Thanksgiving Special – Marks, Khazravan, Mace on Dealership Gratitude | Daily Dealer Live
Car Dealership Guy Podcast
Thanksgiving Special – Marks, Khazravan, Mace on Dealership Gratitude | Daily Dealer Live
Annotations will appear as you listen
0:00
61:03
Company
Dream Motor Group
Dream Motor Group is a company that owns car dealerships. They just bought two dealerships that sell Toyota and Lexus cars.
Brand
Toyota
Toyota is a car brand that makes many different types of vehicles, like cars and trucks, and is known for being dependable.
Brand
Lexus
Lexus is a luxury car brand that is part of Toyota. They make high-end cars that are very comfortable and have a lot of features.
Car
Honda Prelude
The Honda Prelude is a two-door car that was made by Honda for many years. It's known for being fun to drive and has a sporty look, making it popular among car enthusiasts. People talk about it because it combines good performance with Honda's reliability.
Car
American Motors Corporation (Amc) Matador
The AMC Matador is a type of car that was made in the 1970s by a company called American Motors. It comes in different styles, like a two-door and a four-door version, and is known for its unique look. People mention it because it represents a different era of American cars.
LIVE
Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of the Daily Dealer Live.
It's a Thanksgiving special today. I'm your host, Sam Dark, and welcome to this space where
Automotive comes together to learn to share gobble-gobble. I love that to execute. Thanks
for choosing to be here this day before Thanksgiving Wednesday, November 26th. Today,
we want to hear what you're grateful for in Automotive, post it to the show comments
across CDG social media platforms, and we'll bring your comments into today's
show. I'll give you my take after the news. But first, let's dive into today's
industry headlines. First up today, auto loan approvals are tightening fast with the
New York Fed showing auto loan rejection rates jumping to 15.2% in October. That's
more than double what they were just a few months ago. That's a big increase and
younger buyers are getting squeezed the hardest. Gen Z's credit scores are
sliding, delinquencies are rising, and nearly half say they're leaning on
credit cards or BNPL just to keep up. But of course, lower scores mean fewer
financeable customers in the segments that usually drive volume, especially used
entry level and first-time buyers. But even with those pressures, auto loans now
sit at the top of consumers' payment priorities ahead of mortgages and far
above student loans, it's a signal that people will do almost anything to
keep their cars. For dealerships, it means more work to get deals bought,
tighter lender partnerships, we believe in that. It's a little more payment-focused
structures and inventory that fits what stretched buyers can actually qualify for.
Finally up or next up today, a new insurify report shows Americans are warming up
fast to AI for insurance shopping. 86% of drivers say they're open to using it,
and Gen Z is leading the charge. Nearly half of drivers have already used an AI
assistant to shop for car insurance, and the willingness jumps even higher if AI
can save them real money, especially a thousand bucks or more a year. Hey,
if somebody can save me a thousand bucks in car insurance, show me where. The
appeal is simple. AI can cut through complexity and isn't influenced by
commissions or carrier incentives, which are major reasons consumers
distrust traditional insurance pricing. But when it comes to judgment calls,
accident fault, damage assessment, or customer service, people still want humans.
Agents hold the credibility edge, especially among female drivers. Bottom line here,
AI is becoming a powerful tool for price shopping and squeezing insurer margins,
not replacing human agents outright. I'd be curious where the research came that
female drivers lean on humans versus, I mean, where does that survey come from? But
we'll save that for a next segment. All right. Finally up today, Dream Motor Group led by Nick
Saban, Roll Tide, and auto executive Joe Agresti has officially bought Toyota of Montgomery and
Lexus of Montgomery in a $151 million deal per Pinnacle M&A, and the move didn't exactly come
out of nowhere. Pat McAfee actually let it slip on College Game Day that Saban was about to
add Toyota stores to his portfolio. By the way, Nick Saban, we want you on the show,
Daily Dealer Live. Come talk to us about your acquisitions, about what it's like to be
a legendary football coach owning a collection of incredible stores. The seller,
Sutherland Automotive Group, had invested heavily in modernizing both rooftops,
upgrading sales and service ops, tightening leadership, improving CSI, and expanding fixed
ops capability. Pinnacle's Mike Sims calls the stores, quote, high-performing assets in a
key market and credited Sutherland's team for the operational turnaround that set the dealerships
up for long-term success under Dream Motor Group. What's the big picture here? Well,
Sutherland says he's proud of what the team's built and hinted this isn't the last move with
more acquisitions already under contract and announcements coming soon. Don't forget,
you can see this deal announcement and many more throughout the entire year by visiting
the CDG Bicell. Tracker at cdgbicell.com. By the way, our little jingle makes me super happy.
And with that, that's a wrap on today's industry news. And we'll bring in Yuli. Yuli,
you're supposed to start singing these jingles personally. Where was your singing in this?
I was goblin before when you started. That was me.
Oh, that makes sense. You've got the mustache. That's fair. That's fair.
Well, as always, Yuli, for those joining the live stream, we're live across all
CDG social media platforms. Post your comments. We'll bring them into today's show.
We've got a great show coming up today with a few really cool guests. And you,
it's a Thanksgiving Day special. What are you grateful for today? We'd love to have you
post that into the social media comments. Yuli, what are you grateful for this
Thanksgiving holiday? As always, my family, my friends, my health and all of you.
That's awesome. That's awesome. Hey, you know what? I'd say ditto to that. And I would also add
to that. What a cool opportunity it is for you and I to come to our daily deal live audience three
times a week. I love that automotive has given us this opportunity. You know, in my own experience,
I talk about this every now and again, you can go find it in podcasts here and there.
I was a kid sleeping on a parts couch in high school who went on to sell cars,
had a heck of a lot of fun doing that breaking records at an Isuzu Kia dealership in Utah,
went to work for a Swiss based insurance company, got to tour the United States, meet some of the
best dealers all across this country. And now a COO of the Ziggler Auto Group, one of the
largest privately held auto groups in the country, like automotive is awesome. And you know,
Brian Benstock would be here. He'd say it Grant Cardone would be here. And they would
say it I'm grateful for this industry and that it continues. And I got to tell you the reason
I do this three times a week with you and maybe similar to your reason is because I want to give
back I want to educate I want to help people see the opportunity. And if there's one thing from
this show and all the shows we do, I hope people walk away fired up about the opportunity and
the potential that there is in this business. Then Sierra says always be grateful for the car
biz J Ray F says grateful for AI. I love it. And Michelle our own at CDG Michelle joins the
gratitude train grateful for the team at CDG. And then Vince here says that's a cool stash. You
got a sauce. Gosh, there's something else we should be grateful for. What's that? You'll see
they've extended signups for CDG circles. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So
let's transition. So CDG circle signups have been extended by 48 hours till this Friday.
Groups are going live next Thursday. So if someone hasn't signed up now, it's your last chance to
enter this cohort. We're going to get the definition on cohort shortly for everyone. Otherwise,
you're have to wait till the next group launches in April. So it is your chance with
this 48 hour extension. It's kind of like a Thanksgiving special Black Friday prelude
CDG circles.com go there. Join up be part of it. Yeah, but you definitely don't want to miss out.
It's cool to to kind of launch into Thanksgiving weekend talking about what we're grateful for.
And you know, the community that's created as part of Cardinalship guy is solidly a part of
that. So let's dive into our first guest today, CEO founder DSM auto family. Let's turn
to Dave Marks. Dave, welcome to the show. Oh, thanks for having me. I really appreciate this.
Yeah, we're excited to have you here. Happy Thanksgiving in advance of absolutely holiday.
Any big plans for Thanksgiving, by the way, what do you got going on my job is to show up and eat
and ask for seconds and say it was good. You have to let us know later what you get to eat
because there's all sorts of fun and exciting things. All right. So how's biz and as part of
that, tell us a little bit about yourself. You're a unique guest. You're not an OEM. So tell
us or a auto dealer. So tell us who you are, what you do. I got you. So, you know, I'm like
you guys, I'm really grateful for automotive. You know, I got into automotive because I didn't
want to go to college. So what do we do when we don't want to go to college? We get into
the car business. That's what we do. And, you know, I got a really cool story. I'll
try to make it as short as possible is gonna do the repair side went through. I'm in St.
Louis. I went to a tech school rank and tech here. And, you know, I've worked, I experienced
working as a franchise dealer as a tech worked as a mom and pop. And then I bought a garage
with the house in the front yard. That's my claim to fame. Had zero aspirations of having
a business and then just one thing has led to another, you know, and after I got started
working on my backyard gig, people started asked me, Hey, Dave, do you buy cars? You
know, nobody that does you made yourselves. And I found out people like buying cars
from guys that have service departments that can fix that. You know, and one thing is led
to another. I will say this, I'm a huge advocate for scores stand for it's for the load of the
people that are getting started in business and, you know, reach out to scores stand for society
courts of retired executives. I was fortunate. I'm in a guy named Gary Deacon. He owned
bus dealerships. He had three bus dealerships in the one in St. Louis, one in Arkansas
and one in Tennessee. And he taught me business, you know, here's how you put together a P and L.
This is what a balance sheet is because I was doing both of this out of my backyard, you know,
and I had aspirations of opening up a brick and mortar. I got three tickets and some years
doing this out of my backyard from the local municipality, but I didn't care. I believed
it myself and I believed in what I was doing. And we wrote the business plan and opened
up a brick and mortar, you know, made that bet on myself, you know, you know, took that
leap and it's no, it's been growing and go ahead. All part of the scrappy American dream,
right? You had a dream, you had a vision, you put it together and yeah, you know,
maybe you didn't intend to go full board into automotive, but you ended full board
into automotive, which is where you said today. So I'm curious, as we talk about
your operation and some of the things that you do very uniquely,
you've made a recent bold move that not a lot of the card dealers do, but maybe we
could learn from. You hired an in-house VA to transform operations. Tell us,
what is that VA and how does it work? So, you know, VA central virtual assistant
and we got connected through a friend of mine and we just really clicked. You know,
her initial hire was to help me with some admin back office stuff that was getting neglected.
You know, we all have that, I don't have time to do list or that neglect list or yeah,
I don't call it a do list. What am I going to neglect today less? That's really what it is,
you know, and we got connected through a company and then we just really clicked.
And I'm also affiliated, I'm going to plug a friend of mine, Adam McChesney.
He's got a business called Builders of Authority where he teaches
entrepreneurs personal branding through online social media platforms.
And I had her working with his assistant and everything just fell into place. So,
we had to pull some shenanigans to work with each other, but her main role is to help me,
you know, build my personal brand on social media. You know, that's where it's at today
with that. And then she could also help with email reach, email blasts,
text blasts, any kind of customer communications that was on that I don't have time to do list
that we all know is important, right? All right. So, you hired a virtual assistant.
What does the interaction look like with this virtual assistant? And what are the top three
tasks that this virtual assistant engages in daily and what have been the impacts of that?
Yeah. So, we meet every Monday via Zoom. She's in the Philippines. So, in the Philippines,
I'm in St. Louis, so it's 12. It is two o'clock in the morning in the Philippines.
So, they're used to working U.S. hours. They're very harsh. She's with me 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. Central
Standard Time. Okay. So, there's a program called Slack that I have. We do a lot of communications
with that. We have a shared, yeah, we use Slack. We have a shared Google Drive where,
you know, I'll record videos and content and I can upload it there and she can pull it
and edit it. She's posting my cards on the website. She's posting them on social media
and let's see, what else is she doing? She's doing blog posting. So, she's new to the automotive
space. So, before she posts a blog on the website or any of her other platforms, you know,
I'm reviewing it, make it sure that's correct. And yeah, just how can I utilize a
vibe of resource that grows my bottom line? Let's just be real. Yeah. Yeah. And what does it cost?
So, I'm paying her a thousand bucks a month. We use a company called Wise to transfer it and that's
how she gets, she's going to get a raise here. I'm going to bump her. She'll be at 1,300 a month,
I think by the end of January, you know, because here's kind of what I looked at. If I was going
to pay like a VA company to get her through, well, I need to be close to that. If I'm willing to pay
that, then why not give it to her? You know, and I think you got to remember though, this is making
an impact in somebody else's lives. We're still impacting people's lives, still giving them, you
know, she genuinely is inspired enthusiastic to help me grow my brand. I told her I was going
to be on this. She was excited, you know, and for me. So it's so so to other auto dealers out there
and listen, there's a little bit of a size difference to sometimes large groups of multi
rooftops, even franchise dealers. Tell us you're you're being super intentional about your
online brand. And you're using a virtual assistant to help you establish that. Why should a
dealer principle or someone owning a dealership or collection of dealerships be intentional
about their online brand or online reputation? Why is that important today? What brought that
into your radar? Because that's where it's at today in today's world, you know, we got a whole
generation that's you know, I'm 46. That's younger than us. If you're not active on TikTok
or Instagram, they don't know you exist. They won't use you, you know, I mean, you know,
this replaces the billboard, you know, it just does. And people want to do business with
people. You know, whether it's employees, whether it's vendors, or whether it's customers.
So the whole concept out is so that those three demographics, because for me, that's who I really
worked for. I work for my vendors, my employees, my customers, I'm employed by three demographic
demographics. So it's putting good, raw, authentic content out there that people get
to see who the person is behind the business to develop that know I can trust. So when they
come in, there's that sense of like, I know who this is, I may never met them in person,
but I got a good idea, you know, who they are. Yeah. Yeah. That is important in today's world.
Auto dealers in particular have been reticent to do that, to be super forward-leaning on
social media. You see some exceptions. Brian Benstock, Uli, you and I think are a difference.
Yossi said, hey, he wants to be transparent online. Why do you think so many are
concerned about being too much out there? And how did you overcome that?
I think it's, you know, we walk around with, how's this going to make me look,
what are the other people going to think about me? Right? Yeah. Well, you know,
we're all going through stuff in our lives. Okay. No one's exempt from that, right? So,
because I've put a ton about on social media about me, my personal life, what I'm going through,
what I've been through to get where I'm at, you know, that's what people want to know.
People want to know what's behind the business owner, what's behind the business,
because it's like, if people can relate to us at a personal level, they're more likely to do business
with us, you know, or they're more likely to, I've gotten referrals from people that have never used
my surface before because they saw me on social media and their friend will say it. So I think
it's just being more transparent and letting people know who the person is behind the business.
And it builds, you know, really the relationship based or transactional based, you know,
we're all relationship based. So it helps establish that relationship.
So, so before we go to some of the social media comments, because we've got quite a few online,
I'm curious, you know, you could have gone to a company, there are multiple companies out there
that will help you with your online reputation and will help you post social media and all that
stuff. In fact, we've got our own Omar here in house, it does an incredible job. He works
with our group, Ziggler Auto Group, with social media posts and whatnot, you went to a, you went
with Nomad, yep, CDG Nomad, you went to a virtual assistant, someone that probably has less experience.
How do you ensure consistent messaging online and that the way that virtual assistant responds
and engages online is consistent with your own approach? It's, I would call it authentic
micro managing, you know, and you got to set the intention. So my VA, she came on board full
time in November and I said, our goal for this month is to get our process of machine shutdown,
what we're going to post, when we're going to post, why we're going to post. And it's,
and it's, it's, it's got to come from a place of, you know, it's got to come from the heart,
you know, I mean, nobody wants to be micro managed. But when you tell people, I think
one of the keys to being an employer is you got to tell the people why this is why
what's the why behind this, then they're more, then they're more open to constructive criticism.
And I've always said that, Hey, this is a collaboration. It's not me telling you what to
do. This is a collaboration. And give them some autonomy to make mistakes, you know,
and when it's done right and appropriately, you know, people appreciate that feedback.
All right. So a few comments from online yoga cars, who's a consistent poster on the
show. We're grateful for yoga cars. Thanks for being here daily. There is a company called,
there's a company out there called somewhere.com where you can find
remote talents. So that's a potential hookup for another VA type assistant.
Yoga cars also another thing. I think this is yoga cars question. Have you considered
making her pay structure the VA's pay structure performance based? And if you did,
what would that look like coming from Christopher Bragg?
Oh, that's a great question. My first thought would be, you know, one, there needs to be like
some expectations and boundaries. For me, it would be about engagement, you know, views, likes,
that kind of stuff. And we'd have to set a bar. So from the top of my head to spitball in here,
I'm thinking, okay, let's like 90 days after we've been working together, where are we at?
Because we do track this, you know, I mean, one of the reasons why I went to the VA to help
me build online presence is it's so hard to track. Like Google, we can track penny for penny,
you know, but putting content on social media, unless somebody comes into my dealership and they
say, Hey, Dave, I'm here because of this video, which happens, you know, we don't know. We don't
know, at least in my experience. So it would be what kind of metrics would we want to gauge
that by, you know, what kind of KPIs would be no different than, you know,
average hours per hour or gross per unit, that kind of stuff. And then put together
a plan. I mean, I'd be all for that. I've never thought about that. But that's a great question.
All right, as we get towards the end of our conversation today, David, what's something
your team did this year that made you proud? And what could other dealers learn from it as
they head into this Thanksgiving weekend? Oh, what would the team make me proud? I mean,
I think it starts with me and the culture that I've built, you know, the
day that my master tech is the first one there. He starts early. They stay late.
And that is a great question. And I think it starts with the culture that I've built.
I think when you have the right culture, you know, they'll go above it. What we do is we
have each other's back, but nobody's keeping score. That's what I like about
the environment and the atmosphere that we've built that they start with me.
You know, employees start with the employer. Very cool. Very cool. I agree with that. Well,
Dave Marks, CEO, founder, DSM Auto Family. Thanks for being on the show, sharing your
perspective. Absolutely. This day before the day of gratitude. Thanksgiving. Thanks, Dave Marks.
Absolutely. Thanks, Dave.
All right.
It's a fun conversation. Yeah, I have a VA. I've I've I actually have thought about that before.
I just think it is a challenge. Like how do you get someone so remote to think like you,
to act like you, to respond like you? Well, it's like anything else. It just takes
a lot of time to train, right? So you have to build and cultivate that relationship,
set the policies and procedures and then iron out all the kinks that you should
you need. But he is. That's right. Hey, you're telling me. He is right, though, like you're giving
someone a great opportunity. Yeah. And they learn automotive, they learn all the other things. And
you know, I think it'd be a pretty cool help. So let's talk Matador AI though. So today's
episode is brought to you by Matador.ai. Matador handles calls, texts and follow-ups. So your
team never falls behind. More appointments, less chaos. See the difference for yourself
with a free demo at matador.ai. You scan the QR code or you can click the link in the show notes
below. Matador AI. We appreciate you supporting today's content, including that conversation
about virtual assistance with Dave Marks that we just had. So thanks Matador for supporting the show
today. We got a recommendation online. You should invite Daltra Capital to the show. I don't
know who that is, but we'll take note of that. You know, sometimes we get some good, we often get
great suggestions. Supervisor Dan says grateful for this great show. The great show. Giving thanks to
the CDG crew tomorrow. Great work, y'all. Funny how dog. I like that. That's good. And then as a
reminder, NADA, if you haven't registered yet, sign up. Spots are limited as we've often
talked about, but we'd love to see as many as we possibly can here. That was fun to have Yossi on
the show last week with the CEOs of the companies that are also co-sponsoring it and just talking
about what lies in store. So Vincere says that was super informative. So the conversation there.
Let's turn now to a conversation with Aladdin Karzavan, founder of Dealer Cards. Aladdin,
welcome to the show. Thank you so much. I'm really grateful to be here. Hi. Thanks for being here.
Yeah. By the way, so I don't have a mustache. I don't have a goatee or a beard yet. Both of you,
both you and Yuli, you're talking me into it here. That's right. So does yours come off December
one or are you keeping it? You know, I let my five-year-old kind of, because I didn't get one,
and I scared her. You know, like she was like, you're not dad. I was like, I am dad, but yeah,
I have to put it really low for them to accept it, and then we shave it. But
probably go ahead and shave it. Well, Aladdin, tell us a house biz. And as part of that,
tell us a little bit about yourself and the company you founded. Thank you so much.
Well, I've been a dealer for 25, 30 years, and I'm not on the retail side anymore. I still have my
fingers in a couple of stores. But currently, my business partners and I, we created a software
company around a book that he wrote several years ago called Appreciation Marketing. And the book
is around how to achieve greatness through gratitude. And yeah, it's a really amazing book.
It's a lot of common sense, but, and we've helped thousands and thousands of business
owners reach their clients through gratitude and appreciation using our service. And what I've
learned after dealing with all these people is the common sense is just not very common these
days. And our service allows business owners to use old school methods, which is handwritten notes,
and we marry it with high technology to give high impact touches with their clients. And
the outcome, the goal would be to let our customers know how much we love them,
appreciate them and care for them so that they want to give back to us as business people
instead of, you know, the car hits the curb and me, you and everybody else are on to the next deal.
So you said gratitude in business is simple, basic, but it's something most people just
overlook. I forget the exact words you said, it goes over, most people said,
what is it about gratitude that most people miss? Why is it something that most people don't get
in today's world? Well, I'll share with you, there's a Chinese proverb that I really love,
okay? It says the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. And a lot of us miss that boat, right?
But the next best time is now. And right. And what are we doing moving forward? And when it
comes to gratitude, it's not just polite, it's profitable. And, you know, I was in a seminar
once with a billionaire and he was educating his people as real estate. And he was educating
them and he asked every single person there, he goes, who's your competition? And everybody
ran it off some other real estate company name. And he goes, you're all wrong. It's Amazon.
And they're like, Amazon doesn't sell houses. He goes, no, but Amazon sets the bar with experience.
Right? Like when you want something, it's there when you have a problem, it's gone. It's a yes,
sir, no, sir. And we love that. And because of that, we all give our money to Amazon and
companies like that because of the way they make us feel around how we do business with each other.
I find that appreciation builds loyalty faster than any discount could ever could.
And it just, go ahead. And so what does that appreciation look like? Or what does that real
gratitude look like in automotive beyond that simple thank you email or the, you know, the
auto-generated, templated email that goes out to everybody after they buy a car?
And I'm glad you said that because everybody has the automated email in the CRM. In my opinion,
it's worthless. I mean, just look at your own self and look at me. I read subject lines.
I don't even read emails anymore because they're just so diluted. But I'll share with you what we
do is we tie our services to the back of the house. We tie it to the DMS. So it eliminates
guesswork, manpower, mistakes. And for 25 years, I want my salespeople to call people
for their birthdays. I want them to reach out to you Lee and say, you're important to us.
How are you? Happy birthday, Merry Christmas. But the reality of it is we're not trained that way.
We're not rewarded that way. Nobody's doing it. So what we do is we tie our services to the DMS
of the dealership. So when a finance manager, Mark sold the very next day, a custom greeting
card with the customer's photo at the time of deliveries on the inside of the car in a hand
written note in the general manager's handwriting with two brownies and they're
get it three days later. And what's powerful about that is they're not expecting anything.
This environment has trained them that nothing's going to happen. Yeah, the sales over.
Yeah. And then we follow that with nine other cards for their birthdays,
anniversaries, service, reminders, and no marketing. We're just saying we love you.
And that's what gets them to want to reciprocate and give loyalty back to the dealers.
Hmm. Where do you send it in this world of email and texting and
phone calls? Thank you, Sam. No, we don't do anything electronic. These are physical greeting
cards with photos with your own handwriting, and they get delivered to your mailbox. And
you know, in the mail, when you go check your mailbox, you get junk mail, you get bills.
If you're lucky, you get something personal. First thing you open is personal and you're
hoping that they're something personal on it and that and we make it personal by doing that for
the customer. Why brownies? That's interesting. It's funny you say that because some states,
we, you know, we have dealers that are in some fufu states and we do candles in those states,
but okay, but the brownies, why I like the brownies is when you feed someone's bellies,
you invoke emotion. And our goal is to invoke emotion out of these people to let them know
that we care for them. And even if they don't eat the brownies, they give it to the child and
they see their child get light up and they're really good brownies. And they're not Denver
brownies. These are really normal brownies. They're not laced. They're not laced. So
it's interesting, I had your co-founder or one of your business partners on the industry
spotlight and Brian Benstock was on with us and he just talked about to him the value
of a handwritten card kind of echoed that. And we even talked on there how sales people could,
at least I think it was Brian Benstock, was sales people could actually do this on their own. They
don't need to wait for a dealership. You have a path for sales people that really want to own
their clientele, really want to serve that customer base they work with. And they could
sign up with you that way as well. Is that a still a path? That's a possibility? Absolutely.
We don't discriminate. If you want to say thank you, we help you do it. We help over 40,000 business
professionals in the United States. And what we try to teach them is you get a lead by what you do,
but you earn referrals by who you are. And what that means is how you're showing up in their
lives after you collected their money. It's not everybody has white gloves on when they're
at the store. One's on their best behavior. But once they leave, how do we treat Sam?
How do we treat Sam's spouse and children? Because by showing up in that positive way,
that's how the law of reciprocation, loyalty, all those things kick in.
And I find that marketing brings customers in, but gratitude is what keeps them coming back.
That's cool. Eager case as I love the idea of brownies. And actually, this is an interesting
one. We got a comment from online says, DMS should have a field for favorite food and beverage
but I kind of, you know, I like that idea. I like that idea, but I also sort of like
the idea of surprising it with something they're completely not expecting. I mean,
I guess it's a little bit of a downer if they don't like chocolate or brownies, but
you know, who doesn't? Oh, and then here's my wife is allergic to chocolate. She might think
the dealer's trying to get her. So maybe the idea of a DMS could work there on that way
as well, but putting a favorite food in. But this isn't something the customer expects
because you asked. I think if you ask, I'm just thinking this through my mind,
if you asked and you started to make it part of a survey, then they're going to at some point
expect something to pop up. This is sort of like an unreasonable hospitality play where it's like,
you delight them with a surprise that they just thought aren't expecting.
How, what percent, if you had to guess and maybe you have this as a stat,
what percent of dealers engage with their customer base in this way by providing that
gratitude or that unreasonable hospitality, something that they truly don't expect
consistently over a long period of time? I would say it's between one to two percent of
dealers. It is a very small number. We all rely on the thought that my sales people are going
to do it and that's their job. And then we say, oh, this CRM sent an email. Yeah,
the automation, the thank you email. I was thinking 2021 years ago when I started on the
business, it was kind of mandatory. They made us write handwritten cards. And the one that
always sticks out to me was my general manager at the time said, send a Thanksgiving card
because no one is sending cards for Thanksgiving. And it's so true. And the further we got from
that, I would imagine the less cards people are receiving to your point, they're just getting
bills. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I just, when we were building this all out and pricing it out,
and we price it to make it where it's affordable for anybody. I just looked at my own stores.
I was like, look, in my own stores, we spend $700 plus in marketing dollars to get Bubba's
attention. It takes our team three and a half hours to convert him into a paying customer.
We earn $3,504 grand a rip. When we recognize revenue on that customer that month, is this person
worth putting $40, $50 back into the pot to nurture them until they're ready for another car?
Or is it smarter to kick them to the curb and try all over again with a completely different
customer? So some really good comments online here. Vin Sier says, I heard Jim Moran used
to give ice cream cakes to everyone shopping in his store. They'd have to immediately drive home
so it wouldn't melt. By the way, that's pretty funny if that's true because that helps prevent
that next car shopping experience. They go back home, they think about it, they come back and buy
which, you know, be back bus, it's not as real as you think. But eager case is when I started
back in the biz in 92, we had to create our own cards as well. And then David Mark says,
we send handwritten birthday cards. I used to do Thanksgiving cards because I wanted to be the first
one to the mailbox. Thanksgiving isn't tied to a religion. And then your case says, when I started
started in the biz back in 92, we had to create our own cards too. I guess, you know,
Yuli, to your point, like, these are basic things that we used to do that work that
helped deliver that great experience. Why on earth has automotive gotten away from it Aladdin?
Maybe we'll close on that question with you. Yeah, in my opinion, it's,
we think technology is going to save us. But in all reality, all it's done is taken us
further away from the human connection that we actually desire and want. I mean,
your opening comments were about insurance and how women said they still want to deal with
a human being at the end of the day. And while technology is tools to get the appointment
and lead in the text message and all that is great. And we use all of those things,
even in our own company, to deliver these cards to our customers. But at the end of the day,
the customer wants to feel valued. They want to feel seen and they want some kind of gratitude
around them spending their time, money and resources with you compared to the 30 other
stores down the street. It's like how we show up in their lives after we've done business
really dictates it. I personally believe every single person that sits in the finance department
is worth 10 to 12 deals. I'm buying a car every three years. My wife buys one every three years.
My child is of the ages. Just where am I buying? Not if I'm buying.
Yeah. You know what's interesting is you describe this and you talk about that. You
think of the customer, which is the end, you know, they're buying a car from us. They're
getting their vehicle serviced. But as the CEO of a large company, my customer are employees
and making sure that they're outrageously happy, that they're engaged, they find purpose in their
work. Flip this on its head. How could this be used as a strategy also with your own employees,
not just your end user customers? Yes, sir. Great, great. Because at the end of the day,
that our employees are our customers, they're internal and then they face out. And we've
actually had several conversations with some big groups and some small groups. And what we do is
they put their employees on the same two-year, three-year gratitude coming from the dealership
and some kind of a roadmap for their success. So it eliminates turnover. It builds relationships.
And whether you're just saying happy birthday once a year or you actually have some kind of a
design, which we help groups do, I think we help the Jenkins Auto Group build out a complete
employee package where they reach out to all their employees. A new hire happens and they get two,
three years of cards from the owner and a path to their success and a path to management
so that they have a future to look forward to. I think doubling down on people is way better
than doubling down on any ad, any marketing, anything like that. It's just let's invest into
humans. Let's invest into relationships because relationships are the real currency in life,
right? The people are going to help us rise and fall. And by showing up when we don't have to,
is actually where the most value is. Yeah, exactly. So it's interesting at our Auto Group,
at Ziggler Auto Group, we have a tradition called diamond drops. And it's like it's a diamond piece
of paper. It has, you know, our mission statement on it. And it's just a blank card that you can
handwrite, fill out. And then we have times during the month and during the year where
we get together for an employee luncheon or we do some employee recognition where
employees share these diamond drops or these handwritten cards with each other. And then
we have a tradition where you post those near your desk and you get a look at them,
you get to see them. You know, it's interesting when you first hear about that, you're like,
come on. Like, does that really work? Is it really meaningful? And I've seen people
who are in under-recognized positions across the group in particular, but all positions in
general. But, you know, maybe as a title clerk or maybe, you know, remitting service contracts
or whatever. And they hear how much gratitude other people have for their position and what
they do and how they show up every day. And, you know, I've seen people become very emotional
as they read through those. And it kind of convinces me in the role I'm at that, you know,
it is important. And there is, I tried to automate it and make it electronic and like,
hey, type it out and have it print out because my handwriting is terrible. I should have been a
doctor, honestly. And you can't do that. Like a handwritten note that is intentional and
thoughtful really goes a long way. I mean, I know a lot of people that still write hand write
birthday cards and, you know, those things, those matter and the words that you put down
there matters. And what a great reminder you have Aladdin Force on this day before Thanksgiving.
Thank you so much. And bravo to you and your team for doing that. That's top 1% that go in,
do that for their own team. You know, I'll share with you for anybody that's listening and
calling. When you are doing these kind of things, let gratitude be about gratitude and let
marketing be marketing and just don't mix the message. You know, we share with dealers and
other people and different industries. When we send out a card around birthday, for example,
we kind of tear you away from asking for referrals on the birthday. We, you know,
in his book, Appreciation Marketing, Curtis writes, it's like chocolate covered dog crap.
Like don't say happy birthday and referrals. Is it about my birthday or do you want business?
Because people feel it and feel it. Whether it's written, they feel it in their heart and they're
like, Oh, I see this was about their business, not about me. Yeah. Yeah. I love Michelle.
Our own CDG Michelle's comment in the comments where gratitude like a cloak and it will feed
every corner of your life says love me. And then Dave Rogers says need an auto pen like POTUS.
That's what I need. That would fix my handwriting, I think, right? If I had some sort of an auto pen
where I could type it in. But but being more to your point, being more intentional without
hope of getting something in exchange. And we do create and listen, you said, Hey, props to
you guys for doing it. It wasn't my idea. Like honestly, had somebody come and said, Hey,
I got a great idea. I would have been like, Oh, it's a it's a little too touchy feely. Like,
but I've seen it was started Mike Van Ryan. He's our head of talent development and hiring and
recruiting. They did it with a company called Human X over a decade ago. And it's interesting how
some things become foundational to your culture. And that tradition of diamond drops has absolutely
become a foundation of culture at the Ziggler Auto Group. And people people look forward to
those those moments in ways that, you know, you just you just you can't expect you don't expect.
So I was surprised by it. Well, Aladdin. Oh, my goodness. I just put your last name Aladdin
because of because because Ravon. Yeah, give it to me a lot and tell me your last name. Give
me like caravan, caravan. Yes, yes, yes. Aladdin Aladdin, Kazra van founder of dealer
cards. Thank you so much for coming on the show this day before Thanksgiving and sharing
with us the importance of gratitude and how we can serve better our customers and even our own
employees by expressing gratitude and systemically and regularly throughout the course of the year.
So thanks for being on the show, Aladdin. Thank you so much for having me newly and
say appreciate you guys. Thank you. That's fun. Social media is just a lot of light.
Vin Sierra says people forget how to be compassionate humans and Howard Gleason
says absolutely love this. It's so true. I think about what do you think is more impactful with
people of our age bracket or older or the new generation? I mean, at least we kind of grew up
in a time where we were receiving cards and they kind of phased out. But this newer generation
entering, you know, the workspace and the marketplace, like, do you think they pause
in their tracks even more? Yeah, little thought starter. Yeah. Well, and newly to your point,
it's interesting. A comment just posted I have two printers that I work with that specialize in
handwritten direct mailers. They're out of here. They're out of there. So, you know,
there is value in that in that handwritten card. I don't know the answer to your question.
Which generation appreciates it more? I think, you know, I don't know. Just thinking about
the evolution of everything. Is it possible this day before Thanksgiving that gratitude never
goes out of style that everybody always appreciates it? Everybody always values it?
Yeah. So, let's let's go. We'll go with that one. All right. Last up today on this day before
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day special, Catherine York Mace Manager at Van York Auto Group. Welcome
to the show, Catherine. Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. Catherine, welcome. We have
to ask you our signature question. And as we do, tell us a little bit about yourself and
what you do. But first, you know, how's Biz? For my seat, business is good. I've been with our,
I'm third generation at our business Van York Auto Group in High Point, North Carolina. I'm
fourth generation in the industry. I moved back here in March. I previously worked at NADA. So,
I was living in D.C., made the move to North Carolina. Been here about eight or nine months.
I'm doing a rotational program through all the frontline positions in our group.
So, every day is a little different. Today, I'm a parts advisor. If I'd spoken to you a month ago,
I would have been an HR, 4,000 service advisor, and a lot to be grateful for.
That's interesting. I want to pull the gratitude thread because there's so much to talk about
there. But let's stay on this for a little longer. So, this, what you're doing is not
entirely unique, right? Especially being multiple generations in automotive to wear all the
hats. Where do you see the benefit? And maybe how long is the timeline with what you're going
through to bring you up front or to get you operational? Yeah, it's definitely not unique
because we built the program after talking to some other groups about what they've done with
generations coming back, but also as a training program for their general managers or leadership
in general, which is our plan for this long term. I'm the guinea pig, but we'd like to
create a program where anyone that's in a leadership position has exposure to every department in the
dealership. So, we're looking at 18 months, two years total, about halfway through. So, I'm finishing
up the fixed side of the business and I'll start the new year in variable. And so, but the main
thing is to be in every single frontline position because that, and I've already experienced it,
the best way to get to know our team, it's the best way to get to know our customers,
and it's been the best way to get to know our processes. And so, along the way, I've been able
to maybe find little places where balls are going to drop to make quick fixes, but mostly,
I'm doing a lot of listening and learning and there's definitely a lot to learn.
Catherine, I just have to ask, you said you were in HR and now you're in parts.
HR or parts, which part, which job do you prefer? Which one proved most interesting,
entertaining and developmental to you? Yeah, this is the question I get asked every
single day because I move from store to store, I move from department to department.
Everyone asks me who my favorite child is, and I can't say honestly, but I will say
both departments present very unique challenges. And I am a people person, I'm not a car person,
and so parts has definitely been the hardest thing I've done because I'm
learning a lot about vehicles. Service, I learned a lot about people, which I love,
and HR also, a lot about people, parts, it's a lot about cars.
Wait, that's interesting. Why people in service and why cars in parts?
Because I, and this is kind of the way that we have, we're trying to train our service
departments. It's about the human interaction you have with the customer. It's about
talking to them about we, our process says, and this normally does happen,
when you go talk to a customer, the first thing you talk to them about should not be their vehicle.
It should be something, you know, if you see a bumper sticker, you see, you ask them
how they're doing, and you make the personal connection and then you go to their vehicle.
And so, and I can talk to people. I was in a communications role beforehand,
so this is something I know how to do, but I cannot fix a car. And I don't know if you ever
looked at a parts map of finding where the parts go to a vehicle. That is new to me. So,
definitely a lot to learn there. So you said this is an 18 month process, right? For you?
Yes. Okay. And you're predominantly right now. You've only been on the fixed side.
Yeah. So that was intentional. So my dad, Greg York, is our CEO and president right now,
and we have a COO, Brian Lawler, who's been with our group for a long time, and they both came up
to the variable side. So we were intentional about making sure I spent a lot of time fixed
to get that perfect. Is there anything that you're noticing, and not to put you on the spot,
but being that you get to change your cap a little more frequently than the rest of us do,
is there anything that you're noticing that can give you an edge from one department to the other
or something that one helped you solve once you moved on to the next piece?
Yes and no. I'm coming from corporate communications. That's kind of what I think
about a lot. And we have different processes that are in different phases of implementation.
So kind of the way of then I've seen that these processes get put through is you have to get
identify an issue that needs a process. If it's adding a technology to help support a system
or making sure that we're getting more human-to-human interaction, getting management buy-in,
getting employee buy-in, and then getting customer buy-in, which honestly can be just
as difficult as the first two steps. And so seeing different ways we're doing that across
departments has been very interesting in how things get communicated differently into different
departments. And then there's like that's kind of big picture, small picture, you know,
every day I'm able to maybe catch something that someone hasn't thought should be raised.
I'll give you a very mundane example about working in the service lane. I noticed the
women's bathroom wasn't getting cleaned and I brought it up to my dad at family dinner and
I was like, who's in charge of this? And he said, that's me. I'll take care of it.
You keep coming back to communication. So going through these departments again,
what are the biggest breakdowns that you've seen between employees or between the store and
the customers? Yeah, absolutely. So we've done, I think a lot of groups are doing a big push for
technician videos in the service lane. So we've been pretty successful with that. Our group as a
whole is over 70% and RO is having a video attached, but our first two stores that started are both
over 90% now. So now that we're getting the videos to the customer, we got to make sure
that customers are watching the video or what's the point. And that is kind of a hurdle that until
I've been in these roles, I would not have thought would be an issue because I want to be communicated
to. I liked, you know, when I was a service customer living in DC, I always watched the videos.
I always wanted to know more information. I like that transparency, but some people don't
know to open it. Don't know what it is. It's new to them. So now we've got to focus on,
we've got our team doing the right thing. Now we've got to educate the customer. And
so a big thing of what that looks like is just when they come to check in, letting them know,
asking them their cell phone number. Okay, this is a number we're going to send a video to.
Expect that in the next 30 to 45 minutes. Open it, you're going to see your technician with
your vehicle. Have you ever seen underneath your vehicle? No, we're about to. And so
just letting them know what the steps are really does go a long way.
I think it's such a powerful tool to have a couple locations over 90% is definitely the
right metrics. That's certainly something to be grateful for 365 days a year, but definitely the
day before Thanksgiving. So you had said that you guys do some kind of special things as well
around the holidays, right? What are some things that you guys do? Yeah, absolutely. So
gearing up towards the winter holidays. Another part of my rotational program is,
you know, I'm not a VA, but I am an in-person kind of assistant to my dad and to our CEO.
My actual assistant.
Special projects come up. I get to do that as a side gig to everything else going on at fixed
stops. And one of that is our holiday efforts. So both in the community and employees, talking
about employee recognition gratitude. We have a tradition here that my grandparents started when
they founded our company in 1971. And they were low on funds that wanted to do something to recognize
their their 30 employees at the time and got wholesale fruit and made fruit baskets by hand.
Since then, we have, you know, grown that our company is growing. We're around 350 employees
now. We still make the baskets by hand. It was my first job in the dealership. I remember being eight
to nine years old. Service lane on a Sunday, line up all the baskets, fill them up with fruit. We've
added hams and cookies now. The idea is that they have a ready to go holiday meal. And so
sometimes we, you know, we transition from physical hams to gift cards to, you know,
now they can have a turkey or if they're vegetarian, you know, we make adjustments as
the times have moved through. But this idea still is that it's the family making the baskets for the
employees. That's very cool. Did you like making the baskets more now or when you were eight?
Definitely. When I was eight, I have two brothers and we would get on the dollies,
the service dollies and ski through the service drive. And it's a very fond experience memories
for me. That's great. Speaking of fond experiences and memories, do you have a favorite
memory or a favorite experience over the years during the holiday season that's come from this?
From the baskets. Definitely having to do with my grandparents. My grandfather who founded,
he's been in York, the company is no longer with us. But my grandparents, he's hand them out
themselves. And my grandfather had biggest smile I've ever seen. And it got just bigger and
bigger than every time he had one to another employee. And so definitely one of the big
benefits of being part of a family business, just being just being able to maintain those
relationships with our employees. Yeah. You know, Catherine, several great comments online
in support of your message and what you're saying here. So one comment CEO and janitor speaking
of your dad and the comment about the women's restroom. Christopher said that. And then
eager case says I would roll up my sleeves and do it myself clean that bathroom make sure
my employees see me do it. It shows even though I'm a dealer principle, and I'm still down to
earth. I'm a real person. And I would also get probably think that if you do it once,
everybody else would help make sure that it never, ever, ever happens again. And then eager K
gives you props for your time spent in fixed stops and your your work there.
I just have a question, you know, as you go through the different departments in the stores,
is there one area where you, you know, you only get to see things from a fresh set of eyes once
once you've spent a month or two in parts, then you see it a certain way. You can see opportunity
right at the very beginning. And if you take action on it, it makes the organization better.
Are there one or two things as you've toured around the different departments
that you've really latched onto that you're like, Hey, this would make a big difference
if automotive did different or if a particular department did different is, is there one
to outlier that everyone might learn from your experience going department to department?
Interesting. So that is very true. And every time I'm in a department, I have a notebook.
I'm a little notorious for it. I just carry notebook around. I'm always taking notes.
And the first week, I have this long list of things I think I can fix. And then the
second week, I start crossing things off because I see the reason that why they're done
and I keep going. And so by the end, I ended up having like one good idea
of that department because, you know, and that's something that that that I've gotten a lot of
advice on coming into these departments is I'm not I'm not there to turn tables.
They're doing really great the way they are. I do leave. I'm not most times I'm asked
while I'm while I'm leaving the department if I have feedback. And a lot of it I did.
It's a record for me is communication. I think phones is a big part of my life that I never
would have thought it would be, you know, five or 10 years ago, I'm I'm of the generation that
answered phones, but I'm right on the edge. And so I just I spent a lot of my time now
on the phone and finding ways to make sure we're answering the phone.
And that work and customers are not getting transferred around the dealership or being
put on hold. And so that we've got a great, a great phone system that's helped a lot of that,
but it's it's it's still work in progress. So as our last question here, and then we wrap,
we appreciate you being on the show. CDK recently released a survey talking about buyer
attitudes in the service department. That was one of the things they highlighted is just
the length of time it takes to get a phone picked up in the service department. And
that's something you see with a fresh set of eyes not having been there before.
It's ludicrous. It makes no sense. And training is part of that using some AI tools to help
with the heavy lift is another part. How are you decreasing that amount of time to the phone
pick up or reducing the amount of transfers? Having noted that? Yeah, we have a and I can
take no credit for this. This was already in the works before I got here is one of those
things I raised and they say we're working on that actually our IT director implemented a
phone system called OneCloud that we're still rolling out. But it's been very we can pull
abandoned call reports every week and we do. And that's reviewed by it's by department.
We are still tweaking the way that the phones where they ring. So like for example, service
rings the service advisors first, then the manager, then the BDC and it will it will
and then back to the service lane. So if the lanes flooded, then it'll get it'll get to a person.
We're using we're also testing an AI, an AI voice, but early stages for that. I think
that our market people want to talk to a person. What product are you testing on the voice side?
It's also part of OneCloud. Okay, so yeah, it's all together. Well, Catherine York Mace
on this day before Thanksgiving, we appreciate you coming on manager at
Van York Auto Group as you two across the organization and and and and learn about
more about automotive. We appreciate you sharing your perspectives with us. Thank you, Catherine.
Thanks so much for having me. A lot of good comments out there. DNC 9440 says Aladdin would
be proud to hear about the gift baskets. I think that's true. That's a touch of that's
a personal touch. Just a lot of really cool comments and engagement today. So
Howard Gleason from earlier says love this eager case as my franchise automotive group
is giving out turkeys for Thanksgiving. We usually spend over a million five on turkeys to do good
for the communities where the stores are in, which I think that's a lot of turkeys.
But that's a cool that's a cool tradition and a great way to give back, especially for
people that maybe don't have as much Lauren Klein gobble gobble. That was your
where's our there you go. There it is. Thank you. There you go. So fun show and I love the
conversation on cards and handwriting and doing back the basics based on handwriting.
So to our Daily Dealer Live audience, thanks for watching Daily Dealer Live.
Julie, cool Thanksgiving episode where we break down the biggest moves in the car
business as they happen. Don't forget we're here every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. So if this
is your world hit like, hit subscribe, turn on those notifications so you never ever ever
miss a beat. Have a great Thanksgiving everybody. Enjoy the day tomorrow and crush it this weekend
as we wrap out the month of November automotive. We'll see everybody next episode. Thanks for
being here. Thanks guys.
About this episode
A Thanksgiving special filled with gratitude and reflections on the automotive industry. Hosts Sam Dark, Yuli, and guests like Dave Marks and Aladdin Khazravan discuss the importance of appreciation in business, sharing personal stories and insights. They delve into the tightening auto loan market, the rise of AI in insurance, and the recent acquisition of dealerships by Dream Motor Group. The episode emphasizes the value of personal connections, handwritten notes, and community engagement, highlighting how these practices can foster loyalty and improve customer relationships.
Original notes
Today's show features:
Dave Marks, CEO/Founder DSM Auto Family
Aladdin Khazravan, Founder of Dealer Cards
Catherine York Mace, Manager at Vann York Auto Group
This episode is brought to you by:
Matador AI – Discover why the biggest dealership groups in America are using Matador AI to enhance their Sales and BDC teams to sell and service more cars than ever before. Right now, podcast listeners get the first 30 days risk-free with an included white-glove onboarding, so you can experience the difference in your store. This offer is only available until the end of the month, so don’t wait! Head to https://matador.ai/ and book your demo today.
Dealer Cards – the direct-mail platform built specifically for dealerships. With Dealer Cards, you can send personalized thank-you notes, birthday cards, and service reminders — even include brownies — all hands-free and branded for your store. Right now, CDG listeners can get a free sample box with cards and brownies at https://dealercards.com/cdg
CDG Circles – A modern peer group for auto dealers. Private dealer chats. Real insights — confidential, compliant, no travel required. Visit https://cdgcircles.com/ to learn more.
Car Dealership Guy is back with our second annual NADA Party—happening in Las Vegas on Thursday, February 5th. It’s the hottest ticket at NADA 2026. Spots are limited and unfortunately we can't invite everyone —so RSVP today at https://carguymedia.com/cdglive and we hope to see you in Vegas!
—
Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff:
CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/
CDG Jobs ➤ https://jobs.dealershipguy.com/
CDG Recruiting ➤ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/
My Socials:
X ➤ https://www.twitter.com/GuyDealership
Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/cardealershipguy/
TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@guydealership
LinkedIn ➤ https://www.linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy/
Threads ➤ https://www.threads.net/@cardealershipguy
Facebook ➤ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683
Everything else ➤ dealershipguy.com
Car Dealership Guy Podcast
Car Dealership Guy
0:00
61:03