ROI gains in dealerships start with owning the basics and fixing leaks before spending more. The conversation stresses that even with AI and lead-gen, “a human has to touch that customer,” beginning with a strong meet-and-greet/first connection. Use CRM to diagnose what current traffic is producing, match facts to the right action plan, and only then scale. For local growth, “own the backyard” via targeted conquesting—backed by pump-in/pump-out data—plus smarter geo-fencing and database re-engagement.
Is your dealership spending more on ads but selling fewer cars?
Many automotive retail leaders pour massive budgets into marketing, hoping to generate more traffic, only to find their ROI shrinking. What if the answer isn't "more" but "smarter" – starting with your own backyard?
From this episode, you’ll discover:
Why "owning your backyard" is the most profitable, yet overlooked, growth strategy in automotive sales.
How to audit your current lead processes to find and plug the leaks in your sales funnel *before* you increase ad spend.
The three non-negotiable accountabilities that drive success, and how to identify where your team is falling short.
Why returning to foundational sales principles, not chasing shiny new tech, is the key to sustainable dealer growth.
Troy Spring, CEO and Founder of Dealer World and Co-founder of Dealer Funnel, shares decades of expertise on optimizing dealership operations and marketing for maximum ROI.
Follow The Dealer Playbook so you never miss an episode.
Timestamps
00:00 Meet Troy Spring
00:35 Why Basics Still Win
03:41 Sales Is an Art
04:26 AI Hype vs Process
04:59 Traffic Is Not the Fix
06:55 Audit the CRM Funnel
14:51 Own the Backyard
17:07 Mail Your Database
19:02 Built on Fundamentals
20:03 Connect and Wrap Up
20:47 Podcast Outro
Filter:
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TechnicalToo Afraid to Ask
Term
pump-in pump-out data
"Honestly sit with them and kind of say but let's take a look at the pump-in pump-out data
He's what yeah, what i'm hearing mark."
It’s basically a way to measure where leads come from and what happens to them next—how many get turned into real customers.
“Pump-in pump-out data” refers to tracking how leads or customers are brought into a dealership’s marketing funnel (“pump-in”) and then converted or removed (“pump-out”). It’s used to measure the effectiveness of digital campaigns and lead-handling processes.
"it all started with geo fencing. That was the big trigger on
Oh, well, that was such an easy sell on on a dealer's ego"
Geo fencing is like setting up an invisible boundary on a map. When someone’s phone enters that area, the dealership can show them targeted ads.
Geo fencing is a location-based marketing tactic that triggers ads or messages when a device enters (or leaves) a defined geographic area. In a dealership context, it’s often used to target shoppers near competitors’ showrooms or specific local neighborhoods.
"every tool in the book when it comes to anything digital marketing
anything, uh, you know even lead nurturing ai related"
Lead nurturing means you don’t just contact someone once—you keep following up with helpful messages until they’re ready to buy.
Lead nurturing is the process of building relationships with potential buyers over time using targeted follow-ups and content. The goal is to keep the lead engaged until they’re ready to contact the dealership or buy.
"Is what and you know it when's the last time you mount your database
When's the last time you mailed your database with a hard copy piece of mail to their home"
Here, “database” means the dealership’s customer list—people they can contact for follow-ups and marketing.
In dealership marketing, “database” means the CRM list of customers and prospects (names, contact info, vehicle history, and engagement). It’s the asset you market to through calls, emails, and direct mail.
"When's the last time you mailed your database with a hard copy piece of mail to their home telling you you want their business
What?"
It means sending a physical letter or postcard through the mail, not an email or online ad.
Hard copy direct mail is physical printed marketing sent to a customer’s home address. Dealerships use it as a complementary channel to digital ads and email, especially for lapsed customers.
"they'll they'll spend $10,000 more on paid search even when there's no impression share to get"
Paid search is when you pay to show up in Google (or similar) results for certain searches, like “used SUV near me.”
Paid search is advertising where a dealership pays to appear in search results (typically via keyword bidding). It’s commonly used to capture high-intent shoppers actively looking for vehicles or financing.
"they'll they'll spend $10,000 more on paid search even when there's no impression share to get"
Impression share tells you how often your ad shows up versus how often it could have shown up. If it’s low, you’re paying but not getting much exposure.
Impression share is a metric for how often your ads are shown compared to the total number of times they could have been shown. Low impression share means you’re not getting visibility, even if you’re spending money.
Meet Troy Spring
Why Basics Still Win
Sales Is an Art
AI Hype vs Process
Traffic Is Not the Fix
Audit the CRM Funnel
Own the Backyard
Mail Your Database
Built on Fundamentals
Connect and Wrap Up
Podcast Outro
Select text to request an explanation
I'm here with Troy spring the CEO and founder of dealer world and co-founder of dealer funnel right here on the dealer playbook
Yeah, okay. I want to get into this with you because you've been working extremely
Diligently, I don't even want to say hard because
Okay, you're but diligently. I think is the accurate word
I want to use on so many innovative things, but something I want to touch you about why is it the
Foundational things that you're seeing are still working today
Look the basics are they're just always gonna be the basics
You know, I'm I'm getting old to be honest
I'm doing everything. I can thank you buddy. I try you know, but you know in all factuality
You know, I sold my first car 38 years ago
So, you know all the things that you're taught
You know those decades ago
They really still do really and I mean this genuinely and sincerely not because they matter today, right?
You know, are you doing the basics is the meet-and-greet good? I mean the meet-and-greet might have started with AI
That's the buzzword. We'll talk about a little bit. The meet-and-greet might have started in a phone call
Right, but you know might have started on the lot
But is the meet-and-greet could have been an email, right? Is that first connection really powerful?
All the way through to you know, did they drive the car?
You know all the things that we were taught, you know young and in the business that that everybody is
You know, it's 50,000 people in town right now trying to figure out, you know, how to how to be more efficient
And when their idea of sufficient is cut corners, right do less
Right find some magical
Squirrel AI thing that that answers a prayer for them, right?
You know, I don't say that to sound cynical
But you know, man, I'd love I'd love for people listening to this to kind of just think about as we dig in a little bit talk about
You know
Are you sure that the advancements that you're putting in place in the store and the things that you're looking for and shopping for and spending?
money on, you know, are really going to to help you
Be more profitable drive more our ROI drive scalability in the dealership and
Heavily focus on whether or not they're still committed to the basics as I'm listening to you that this is not
One of those things where it's like well a broken clock is right twice a day
Where it's like we're not just saying oh, we're passing through the basics again
I feel like what I'm hearing you say is
They worked all along and we kind of went through a season where we hoped they weren't the things that had to work
I think I truly think this and it may not be popular. Yeah, but that's okay. I
truly think that at least
Over 50% of the industry and that doesn't necessarily mean dealer. It could mean
Staff, you know the sales floor the sales management whatnot, so I'm not picking on a dealer as an example
But I think over 50% you know, really if you ask them, what are the basics to you know, the road to the sale those kinds of things
You'd probably get a lot of different answers and nothing very consistent
And why does that matter because no matter how we're driving traffic in how we're generating the lead how we're working the lead
There's gonna end up being a point in time where a human has to touch that customer and
Understand where you are in a journey and make sure the rest of it, you know goes smoothly, you know, and it's just one of those things
It's a bit of a lost art. I
Like they use the word art because it is it is an art. It's not even a commodity anymore
It's an art form. It is being able to speak to someone and genuinely
actively listen and observe and
Like seek to understand the position that they're coming from. Yeah. Well, you use the word commodity
I use the word art. I love the fact that you use commodity because that's the problem
They're looking for commodities. the shiny. Yeah, I said it earlier
I'll probably say it a few more times
It's it's a buzzword for me the shiny chrome-plated squirrel running across that they're like that's the answer
Right and so the commodities are the things that are really becoming the issue
We're looking for something that is just the answer to our prayer and everybody everybody here thinks AI is the answer, right?
Right everybody's shopping for an AI solution. Yeah, I own a
Healthy portion of an AI solution, right? I don't think it's the end all be all answer, right?
I think it's a very important factor in what we're all gonna do to create some efficiencies
But you've got to create those efficiencies around
Again the basics of what is that road to sale and what tools are you buying? What tech are you buying?
What AI are you buying that is helping that that road to the sale those basics just become more efficient or better, right?
Okay, so skipping steps talk to me about this because it kind of ties into
You know something I've always appreciated about you is you're like hey, yeah, I get it. There's all this stuff hype
zealotry
but
Let's get to the root cause of the problem. You're actually facing
You know, you I know you hear this a lot in agency world. I hear it a lot
We need more traffic
Listen buddy. I own an ad agency. I hear that every day. We need more traffic
I just feel like we're not doing something that we should be doing. I need new traffic
But you've taken I would say a strong position like that's not actually what you need
Look, it's not all the time and you know
If I'm chatting with a client or our staff is chatting with a client. We're all trained not to just go okay
Let's spend more money to drive more traffic
You know, we'll hop into the CRM as an example and just really take a look and deep dive into
What are you doing with the current traffic that you're getting? You know, it all starts with budget
You know, I don't want to be you know, too all over the place, but it starts with the budget you spent
$40,000 this month to drive traffic. Let's go into the CRM and see what that drove
Let's see how many leads you have and what were the sources and where did they come from?
And then we're gonna take a look at it. We may break down and go. Hey, you know what? I want to let's let's stop spending
That much money, right? Let's maybe even spend a little bit less next month
Let's kind of try to show you how you can get more
Out of the leads that you that you did drive down because you're closing ratio
You're set ratio is not high enough your show ratio is not high enough. So even at the agency level. We're not a BDC training
agency
But I'll be darned if we're just gonna sit there on a call and
Somebody say I need more traffic and let's go. Okay. Well, let's do let's do more, right?
That's because you know more money at it
That's not always the answer right and tell me if I'm this tracks, but it's because you know
Traffic and leads are actually the easiest thing to get it, but you're talking about a
But let's talk about getting more out of what you're already getting
Yes, which you know by the way before you but before you pour more gasoline on that fire, right?
Let's make sure it's super efficient and you're getting everything you can out of it first
Yeah, create all those efficiencies get the right close ratios get the right everything and then say alright
The process is really dialed in now. Yeah, so on my
$30,000 spend as an example
Hypothetically everybody's got a different budget could be a hundred could be five. I don't want yeah
But on the spend and on the leads that we did drive if we're really efficient have a great ROI
I have a great close ratio then we can confidently
Pour a little more gasoline on that and start to scale
The problem I see a lot of dealers make is they want to scale before the process is built out
Yes, and so all of a sudden you pour more gasoline on that all you do is you almost diluted even more and you go
Oh now we have so much more traffic the process is a broken and all of a sudden you don't have
You don't even have the bad closing ratio you had before you have a worst closing ratio
And you're just lighting money on fire and then and then by the time you even realize that you're so far down this blaze
A lot of them don't realize it. Mmm. And again, let me say this. I work with a lot of really dialed-in dealers
I'm very very fortunate
You know our stable of clients I would say is really dialed in and so it's a lot more now
And I'd like to think that we've we've helped them but what more importantly we got lucky and
Attracted those clients too. Sure, you know
But at the end of the day when we sit with a new perspective client
That's where I see a lot of the issues and then we're having these conversations about
You asked me to do this, but are you okay if I just say no to that because it's not the right answer
And if we dig a little deeper and we truly find the root problem and then maybe attack that
What do you say to those that are maybe stuck in this hyperloop?
But yet maybe yet have not been willing to admit that
There's a bigger issue that they should be looking at because this is like a facts and actions thing
You're you're essentially saying let's get into the crm and look at the real facts
Yeah more visceral what's going on
Because once we have the facts, this is what I'm hearing you say once I have the facts
Then we can match it to an appropriate action plan facts and actions like
So yeah, how do you convince somebody sometimes you can't
Hmm, you know that's a
A reality that we really face sometimes and you know look again
I I don't know that I'll be the the most popular guest that you have when people listen to this because I'm just gonna be the most
True, I'm gonna speak the truth, right? So
What we do look for and what I
And let me let me paint a rosy picture for you what I love more than anything
Is when we we do run into that that client. Yeah, that is
troubled
Call it what you will
Struggling a little bit not understanding why they're not selling more cars. They spent more didn't sell more
They hired a new person didn't sell more
And and sometimes, you know, we meet a dealer that's that's kind of frustrated
And and that's the beauty of the job is that when when that partnership comes together and they truly kind of
Buy in and see the partnership that we're offering
You know, we're not just a vendor that right is trying to sell them something right
We're trying to provide a solution to become a long-term part
Yeah, what when we see that evolve and and and they allow us to kind of do what we do
Yeah, to me that is the most satisfying thing and client that we can ever have
uh, it's it is frustrating sometimes when
On the flip side
It's difficult sometimes to get them to kind of as you said see see the path and they're very stuck in their ways. Yeah
Those are honestly those are where we have our churn as an agency
Right, we typically if I really look at where we might lose a client
Yeah, it's typically that
You know, there wasn't a solid commitment to that path
Because the path has been proven over and again
I'm glad you said that and I'm gonna look right here. So I'll be the unpopular person
You need to be paying attention to this because
What troy's saying is so so true
There is more than enough data in the process that he's talking about to prove results prove roi
and
My best guess is that people that are constantly looking for the new shiny thing to solve all the problems and not put in the work
Have been in that cycle for so long. Yeah, but that's why I'm looking
I'm breaking the fourth wall right here and saying
You need to pay attention to that because if you've been in this cycle for as long as you have and nothing's changed
This is probably the reason why you just got to be willing to put in the work
I want to ask you this
Um, do you mind if I interject for one second before the next question?
You break the fourth wall right here and you tell that yeah, I got you
So, you know, look there is a bit of a writer downer here, right? Yeah, and that is uh
I just say three the accountability of three
Meaning there's three accountabilities in this process and that's it if you simplify this and make it easier to digest
Then I think the dealer the managers that you know the partnership can grow and foster
And there's one accountability as the agency is we are responsible to drive traffic
We are responsible to increase leads
We are responsible to make sure that your budget is being spent wisely and that you have people to talk to sure
That whether or not it's to walk in or it's a lead coming in right that we've done our job. That's one
To that lead that person's gonna land someplace probably in the crm as a lead
Someone has to set that appointment somebody has to so whether or not you have an outsourced bdc and in sourced bdc a cradle
To grave it doesn't matter that leads landing someplace and someone has to be responsible for getting that
that person to set
and show
that's two
three
Now it's on the sales manager now it's on the gsm as an example
It's on the sales and somebody has to be responsible for closing that at a rate that is acceptable
So really what you do is you just break it down and that's the first thing that we really try to do with a client
That's a little off-path
Is say hey look if we do our job
Then you're gonna have more traffic to talk to and we should not get fired over that
Right, you should say good job. You should look at your staff and say agency did their job
Now I don't care if you use also use anyone else you should use this process
Whoever you work with even if it's an internal marketing agency
Second then you go to the bdc or the cradle to grave or whoever's responsible for set and show
And then you go to the sales manager and the gsm and the show showroom floor
If you really break it down and this is where I see dealer smiles sometimes where where they're a little phased
They'll sometimes just smile after I say that and go man. You just simplified it so much like right like hey
So if I just drive enough traffic sure and I have a really solid process to set and show
And I got a really good sales manager. I'm like get right and so it's like a funnel
Put all the leads in the top they go to the bdc. They go to the showroom floor
And what happens in any funnel when there's a leak you can see it where the leak is
Falling apart. So what we do a lot of times with the client when they say let's go backwards 15 minutes ago
I'm not selling enough cars. I need more traffic
We'll go look for the leak first in that funnel that I just described
And that will tell us whether or not we should spend more money
We should spend less money where we should spend it or where we should look and fix first
We've got to plug a hole in that funnel
We're going to go plug a hole in that funnel at least try to help them do that
Before we just spend more money to drive more traffic
Yeah, you're really focused on the operation and I think that's something that
Sets you apart in what you're doing. I want to ask you this as we start to wind down
If a dealer principal or senior manager is paying attention, we've said it that way. I don't care if you're listening
I want you to be paying attention
What's the one change that should they should consider making first to improve roi without adding more tools or ad spend?
Okay, great
Um, I love that you asked me that because you know, I own a tool
To do all that but no and in all genuality
We haven't answered that have for the last decade plus or or in 15 years
Um, own the backyard
You know, you know ego is the most expensive thing in america
Uh, you know it
By the way, we're surrounded by it
You know, we are surrounded by it
Uh, so for me, you know, we'll sit, you know, I'm looking at mark right there. Hey mark
Uh, mark, you should come say hello if he doesn't mind. Yeah, come on. Come say hi
Yeah, so mark for a long time has really been the kind of forefront face to face with our clients, right?
And really digging into as I'm kind of working on the business. He's really been working in it
Yeah, and and what I just said the ego is the most expensive thing in america, right? So
Where i'm going with that is simple
We'll go in and he'll sit with the client and say I want to conquest this zip code and that go after this dealer
And they're 40 miles away from us and they have no pump-in pump-out data
Sure, am I right or wrong? Correct. Okay. They have no pump-in pump-out data. Yeah
All they know is they don't really like that guy 40 miles away and they want to go after him
Sure, and so
for years mark has to
Honestly sit with them and kind of say but let's take a look at the pump-in pump-out data
He's what yeah, what i'm hearing mark. He's the good cop and you're the bad cop. He's a bad cop
I am definitely the bad cop. Yeah, no, he definitely is
Hey, listen, it all started with geo fencing. That was the big trigger on
Oh, well, that was such an easy sell on on a dealer's ego
Hey, do you want to serve ads to customers in your competitors showrooms?
Well, you weren't you know, yeah, right high for they left high
But I got on you got me on a high roll here, right? So
I mean we got every tool in the book when it comes to anything digital marketing
anything, uh, you know even lead nurturing ai related
The first question that we ask a client ever
Is what and you know it when's the last time you mount your database
When's the last time you mailed your database with a hard copy piece of mail to their home telling you you want their business
What?
Right. I mean, it's not rocket science
Yeah, but they'll they'll spend $10,000 more on paid search even when there's no impression share to get
Yeah, they're just diverting their dollars. I got a dump more fuel on that fire, right, right
Well, there's no more fuel on that fire or they'll spend the money to go after the client
That's 40 miles away and forget that mr. Mrs. Johnson that bought a car from three and a half years ago next door
Mr. Mr. Buggins, right?
I've always called him mr. Mr. Buggins. Yeah, uh, they bought a car three and a half years ago
I know you have a voice for mr. Mrs. Oh, no, that's red. Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah, hold on. Do you want me to do it?
Yes, I do
Heck almighty there. I gotta tell you Michael. This is so nice to be on here
You've ever been down to the hardware store about any three quarter inch particle board to put in your truck
Because that's what I do on a friday night. I like go down to hardware store. Give me some three quarter inch
You see you never know who's gonna. This is why we get along so well. Yeah, I'm a little weird. Yeah
Do you are you wait? I gotta know now just as as a side tent my wife's gonna hate that she hates red
She hates the alter ego
But I feel like I know him. Oh, yeah, everybody knows red. Yeah, he lives in one tooth territory
Red for you to get along with you know what I'm saying
He's everybody's brushing out a teeth
Right
No, but I you know I brought mark on just because as he's standing there, you know, we've spent so much we've spent over a decade
Talking to dealers about just own the backyard first, you know, that's what that that's the answer is the question that you asked me
Yeah, all right. We're back here. There's who said this I feel like this is a back in the day saying there's acres of diamonds in your own backyard
Well, listen, you've given me a lot to think about I know you're playing around with so many innovative things
But I I think the reason that
What you're building is innovative is because you are so rooted in what actually works
Yeah, and you're not building for the hype machine. No and so as an example like as even in the software business
right, um, you know, we do lead nurturing
and
In communications that's all really rooted and everything we just talked about
There's nothing here that isn't rooted in that theory of the funnel
Right, you know, what we built was to help stage two be more efficient and to set more appointments and get more shows
And and to follow up with leads and get better ROI out of the the leads that you're working
So we don't say how many leads do we get last week or how many leads to get over the weekend
I don't know how many leads do we have in the system and how can we really nurture all of those leads in a way that
Engagement we just want to gauge
Troy man, I
I feel like we need to shout this from the rooftops
I mean that's one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on the show as we wind down
How can those listening or watching connect with you and learn more?
Uh, yeah, the easiest way really is just let you know look look for me on facebook or linkedin or instagram or
You know heck call my cell phone. I don't really care text me. Uh, it's 6105703022
It's literally my personal cell phone
Don't care if I just gave it out if you're a dealer and you need help text me and say I heard you on the
Podcast and I want to know how to own my backyard. Troy spring. You'll probably end up meeting mark after you're gonna meet mark
Mark's actually just gave away mark's phone number
Yeah, I wish he would try my man. This is Troy. So good to see you. Thanks for joining me on the deal
Listen, I I hope that my craziness didn't
You know, I'm the host of this show. They have to live with this
Hey, thanks for listening to the dealer playbook podcast
If you enjoyed tuning in please subscribe share and hit that like button
You can also join us and the dpb community on social media
Check back next week for a new dealer playbook episode. Thanks so much for joining
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