LIVE
Hello, and welcome to the Car Guy Coffee Podcast. This inner brew and
Drive Centrics DC twenty has been brought to you by our friends and partners at MXS Solutions, Fixed Ops, Digital and one Data and Analytics three two one, Ignissions, Shop, Smart Autos and NUE. If you want more brews
or you want to find out how to partner with the Car Guy Coffee Podcast, go to Car Guy Coffee dot com. Let's brew what's going on in
car guys and car gals. It's lu Ramirez, The Car Guys isprellinards subprime,
he wrote, and we are brewing solutions on the Car Guy Coffee Podcast live at Drive Centric headquarters, and we are having a good time with this solutionary right here, sister, how are you doing today? That's right who
We're excited right now, We're gonna have some fun. This is day two
and I'm gonna tell you something. This whole thing has been a great experience
so far. Yesterday was filled with education, great speakers speaking of one right
here's and just opping some great knowledge for other dealers to be able to take back to their dealerships and implement immediately and really make a difference, make an impact so fast. We have people here everyone from owners to vendors, so
I'm talking Internet sales managers are here. Everyone's here trying to get that little
extra edge, that little how can I use this product a little bit better?
And that's what I love about draft Centric is that they're performing, not performing, they're having people come in here and speak upon those types of ideas.
One thing that she did, she led the way with some of their current AI and stuff like. That's intelligent stuff. It's it'll blow your mind
how it works and how it can communicate with your customers even when your people are sleeping. That's when people want to be communicated with because not everyone's up
all day. Some people work all all day and then they sleep and they
wake up at night and hang out. So who's speaking with them? Right?
And I love that? So anyway, So actually, what to the
show? Yes, let's make an official everybody. Let's wake everybody up and
let the whole world know that we are excited to be bruined solutions with the one the only Anslee go we get start of the show. Thank you so
much. Now we can wake them up. Let's go, let's go so
ri and shine. How how are you doing? How are you enjoying this
event? Now you've completed your your your time on stage, You're completed your
breakout sessions. Now you're in Okay, now let's let everything go grow right?
How does it feel be where you're at right now? It feels so
good. I obviously love the team at Drive Centric. Have y'all ever seen
a happier group of employees like at a company? Yeah? Right, And
I don't know if that's real. This is like, this is like dealership
Disney right now? Do you know what? That's a great way of saying
it. Yes, it is. This is one of those special places like
I even when I walked in, I couldn't help you like what, Yeah?
This is so cool? Yes, yeah, show me more. I
want to see more? Can we play? And seeking you? That's how
cool it is? You could play? Had to see you could? So
if you're a leader in our industry, having these conversations, having these leading these different groups and pushing the thought boundary in so many different places, how does that set you up for success? Coming into a place like this to
be able to end do it like like a bunch of kids, Like we're at a playin like a jim Boree. You guys, remember, Yeah,
Okay, Like we're showing up to a Jim Boree and say, Okay, now you're gonna learn that business better jomp back out of the balls, you know what I mean? But how does it feel to just be able to
do it that way? Do your thing in this environment? It's so incredible
and I feel extremely blasted to be able to do this, right. I
show up every day for my teams, for people, for customers and just work hard and to see the results that have led through this journey and to be here today is nothing beyond what I could have ever imagined. But not
just that, like to help dealers move forward, right, that is where my passion lies is. It's for our dealers who are trying to understand.
I know I want to be how do I get there? And I've been
fortunate to work with some amazing teams throughout my career who have let me try these ideas out and play them and see them work and some don't always do, but you learned from it, right, That's so true? So I
get to teach them to my mistakes. Hey, Dealer's Car Guy Coffee podcast
and certified Solutionaries are honored to be part of even thank you. The solutions
they've been ruined for you to acquire more vehicles, advertise merchandise, and manage those vehicles has made them one of the most sought after dealer partners in the market. They are one of one hundred percent CEGC approved and when you visit
them at vinc dot com, you'll see a whole hill of beans where the reasons why t thank you, let's proven go. You know what, that's
the thing, like, I love that you're not worried about that. See
the thing about mistakes that are supposed to happen. If you're not making mistakes,
you're really not trying right, You're not pushing the envelope. You're not
really getting above and beyond what you should be doing. When we sit with
statusquo, you get statisquo with results. So what I love about what you're
doing is you push the envelope. You do take those mistakes, but you
take them with grace and you're like, cool, I learned something in here, now I just need to do it this way and guess what, Oh wow, that worked really great. And then you all of a suddenly sudden
have a great product, a great idea, a great way to be able to present your staff, your people, your community on how to purchase cars here and do it in the right way. And it's phenomenal what you talk
about and in the way that we get to communicate with our people. You're
open to so many different avenues, not just a traditional which you do agree traditional works, but I'm sure you also agree there's like we talked you talk about up on the stage, is AI is definitely a great supplement to be able to help out. It's not the cure, all fixall, but it's
definitely a way to communicate at the speed our customers are waiting them. They
don't want to wait hours, days, They want to get it in seconds, ten minutes, not in minutes. They're patients, yeah, they're patients.
Words then at ten minutes. And at the end of the day,
right, we have so much that we're asking our team to do when they're working with customers on the showroom floor, right, or they're staffing issues, or you have after hours your quests, and we just got to embrace the technology that's available to us because it's not going anywhere. So it was pretty
cool. Who else could say they were the first dealer to work with drive
centric on using GBT and their AI communication, right, Like that was our team and what we were able to do and build with this Tricentrick team.
It's pretty cool to see that technology in that space because I don't know very many dealers who are doing it and also sales teams who are open to it.
And that's the part that we have to be open minded about. That's
the way that Glenn Lundy described it yesterday is that it's gonna suck if you're changing over to a newsre and like it's gonna suck for a little bit because you have everybody as stretching, right, what are we doing? What his
entire speech was on, you're going to be the most comfortable right before you die, right, and that stop being comfortable. We have to embrace this
stuff if we want to be able to succeed and in any capacity everybody we're in service to people to help people, and there is an inconvenience that we take on and we're compensated for. Right, all of this works together for
the good and fusing together all of the thoughts behind the products, the people that are making these things come together. Yes, need to get your name
is Samantha, right, we need to talk you work with my cousin.
We'll talk to me Nicolain Arts, that's my cousin. Yeah, yeah,
so we'll talk to her a little bit. But yeah at drive Centric offices.
Right. I'm sorry all day I've been trying to lack her down,
but she's been busy, either in the class or something. And I just
because I realized that my cousin who lives in Virginia, who's a sales manager for Duncan Auto Group out there, she is the internet sales manager lead manager, and she's here getting education because they use drift centrinking. I thought it
was such a small worlds like, oh my god, so I had to go introduce myself. We said hello last night, h five, but I
haven't had a chance and didn't realize who she was. So anyway, that's
what's so great about being here is that you get to do those things and then you find out how small this world is, especially of people who are on this cutting edge, who are willing to risk it, who are willing to make mistakes and learn from it, but actually are smart enough to come here and learn from other people's mistakes that they share and that's powerful, and that's it's connection and that's family. Something that I think DC twenty with their
twenty group meetings like they have here and there in their way of getting dealers together to educate each other, it's needed everywhere. I think I encourage more
of you big vendors out there that are that have a great amount of dealers that you can connect together, get to get them together. I think the
more that you get people together better than the world is because we hold each other accountable, we love each other more, We teach each other, we push each other, we get inspired by others. Hey dealers, franchise and
independent, we have some great news for you and your number one sales pro your website. Partner with Team Mxcess. We have the ability to pull you
out of that cookie cutter marry go around and help your website and body what it means to do business with you from the highest quality productions of the most strategic optimization. We want to help you connect better to the ever changing market.
You will to you and your team to at least let us do a quick and free check up on your website. We can't wait to hear from
you go to team ms dot com back to the show powerful fun the other really fun cool thing that drive is doing. It's not everybody here's a drive
centric customer, right, and so when you think about that from I think even the vendor space, like you don't have to be a drive centric customer.
Just reach out to the team and say you want to come out here and they will welcome you with open arms to just see what we're doing and learning from each other. It's pretty cool. But to kind of go back
on the AI piece, we're talking about this tech that we're a little like hesitant, right, we're a little scared of this change. I have to
say, sells people, you have nothing to worry about, right, We need you. You are still as much a part of this as you were
before. It's just how can we help you let the AI go to work
for you. Our customers are using AI and every other aspect of their life.
Right, you go to any other customer service company that you're looking, you're working with, they're buying a product from, who are you going to talk to first? This is like a human condition. We do this on
everything because now we're at AI, but there's always whatever the new technology is there's always the man, we're not gonna need it. Man, I don't
want to learn it. Why are we going to learn it? Dang it?
I hate learning it? All right, I'm starting to learn it.
Oh man, this is trying to works a little better. Dang, I'm
really great at this. Man, How did we live without it? You
know what I mean? We go through these different stages on everything, and
the biggest thing about the automotive industry is on the side of being able to excel at the speed of technology, on the sales side of it, or even on the surface just connecting to customers has been the embracing of the new right, the embracing of what is taking us to the next level. Hey,
you know what, there's a little there's a faster engine. Let's put
that one in and see how much faster we can go. No, this
one's fine, you know what I mean. But it's really mild out.
I'm just saying stop. But when we get in the way of it,
and then we slow it down and we create description for ourselves that's unneeded and the industry doesn't need that. It's not fun and taking the technology that we
have, it doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to convert and to fun because that's the experience we're trying to convey to the customer rights.
Right, And Steve has this video that he puts out so often and just about any of the talks that I've heard from in he has a video load puts out. You were showing it to me to tell them a little
bit about what they're getting ready to see, because they would have to usually be at one of his presentations to see this video unless they're connected to the one that creates. Yeah. So, as y'all know, I was at
Walter Automotive Group for just shy of four years and very video centric mindset, me and Pete Winton. That's kind of what we've done for gosh, the
past maybe almost ten years, and so we came in we're trying to bring video to the team that just let them learn how to utilize it. And
that was one of the big reasons why we chose drive centric. Right.
It's so easy to send video and so what you're about to sea is a really awesome video. This was not scripted. We did not tell this salesperson
to do this, but we were encouraging ourselves people, be ourselves, have some fun, try to get engaged with your customers by video, and what you get is this awesome appointment confirmation that check this out. Yeah, be
this is Philip with Walls or Toyota. I'm just check in, really to
see if the car is still available. It looks like it's available on the
website, and it looks like the keys are here too. Just look at
good, Look at good? I hear it. How's it? That's whoa
we married it? I'll see you on eleven? What about that? How
easy was that? How fun was that? Right? Right? Who doesn't
want to buy a car from that guy? Right? Was he not having
a good time? Goodness? I want to meet him? Does he not
look like somebody that would hustle for you? That's what I'm saying. And
have a good time while he's doing it. Not like it's a pain in
the butt to go grab you a key and the cars there in steadies.
You know what, I'm having fun doing it. Let me show you how
much fun we're gonna have together, because that's the thing. This process could
really been so stressful. So when I'm there, I want to be able
to smile. I want to feel like somebody's gonna make me feel like everything's
gonna be okay. And that guy does that all day just with that one
video says so much. They say a picture says a million words, a
thousand words or whatever. A video says way more. So make sure you
guys get on that tip and start doing that because now inside of a video there's like millions of video pictures. So imagine how many hundred million pictures of
words right there. Yeah, but it's true though, Yeah, and we
forget like we think video, we're like, oh, video, walk around, I gotta do an introduction, walk around, No, get with your team, make a list how many different points in the sales process can I send a video after they leave their shows? It if they didn't buy a
car when they bought their car. Thank you, so many opportunities, And
we forget because we just get like in that it's gonna walk around, No, have some fun, be yourself. Our customers want to see humans on
the side of They have this mentality of what dealership and we know we've known this to achieve what we've been up against. Video is what helps you break
that barrier. We know you're doing the show so far We just wanted to
quickly remind you about our partners at fixed Ops Digital and how they are automotives premier service marketing and technology company not only crowd sponsors of the Car Guy Copy podcast, but they also served as you're dedicated point of contact for all your online service marketing related deeds servicing dealerships throughout the US and Canada. The mission
is to create a better online experience for your service customers while using data intelligence to drive more fixed operations revenue. If you want to take your service marketing
efforts to the next level, go to fix ops digital dot com. Back
to the show, Let's go and it's when we consume. That's what we're
doing today. Yes, it's what we consume is people. You're watching us
right now live on a webcast or on a replay of a webcast, but you're consuming content let's put out there for you. That's what you do for
your customers. But it's being done to you all day. So if you,
for those of you that are not using it, are not sending this stuff out, consider that the majority of our customers already communicate with just about everything that they do by way of video, and it's what they consume.
It's how they do it, whether it's YouTube, here, on social media, on any medium, that's how they consume. So it's just important that
if as sales professionals we want to connect to them, let's connect to them with that they need connecting to. I don't I never understood why there would
ever be a resistance to something when we knew that, when we knew that it was going to make us better, and we had proof of it making us better, I can understand. Nobody wanted to be the first one to
put themselves out there and get it. But when they start to see the
fire gets started around them. This sales pro just started working with and this
salesperson just started working. I started using my CRM right and all of a
sudden people started coming in. Wow, it's just the the epiphanies that happen,
and then the help that we can get the computer. They do this
task for us that takes my time, but simplified. I mean just the
fact that they're when as a leader or somebody else, when somebody's off, you can go in look at their notes inside of the deal and really be able to read what's happening, see every message that was sent, every video that was sent. Then now you can be caught up on what's happening in
the deal. You can be a day one manager. If you know how
to use drive centric walking inside, you can figure out every deal that's happening and be able to work it. It's powerful. It's not just here saying
how what did happen? No, you know what happens right there. Tools
like this are designed to make everything better, but most importantly for our clients because they need a seamless process and they are not getting that through most dealers out there, and even ones that are trying are still working on it, right, And that's okay. The biggest woman in the world is the room
or improvement and we all fit inside of it. And I'm so thankful that
people like actually are out there making differences not just inside dealerships, but with the women and automotive also. I know you're a big voice in that,
and I appreciate your voice in that. When we talk about the females being
in this industry, especially in leadership positions, there is still not enough.
People are just starting to get those opportunities. We're seeing them shine, right,
and so many women with WOCAN and we're talking about women of all different INDUS cities, just coming in and just showing you that all women are powerful, doesn't matter what color my skin is, where I come from, what I believe, we are powerful because we are right here in the mind I'm gonna tell you. And they'll organize all the time. Just being real.
But it's amazing what you're doing. You're a big voice for so many people.
There's a lot of people looking at you, and there's young ladies looking at you, young men looking at you that are like, one day I want to be like that. So it's phenomenal. It's phenomenal. Yeah,
I like, I'm so blessed. I just try to I'm me right as
even I'm not trying to be somebody else. There you go, and I
want to be the person that I wanted to look up to when I was here there right when I came in this industry, there weren't a lot of women that I could connect with. And it's so cool And I love what
Carrie Amanda Patris Erica have built with WOCAN and being able to represent them as one of their executive board members and serve our community of WOCAN, but we have over eight hundred members. Eight hundred members, and it's just beginning.
Yeah, I'm just saying it's just good. It's important, and it's everyone
should understand how important that is, and I think we all do. And
I think it's so great that there's representation out there and there's resources out there for you for BOCAN, and I think it's great. And they're building a
huge network and if you all haven't heard of it, go check them out there. Look, watch what they're doing, what they're about and support.
Support is the best thing you can do. Just do anything you can to
send the message out. It's important. Yeah, I mean we're constantly learning
this conversation. Everybody's trying to figure it out. We're growing in diversity just
all over, right, Like I just moved to Houston. I've been out
of Texas for ten years, and I'm learning, like the demographic in Houston and now Houston has grown so much that they are competing with Miami for the highest Hispanic buying power in the country, Houston and Miami. And I'm like,
yeah, so what should I be doing. I should be marketing more
to the Hispanic community. I should be looking at these people and they should
be coming into my dealership and seeing people that look like that. Quick question,
do you know what smart pixel two point zero Location, IQ and audience i Q haven't coming? You know I do. They are solutions that our
friends and proud sponsors and one Data and Analytics are brewing for automotive And once again you're right, my friend, and we want to invite all of our audience to go to m one hyphen Data dot com to see how they can help propel your business forward with the right data insight. Go check them out
at m one data dot com. Let's brew. Come on now back to
the show. Yes, and it's not just like them, look like them
and make them feel comfortable. That's the whole point. And really have resources.
I guarantee that there's AI out there that will speak Spanish to your customers if you haven't got that started yet, and then you can start looking for the employee'll get in use all these tools they're out there. They're amazing.
But you're right having it representation and used to as big and even with your lenders, your dealers out there, look for the right lenders for your customers.
You'll find that with them working in a lot of different ways that you have to be able to get their credit started. You get people use a
lot of great lenders that will help them. So it's important that you find
those lenders out there, right, And they're the most loyal customers. I'm
gonna tell you, they're just like I would say, I'm Asian, so I would say Asians the hardest wants to sell. And when I when I
was on the sales floor, but when you sell them, they loved you forever because they feel like you did a good job and they like people who do a good job. Now people who try to get by. Yeah.
And one of my closest friends who was my sales manager and F and I manager at the time when I was managing to BBC, Jen Parsons, who actually just one automotive uses forty under forty for walls, so shut up, shut up. But what Jen and I love to do is you would get
these customers, these stubborn customers, right and everybody's turning them away because of their credit, and we would work with them, we'd get them that approval.
We'd find those lenders that we're willing to work with us. We educate
them on their financial literacy because they just sometimes just don't have the knowledge.
And what happens, they're continuously coming back to us to buy, and they're sending their friends to us and everybody they know because they know who's going to take care of them. And you sound like that, So listener, stuff.
We have a process that we implement in all the stores that we work with that's very similar to that. It's very important that we do that.
When you talked about that video made me go hold on, secon'm an adam.
The process is not just giving them the first life pathic purchase looming, is that we have them send video afterwards and thinking that we're coming in, Oh my gosh, reminding them about that. That's powerful anyway, So I'm
being asparted. That's why we come those things, right, So you adding
things that I know can make better? Why not end up resting on what
we already know? Why not throwing up we could know? And that's huge,
And that's what we're watching. She does that and she leaves the way
with a smile all the time and everybody because remember, it is the most important thing that we can wear is be able to lead the way by way of your smile, and no matter what you got on, everybody can enjoy that smile. And she's always she's always ready. We can smile with these
guys. Ah, that's what's up. That's what I'm talking about, speaking
of smile with these guys. We have a lot more interviews that's going to
be happening today. And Ashley sparked off this fire today and it is gonna
be hot. I'm telling you it's gonna be hot. So stay tuned.
If you are just tuning in now, go back watch this, rewind, pause right, take that stare around, but make sure that you blow her up. Make sure that you thank her for her time. We did see
a few of you were in here today. How you doing, Russell Hollywood
Hill, Michael Burkholtz, he said, what up? Ashley and my brother
Joseph Michael Bell. Look at these amazing people. Love you, bro,
Thank you so much for checking us out today, and thank you everybody from Growing Solutions with us. I am lu Ramirez, the car Guy, and
I'm Frele Nark's Supreme Row and we have one thing to do before we say goodbye to all of you, and let's make sure that our friend Ashley over here drops some f bombs. Ready, let's go ahead and forgive focus,
fly loud and proud on three one two, three, forgets, slide and he growing keep growing. Thank you so much, everybody you've been brewing solutions
in the car guy called me podcast with the one he only Asleep. We
said it right, We appreciate you all, sting all, and we received you on the next episode. We're out.
0:00
23:31