A flat sales year means the dealership isn’t selling more cars than last year. When that happens, dealers have to work harder to turn leads into sales instead of just benefiting from a growing market.
The check engine light is a warning on the dashboard that something is wrong with the car. It usually means the car needs a computer scan or inspection before it’s fully ready.
“Past due on service” means the car is overdue for scheduled maintenance. That can lead to problems later and may require extra work before the car is ready to sell.
Guide Point Systems is a company that provides tools for car dealerships. The host mentions them because they help dealers run their sales process more effectively.
Wesley Chapel Honda is the car dealership Ferris works at. They’re using their own store as an example of how they increased sales quickly, even while the dealership was being renovated.
A “growth mindset” means believing you can get better over time by learning and trying. The episode uses it to explain how dealership teams stay focused on improving what they do.
Here, “inventory” just means the cars the dealership has available to sell right now. If the dealership sells more cars, it has to make sure those cars are ready so customers can see and buy them without delays.
This phrase means the car is prepared so it’s ready for a customer to come look at it right away. The goal is to avoid wasting time fixing simple issues after the customer shows up.
A “jumpbox” is a portable device that gives a car enough power to start when the battery is dead. Dealerships use it to get the car running quickly so the customer isn’t waiting.
A “test drive” is when the customer drives the car to see how it feels. If the car isn’t ready, the dealership may not be able to let them drive, and that can slow down the deal.
Here, “warranty” means the promise that the manufacturer will cover a repair or replacement. The host is saying the battery might not be covered if the dealer owns the car, so the dealer has to pay when the battery dies. That’s why it’s a real money problem for them.
DTC means Diagnostic Trouble Code. It’s a specific error number the car stores when something is wrong. Instead of just seeing a warning light, you can look up the code to find the likely cause.
This means the dealership tries to sell extra add-ons during the paperwork/financing step. The host is saying some theft-tracking gadgets get offered that way, but they may not help with diagnosing vehicle issues. The better system can help the dealer prepare the car before the customer arrives.
GPS is a satellite system that helps a device figure out where a car is. Some trackers use GPS to estimate mileage, but they don’t read continuously. If they check only every so often, the mileage estimate can drift and become inaccurate.
The odometer is how the car tracks how many miles it has. “True odometer” means the system reads the real mileage from the car, not a guess, so reminders can be sent at the correct time.
Battery health means how “healthy” the battery is, not just whether it has some charge right now. They check the battery’s charge level so they can prevent it from dying before the customer needs the car.
A beacon is a device that can send a signal so someone can tell where a car is. They’re saying a beacon by itself doesn’t tell you things like battery condition—just that it’s there.
"Vehicle health" means how well the car’s important systems are doing right now. If you can see problems early, you can fix them before they turn into bigger issues.
Vehicle reconditioning is what a dealer does to get a used car ready to sell—checking it over and fixing problems. The point here is that better information helps them catch issues sooner and avoid bigger repairs later.
A "dead battery" is when the car’s battery is so drained it won’t start. The discussion suggests that checking battery health ahead of time helps dealers avoid selling delays and extra reconditioning.
An "open recall" is when the car has a safety fix that the manufacturer says it needs, but it hasn’t been done yet. If the dealer completes the recall work, the car is considered cleared and ready to sell.
PVR is a dealership number that measures how much money they make per car from the finance/insurance side. They’re saying this product helps them earn more on each sale.
Stolen vehicle recovery is what happens when a car is stolen—there’s a way to help track it down and get it back. This product is presented as part of that safety net.
Real-time alerts are notifications that show up quickly when something changes or needs attention. The host is saying the system can warn you right away about issues.
Leslie Chapel Honda is the dealership name. They’re saying the customer app will show the dealership’s branding, even though the tracking/monitoring service comes from GuidePoint.
White-label means the app/service can be branded with the dealership’s name. So it looks like it’s the dealership’s product, even though the technology comes from GuidePoint.
These are automatic messages from a dealer that say, “It’s time to service your car.” Usually they’re sent based on rough schedules like mileage or time, not on what the car is actually doing.
They’re talking about the car’s actual mileage data, not a guess. That helps the dealer know when service is truly due based on how much you’ve driven.
This means the car is sending back information about how its systems are doing. Instead of guessing, the dealer can see warning signs or diagnostic data that suggest service is coming.
Outreach-based service is proactive dealer contact triggered by the vehicle’s actual condition signals, rather than waiting for a customer to call. It’s essentially shifting from “reminders” to “intervention” based on real-time or near-real-time data.
Here, “retention” just means getting customers to keep using that dealer for maintenance and repairs. The idea is that service visits are a big part of keeping customers loyal.
Concept
peace of mind
It means customers feel reassured—like the dealer is watching for problems early. The goal is fewer surprises and safer driving.
It means the dealer reaches out when something specific happens, not just on a calendar. For example, if the car shows a warning or needs attention, the dealer can contact you at the right time.
Low battery means the car’s battery voltage is getting weak. It can lead to starting problems, so the dealer can contact you before it becomes a bigger issue.
It’s about who gets to stay in touch with the customer over time. If the dealer has the vehicle data, they can contact the customer directly instead of the car maker or someone else doing it first.
A “leaky bucket” means customers are slipping away. Even if the dealership tries to bring people in, they’re losing them so quickly that growth doesn’t stick.
A “retention tool” is something a dealership uses to keep customers coming back for service. Instead of losing customers to other shops, it helps the dealer stay in touch at the right time.
A “60,000 mile service” is routine maintenance your car is due for around that mileage. It’s usually a checklist of inspections and services to keep the car running well.
Telematics is a system in a car that can report information to an app or a company using GPS and a wireless connection. Dealers may use it to help recover a stolen car or to keep an eye on the car’s condition.
In dealerships, the F&I/“finance and insurance” office is where they sell extra products along with the car. In this episode, they’re talking about how telematics is pitched in that office.
Silver Alerts are announcements that help find missing older adults. The point here is that location/vehicle monitoring can help families respond faster if someone is lost.
Theft recovery is what a connected-car service does to help after a car is stolen—usually by helping track it and guiding the response. The speaker is saying it’s more than just warning people to be afraid.
Lot management is how a dealership keeps track of cars while they’re parked for sale. The idea here is catching problems early so the cars are ready when customers come in.
State of charge is basically how “full” the battery is. The system checks it so dealers get warnings early, instead of finding out the car won’t start at the worst time.
An oil change is when the dealership replaces the engine’s old oil with new oil. They’re saying that after they start using the system for service, the first oil change is when improvements show up.
A conversion rate is how many people end up saying yes. Here, it means how many customers actually buy or accept the extra protection when the dealer offers it.
A fully connected dealership means the dealership uses connected systems to know what the customer needs and to reach out at the right time. The goal is a smoother experience that makes customers more likely to come back.
An AI solution is computer software that can do tasks automatically. In this case, it helps make sure customers get contacted instead of waiting for a person to remember.
A head start means thieves get a time advantage. Here, the idea is that if nobody responds right away, the stolen car can be gone for hours before help starts.
Data privacy means keeping customer and vehicle information secure. In this context, they’re saying their device is designed so the data stays private and isn’t leaked or shared without permission.
Stellantis is a big car company that makes brands like Fiat, Chrysler, Peugeot, and others. Here, they’re talking about Stellantis approving a device so dealers can use it safely and legally.
Battery drain is the amount of electrical power a device draws from the vehicle’s battery when it’s installed. The speaker claims their approved device has “the lowest pull on the battery,” implying it’s designed to minimize the risk of draining the car.
MOPAR is the official parts-and-accessories brand tied to Stellantis. The speaker is saying the device is an approved accessory sold through MOPAR so dealers can install it without warranty problems.
EVTS 2.0 sounds like a specific plug-in device for Stellantis vehicles that dealers can sell/install. The key points they make are that it’s approved, doesn’t harm warranties, and is built to protect customer data.
LIVE
Hey, everybody, welcome back to another episode of the car dealership guy industry spotlight.
I'm your host, Sam Dark, and here's a number that should bother every dealer listening in
a flat sales year. The cars you've already sold, well, they're worth more than the ones
sitting on your lot. And most of us, we have no idea what those cars are doing right now.
Check engine light came on last night. Well, we don't know customer past due on service,
we're guessing dead battery on the unit your salesperson's about to walk a customer to.
Well, you'll find out the hard way standing right next to that prospect. That's the gap we're
closing on today's show. Joining today's episode, Karen Shagnon VP sales guide point systems,
Ferris Hamden GM, Wesley Chapel Honda, who doubled sales volume to 400 units in a little over a year.
Props to guide point systems for supporting today's content. Now let's get into it. Ferris,
welcome to the car dealership guy industry spotlight. Thank you for having me. Good to have
you here. So Ferris, give us a quick picture of Wesley Chapel Honda. Talk about the team,
the volume of vehicles you sell and what you do day to day there, Ferris. Here at Wesley Chapel
Honda, I mean, it's all about the team first and foremost. I'm very fortunate to have a lineup of
absolute talent, extreme talent here at the store. So that goes a long way. We're very excited to
have the team that we built over in the past few years and developed and coached and mentored.
This team has done an incredible job almost doubling our sales volume in a short two years,
doing about 350 to 400 currently with upside for growth. We are currently going through construction.
So we've been able to do that while going through construction. So in about a month,
month and a half, I think it'll be a little bit more clear, but 350, 400 cars a month,
the team here does a great job at Wesley Chapel Honda.
Doubling your volume over that period of time, it is an astounding feat coming into 2026. I think
most dealers watching this would want to know what's one thing, what's one strategy that you've
implemented that has helped you duplicate or to double your volume in that short of time?
You know, again, it starts with the team. Having the right people that believe that it can be done
first and foremost is very important. If you have a bunch of people that believe that that goal that
you set or goals that you set are achievable, that's number one. You have to have the belief.
And then the mindset, right? Are we on a growth mindset? Are we on a fixed mindset? You know,
my team is on a growth mindset. So we're constantly talking about growth. What can we do better?
But, you know, for us, it was one of those things where we had an opportunity. We saw
this store needed some help in certain areas. And we came in and added additional value.
So one of the challenges in all of automotive right now is anytime you double volume, anytime
you sell as many vehicles as you're selling, it's the problem of making sure that inventory
is ready, that it's lot showroom customer ready when that customer
shows up on the lot to look at it. Talk to us about it. And I know we're here to talk about
making sure that vehicles are prepared the day of. But before you implemented today's solution,
talk to us. How often were you discovering inventory problems only after the customer
was standing on the lot? And what were the most common problems that you were finding? And what
was the cost of that? I'm assuming there's probably a lot of people here that could relate that
are listening, but we had that problem more times than we'd like to admit, you know. As far as
readiness, it's very important. You have a customer that goes online, potentially picks out a vehicle
that they're interested in, and you don't know where they're coming from. They could be in your
backyard, it could be local, they could be coming from an hour, hour and a half or further. So
having that vehicle prepped ready for them is very important. There were times customer would
show up after hour and a half drive, go find the car, take a little bit of time to find the vehicle,
and then they find it with a dead battery. And then we're sitting there kind of twiddling our
thumbs like, okay, now we got to go find a jumpbox, go make sure the vehicle start and you start the
vehicle you find out it's low on gas, can't take a test drive, you know, certain things like that
slows the deal down. It doesn't get the customer too excited, it kind of gets rid of that positive
momentum. And you know, customers want a great experience, they want to go to that vehicle,
they want speed and efficiency, they want to be able to test drive the vehicle and not have to
wait hours and we're in Florida. What city in Florida are you? Tampa, Florida. Okay, you're in
Tampa. Okay, let me be afraid that we're in West Sea Chapel, Florida in the Greater Tampa Bay Area.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's beautiful there. So you've got all the benefits of the weather, but right,
you know, a customer drives from Naples or they drive from Orlando or wherever else they want
to see that vehicle ready. What was the moment where you said, hey, vehicle condition can't be
a question anymore for our customers? When they show up, we've got to know we don't have to jump
that vehicle because to your point that you lose credibility in that moment, you got to grab the
jumpbox because then, hey, if the battery's not fresh and ready to go, what else is wrong? And
it doesn't put the best foot forward in all of automotive. What was the moment you said enough?
Like, we need to find a solution for this. I mean, it just happened too many times. I mean,
at the end of the day, when you lose one car deal over a dead battery, that's enough. That's really
enough for me. At the end of the day, you know, you want to get the customer a truly exceptional
experience. You got to make sure the vehicle's ready when they show up. So, you know, for me,
it was a continuation of, you know, constantly having vehicles with dead batteries and or
low fuel and we are, you know, it's a very, we're a landlocked store. So, we don't have much land,
much parking. We have four lots that we utilize. So, we can't miss a beat when it comes to making
sure that vehicle is ready for the customer. Battery, good, tank, full, test drive ready.
Enter Karen with guide point. When your team got the call from Ferris and his team and said,
look, we've got a problem. We're trying to double our unit sales. We're trying to make sure that
every customer when they show up on the lot sees a vehicle that is ready to be presented,
that is in its best state. You said, hey, I think we have a solution for that. Walk
us through what the solution was when Ferris and his team reached out. Well, first off,
I'm sure Ferris didn't reach out with the best kept secret in the industry. So, I'm sure Christina
went knocking on his door. And what our team does is we really want to go in and find out what
problems they have. Because if we're not solving a problem, there's no reason to implement what we
have. So, I'm sure Christina went in there, started talking about the lot and how much money they're
losing. The average dealer is losing three to 10 deals a month on vehicles not ready. This is a
stat. This is not my information. This is industry information. You know, as Ferris said, one deal
is enough. We find dealers today. Batteries are not covered by warranty if the dealer owns the
vehicle. That's money they're eating. So, there's a hard savings there as well. So, when we start
talking to them, when we find, you know, they've got dead batteries or, you know, a customer goes up
to a vehicle and there's a DTC or check engine light. Guess what? We're alerting them and telling them
How are you getting that? Because there are a lot of GPS devices out in the marketplace. A lot of
them are focused on theft and that can be upsold in the finance department to provide value for the
customer. Not many have the ability to pull those codes and give that view into the health of the
vehicle overall to Ferris's point to be able to prepare and make sure that that vehicle is ready
for the customer. Unlike others, we're actually reading the health of the vehicle. We actually
read the canvas. So, we're getting a lot of notifications from the vehicle on the health of
the vehicle. Some of the main ones that we get and that we're acting on for dealers today are the
check engine lights. We don't just see that there's a check engine light. We actually get the DTC codes
and the description of what those are. So, the dealership is very aware of what's causing that
issue for that customer or what's wrong with the vehicle on the lot. We also see true odometer
and this is actually a game changer. A lot of other companies out there will say that they're
given the mileage that they can tell them what it is, but it's based on GPS. And when you think
about that, the device is not reading that vehicle all the time. It reads it every few minutes,
sometimes maybe it's 90 seconds, a minute. That car makes turns. So, every time it reads it,
it's like the crow flies. So, you're actually missing the actual distance traveled. So, over time,
this builds up. So, over time, you can be 10 to 20% off. So, when you're using that to remind
customers, you're not actually necessarily reminding them at the right time. And that's
crucial if you want to get that customer back. If you're off 10, 20%, you may be sending those
reminders too late. Ours is actually reading the true odometer so we can make sure that those
notifications go out at the right time. We also read fuel levels. That's crucial for the lot. If
you've got someone coming for a test drive and there's no fuel in the vehicle, you can fix that
before that customer gets there. Also, customers can sit on their vehicles after it's sold. So,
they can make sure, you know, if you've got a daughter driving a vehicle, she's got gas in
the car before she leaves. And you can make those reminders to put gas in. Battery health.
We don't just look at whether a battery is charged. We actually get the state of charge
for that battery, which is about the health of the battery. So, making sure that we're able to
allow dealers on the lot to replace batteries or charge the batteries before they get to a crucial
level where they have to be actually replaced, saves the dealers a ton of money. Those batteries
are not covered by warranty. So, you know, an average dealer, often they're losing 10 to 20
batteries a month before they come on board with us. And after they come on board, that's reduced
down to 80% reduction in general. So, there's a lot of savings there. So, these are just some of
the areas where we make a difference and how reading the health of the vehicle is different
than just getting some, you know, having a beacon on the car. So, Ferris, take us on the lot with
what Karen's sharing. So, she brought you the solution. You implemented it to help prepare
the vehicles better for the customers they came in. What did you see on the lot when you
plugged these in and started having that visibility to the data on the inventory sitting there?
I mean, it was like magic. I mean, everything started kind of flowing instantly, you know. At
that point, I had less issues with vehicles. I really don't hear any more about batteries being
dead, vehicles needing fuel, customers leaving because they didn't want to wait for associate
to find a vehicle because, you know, again, we use four lots here. We have two lots that store
one lot for new cars, another lot for used cars, and then we have a lot for employee parking.
And, you know, it's a drive. It's not like you can walk to those lots. You have to physically
drive to those lots. So, that's a little bit of time in itself and speed and efficiency is very
important to us. So, now we have the ability to just snap the finger, check the health of the vehicle,
make sure everything is in line, have the vehicle up front and ready when the customer arrives,
and they're taking that test drive, having a good time doing it and saving a lot of time.
Are you able to somehow quantify, because it seems to me to Karen's point, if you're able to
address a problem before it becomes worse, so a battery that's slowly going down or a mechanical
issue before it fails, are you able to quantify the impact of used vehicle reconditioning or
damage of having the data and the visibility into the vehicle health?
You know, absolutely. I mean, I would fair to say, as far as in terms of volume, it's helped
prevent us, you know, it's probably saved us. I would probably say 15 to 20 deals a month,
you know, not just in regards to dead batteries, but you know, knowing other things about the vehicle
that could be something a set off for that customer that they just see and
open recall. Oh, you know, I don't want a vehicle that has open recall. Well,
you know, that recall has now been corrected and it's no longer a thing. So, it's the vehicle is
absolutely ready to sell and it just gives that customer that peace of mind. So, you know, I would
contribute at least 15, 20 sales, maybe more because we have the ability and then our situation
is a little bit different because, you know, we have those offsite lots where we have to go grab
sometimes the inventory. So, having that ability to know it's either on this main lot or on one of
those other lots and the vehicle is ready or not ready is very important. So, Ziggler, we have a
GPS based device as well and it helps us do management, helps us track vehicles. To be fair,
we don't have that level of access to vehicle health in terms of codes. So, props to you for
having that. I would think that would help minimize some recon cost, help catch problems before they
become worse. One thing that has been a huge advantage to us is the ability to offer the
protection we get on the lot to our customers in the finance office. Talk to us about how
GuidePoint and this product, having that visibility and tracking has helped increase
PVR in the FNI office today. So, GuidePoint, I mean, it's been a real game changer for us in the
finance office. It gives our FNI team a high value customer friendly product and it directly
boosts our PVR. Things like the GPS tracking, stolen vehicle recovery, even the vehicle health
monitoring and real-time alerts for maintenance, battery fuel, et cetera. I mean, I can keep going
on. It fits right into the FNI process. You know, it's positioned as peace of mind and protection
for the customer. It's not just another add-on and then our customers love it because it keeps
them connected to their vehicles and it helps them also avoid breakdowns if it happens themselves or
even theft issues. Yeah. Yeah. So, what percent of customers in your finance offices say,
hey, I want to have that protection as well? What's the pen rate in your store?
I would probably say we're about 70 percent. Pen rate?
Our customers see a lot of value in the product for sure.
Yeah. And is there a process? So, obviously, the salesperson uses it to show the customer
where the vehicle is. Is there an app? Is there some sort of a consumer side of this where
the salesperson can demonstrate that to the consumers they're going out to find the vehicle?
Absolutely. There is an app and the one thing that I liked about with GuidePoint and we're
still in the process, but not only having that app where the customer can, when they take
delivery of their vehicle, they have the ability to kind of see the health of their vehicle and
the status. But with GuidePoint, we're going to be able to white-label that app as well to have
our own personalized Leslie Chapel Honda. So, the customer knows it's Leslie Chapel Honda powered
by GuidePoint. So, it's a very user-friendly. The UI on it is very simplistic. I love it.
That was one of the main reasons we decided to move forward with GuidePoint.
Yeah. Yeah. So, you've got real-time vehicle health data on cars you've already sold.
What does that open up for you on the customer retention side, Ferris?
I mean, that's the part I am really the most excited about. You know, as of right now,
we're sending automated service reminders, time-based, mileage estimates, the standard stuff.
And it works, but it's pretty, it's a blunt instrument and you're assuming the average
customer and you know, at the end of the day, we all know what happens when you assume.
What gets me is the data is just so much better. It's already sitting there.
Every vehicle we've sold is transmitting real mileage, real health signals, instead of just
guessing when someone is due for service. So, we know instead of finding about a check engine
light when they call us, we're going to eventually know in advance. So, that shift, we are definitely
looking forward, you know, moving from reminder-based estimates to outreach-based on what actually
happening in the vehicle is going to be absolutely game-changing.
When you talk about retention in a service department, which is there's two big games
in automotive today, I would say. Finding that perfect used car, it's a tough game today in
2026. And then retaining that customer, the service department. We had the service director for
LongoToy, the largest Toyota dealership in the United States on the show. And he said,
by the time a customer has called you for service, you've already done them wrong. He basically said,
the future of automotive is we'll outreach to the customer with their need before they ever
need to call us. There's no need for hold in 2026. This is awesome because you truly know when that
check engine light pops on and then you're able to outreach to that customer. What do you think
that ability will open up for you? I know it's something that is being developed right now and
you're working towards that. What will that open once you're able to do that? I mean, for us,
I feel like as an operational standpoint, I feel like that's 100% game-changing because now we
in advance know that there could be a potential issue for our guests and our customers. And for
our customers, it's peace of mind because now they know their dealer that they purchased their
vehicle for is going to make sure that they have a safe and reliable vehicle. And if they
miss something, because we're busy in our day-to-day and things happen. And I think about this situation
with my own wife. She's non-stop. She's always moving around, driving a lot. And I could tell
you she definitely has a service that's due right now. And if I didn't personally go and check,
she would have never called me and said, hey, let's bring the car in for service. So having
the ability to be ahead of it, being able to reach out to that consumer and being like, hey,
listen, we see that you have a check engine light. We want to be ahead of it before it turns into
something that could be worse or we see that you're due for this, that and the other. I feel
like that would give the customer peace of mind. And it's just going to make things a little bit
more convenient. We can take loaners to them, pick up their vehicles. We offer a whole plurithra
of opportunities to make our customers have a very convenient experience with us.
Karen, give us your thoughts from GuidePoint's viewpoint on this. It's a game changer really
in the industry to be able to practically reach out to the customer first before the need arises.
Absolutely. One of the things that GuidePoint always does is we listen to our customers and
we're always looking at the industry, seeing where it's going and what's important. And we know that
this year, they're predicting it being flat when it comes to car sales. Dealerships are going to
have to make up that money in fix ups. So having a solution and this is part of our base system.
This isn't an add on. You don't pay extra for this. When that customer leaves, you being the dealer
that has obviously sold that car, we are providing that information to you and only you.
So whether you act on it. So this is there now. It's just dealerships as they implement the solution.
We do so much that often you have to do it in phases. First, we're going to get that lot
management going. So we're able to sell more cars. We start working in FNI. We have a customer
success rep that regularly goes and visits the dealership to make sure that they're doing everything
the right way, training new people because we know turnover happens in dealerships. So we want
to make sure that that knowledge is there. And then, you know, with Ferris, we're getting to the
point now it's okay. Now let's take it that next stage. Now let's incorporate service. Let's make
sure, you know, whether it's a BDC, whether it's service advisors, whoever we want or the manager
to get those notifications. And of course, Ferris can get whatever reports he wants sent to him
to make sure that people are doing everything they need to do. But it's that next stage. People
expect more. They want that customer service. So Karen, it's interesting too to me, you know,
many dealers today in 2026 are doing this type of condition based outreach, but it's typically
provided by the OEM. So it's data provided by the manufacturer, which they want to bring that
customer back to another Honda store in Ferris's case, not necessarily Ferris's Honda store. He
wants it back at his own store. So what kind of competitive advantage does it create in 2026
to have that data in Ferris's hands versus OEM or anyone else? And he's able to amount a campaign
to get that customer back. Well, usually when we're doing this outreach from the OEM, it's based on,
as Faiz said earlier, estimates. How much do we think a customer, one customer could be driving
500 miles a month, the next one 2000 miles. How are you reaching out to them at the appropriate time?
And when it's sent from the OEM, the OEM's goal is to keep them loyal to Honda, not necessarily
to Ferris. So having that information going direct to the dealer. And again, we never sell
this information. We don't provide it to anyone else. There's no third parties. That data is theirs
and theirs alone. So they get the ability and most of the time, so if they're within 500 miles,
they can set up alerts. We have alerts set up for going out based on actual miles.
So then they and DTC codes, check engine lights, low batteries, they get the alerts every day.
So when that customer is looking at that check engine light, if there anything like me,
I put gas in my car, I wash it, that is all I want to do. I leave the dealership to do everything
else. A check engine light, I don't even know if I can drive the car. That reassurance in that call
makes all the difference. Ferris, what does it mean to your team that that data
that Karen's talking about, it stays with you. No one else is calling your customer's force,
not another Honda store based on a guess. You're able to reach out based on hard data that is
relevant in the moment. It means we actually own the relationship. I mean, there's a real
concerning industry about who owns it. Yeah. OEM, is it the platform, third party vendor,
or the dealer? You know, a guide point is clear. The data that comes off the customer's vehicle
comes to me, not to some aggregator who's going to sell it back to me or use it as a route to my
customers or to route my customer somewhere else. That's not a small thing. That's the difference
between having a retention tool and having a leaky bucket. You know, we prefer the retention tool.
So one thought I think a lot of dealers will have listening to this is what are the data,
what are the privacy concerns on behalf of the consumer? How do you assure the customer that
you're having access to this, serves them the best, and it doesn't create a concern about,
hey, you're tracking me or you have a visibility into my vehicle. I don't want you to have. How
do you protect that privacy for the customer, Karen? Well, first off, we may be getting the
codes, but we are not tracking the vehicle. No dealer has access to where any vehicle is.
That's a good point to note. We are not tracking any vehicles. But having that data helps the
customer. And I think in FNI, it's about telling that story. Hey, guess what? We're not only,
it's transparency. You talk to the customer, they know we're not tracking the vehicle,
but guess what? If we see that you're getting a low battery, we're going to reach out to you.
We want to save you money. We want to have it that you can get that charge without having to
replace. If you've got a code or a check engine light, we can reach out to you and say, hey,
we've got the DTC codes. We've got a good idea of what's causing that problem. We can reassure
them. If they've got a trip to go on, can I still go on the trip? Or do I need to bring it to the
dealership right now? A lot of times, they're looking at that. A lot of times, you get in the
car in the morning that lights on, you try and call the dealership. Every service advisor is
helping a customer at that time. Getting somebody live isn't always as easy, depending on how
appointments are managed. I would imagine, Karen, in the subscription agreement, the customer signs
as they go through FNI, there is a sharing agreement that outlines it all. It protects the
dealership, also protects the customer and clarifies exactly what that looks like. To Ferris'
point, your wife has a due service. She's better served by having your store reach out and say,
hey, look, your 60,000 mile service is here. Here's the challenges. If you don't do it,
here's a slot that's available to you. If you do, would you like to come in for that?
Not having to call. I always cite the CDK stat. 25% of service calls coming into a service
department automotive in 2026 are put on hold. Of those that are put on hold, the average hold
time is nine minutes. Our customers are served horribly. This is a great tool. It occurs to me
that it's a little bit of a competitive edge, so long as nobody else gets it. There's probably
going to be a short window where you've got that competitive edge. How do you maximize on that Ferris
in May of 2026 before everyone else gets it? You retain that customer early and first?
I mean, we're definitely taking advantage of it. I mean, I'm sure once this podcast goes
live, you know, probably get a bunch of calls. The guide point wanted to get some more information
regarding the product, but at the end of the day, it's really about just getting to that customer
first, having the ability to get to my customer first, and being able to let them know that,
hey, we got your back. We want to give you peace of mind. If you have that trip planned,
hold on. Let's make sure we get your vehicle right in time before you go keep you and your
family safe. So, you know, we just, it's all about caring at the end of the day. You know,
transparency and truly caring about the customer and making sure that, you know,
you're handling any concern that they have. So, Karen, how does having this technology
change the conversation in the FNI department? Because it does occur to me, selling telematics
as a retention tool, that's very different from selling it as GPS or stolen vehicle recovery.
Well, in the FNI office, when you're selling it as a theft device, it's about it's about fear.
It's about something that might open, but most of the time doesn't happen.
Whereas every vehicle needs to be maintained. Every vehicle needs to come back to the dealership,
needs to keep it in tip-top condition. And I think about in the FNI office, there's,
you know, we see silver alerts on the side of the road all the time, you know,
it's an older person that they don't know where they are. So, obviously, if you can have family
members that are monitoring the vehicle health of their parents, the vehicle health of other vehicles
that maybe they're not paying attention to. So, helping keep other members of the family safe,
because, you know, maybe the daughter has a car and she's not very good at making sure she's got
fuel in the car before she's going somewhere. Dad can see that. So, it gives more, more value
to the solution. Gives a lot more value. So, you can provide them something that's,
hey, this is going to do this. But by the way, if your vehicle does get stolen,
we do have theft recovery too. Instead of it being just based on something that is only
a fear type situation. Yeah. So, you're not just playing on fear. You're actually playing on
a tool that will help them better maintain their vehicle throughout the life cycle. So,
you've got the prevention against the theft, but you've also got incredible insights into
the vehicle that most people just simply don't have, which then leads me to the question,
Ferris, if there's a dealer watching this and I'm in that same bucket saying, hey,
we already have a GPS product. We already have a device we sell in the finance office. It
delivers great value to the customer. What do you say to them about this guide point product that
gives you telematics into vehicle health more in depth than I've seen in other products?
I mean, the first and foremost, I'd ask yourself one question. Can your current product tell you
that the customer's check engine light came on last night? Can it tell you the exact mileage
on the vehicle right now today at this moment? Can it tell you which cars on the lot have a
dead battery before the customer walks up? And if the answer to any of those is no,
you don't have what I have. GPS is not really just telematics. Location is not vehicle health
and a tracker is not stolen vehicle recovery with a warranty behind it. So, there's my answer
in a nutshell. I like it. So, and how did your team adapt to the workflow once the data
was flowing in? Once you started seeing it and getting it? They were extremely excited at that.
You know, in the very beginning, we're getting acclimated to things, but once we had the system
up and running and everything was running smooth, you could see the flow was different.
You know, the processes were being followed a lot more with fluid. It was just smooth
transition in all cases. It just made the sales team a lot happier because they just have a lot
more insight on having that vehicle prepared. It's so interesting to me because to the point
and kind of the theme you've been pulling out of this, the sale, when we saw a car, it is the
beginning of the relationship. It's not the end, right? We put a lot of energy into closing the deal.
You've doubled your close rate in a very short period of time selling an astonishing number of
vehicles. And what's interesting is the biggest play in automotive today is retention. And with
the start of this sale in finance, you're retaining that customer because you're continuing to serve
them through, which is pretty interesting to me. So, Karen, let's turn to you. When a dealer calls
you up and says, hey, I want the same visibility, what does that onboarding process look like?
We send a team out. And we usually, they're dependent on the size of the store, two to three
days to a week, longer if need be. Dealers generally are putting the device and every vehicle on the
lot. So, we'll bring out installers too. If the dealership would rather use their own people,
they can use their own people, but we will load the lot, make sure every vehicle is working.
We train everybody in every department. Usually while we're there, we start seeing sales in FNI.
It's not down the road. And you see an immediate improvement when it comes to lot management.
When we first put them on, they're going to see it go, wow, because they're going to see all of
this information of all the things that are wrong on the vehicles, but it gives them the ability to
fix that. Once they are on top of that, then it's very little every day. You're going to still
have things happen. Vehicles sit on a lot, sometimes for a few weeks, sometimes a few
months, depending on the dealer. And things happen to vehicles in that time. So, having that
visibility and when we talk about dead batteries, we're actually looking at state of charge because
we're reading the vehicle health. It's not just on whether that battery is charged. It's actually
the health of that battery. So, getting those alerts before it drops to the danger zone,
where it's too late to fix, really does eliminate that. And then when it comes to service,
if they implement that side, really that first oil change, you start seeing the results. Because
if you get that customer back for that first oil change, the 70% more likely to come back for
additional service work. So, getting that first appointment and reaching out at a relevant time
is really important. So, Karen, you're up and running. Ferris has called you. I don't think
everybody can expect to double their unit sales as Ferris did. Ferris is in a unique position.
He's built the right team, created the right culture, and he's just crushing it. What should
a dealer expectation look like a year in? What does success look like? What are the metrics
dealers should be watching in 2026 when they get visibility to the data and they start tracking
inventory condition and health? Well, first off, start looking at what were we losing for batteries
a year ago compared to now. First off, you'll see, I've not had a dealer yet that hasn't seen a savings
on when it comes to replacing batteries. Looking at how many cars you're selling, how many car
sales, like Ferris said, he could upwards of 20 deals a month. How many car sales were you losing
before? Because that vehicle wasn't ready when that customer came to the lot. You know, in FNI,
you've got a solution that has more value. You're not just selling a theft warranty,
it adds more value. So you can get those 70% conversion rates like Ferris in here store has,
because he's adding more value to the customer. And then in service, obviously in a year, you're
going to see, we see an average dealership, a 10% increase in service, and that's just on the
low end. We don't have as much data yet because we're moving customers through this side of the
program. But you can expect to see 10% increase just in following up relevant times and being the
first to get in touch with that customer when there's an issue with that vehicle.
So Karen, as we wrap up today, give us a view of the industry. Where is the industry headed as it
relates to this fully connected dealership? What will things look like three years down the road
from your perspective? Three years down the road from now. I think there'll be a lot of changes.
I'm not going to sit here and try and predict what all of those changes will be. But we know that
customers are already expecting more from dealers. That customer experience is so important. They
can leave reviews anywhere. So making sure that that experience is better than the other dealer
is going to be huge and that will continue to grow. Also, data privacy is going to continue to be a
big thing for dealers. We're already seeing a lot of focus on that today. What I can tell you,
some of the things that we're doing now to prepare for what we're already seeing happening,
we're about to pilot a solution that will automatically follow up on these alerts that
we're providing dealers and also reach out to customers for reminders by voice and by text.
We know that dealerships today, they want to do these things, but we have less people in a
dealership doing more tasks. So even if we set a customer up with this or a dealership, yes,
I think they'll get most of them. They'll be making the calls, but there's always going to be the odd
one or two that get missed. We're going to have an AI solution that's going to make sure 100% of
customers are touched every day. We're going to have reporting on this so you can see the appointments
that were made from this. And also, we're going to be able to show you the show rate of those
appointments as well. So that's the next thing that we're rolling out. We're about to pilot that
in the next month. We're also rolling out, because we do listen to our customers, a theft warranty
for the dealership. So for those vehicles on the lot, if that dealer has a loss, we're going to
have a theft warranty of up to $10,000 that will cover what they're out, that they're deductible
from the insurance company. So I think a lot of our customers have asked for this. So that is
something that we're actually rolling out right now. And I think another thing that we have that
other ones are not doing and I think is important, theft is not going away. But a lot of times when
there's a theft, especially at the dealership level, it happens in the night. Those alerts go out,
but unfortunately, people are sleeping or they're not acting on them and they're not acting on them
until the next morning. So that theft, they can have a six hour head start on us even notifying
the police and starting tracking that vehicle. What we offer now, we actually have what we call
advanced stolen vehicle recovery. We can offer dealers and any companies out there a 24 hour,
seven days a week monitoring of their lots or their fleet of vehicles if it's a fleet customer.
And we will actually take over that. And if a vehicle stolen in the middle of the night,
we're going to be on top of that, we're going to be talking to the police. We actually can see
things that happen that might alert us to a theft that might be happening and alert before it actually
leaves the locked. So I think these are areas that where our company is reacting to what we're
seeing in the marketplace and what customers need. I think the other thing, like I say,
data privacy, that is absolutely important. One of the things that we have as a guide point,
we are actually the only authorized provider for Stellantis. So with that, we had to our devices
had to be approved from Stellantis engineering. So we have the lowest pull on the battery than
anyone else in the industry. We've been approved by MOPAR. So we're actually a MOPAR part, our
EVTS 2.0 solution is actually bought through MOPAR for Stellantis dealerships. It's an accessory,
an approved accessory on the car. So we know that it's not going to void any warranties or have any
issues that some of the other devices do have. And it's going to help the dealer also hit their
rewards. So this counts in a couple of areas on the rewards, accesses, accessories and loyalty,
and they can use this to help them gain the rewards that they get from MOPAR based on volume
of sales. But we continue with having that relationship to have to hit a high standard
when it comes to the actual quality of our device, as well as our data integrity and
making sure that our data isn't shared with anyone else and isn't exposed. We also do business in
Europe and Europe is a lot further along when it comes to some of these privacy requirements
and we're also aligned with what Europe is doing today. So those things make it that our solution
is a lot more secure. Our data privacy is absolutely crucial to us keeping that relationship with
Stellantis. So every customer from every OEM gets to benefit from the fact that we have that OEM
certification that we have to continue every year to hit that new level of security that's required.
Well, Ferris, congratulations on your success. Congrats on doubling the sales and also meeting
the customer where they want to be in terms of being able to provide them insight into their vehicle
in a way that is truly unique and for bringing the solution to us and our audience.
Ferris and Karen, thanks so much for being on the Cardiola Ship Guide and History spotlight.
Thank you.
You're having us. It's been a pleasure.
About this episode
Dealers can lose real money when inventory isn’t ready—especially when “Check engine light came on last night” or “we're guessing dead battery on the unit your salesperson's about to walk a customer to.” The show argues that growth and higher volume make “lot showroom customer ready” harder, costing “three to 10 deals a month.” The solution centers on connected vehicle visibility: “We actually get the DTC codes,” plus alerts for “state of charge” and true odometer so issues get fixed before customers arrive. It also ties into F&I add-ons and proactive outreach.
In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Karen Chagnon, VP Sales at Guidepoint Systems, and Ferris Hamdan, General Manager at Wesley Chapel Honda, to discuss why most dealers are operating blind — unaware of which vehicles on their lot have a dead battery, a check engine light, or low fuel, and equally unaware of what's happening inside the vehicles they already sold, data their manufacturer sees but doesn't share with them.
Ferris walks through how Wesley Chapel Honda nearly doubled sales volume to 400 units a month, and credits real-time vehicle health visibility with saving an estimated 15 to 20 deals per month. Karen reveals that the average dealer loses three to 10 sales a month to vehicles that simply weren't ready when the customer arrived, explains how the same data drives a 70% attachment rate in the finance office, and lays out why dealers who rely on manufacturer outreach are handing customer relationships to an entity whose loyalty is to the brand, not the store.
This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Guidepoint Systems.
Topics:
03:30 One Dead Battery = One Lost Deal.
04:00 The Hour-Long Drive To A Dead Car.
06:50 The Three To Ten Deals You're Losing.
07:20 Why GPS Mileage Is 20% Off.
09:45 The 10-20 Batteries You Replace Monthly.
12:20 15 To 20 Saved Deals Per Month.
14:45 The 70% F&I Pen Rate.
16:45 Why Time-Based Service Reminders Fail.
22:30 Who Really Owns The Customer?
23:30 We Track Health, Not Location.
28:00 Can Your Product See A Check Engine Light?
32:55 The 10% Service Lift You're Missing.
Guidepoint Systems - 25+ years. 1M+ vehicles. OEM-approved by Stellantis. Guidepoint Systems has spent decades purpose-building telematics for franchise dealerships — and in a flat-sales environment, their platform is becoming a dealer's most important retention tool. Real-time vehicle health signals, true odometer data, proactive service alerts. The right information at the right moment. That's how Guidepoint turns fixed ops into growth. Visit @ here.
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