money? You'll make more money, take care of people.
The fact that Polestar is being pulled out, it's the right thing for this government to have done.
The Chinese do not play by rules. They establish their own rules. And unfortunately,
they're probably smarter and they think long term, but we tend to be short term.
Look, I just need that shot in the arm. I need to sell some cars, baby. I got a great car. I
want to do this through that. They're not good for us as a nation. And if they can't play by our
rules, they ought not to be on our shores because we sure as hell can't go on their shores and do
whatever we choose to do at all. So I'm sorry. Get over it. Get better at what you currently
have and own. Be grateful for what you have and own and make more money in those stores.
That's the answer. Goodbye, China. Don Hall, President and CEO, Virginia Auto Dealers Association
will continue this chat. It's part of the round table at the end of the show. Appreciate you
being here for this special 4th of July, 250th anniversary edition. Thanks for being here.
All right. Let's jump straight into our next guest up today on our special up. So Grant Cardone,
CEO of Cardone Capital. Grant, welcome to the show.
Great to be here with you, Sam, and great to have you in the office.
Thank you for accepting the invite to come on. Look, a lot of people know who you are in automotive.
In our own auto group, and we're going to hear from Aaron Ziegler here shortly,
we train with you every single day on selling in America. Let's start with the first question.
In 2026, is selling even car sales still one of the greatest freedom skills in America?
Yeah. So it's a great question and a bad question. I'll wrap up in one, Sam. So I would tell you,
I don't know that selling provides somebody with the freedom that you want,
but I will tell you this, if you're going to be free anywhere on planet Earth,
you better learn how to sell. You better learn how to negotiate because you're only going to get
what you asked for. And number three, you better learn how to close deals because I know a lot of
guys out there that can sell. You could sell value and you can show the car and you can,
you know, present. I was having this conversation with somebody today, but whether or not you can
negotiate the right terms for you and your company and your family and whether or not you can close,
those are three separate conversations to have. And I would strongly suggest,
if freedom is an important thing to you, then you better master all three of them, okay? You can't
get good at them, okay? This isn't a place where you want to be good. There's bad, there's good,
and there's excellence. And the only thing you're ever going to get paid for is excellence. Nobody
will pay anything for good. So Grant, there are people in the auto industry that would argue,
hey, the era of excellence and greatness and automotive. At this 250th anniversary of America
is dying. AI is decreasing salespeople skills. All the models I mentioned to Don Hall direct to
consumer, Chinese vehicles are a threat to the industry. What would you say to those people
that, you know, you say, hey, you need to sell, but hey, AI makes selling not as important as it
used to be, Grant. Yeah, I would say, I would say that you are caught, you're a victim of shiny
objects. Stop the madness. By the way, big shout out to Don Hall, great patriot that that guy is,
okay? Yeah, definitely not somebody that's caught by shiny objects. He's going to keep,
you know, he talked about the basics. Guys, AI is only going to replace you if you're either bad
or just good. And this goes back to what I was saying a few minutes ago. This is not a new thing,
by the way, this is 200,000 years old. Okay. The masters are the only ones that benefit.
If you're not going to be a master, just get a t-shirt and admit that you're marginal. Okay.
And the margins nobody pays for the margins. And AI is going to make that it's going to exaggerate
that issue. Now it's going to make your customers who are going to go ask a couple of dumb questions
to Claude or Gemini about a car and they're going to walk in and they're going to act like they
know more. Look, you live there, you work there, you know the product, service. If
somebody that can ask three or four questions to Claude or Gemini or chat knows more about that
automobile than you do, shame on you. So what Grant will separate when you talk about competing in
that era and still learning how to connect with people? What will separate the best sales people
from everyone else in this auto industry over the next five to 10 years? What are tips that you would
give to somebody to becoming an elite car salesperson? Well, if you're an elite car salesperson,
you're not even interested in five or 10 years, you're interested in the next five minutes. So
I would tell you before this weekend, the first thing you have to fix, and this is in any business
by the way, is you have to fix your targets. Okay, your targets have to go up. This is a problem in
the auto industry and I found out it to be a problem in roofing, HVAC, we work in all these
industries now, chiropractic dentistry, like you have to fix the target. If the target is small,
you're going to get something less than that. If the target is large in short periods of time
or durations, you want big giant targets, number two with short durations, not long drawn out
periods of time because you can only hold the motivation for so long. Number two, I would
tell you that you need to fill your funnel up with leads and traffic. I didn't know this when I was
a young salesperson. You have to be responsible for your own traffic. You cannot depend on the
car dealer to advertise to get traffic to you. So you have to generate that. This is again,
old school, nothing's changed in many of these. With the internet, the advent of the internet,
or even now with AI, you need to be responsible for the amount of people that you're getting
front of either on the phone, visiting at their home so they don't have to come to your store
where you would have a competitive advantage. And the third thing is you got to look at,
you have to get extremely good. And I referenced this earlier at selling the product, not overselling
the product, negotiating the terms and understanding what terms somebody would buy from. By the way,
your qualification process is what determines that solely and only the qualification process
would determine how much somebody can pay. And since my short period of time, in the last,
I don't know, 10 or 12 years, I've negotiated some, these are multi-billion-dollar contracts.
And I can tell you, it's the same game if you're dealing with selling a Nissan or if you're doing
a $200 million sale or disposition or purchase from a major institution. You got to know how to
sell it, how to negotiate it, and how to finish it. And this AI technology, which helps us deliver
our best, do you agree though, in some cases it makes some people weaker, in some cases it
makes some people better? So there is a separation. The 80-20 rule is alive and well, 20% are selling
80% of the stuff. AI is giving people more tools to become better, but it's also making mediocre
and terrible salespeople worse, Grant. Well, I don't know how you make somebody worse.
Look, if you're no good, if you're not committed, you're not committed. And it's going to show up
every day in how you answer the phone, how you answer an email, how you approach a customer.
If you're no good, you're no good. Just admit it. Okay. And by the way, I've been no good.
So don't say that I'm not arrogant. On any given day, I could be no good. I could be decent.
Or I could be on my game. I just know this. I'm only getting paid for one of those.
Okay. If you're no good or you're average and you get lucky seven or eight times a month,
guess what? It's just luck and you know it. Yeah. And what you want to do is you want to be at
cause and all these situations, you want to be the source cause of whatever results that you're
getting. And AI cannot replace the individual ever. It never will. AI is not a God. Okay.
And for those of you that are religious and believe, you know, you are the creation of
something greater than yourself as I do. They ain't no AI going to replace God.
Yeah. And, and, and so, so I am the creative source here. I am the one that gets to decide
what my targets are, how motivated I am, how creative much I persist. These are
my skills that I need to develop an AI cannot without human direction, cannot replace those.
All right, Grant, before we bring out our next guest, someone you know, as we celebrate this
4th of July weekend, the 250th anniversary, as we look at to the next 50, what is, what is having
grown up in the United States of America, the opportunity it's given you within the auto
industry meant to you, Grant, in your career and where you sit today with the product of that?
Yeah. Well, look, I'll forever be, you know, grateful for my dad, my mom, where I grew up,
how I grew up, even though it was a struggle. Also, one of the things I'm most grateful for is
growing, you know, a car dealer that gave me a chance after I left the treatment center for
drug addiction at the age of 25 and he gave me my job back. I can never be grateful enough for him
to say, Hey, I'll give you another shot. And number two, the car business is where I learned,
like literally, I would not be sitting where I'm at today if it's not from my experience
working a showroom floor for eight years. And there's a lot of guys I worked with that did not
learn what I learned from that experience. But there was a whole bunch of us that worked together
at the same time that really took advantage of it. And I learned to train and show up early
and train and show up early and stay late. And, you know, I mean, I learned so many that was one
of the best, best errors in my life was selling automobiles between 25 years old and 30.
So a lot of people grant would say, Hey, that's the realization of the American dream, the ability
to come from any background with education without education, no matter where you grew up. And if
you're willing to work hard, you can create abundance, you can become something you never
anticipated grant in 2026. Is that American dream still a reality? And can people still
achieve and accomplish that through this auto industry we've all been a part of? Yeah, not
not only is it still available, it's easier today. If you got if you guys got it in
your head right now, you're thinking it's harder, it's more difficult, you're being priced out,
customer can't afford it, blah, blah, blah. You got you got to get rid of the people
around you. Why is it easier today? No, great. Those are easier. Bro, look around. There's more
money on this planet today than there ever has been in the history of the world. Okay, you have
more millionaires, deck of millionaires and billionaires being created today. Like the big regret I
have from being in the car business was I should have been 26 years old. I should have been learning
about every department. I wish the dealer would have been talking to me about how to own car
dealerships, not just work in them. And if I had one piece of advice for any of you in the room,
like if you work with an Aaron Ziggler or Don Hall, do you need to learn every department,
every division, the profit and loss statement, you need to learn how to own stores, not just work
in them. Because I should own 100 stores. And by the way, car dealerships are great places to own
real estate. I had to go, leave the car business to go buy real estate. And if I'd have
known that the real estate business was really just the state in the car business, I could have got
the best of both worlds. That's great. Well, great, Cardone. We're going to actually keep you on
while you bring our next guest on because, you know, I'm CEO of Ziggler Auto Group. Every single
day we train with one company on our sales floor. And it's been that way for decades. So I'd love
to bring to the stage with us Aaron Ziggler, president of the Ziggler Auto Group. Aaron, welcome.
Hey, Sammy Grant. How's it going? Aaron, you look like you got a tan. Is that a real tan?
I think it's just the lights in here in this studio, the lights.
Okay, I figured you've been on the boat. Now I've been working,
trying to grow the empire. Yep. So Grant, every single day across the Ziggler Auto Group, we train
with the Cardone training material. And you know, it's interesting as you talk about the
opportunity that is automotive and the challenge to go learn different departments.
Aaron, you've given many of your teams that as we go into the fourth of July weekend, we talk
about the opportunity that is car business. You famously talked on the car dealership guy
podcast about training GMs to run a multi-billion dollar company and empowering them to have that
freedom to do that. What does that mean to you, Aaron, to be able to give others the opportunity?
You know, Sam, when I was 18, I graduated high school and started selling cars. And I had a
lot of fire in the belly and wanted to do it, but I didn't know how to do it. And I was fortunate
enough to meet Grant. I went to one of his seminars back then. He's handwriting stuff on a little
overhead projector. It was kind of old school, but it worked. He was so far ahead of his time.
Here we are, 30-some years later, still working. He's still training all of our people. But I
realized that is what was going to make our company successful is developing people to run
businesses and make them entrepreneurs. And we've created Ziggler University to be able to do that.
And we've had a ton of success taking people out of Ziggler University that have gone the
distance on there and having them run 900000000 dollar businesses for us now.
Aaron, I wanted to keep Grant here on because you've both built large companies with great
contributors. And I'd love to get your perspective and then Grant's. Aaron, how do you build a
company today on this 250th anniversary that can still be relevant 50 years from now? What's the
key to that, Aaron? It starts with having a world-class culture. If you're excited to come to
work and you've got really talented people, you've got to have A players because A player is never
going to work for a B or C player. So you've got to have really strong leadership. You've got to be
able to give them the opportunities going forward to be able to grow. My whole motivation growing
the company is to create opportunities for people that work with us. And there's nothing more exciting
to see somebody start out washing cars for us. And now they're running 500000000
dollar business. Grant, what would you add to that about building a company that's relevant 50 years
from now? How do you create that success? You've scaled it. Yeah, look, I mean, I don't get as
much as I embrace new technology and new things. I do not chase shiny objects. And when Aaron came
on, I remember meeting Aaron, I think we were up in Kalamazoo or something when I met Aaron the
first time and he's young. I was young. And what he's done with his dad's company, okay, the fire
and the belly that he talks about, he still has today. And I know he gets it from studying other
people, from being, you know, looking at other people and being inspired by them rather than
envious of them. And I played that back and forth with him. I watch him grow, man, I'm like, dude,
I can grow more. Like this is this is something I think that it it's not
maybe very popular in the auto industry. But I'd like to see more of it there where,
you know, one example inspires another one. I think there could be more of that out there. And
Aaron's done a great job of sharing the store, the profit and loss statement, the department say,
how how big you want to get how much you want to grow and let that let that minute tiny fraction
of people that want to grow and excel and demand freedom go get it and he's provided that for a
lot of people. And I think that you know, that's similar to what I've done over here. But it's
one thing I learned from Grant early on Sam is if you want to be successful, surround yourself with
successful people. And I did that my whole career and grants one of those guys that I latched on
to because I was I was learning from him and he's probably learned a few things from me. But
I've done the same thing with other other very successful dealers out there is I love meeting
them. I love picking their brains, figuring out what works. And that's why, you know, and we'll
do the same for other people too. We're an open open book. If you want to learn from us, we're
more willing to to share what we're doing because I think, you know, that just makes everybody
stronger makes the industry that much stronger. Alright, with both of you, I'd love to ask this
question in 2076. Will the physical dealership still matter, Aaron, and then Grant?
Yeah, you know, I think we've been we've been talking about the death of the car dealer for
about 50 years. You know, it was the internet was going to kill it invoice pricing on online was
going to kill it. Now AI is going to kill it. Tesla is going to kill it. You know, there's
there's all these challenges. But car dealers are some of the greatest American entrepreneurs out
there. And you got to constantly be changing to stay relevant in this world. And the guys that do
are very successful. And they're going to be around 50 years from today. There's no question
about it. The car business, while technology is great at enhancing it, it makes our lives easier.
It's still about people businesses about people. We're in the hospitality business. We're here
to exceed people's expectations. And you can't do that with a computer. You can't
build a relationship with technology. You can't build a car with technology. And that's what it
takes to be successful. And the people that get that are the ones that are going to be here 50
years from today. And you know, we're building our company so that it will be here from generation
to generation. We're building this thing to be perpetual and never have an end date on it.
Grant Cardone agree physical? Yeah, I mean, yeah, look, I mean, you're going to kill the dying.
So you can't kill somebody that won't die. And guys, there's just some people that just will
not die. I went to Kanye West concert three nights ago. I'm like, this guy is uncancelable. Okay.
Like, he's got every reason for nobody to buy his tickets yet. 75,000 people pay three and
$500 and $1,000 to watch him for 90 minutes. Yeah. And like, it just reminded me if you
can't be killed, you can't be killed. And that's that's the commitment thing.
So talk about not killing what in automotive needs to change the in this next 50 years,
this next five decades, it evolves into the next iteration of what needs to be change
an automotive today. I mean, what needs to change, you know, the the the marginal just need to
disappear and let Aaron buy them up. That's what Aaron needs to change. This is called evolution
guys. Okay, it's called evolution, like the evolve and the dying, the dying die off. Okay,
so if you agree to be killed by AI, you will be killed by AI. You were already probably killed by
whatever Carvana or all the things that Aaron mentioned, the internet, whatever's going to kill
you, dude, if you're going to surrender and go into apathy, you're do exactly what you get.
Yeah. Alright, Aaron, as we wrap up this segment, we're going to have you both back for the round
table. So don't go anywhere. Anybody Aaron, what advice would you give to a 22 year old starting
in the car business today, June of July of 2026, about whether or not to get into it and where
that path to success is the American dream Aaron? Well, I think it's the greatest business in the
world. And I think I think we're all living the American dream in this industry. But surround
yourself with successful people, reach out to people that have been successful and emulate what
they've they've done out there, learn from them, ask questions and take control of your own career,
because nobody cares more about your own career than you. And you're the captain of your own ship
on that. And that's that's the best advice I can give somebody.
Grant, what advice would you give? Well, yeah, I just want to parlay on what Aaron said, look,
or you're not, you know, you're not the one most interested in your own career. If there's
somebody else's, that's a problem. This is what I go back to, like, you are the creator of the
source, you get to decide, you know, God gave you free will, man, go take advantage of it,
you have everything you need. And you have something to sell. And by the way, somebody's
funding that activity for you to show up every day and skill up, then learn everything you can
about that business, because everything about that business is going to apply to the next business
that you go into, if it's not automotive. Yeah, yeah, automotive American dreams still alive.
And while Aaron Ziegler, president of Ziegler Auto Group, Grant Cardone, CEO of Cardone Capital,
Aaron Ziegler, Carson Hosevar this weekend at Joliet, Fourth of July weekend, nothing more
patriotic than NASCAR. Who's going to take the checkered flag at Joliet in the Chicago?
I'm with a kid from Kalamazoo. I'm going with Carson Hosevar. He's been fast. He's been on the
front row the last couple of weeks. He won Talladega. I think I think he's going to win.
Grant, you coming? I didn't get an invite. All right, we'll give you the invite.
The invite I get is for these, you know, the spot drive for life. Yeah, I love it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, Grant Cardone, I'll go ahead, Aaron. I don't get real dinner invites or breakfast or, you know.
You got an open invite to come watch the NASCAR race with us any time, buddy.
Grant Cardone, Aaron Ziegler will have you back on the round table. Thank you both for being on.
All right, great conversation about what the past 250 years of American history look like,
what the automotive industry looks like, and what do the next 50 look like? Thanks to Don Hall,
Aaron Ziegler. Grant Cardone next up today. We've got Alan Haig, President of Haig Partners.
Alan, welcome to the show. Thank you, Sam. Good to be with you. We appreciate you being here and
sharing your perspectives on this Fourth of July weekend. Alan, what is the continuing strength
of dealership values? Tell us about the future of the dealer model in automotive as we think about
the next 50 years of the American automotive system. So, I looked at some of the risks that
have been talked about over the last, during my career in the business, and it starts back with
public companies, even before that, Japanese imports, German imports, then Korean imports,
electric vehicles, ad points, terrorist attacks, emission standards, natural disasters, fuel prices,
inflation, litigation, cyber, Amazon, oil embankments, Tesla, Korean imports, public
retailers, I mentioned that, strikes, agency model, autonomous vehicle, fuel economy standards,
subscription model, and the bottom line is, auto dealers are still making quite a lot of money
on average across this country. So, I think that it's going to change, but it'll still be a very
powerful, lucrative, and enduring industry in our economy.
We see a lot of consolidation. We see different threats to the industry. Do you think consolidation
strengthens the industry, or does it threaten the entrepreneurial spirit of local dealers and
small single points that have given back in interesting ways over the past decades?
I think it's both, Sam, because I think that the smaller dealers are watching what the larger
dealers are doing, and they're trying to figure out, you know, that term steel, sharp and steel,
competition makes us all better. So, if you see a public company coming up with a better website
than what you have, it's not too hard for you to call your service provider and tell them,
fix this, I need to be more transparent on my pricing, or I need to be able to deliver vehicles
to the consumer. So, I think that the better the larger consolidators do, it's going to enhance,
in some ways, the performance of the smaller retailers. Now, there are advantages that are
pretty powerful, some of the larger retailers, you know, where they can consolidate all their
inventories on one website. So, if you go to the Hendrick Automotive website, you look for Chevrolet,
they're going to have 20,000 new Chevrolets on there, you know, versus if you go to the
store out in the country, they might have 40. Those are powerful advantages. So, I think that
there are going to be some benefits of scale, besides just maybe saving some money on accounting
or IT, having that ability to transact wherever the customer is, however, with whatever,
those are powerful advantages that larger retailers have. But the smaller folks have
the advantage of really being connected more to their customers and more to their communities,
and that still matters to consumers. A lot of people want to shop with somebody they like
that might see them at church, they might see them at the ball park, they might see them,
you know, at Walmart buying a fishing rod. They still like that connectivity.
And smaller retailers can just respond faster. For instance, if a public retailer comes up with a
new policy, they want to implement. For them to go and train 200, 300 stores about a new policy,
that could take months or years, versus if, you know, you all are kind of, you've got a big
enterprise, but you're probably able to implement something within weeks or months. If you're an
individual, you can implement it tomorrow. So, the smaller you are, the faster you are. Yeah.
So, we talked a little bit about AI, and you were on the Cardiola Ship Guy podcast with
Yossi talking about the impacts of AI and automation and automotive from an economic standpoint.
How will that change the way cars are sold over the next 50 years? And how do dealers
looking to acquire new points or add points, how should they be thinking about the economic impact
of automation and AI in those valuations, Alan? It's a great question. I don't know that we really
understand it yet. You know, it used to be you'd go to the internet to gather information.
Now you're going there and it's telling you what you should do. You know, what's the,
what's the best midsize SUV, luxury SUV? Now it's telling you buy the Genesis G70 or buy the X5
versus before it would give you links, pay links to different resources. So, I think that, you know,
if you're in the auto sales world, probably need to be good at feeding AI models why the
products you're selling are desirable. And you probably need to make sure that your website or
your advertising or whatever you're communicating with your customers is hitting on the questions that
they're going to be asking their AI model. And so I'm a, I'm not an expert AI, but I can just
anticipate the way it's going to change. People already come to dealerships kind of knowing what
they want to buy before they choose. That's going to be where I think the best sales people are
going to be doing their business. Yeah, interesting. So on the first block with Don Hall, I talked about
Polestar being blocked from future U.S. sales. That's a big signal within automotive. From a
valuation and investment standpoint, presumably you may have sold or had a dealer who bought one
of those points. What does that tell you about the risk around the Chinese linked brands? And
should that be, should Polestar dealers be shut down in the U.S. this next year?
I mean, we feel bad for, you know, the Polestar people because we're friendly with them. We know
they built, put up millions of dollars, et cetera. So it's tough, kind of unfair
that they are penalized this way. They should have been given some exit ramp, some controls,
perhaps in the software. But this is a message to, to the Chinese government, I think in some
ways, and to American companies and other companies that they're not going to allow this industry to
wither and die the way other industries that we built over the years has withered and died. I
used to be furniture factories starting from Greensboro all the way up to the mountain.
Now there's some furniture stores and maybe a handful of kind of bespoke furniture makers.
But that industry got wiped out. And I'm sure my friends in the Midwest look around at the
factories and the warehouses and the train depots and everything else that are sitting idle and
saying that happened to us and whatever those industries were. So I'm a fan of what Senator
Moreno is saying, even though it's a little bit ironic that the US is now trying to wall itself
off in competition. I thought about my history. I'm not sure I have the names right, but I think
it was in the 1800s, the US sent a ship to China, an admiral, a navy to force the Chinese to open
their trade to, to the US and other markets. Force will be went and said, Hey, you got to
trade with us. Stop these trade barriers. And here we are, ironically, you know, 150 years
later doing the same thing in reverse. And we sort of shut down competition with the Walmart
model, right? Walmart companies went in through cheap pricing and cheap products and unified
pricing kind of drove out competition. Some of the mom and pop stores, this is sort of, it seems
to me what the Chinese are trying to do in a global marketplace, take cheap inexpensive EV vehicles
and just flood the market with it. And they've been successful. And some people say, Hey,
it's pretty decent product. But it's an interesting strategy from Senator Moreno to say, Hey,
we will never allow a Chinese vehicle to come into the US, even Polestar one that's built here in
the US, right, but owned by a Chinese manufacturer. Is it justified? Allen Hague.
Our economy, big part of our economy is from auto manufacturing, the supply chain that goes
into that auto retailing is a massive generator of wealth for entrepreneurs. And it makes me
a little bit concerned to think that we would open up this market totally to an industry that's
supported by a government that has hostile interest to ours. It's not the same as when the
the Germans came in the 1950s and the Japanese came in the 70s and the Koreans came in the 80s
and 90s. I don't think they were receiving massive subsidies and they weren't targeting our industry
and they didn't have software that could control the cars and everything else.
So I think Senator Moreno grew up in Ohio, you know, it's auto manufacturing hotbed and was an
auto dealer. And I really like one of the things that he said is he likes the notion that one of
his constituents could be single mom working at a Honda plant or some other factory in Ohio
and could provide a great living for her and her family. And that to me is what we stand to lose
if we have what I would say this new entrant coming that has perhaps some different objectives
than just making some money for their shareholders. Yeah, yeah. So I asked Aaron this, I asked Grant
Cardone this Don Hall, what advice would you give to a dealer coming into this automotive business
looking to buy a franchise dealership in 2026 about the next 50 years? What sort of advice would
you give that individual before we go into the roundtable next? I would say to start before
you buy the store and identify who your operator is going to be that we see such an incredible
variance and performance among same franchises, same market, different outcomes based upon who's
leading the organization. So despite AI and the other technologies that are available from our
friends at Cox and other people, the individual is leading the organization is still the biggest
determinant of success. So before you buy that asset, know whom you're going to be have running it
and maybe even consider making them a permanent partner by selling them a stake in the business.
That would be my advice to an acquirer or is make sure you start with the right talent that's
going to be sitting in that chair. Alan Haig, President Haig partners, thank you so much for
joining this 4th of July, Cardiola Ship Guy, Daily Deal Live Special. We're going to bring you back
as part of the roundtable. Thanks for being here sharing your perspectives today. My pleasure.
All right, what a great episode we've had so far talking about the history of automotive in America,
but more importantly, what does the next 50 look like? Let's go back to our roundtable wrap-up
today, this holiday special. Joining us again, Don Hall, President CEO of Virginia Auto Dealers
Association, Alan Haig, President Haig partners, Aaron Ziegler, President Ziegler Auto Group and
Grant Cardone, CEO of Cardone Capital. Welcome back gentlemen. All right, this is the lightning round.
Most American car ever. Aaron, let's start with you. What's the most American car ever,
in your opinion? Going with a Ford F-150. Grant, what's your choice?
Well, I had a 66 Mustang when I was a kid, so I got to stay with that.
All right, Don Hall, give it to us. As a young Marine, I had a Ford Pinto.
Oh, the explosion risk. Alan Haig.
Air, no air. That's right. I'm going to take us back to a previous century and say the Model T.
I think that's what kicked off our industry. Very good. What is the most American automotive
moment when we think about historically, the moment that might have defined automotive going
forward? Alan Haig, we'll start with you and then go, Aaron. It might have been the time I snuck
out of my parents' house and took the car a couple of years before I got my license. That's what
kicked off the auto industry for me. Very good, Aaron. I think Henry Ford creating the assembly line.
Yeah, very good. Grant? Yeah, that's where I'm at, Aaron. I thought, based on what Alan said
earlier, the assembly line, man, just automating things so that you have a system. Yeah. Don
Hall, I'm going to ask you a different one. What's the biggest threat to auto retail today?
Technology can be or could be, but the biggest threat is that sometimes we get caught up around
a little world doing what we're doing and not thinking about the bigger picture. We're in that
great business with outstanding opportunities. They got lots of folks on this today who because
of this industry, we have been greatly blessed and you too can be greatly blessed with the right
attitude, the right mentality and work your ass off. Yeah. Grant? Yeah, two things. Distractions
and the individual. Yeah. Yeah. Aaron, what's the biggest opportunity in June of 2026 in this
auto industry today as we move forward into the next 50 years? You know, it's funny because I
look at threats as opportunities and as the world changes, just embrace what's going on and be there
before everybody else out there. If you see things that others don't, that's the greatest
opportunity that you've got. During COVID, you saw the used car opportunity. Many said it would
crater, it didn't, it rocketed. Grant Cardone, what's the one thing people don't see right now
that's about to happen that represents a huge opportunity in automotive?
The one thing they don't see. Yeah. I mean, I think everybody again relies on,
you rely on some hack that's going to somehow get you through. Don mentioned the basics earlier. Guys,
the basics will always help you and people don't get good enough at the basics. So
go back to block and tackle. AI and dealerships, a weapon or a threat?
Opportunity to learn a lot, understand what the customers are reading, and then to be able to
dispel and or inform what the real world is or is not. One of the quick comment Grant made
this a minute ago, the FTC could be looked at as a very threatening thing. As Aaron said,
this is an opportunity. Negatives are opportunities if looked at properly. Wow, we get to redefine who
and what we are and get people that outstanding buying and service experience that they deserve
and they will have and people like Aaron will deliver that. Yeah, I think AI is a great opportunity.
If you learn from it, you embrace it and like what Don said, what's going on with the FTC,
I'm excited about it. It's going to improve the industry. It's going to improve the
dealer's relationship with the customers. It's going to take out those. There's very small
percentage of bad actors. Most dealers are great people out there, but it'll take out a few of
those bad actors and kind of put everybody on an even playing field going forward. You think about
AI. It's a really broad term out there. It seems like everybody's into AI. Everything is AI these
days. So you got to kind of decipher through it too and see what's really valuable and what's
just kind of the BS out there. But I think it's exciting times in our industry. One last question
as we wrap up, open to everybody. What's one thing dealers thinking about the next 50 years
should never stop doing? Something that's being done today that we should never stop doing?
Never stop loving your employees. Take care of your employees. They're going to take care of
you and create that world-class culture. And customers too, right Aaron? I think they take
care of the customers. They'll take care of you too. So I think make it easier for customers to
transact. I think that's one thing that AI could do in a way. And then at the same time taking a
mass amount of costs, compensation costs in particular, out of the dealership cost structure
right now because there's a big opportunity for dealers to make more with the same or fewer people.
A loved, respected, appreciated employee will make sure you have what Alan just said,
a very happy customer. Think long-term, Mr. Dealer, long-term take care of your people.
They will take care of your customers and you will have a great experience for the next 50 years.
Great. Yeah, community network with your, go ahead Alan.
No, please. A network with your community. It's still going to come down to prospecting,
keeping your funnel full. Who knows you? Who do you know? Who can you connect with? You got to
have deal flow. Yeah. Alan, did you have anything there? I was just going to say that Aaron is
doing an excellent job showing you that it's still possible for you to have 100 dealerships before
you said you want to retire. Oh yeah. Is that even going to be the number? Who knows? All right, so
yes, or more. So, hey to you, Don Hall, Alan Haig, Aaron Ziegler, Grant Cardone. Thank you so much
for being part of this July 4th. Everybody enjoy this fantastic and incredible weekend. So, thank
you for being here. Happy 4th, guys. Happy 450th birthday, everybody. Amen. Hoorah. I love it.
All right. Fun episode today. Thanks for being here on this holiday weekend. However, you're
enjoying the holiday. Enjoy it well. Go Coast Carson, host of our actually at the Juliet race.
And to you, our Daily Deal listening audience, thanks for watching Daily Deal Live. We break
down the biggest moves in the car business as they happen. Don't forget we're live here every
Monday, Wednesday, Friday. So, if this is your world, hit like, hit subscribe, turn on those
notifications so you never ever miss a beat. And we'll see you next episode. Thanks for being here,
everybody.
About this episode
Celebrate America's upcoming milestones with a forward-looking panel featuring industry heavyweights Don Hall, Grant Cardone, Aaron Ziegler, and Alan Haig. The discussion tackles the future of auto retail, debating whether the traditional franchise model can survive the rise of AI, direct-to-consumer sales, and evolving subscription models. A major highlight includes a sharp debate on the economic and national security threats posed by Chinese automakers entering the U.S. market, alongside a critical look at recent FTC regulatory pressures demanding greater advertising transparency from local dealerships.
Original notes
Today's show features:
- Don Hall, President and CEO of Virginia Automobile Dealers Association
- Alan Haig, President of Haig Partners
- Aaron Zeigler, President of Zeigler Auto Group
- Grant Cardone, CEO of Cardone Capital
This episode is brought to you by:
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