The Vincierge - Raul Tomsa Gave Up Sales Manager To Go Back To The Sales Floor
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69:03
Company
CallReview
CallReview sounds like a tool dealerships use to track phone calls and improve how they sell cars. It helps managers understand what’s happening and coach sales teams.
Brand
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a car brand. The speaker is saying they worked at a Volkswagen dealership, which means they were selling that brand’s cars.
Concept
dealer license
A dealer license is permission from the state to run a car dealership. It’s what makes it legal to sell cars as a business.
Concept
sales manager
A sales manager runs the dealership’s sales team. They help coordinate salespeople and make sure the dealership hits its sales goals.
Concept
dealership
A dealership is where a car brand sells cars to customers. It’s usually a sales team plus service/parts, all under one brand.
Brand
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a luxury car brand from Germany. Going back to “Mercedes-Benz” means they returned to working with that brand’s dealership.
Concept
pre-owned
“Pre-owned” just means used cars—vehicles that were previously sold and are now being sold again by a dealership.
Term
FI
“FI” in dealership language commonly refers to Finance & Insurance, the department or function that sells financing products and insurance add-ons alongside vehicle sales. The speaker says they were doing “backup FI,” implying they were helping cover finance/insurance responsibilities.
Term
inventory
Inventory is just how many cars the dealership has ready to sell. More inventory usually means more chances to make a deal.
Term
auction buys
“Auction buys” means purchasing used vehicles at auto auctions rather than only relying on trade-ins. Auction sourcing can speed up inventory turnover, but it also requires strong inspection/reconditioning processes to manage risk.
Term
recon
“Recon” is short for reconditioning—repairs and cosmetic work done to prepare a used car for sale (e.g., detailing, minor fixes, and sometimes mechanical touch-ups). The speaker says they were buying cars that didn’t need much recon, which helps protect profit margins.
Brand
Cadillac
Cadillac is a luxury car brand. The speaker is saying their dealership group carries Cadillac too.
Brand
Porsche
Porsche is a performance/luxury sports car brand. The speaker is saying their dealership group handles Porsche too.
Concept
side hustle
A side hustle is something you do in addition to your main job. They’re saying social media started to feel like an extra project outside their day job.
Brand
GM
GM is short for General Motors, one of the biggest car companies in the U.S. Here, they’re saying GM likes the content and it’s getting attention from people in the business.
Term
DM
DM means a direct message, like a private message on social media. They’re saying people reach out to ask questions through those messages.
Brand
Sony
Sony makes cameras. The type of camera you use can change how good your pictures and videos look, like sharper details and better lighting.
Term
DMs
DMs are private messages you send someone on social media. In this case, it could be how people start asking about a car.
Term
QR code
A QR code is a little square you scan with your phone. It instantly opens a link, which can be useful for sharing your contact info or a car listing.
Term
leasing
Leasing means you’re paying to use the car for a period of time, not to own it. When a lease is ending, the dealer has to work around that timing and paperwork.
Car
BMW X5
A BMW X5 is a luxury SUV. Here, they’re talking about getting the keys so they can evaluate the car and handle the deal paperwork.
Term
FI office
The “FI office” is where the dealership handles the financial paperwork for your car purchase or lease. It’s also where they may talk about extra coverage and options.
Term
loan processors
Loan processors are the people behind the scenes who handle the paperwork for your car loan. They help get everything approved so the sale can be completed.
Concept
MSRP
MSRP is the “starting” price the manufacturer recommends. In real life, dealers may sell for more or less than that number.
Term
GSM
GSM usually means General Sales Manager. It’s the person who runs the dealership’s sales team and helps manage how sales are handled.
Brand
Honda
Honda is the car brand being discussed. The speaker is saying Honda pricing and resale values are strong enough that used Hondas don’t get discounted much compared to new ones.
Concept
CRM
CRM is a computer system dealerships use to keep track of customers and sales leads. The speaker is describing the steps they take in that system when a new lead comes in.
Term
monthly spiffs
A “spiff” is a bonus the dealership pays salespeople for hitting certain goals. The speaker is saying the rules can vary by brand or program.
Concept
test drive
A test drive is just driving the car yourself before you buy it. Salespeople use it to help you feel comfortable with the car and decide faster.
Car
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
They mention the Porsche 911 GT3 RS because it’s a super exciting, visually striking car. Posting content like that can help a dealership get more attention online.
Concept
personality-driven sales/marketing
They’re saying it’s not just about fancy videos—people also need a real personality. Viewers connect with someone who comes across as genuine.
Car
Mercedes-Benz GLA
The Mercedes-Benz GLA is a small luxury SUV/crossover. The speaker is talking about a lease deal for it and how those kinds of ads don’t necessarily create real interest.
LIVE
It'sareallyamazingstory.
Mr.
Mergadocameover,youknow,FreedomFlights,Cubanrefugeeimmigrant,thewholething,grewupinsuburbanChicago,andmadeitdowntoMiami,andthat'swherehestartedhishiscareerinthecarbusinessandstuff.
ButhisdadwasahugeCadillacguy.
AndhisdadpurchasedhisfirstCadillacfromMotorworksyearsago.
Sowhatwouldyoutellpeoplethatthiscareercanprovideforyouandwhatyouaregoingtohavetokindofbereadytocommittotomakeitacareerandnotjustajob?
Itcouldprovideeverything.
Imean,I'mamarriedfatheroffourthatlivesinthesuburbs,right?
I'mlivingtheAmericandream,ifyouwanttocallitthat.
I'mafanofsatireandsarcasm.
Imean,RyanReynoldsislikemyfavoriteactorbecauseofthat.
Nobodydoesitbetter.
Yeah.
Umand,youknow,maybesomestuffI'vepushedtheuhenvelopewithalittlebit,butIdon'tthinkI'vedoneanythingtoreallyembarrassthestore.
Um,Ididn'tputmyselfoutthere,right?
Asfarasuhpromotingmyselftomypersonalsortofuhcommunity.
Butthey'resofocusedonthenowthatitwillneverbecomeeasyforthembecausethey'llalwayshavetobeworkingthathardtotrytosellthecarrightthissecond.
ThisepisodeisbroughttoyoubyCallReview,thedealershipintelligenceplatformthatconnectseveryconversationtoperformance.
FromtheirhostedphonesystemandAI-poweredattendanttoreal-timeanalytics,coaching,andreputationinsights,callreviewhelpsyoucaptureeverycall,understandeveryinteraction,andconvertmoreopportunities.
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ItistheDougHornerShow,seasontwo,andIhaveaveryspecialguesttoday,afellowMercedesBenzguy.
ItisRaulTomsa,betterknownastheVinciergeonsocialmedia.
Thankyousomuchforbeingherewithmetoday.
Thanksforhavingme.
SoIhavebeenwantingtotalktoyoueversinceyoumadeadecisionatthebeginningoftheyeartogobackontothesalesfloorfromamanagementuhposition,whichalmostneverhappensformanyreasonsinthisbusiness.
Sowe'llgetintothatforamoment.
Buthowlonghaveyoubeeninthecarbusinessandhowdidyougetintothecarbusinesstostartwith?
UmI'vebeeninthecarbusinesscomingon18yearsthisApril.
AndIgotinthecarbusinesssimplybecauseIwasageekatthetimeIwasdrivingVolkswagens,andIwouldspendsomuchtimeatthedealershipabusingthefreecarwashesthattheyofferedmeajob.
Wow.
Okay.
Soyouwerethatguy.
Youwerethereforthefreecarwashesconstantly.
Yeah.
And,youknow,Ihere,yougottohavesomebodythat'syourinn.
Somyinbecamethefinancemanagerbecausehehadtakencareofmeonlikeallmydeals.
Uh,wehungoutafewtimesoutsideofthedealership.
Andhegoes,youknow,you'reyoung,you'reenergetic,youactuallylovethesethings.
Uh,whydon'tyousellcars?
AndIgo,whatareyoutalkingabout?
Don'tyouhavetogotoschoolforthat?
Don'tyouhavetobesomekindoflikehigh-levelpro,youknow?
Andhegoes,youknow,shutup,kid.
Justgonnagetinhereandwe'llteachyouwhatyouneedtoknow.
Soyeah.
That'sawesome.
Doyouevergetthosequestionsfrompeoplenowthatyou'restartingtogetafollowingwheretheyaskyou,hey,whatdoIhavetodotogetintocarsales?
Oh,somebodyIsoldavehicletojustlastmonthreferredayoungkidthatsheknows.
He's23,andhecameinTuesdaymorningtointerviewmeaboutthecareerpath.
He'sinhospitality.
AndIsaid,Well,ifyou'reinhospitality,it'sagreatfit.
But,youknow,hewantedtoknowhours,lifestyle,thingslikethat.
AndIsaid,Well,ifyou'recomingfromhospitality,thiswillbeavacation.
Imean,he'sgotwe'vegotSt.
Patrick'sDaycomingup,andhe'stellingmeaboutan18-hourdaythathe'sgotfrom6a.m.
Uh,youknow,thisSaturdayorwhatever.
So,well,weworkhard,butbutnotthathard.
So,yes,andyouknow,I'mI'malwaysanopenbooktoanybodythat,youknow,wantstopokeinprodandfindoutmoreaboutthisbusiness.
Love,IIlovethisbusiness.
Ilovetalkingaboutthisbusiness.
Yeah.
I'vealwaysfoundthosequestionsalittleamusingbecauseIone,Iit'sflatteringthatpeoplewouldthinkthatyouneedsomespecialpathtogetintocarsales.
Buttherealityofitis,mostplacesyoujustneedapersonalityandawillingness.
Youknow,there'snotreallyprerequisitestobeingacarsalesperson.
Youcertainlydon'tneedadegree.
Um,Iknowsomeoftheverybestthathaveeverdoneithadverylittleschooling,right?
Becauseit'sapeoplebusiness.
Andituhit'sjustalwaysinterestingtome.
SowhatIenduptellingpeoplealotisthathey,ifit'ssomethingthatyouwanttodo,justshowupandletthemknowthatyouwanttodoit.
Andyou'remorethanhalfwaythereatthatpoint.
That'sright.
AnduhonethingIdidIdidtellthemaboutthoughislike,doyouwantthistobeyourcareer?
Notajob,notsomethingthatIwanttodipmytoeinto.
Because,youknow,canyoubesuccessfulrightoffthebat?
Yes.
Howmanyarethough?
Right.
Soit'ssomethingthatyouwanttohavetodecideforyourself,like,no,thisisthisisthecareer,thisisthepath,thisisthisismylifenow,andthat'sreallywhenitstartstopaydividends.
Yeah,Iagree.
Soyouarelikealotofusattheendoftheday,whereyousortoffellintoit,notexactlysomethingthatyouwereseekingoutexactly.
Butforthosethatareseekingitout,youmentionedyoureallyneedtodecidethatthisisthecareeryouwant.
AndIagreewithyoucompletely.
So,whatwouldyoutellpeoplethatthiscareercanprovideforyouandandwhatyouaregonnahavetokindofbereadytocommittotomakeitacareerandnotjustajob?
Well,itcouldprovideeverything.
Imean,I'mamarriedfatheroffourthatlivesinthesuburbs,right?
I'mlivingtheAmericandream,ifyouwanttocallitthat.
Sothereareafew,andIsaidthistosomepeopleinthepast,howmanyindustriesarethereleft?
Now,thetradesforsure,butum,howmanyindustriesarethereleftinthiscountrywhereyoucouldreallybuildabusinesswithinabusinesswhereyoudon'treallyhavetodomuchinvestingonyoursideandinintermsofinventoryandthingslikethat?
It'sjustinvestinginyourself,yourpersonality,yourknowledge,thingslikethat,andtheycouldumreapthebenefitsthatitdoes.
Sothat'sthat'swhatItellthem.
Isaid,thisisthisiswe'rerunningoutofthisinthiscountry,right?
Soumforme,yes,ititdoesinvolvetime,buteverythingdoes.
I'llgiveyouanexample.
Youknow,mymomwasanannyforsomebodyinhighfinanceforalongtime.
Andshetoldmeabouthislife,right?
So,like,youknow,thethetypicalmillennial,Iwanttowork40hoursaweekandbeamillionaire.
Right.
Thoseguysdon'tknowwhat40,40hourweeks,theygot40hoursinbyTuesday,right?
Yeah.
So,youknow,todrivetoflyprivatejetsandtolivein,youknow,thesemassivehouses.
Soanythingworthdoingisgoingtoretireuhrequiretime,right?
Andandandit'snodifferenthere.
No,you'reabsolutelyright.
Andthat'sagreatpoint.
Ithinkthatuhwedefinitelyrunintothatwithyoungergenerationswheretheywantitallandtheydon'twanttohavetoputinthetimenecessarily.
AndIdon'tliketogeneralizebecauseIdo,Idon'tthinkthatit'severybody,right?
I'vemetalotofyoungpeoplethathaveagreatdriveandtheyunderstandthatifyouwantbigthings,you'vegottoputinbigwork.
Butuh,butyes,thisisacareerthatcanbeveryrewarding.
Itisatimecommitmentforsure.
Attheendoftheday,itisstillretail.
Butwhenyouareonthesalesfloor,especially,andIdon'tknowifyou'reexperiencingthisyetagain,butuhyoucanearnsomeflexibilitythatmanagersdon'tnecessarilyhave,right?
Managerskindofhavetobetherebelltobell,typically,unlessyou'restaffedinsuchawaythatyou'vegotuhsomebodyelsethatcanfilltheseat.
Buthowlongdidittakeyoutokindofclimbtheladderintoamanagementposition?
AndhaveyoualwaysbeenwithBarringtonorhaveyoumovedaroundatall?
IIhavemovedaround.
SoI'lljustkindofbrieflysummarize.
IworkedfortwoandahalfyearsataVolkswagenstore.
Ileftthattodosomeuhtransportwork.
Mydadhadatransportationcompany,andIthoughtIwasdonewiththecarbusiness.
ThecarbusinesspulledmebackinwhenIdecidedtogetmyowndealerlicense,ifyoucouldbelievethat.
SoIhadasmalllotforaboutayear,yearandahalf.
Ididitterribly.
IIfailedmiserably,butIgrewupfast.
Afterthat,Iwoundupbackinafranchisestore,uh,soldcarsforafewmonths,andthenaFIpositionbecameavailable.
Andmymentoruhthatinitiallygotmeintothebusiness,hewasatthatfranchisestore.
Hehadmovedtothatfranchisestoreandwehadreconnected,andheputinagoodworkforme.
AndsoIwouldsay,youknow,fouryearsintothecareer,fourmaybefourandahalfyearsintothecareer,ImadeittoFandI.
Andsothenext12yearswasbetweenFandIandsalesmanager,uh,upuntilthispastJanuary.
Soum,youknow,youcanclimbtheladderprettyquicklyinthisbusiness.
That'sanotherthingIIloveaboutit.
Ifyou'vegotthetalentandyouandyou'vegottheworkethic,youknow,andtheFIgig,IrememberwhenIgotit,Doug,Iwouldgoinonmydayofftopackagedeals.
Itwaslikethisthing,likeI'mamanagernow.
I'vemade,IfeltlikeIIreachedthepromisedland,right?
AndIwouldstaylate.
Iwould,IlovedbeinginadealershipbecausenowIreallyfeltlikeIwascontributingtosomething,right?
Um,itwasasillything.
ItwasindowntownChicago,soI'lltellyouthisfunstoryonetime.
I'mridingmybikethroughdowntownChicagoonmydayoff,andIstopinjusttosayhitotheguys,andtheywerebackedupthree,fourdeals.
Mythengeneralmanagerwouldkeephis,hewouldtakethetrainandbikeintofromthetrainstation.
Hegoes,I'mgonnathrowyouoneofmysuits.
IneedyoutospinadealbecauseI'mthree,fourdeep.
AndI'mlike,I'min,right?
SoI'mwearingliketheseoversizedsuitsandandanduhbuildingoutadealonmydayoffjustbecauseIhadtheloveofit.
Soyeah,yeah,andandBarrington,Barrington,thisisactuallymysecondtourofduty.
Istartedhereinum2018.
AboutayearandayearafterIstartedhere,wehadopenedupanewJLRstore,brandnewbuilding.
Wehadthepoint,wejustmodernizedthefacility.
AndIwantedtogetoutofFandIbecauseonedayIwantedtogrowupviaGSM,viaGM.
Andyou'renotalwayspluckedoutoftheFandIpositionforthatwithouthavinglikesalesmanager,youknow,TOwn,bunchofcustomers,trainingsalespeople.
ThatthatwassomethingthatIlacked.
Iwas,youknow,IIatewhatIkilled,right?
SoIwenttotheJLRstore,theysoldusofftoanothergroup.
Nobigdeal.
Everythingwasgreat.
Iwaswiththatgroupforfiveyears,andnowI'vebeenbackinBarringtonsinceDecemberof2024.
SobackwithMercedes-Benz.
Okay.
Awesome.
Sowhenuhsowereyouinfinancethenforthemajorityofyourtimeinthebusiness?
Itwassplitbetweenfinanceandpre-ownedmanager.
Uh,andmyyeah.
Okay.
Andwhatwouldyousayarethekeydifferencesbetweennowyoubecauselikeyousaid,weputmanagerinthetitleofthefinanceposition,butreallyattheendoftheday,youareasalesmanthathasextraresponsibilities,right?
Now,onceyoubecomeapre-ownedmanagerorasalesmanagerofanykind,whatarethethekeydifferencestherebetweenfinanceandsalesmanager?
Well,itdependsonthestore.
SoalotofthestoresthatIworkedatwhenIwasinFNI,theytheydidn'treally,ascrazyasmightsound,theytheywerefinewithmejustbeinginacaveandthemhandingmedeals.
Theydidn'twantmegettinginvolvedtooearlyforwhateverreason.
Sothat'sjustwhatitis.
Youkindoftookthedealasitcameinandyouhadtomaximizetheprofit.
And,youknow,IhadamyfirstGMatinfinancetoldme,youryourjob,yourjobistogetmefundedandtoputacarontheroad.
That'showyoukeepyourjob.
Youmakeyourpaycheckbysellingtheproducts.
So,youknow,Itookthatveryseriously.
Firstthingsfirst,myjobistoefficientlygetthisclientontheroad.
Okay.
Um,soIdidthat.
Whenyouswitchtothesalesmanagerside,youknow,thedeskmanager,ifyouwill,youyou'redealingmoreinhandtohand,you'rehelpingtheclient,you'rehelpingthesalespersongetadeal.
Youknow,let'snottalkaboutasdeepasyougoasapre-ownedmanagerwhenitcomestoacquisitions.
Imean,withJLR,Itookoverthatpre-ownedjobuhendof2020.
IhadgottensickwithCOVIDanduhoverlikeJuly,IcomebackandI'muhI'masalesmanagerdoingbackupFI.
It'saJLRstore,sowewerelikeoneandahalfFIguys,right?
Yeah,yeah.
AndIgetbackandthepre-ownedmanagerdecidestogosellFerrarisforaliving.
Goodforhim.
Like,goodforhim,right?
He'sstillthere,he'sdoingfantastic.
SotheGMcomesuptomeandsays,we'regonnagiveittothepre-owneddepartment.
Andinmyentirecareer,ifIcouldbefrank,I'dsaid,Great,Ihateusedcars.
What'stheworstthatcanhappen?
IandIdid.
IevenwhenIwasasalesperson,Ilovedsellingnewpre-ownedcars,youknow,thescratches,thatthis,thatitwasneverlikeaperfecttransaction,right?
Butnewcars,there'ssomethingaboutnewcars.
Soumwedidn'thaveinventory.
Therewasmonthswherewehadninecarsontheground,20,endof20,goinginto21,mid-21,forgetit.
Youknow,wewehadnoRangeRoversontheground,etcetera.
SoIwasrunningabout140,150carinventory,allauctionbuys.
JusteveryweekI'dbuy15,20cars,andyoucouldyoucouldn'tmissin21andbeginningof22,right?
So,youknow,Iwasbuyingcoolcarsthatdidn'treallyneedalotofreconandandyouknow,itwaskindofkeepingthatgoing.
Itwasaprofitableusedcardepartment.
Um,butagain,forititwasitwassomethingthatIdidn'twanttodolongterm.
Isaid,I'lldothisfornow.
Yeah.
Um,butIdon'twanttobeausedcarmanagerforever.
SoOkay.
Sothenwhatledyoutothedecision?
Allright,Iwanttogoonthesalesfloor.
Andwhenwhendidthatdecisionkindofgetmade?
AndthenIknowthatyouyoustartedtheyear,right?
SoJanuary1,youhitthesalesfloor,butwhatkindofledyoubacktothatdecision?
Becausealotofpeoplelookatthatandarelike,that'ssoweird.
Whywouldyouleavemanagementtogotosales?
Ihavemyunderstandingsofthat,butI'dI'dliketohearfromyouhowthatcametobe.
Well,okay.
You'repartofit?
Uhsoyou'reyou'repartofit.
Oh,really?
Oh,interesting.
Well,itwasthecontentcreationstuff,right?
Imean,uh,youknow,runintoyouaboutayearago,andIIseeyou,IseeJoeW,andIseeguysthatareatMercedes-BenzorataHighlinestorelikeIam,andreallydoingittherightway.
Yeah.
Andreallyshowcasinglike,we'reprofessionals,youknow,we'renotsleazyjoe'susedcarlot,right?
Wethere'sarightwaytodothis.
We'redealingwithhighlineclientele,we'rebusinessmen,we'redoingthistherightway.
SoI'mnoticing,youknow,okay,thisclient,thistruthfully,Iwaslike,Imissedoutonthewholecontentcreationthing.
Youguysarealreadybig,there'snoroomforanotherguy.
Um,butthispastsummer,I'mfriends,I'mveryfriendlywiththeguysoveratCarsCommerce.
I'mahugeaccuradeuser.
TheyhadmeonapanelforUsedCarpalooza,whichtheyruneverysummerinChicago.
AndtheyhappentohaveAlexCortizfromwho'smovingmerch,right?
Yeah.
And,youknow,Iknowit.
Istartedthiswholethingpurelyuhtostartanacquisitionpipeline.
UhIlookatAlex,IlookatGeorgeSaliba,andI'mgonnacreatecontentandhopefullybuy20carsoffthestreet.
Yeah.
Sorryaboutthat.
Andum,youknow,we'rewe'reumwe'rerocking,we'rerolling.
Thecontentisstartingtogetcreated.
Bumpin,youknow,kindofstartconnectingwithRuss,RussellRichardson,right?
And,youknow,hey,we'recreatingleads,hey,we'redoingthis,we'redoingthat,andandyoucouldgetapipeline.
Andthisisaspecialplace.
Wehavesixbrands.
So,yes,IaminMercedes-Benzshowroom,andthat'sthethat'sthebrandthatIprefertosell.
Butwe'vegotMercedes,BMW,Porsche,Infinity,HondaCadillac,right?
SoI'vegotalittlebitsomethingforeveryone.
Andatleastatfirstnow,yeah,I'mhereBellaBell.
Iwasn'thereatBellaBellasamanager,I'mhereatBellaBellasaclientadvisorbecauseI'mbuildingsomething.
Andwhenthesocialmediastuffstartedtakingoff,Ithoughttomyself,okay,here'smychancetokindofhavethisparallelsidehustleasthekidscallit,right?
Yeah.
AndbutIneedanengine.
Ineedanenginetofuelthesidehustle.
Ineed,well,howamIgonnacreatecontent?
Well,I'mgonnaplacewithsixbrands,right?
Sothat'swheretheidea,anditwasaboutNovemberoflastyearthatIsatdownwithmyGMandIsaid,I'vegotthiscrazyidea.
Ithinkhecouldusemeonthesalesfloor.
IthinkI'dbegreatatit.
He'slike,well,yeah.
Um,andandIsaid,Iwanttodothis.
SotheentiremonthofDecember,kindofnobodyknew.
Noneofmynoneofmysalespeopleknew.
Itwaslikethiskindofsecret.
AndthenfirstSaturdayinDecemberattheSaturdaymorningmeeting,weannounceditandImovedfromsortofbehindadesktotheothersideofthedesk.
Andyouknow,now'smonththree.
Andagain,IdiditbecauseumanotherthingthatImentioned,we'rewe'reAtoZhere.
Soyousellthecar,youdidtheFandI,Idoallthatuhfronttoback.
Andyeah,IIlookedatitaslike,okay,ifIdowanttocreatethiscontentbusiness,andasasalesmanager,asyousaidatthebeginningofthiscall,Imightnotbeabletojustsay,hey,I'mnotcomingintomorrowbecauseIhavetogotoNADA.
Idon'tknow.
Umyouhavetobehere.
You'reasalesmanager,right?
Right.
SoIthoughtthathere,beingontheshowfloor,workingmyleads,beingsuccessfulasuhretailingautomobileswouldprobablygivemethefreedomtosortofbuildthesetwothingsuhsidebyside.
Okay.
Verycool.
SoyouhadsomeconversationswithRuss.
Didhetrainthestore,orweretheyjustconversationsthatyouhadwithhimaboutdoingthis?
Well,Russtrainedmybrother'sstore.
Mybrother'salsointhebusiness.
SomybrotherhadthisumrelationshipwithRuss,gavemeRuss'snumber.
Um,Russstartednoticingmeonsocialmedia,andhegoes,Ohman,hegoes,You,you,you'vegotit,right?
Um,butyouknow,aboutacouplemonthsintoourrelationship,hekindofreachesouttomeandhegoes,Hey,you'vegotit,butthere'sstillstuffIcanteachyou.
Soyoushouldreallysignupformyprogram.
AndIgo,deal.
Igo,whynot?
WhynotifIifI'vegotit,whynotsuperchargeit?
Right.
Soum,soIsignedupforhisprogramandI'mandI'minit,andyouknow,thecallsandthetraining.
AndIIcouldIcouldtellyou,ifyou'veifyou'restartingfromzeroandyouwanttodothis,that'syouryouknow,it'sjustaspringboardintointogettingittoahigherlevelfaster.
AndIIwouldnotIwouldnotnotconsiderit.
Yeah.
Sohowhasuhmanagementownershiphavetheybeensupportive?
Havetheyeverbeenalittlebitnervousaboutthesocialmedia?
What'sthatexperiencebeenlike?
Umthey'vebeenumthey'vebeenmostlysupportiveuhaboutitbecauseyouknowumit'sit'sgettingoutthere.
Umwe'vehadsomethingshappenwithinthegroup.
I'mpartofareallylargegroup.
SoMotorworkswaspurchasedafewyearsagobyMergadoAutomotive.
They'reoutofMiami.
Sothey'reyouknow,30stores,they'reuptofiveMercedesstoresnow.
Wow.
Um,twoinVirginia,twoinCalifornia,andthat'sintheMidwest.
Soum,youknow,I'mno,ImeanI'venevergottenintrouble.
I'veneverdoneanything,youknow.
Idon'treallydoanything.
Idon't,Idon'tliketobesupercontroversial.
Idon'tdothingsthat,youknow,IIhere,Ilikesatire.
I'maI'mafanofsatireandsarcasm.
Imean,RyanReynoldsislikemyfavoriteactorbecauseofthat.
Nobodydoesitbetter.
Yeah.
Um,andandyouknow,maybesomestuffI'vepushedtheuhenvelopewithalittlebit,butIdon'tthinkI'vedoneanythingtoreallyembarrassthestore.
Right.
AndnordoIeverwantto.
Youknow,whywouldthat?
Um,butyouknow,it'sit'sgreat.
LikemyGMlikesmycontent,andumeverybodyaroundthishere.
We'vegot80clientadvisors,youknow,onCanthus,andthepeopleinparksandandthetax,andyouknow,thealgorithmsworking.
I'mI'minfrontoftheeyeballsofpeopleinthisbusiness,andpeoplearejustlike,wheredoyoucomeupwiththisstuff?
Howdoyoudothis?
Like,youknow,soitit'sbeenveryum,youknow,peoplepeoplehavebeenverycomplimentarytoit,anduhit'sit'sit'sbeengreat.
Yeah.
Andreallythereasonformyquestionisthatit'ssointeresting.
Imean,whatwhatyou'redoingandwhatI'mdoingandwhatRussisdoing,right?
Imean,Ithinkgenerallypeopleseethatitworks,butthere'sstillalotofpeopleouttherethathavetheblindersonalmostwhereit'sliketheytheygetitthatsocialmediaisimportant,buttheywanttokindofhandleitfromacorporatelevelanddosortofthethenormal,hey,let'spostsomepicturesofcarsandmaybedosomewalkaroundsonourcorporatepages.
AndIwhatIwhatIthinkthatsomepeopleouttherehaven'twrappedtheirheadaroundyetisthatnotunlikesellingcars,itisapeoplething.
Andyou'veifthere'snotapersonalitytherekindofbehindthesocialmediathatit'llonlytakeyousofartoshownewMercedesBenzesoverandoverandoveragain,ornewBMWsorwhateveritisthatyou'reselling.
Soit'suhIthinkmoreandmorepeoplearearestartingtocomearoundtoit.
ButIalsothetheotherpartofitisthatsomemightlookatitandsay,oh,well,ifhe'souttheremakingavideo,thenhecan'tbesellingacar.
Andit'slikeIgetit.
Inthatmoment,yes,ifyou'refilmingavideo,youcouldn'tpossiblybesellingacar,butthetheeffectthatthatvideocouldhavecouldyield,youknow,atonofsalesinthenearfutureordowntheroad,right?
Sothathaveyouhadanyfeedbacklikethatwhereit'slike,hey,you'regoofingaroundtoomuchandmakingvideos,ororhavethey,isitreallyjustbeen,youknow,showmetheresultsandwe'regood.
Sure.
Well,thankthankfully,no.
Butwhatwhatalotofpeople,thepeoplethatdon'tdoitassumealot.
Howlongdoesittakemetofilmaskit?
AndI'mtalkingaboutthisisthesearetheonesthatrequirework,notjustthepointingthecameraatmyselfandtalkingtoitfora45-secondclip.
Askit.
Askitmaybe,maybeinvolves10minutesofsettingup,filming,andmaybeeightminutesofediting.
It'sbeenahobbyofmine,soIcan'treallysaythatI'velikestartedI'veneverdonetheskitsandstuff,butphotographyandvideography,likeIfilmpeoplelikewill,otherGMswillmessageme,like,DMme,like,what'syoursetup?
I'mlike,youdonotneedmysetup.
Iunfortunatelyhavea$4,000SonycamerathatIboughtbecauseIwanttotakereallycoolpicturesofmykidsandotherthings.
Okay,sono,donotlikegogetaDJI,whatever.
Okay,donotdowhatI'mdoing.
Ihavemoregearthansomeofmyfriendsthatdothisasweddingvideographers,okay?
Sothat'smythat'sme.
That'sjusthowobsessiveIget.
Butthesevideostake10to15minutestomake.
Andyouknow,youcouldpushbackonanyGM.
EveryGMwillalwaystellyouthere'splentyoftimeintheday,right?
There'sdefinitelyplentyoftimestomakeyourphonecalls,sendtexts,emails.
Ofcourse.
There'sthere'splentyoftimeintheday,especiallyifyou'reforanine,10-hourshifttoinvest15minutesintoonevideo.
Oh,absolutely.
Absolutely.
Andtrustme,thethesalespeoplethataren'tdoingitfindotherwaystobeunproductivewithsomeoftheirtimeduringtheday.
Anditcertainlyisn'tyieldingtheresultsthatyouprobablyhave.
SoIIknowthatyou'vemadeafewvideosthatyou'vestartedtohavesomesalesdirectlybecauseofthesocialmedia.
Howhasthatbeen?
What'sthatbeenlike?
ArepeoplejustDMingyou?
Areyougettingcallstothestore,internetleads?
Whathasthatbeenlikeforyou?
Yeah,well,I'llI'llbehonest.
Partof,okay,I'vebeendoingthisaslongasIhave.
Andalotofpeople,alotofpeopleknowmeinmycommunity.
I'mumethnicallyRomanian,right?
AnduhsoIknowlikealotofpeoplearoundChicago.
Imean,likehere,Ihad850peopleatmywedding,right?
Myparents,we'vebeeninChicagosince91.
It'slikeoneofthosethings,weddingsandfunerals,peopleshowup,right?
Yep.
So,butI'veneverreally,onlikemypersonalFacebook,Imadeanautomotivetypepostmaybeonceayear.
Like,heyguys,lookatthiscoolcarIgot,right?
SoIIdidn'tevenreally,becauseIwasinamanagement,Iwasn'treallyonthefloor,Iwasn'treallygoingfordeals.
Um,Ididn'tputmyselfoutthere,right?
Asfarasasuhpromotingmyselftomypersonalsortofuhcommunity.
Um,thishasbeendifferent.
Thishasbeen,hey,I'matthestore,Isellcars,DMmeifyouneedhelp.
Um,I'vehad,forinstance,this13-monthS-ClassLeespecialthatyouknowabout.
Yep.
I'vedonewellover100DMsoffthatvideo,justquotingpeoplelikecrazy.
Yeah.
Um,andyouknow,it'sfun.
Andit'soneofthosethings.
Ithink,likeRusssaid,again,I'mthreemonthsin.
It'snowmyumfollow-uptool,right?
I'vegotalittleQRcodeonthislikeblackmatthingonmydesk.
Andbeforepeopleleave,it'slike,youknow,that'smylinktree.
Ifyou'reonInstagram,TikTok,Facebook,followme.
AndI'mnotgonnacallyoueveryday.
Imean,Iknowyoudon'twantmetocallyoueveryday,butthiswillremindyouofmethreemonthsfromnow,sixmonthsfromnow,I'mnotgoinganywhere.
Right.
LikeIIdecidedtodothisverypurposefullyherebecausethereare30-yearclientadvisorsatthisdealer.
Thepeoplehavemadealifeoutofthisplace.
AndIgo,well,iftheycan,socanI.
AnduhIsaid,youknow,yeah,maybeit'snotadealtoday.
I'monlyatthebeginningofthis,ofthisjourney,right?
AndIknowthedividendswillstartstackinguphererealquick.
Yeah,no,that'sexactlywhathappens.
Imean,it'sRusshasoftentalkedaboutitasliketheultimatefollow-uptool.
AndIthinkthatwasoneofthethingsthatappealedsomuchtome.
Wherelet'sbereal,makingahundredcallsadaytoyourclientbookisalot,right?
It'shardandyoucouldenduphavingalotofverylongconversations.
AndandIadvocateforthat.
Ifthat'sthekindofpersonyouare,man,pickupthephoneanddial100%.
Butforme,thatalwaysfeltlikeitwastakingmeawayfromotherthingsthatIcouldbedoing.
SonowthethisideathatifI'mfilmingeveryday,ifI'mcomingupwithideas,andreallyIdon'twanttosaycomingupwithideas,becausemostofmycontentisjustwhat'sactuallyhappeninginthedealership,whichisnicebecauseIcanturnmybrainoffandIdon'thavetocomeupwithaskitlikeyou'redoing,right?
Whichismorementallychallenging.
Um,buttojusthavethesevideosthatgoouteveryday,itsuddenlybecomesait'slikeeverydayyou'reinfrontofthepeoplethatyouwouldotherwisebefollowingupwith.
Soit'skindoflikeyou'recallingthemandhavingaconversationeverysingledayalmost,right?
Iftheylikewatchingyourstuff.
Soyou'llreachapoint,it'satippingpointwhereallofasudden,whentheyareinthemarketforacar,they'regoingtothinkofyou,right?
Andandsothatisdefinitelyabroadappealforthesalespeopleouttherethathavealaw,andyouandreallyyou'vegottohavealong-termvisiontobesuccessfulincarsales.
IthinkI'veseenIseealotofpeoplewhoworkincrediblyhard.
They'reverytalented,butthey'resofocusedonthenowthatitwillneverbecomeeasyforthembecausethey'llalwayshavetobeworkingthathardtotrytosellthecarrightthissecond.
Right.
Andneveracarthatcouldbeadealayearfromnow,sixmonthsfromnow,twoyearsfromnow.
Right.
Soit'sgoodthatyou'vegotthatlong-termvisionbecausethatwillyouyouwillstarttoseethatpayoff,anditmightevenreachapointwhereallofasuddenyou'relike,whatdoIdowithallthesepeoplethatarecalling?
Right.
Sotellmealittlebitaboutthat.
You'vegotsixbrandsoncampus.
You'vementionedthatyoukindofgoAtoZ.
That'sveryuniqueinthisbusiness.
Whatdoesthatlooklike?
Forsomebodywho'swondering,whatdoesthatmean?
You'reyou'resellingthecar,you'redoingthefinancepaperwork,you'rebasicallytheonlypersonthey'retalkingtotheentiretime.
IsthatdoIhavethatright?
YouyoudoifIdomyjobproperly,right?
Soum,here,I'llunpackmysecondweekonthesalesfloor.
Gentlemancomesin,andrightthroughthefrontdoor,weyouknow,wetaketurnswatchingthedoor,wehaveanupsystem,andhewalksinandhegoes,I'mheretolookataGLSandanescalate.
AndIgo,Youcometotherightplace.
Uhhegoes,Iwanttodrivea580versus450,andIwanttodriveanescalate.
Sowestartoffwiththe550.
IcallovertotheCadillacstoreandsaid,Canyoujusthavethekeystoanescalate?
Ready?
I'mgoingthere.
So580,escalade,450.
He'scomingoutofBMWX5.
Thisiskey.
Thisisreallykey.
Um,hegoes,youknowwhat?
I'mleasing.
Hegoes,the450wasplentypeppy.
He'scomingoutofaV8X5.
Sohisleaseisupinaweek.
AndonlyBMWdealershipscanpayoffBMWleasestothisday.
Okay.
Sowe'recloseonnumbers,right?
Same.
I'mI'maregularguy.
YouputsomeoneinaCRM,youstartyourvisit,andthenweworkintechyonasaDMS.
AndwhenItellyouhowmuchIloveTachyon,Icannotsingitspraisesenough.
Becauseit'sallonjustlikeyou'reindesking,whenyou'redonedesking,youpushFandI,andthenthemenucomesup.
Well,sowe're$60awayonpayment.
AndIsay,givemeyourX5keys.
Hegoes,why?
AndIlookathimandwe'vehadagoodtime.
We'vegotthereport.
Igo,haveIwastedyourtimeuptothispoint?
Hegoes,nah.
Youknow,andhejustthrowsmethekeys.
Yeah.
Infiveminutes,Iappraisedhiscar.
I'vegottheexperience.
We'regonnagoin,putit,plugitintoyouknow,provisionviaauto,walkovertotheBMWboys,say,here'stheVIM,givemeapayoff,walkbackover.
Ifound$2,000inequity.
Isaid,guesswhatIfound?
Here's$2,000.
We'reatyourpayment.
Anditwasanhourand15minutes,maybeanhourandahalf,becausewetookthreegoodtestdrives.
Yeah.
Butinaboutanhourandahalf,wehadacardeal.
And,youknow,wewehaveuhourmottoisoneperson,oneprice,onehour.
Weareaonepricedealership.
Wedevelopedthisafewyearsago.
It'scalledoneandonly.
Um,it'salloverourwebsite.
Soalotofcustomerskindofcomeinunderstandingit.
Wewewehavemarketingbehindit,butit'sagreatthing.
AndthenwhenIstart,youknow,andhere,IIsatintheFIofficeforaMercedes-Benzstore,soIknowhowtoresidualizemaintenanceonthelease.
Iknowthetirewheel,Iknowthe,youknow,Iknoweverything.
LikeMercedes,Mercedesisoneofthe,itislikethegreatestbrandyoucouldsell,truthfully,becauseit'slikesouptonuts,everythingwithin,youknow,likereallyclientfocused,customerfocused.
Andandandthat'sthat'sadeal.
Andand,youknow,fastforwardacoupleweeksafterthat,Igetanother,youknow,aleadandItalktohimonthephoneandhegoes,Well,Iseethiswholethingaboutyouroneandonlyandwhatnot.
AndIsaid,sir,ifIcan'tsellyouacarinhalfanhour,it'sit'sonyou,notme.
Youknow,andhelaughed.
Iwillseeaboutthat.
Ididn'tsellhimacarinhalfanhour,Isoldhimacarinthreehoursbecausewewerehavingsuchagreattime.
Yeah.
YouknowwhatImean?
We'rejustthetestdrive,theeverything.
Wemadeadeal.
Wejustsataround.
Hehewasintheoilandgasbusinessallovertheworld.
HelivedinRomaniaforafewmonths.
Youknow,itwasjustlike,it'sit'sthisamazingthingwhereitseemslikethethepressure,sortoflikeeveryeverythingonthesideofwhatitmeanstotransactatadealershipkindoffallsaway,right?
There'snothere'snooddsbehindthecurtainthatyou'rescaredtogosee,orhecomesoutandsays,rightthisway,letmedoyourpaperwork.
It'sjust,it'sallthereatmydesk.
Andwehavewehavetheseum,wehaveasupportstaff.
They'rereferredtoasloanprocessors.
So,youknow,Igetmydealjacketreadyaftermymenu'sdone.
Wehandittoourloanprocessors,theyprinteverythingout,theyvalidatecontracts,theygetmemylicenseandtitle.
Okay,Ibringitbacktomydesk.
Youknow,it'sfivetotenminutestosign.
Igo,Igettheircopies.
Inthemeantime,youknow,we'reusuallyhavingourproductspecialistsetuptheMercedesapp,goingovertheirvehicle.
Andit'sjustareallygreat,reallygreatprocess.
Yeah.
No,Iloveit.
Sodoyougetpushbackever?
Imean,uh,frompeoplethatsay,soyou'renotgoingtonegotiatewithme,it'sjustoneprice.
Andhowoftendoesthathappen,wouldyousay?
Um,ithappens,butyouhavetoyouhavetomakethemunderstand,right?
So,Imean,Ithinkwithpre-umcars,uhDoug,I'vebeendoingthis18years.
18yearsago,mysalesmanagersloadedmylipswithaphrasehey,theinternethaschangedthings.
Thereisn'tprofitandmargininusedcarslikethereusedtobebecausewehavetobeaggressive.
Thatwas18yearsago.
SoIhavetobelievethatanyclientIhavehasmaybeboughtacoupleofcarsoverthelast18years,andtheyprobablyheardthatinadifferentdealership,right?
Andthenyousubstantiateit,youknow,iPacketisanotheramazingtoolthatweuse.
TheytheycomeoutwiththisiPacketvaluething,yeah,andit'sshowingyouVincespecificversussomebodyelse.
AndIgo,lookwhereI'mat.
I'mthefirst,youknow,thecheapestguyorthelowestpricedguy,orsecondorthird,butmine'scertified,hisisn't,etcetera,etcetera.
Um,butititwasait,youknow,thetheliningistrue.
Hey,we'velistenedtocustomersovertheyears.
Theydon'tlikethebackandforth.
Wetookthebackandforthout.
Willyoulosesomeclientstothat?
Sure.
Butwhatdoyougain?
Yougainalotmore,right?
Willsomebodybuyyouknow,beatmyquoteby$200andthenthatguyisnotcomingbackbecausehe'salreadysittinginmycompetitorshowroom?
Probably.
Butwhatwewinontheotherside,whichisliketheprocessthatwehaveinthelongterm,anduh,youknow,thetheamazingreviewswegetandandpeopletellingtheirfriends,gotoBarrington,theironepriceisaneasyexperience.
Igotit,Disney,youknow,onthenewcars.
Yougottayougottabeaggressiveoncertainvehicles,especiallywhenyou'reinamarketassaturatedasChicagolandis.
There'sthere'salotofdealershere,right?
Imean,nobody'sholdingMSRPonGLEs,right?
Yeah.
So,okay,here,thisiswhereI'mat.
I'maGI'maGLE,Xpercentoff,andandandthisismyoneprice,andthisiswhywedoit.
AndandIwanttogetyououtofhereinanhour.
Doesthatsoundfair?
Andpeoplego,yeah.
Moreoftenthannot.
Yeah.
No,Ithlook,Imean,we'relivingitnowforaboutayearandahalf,andIIwouldsay98%ofpeopleloveit,andtwoper2%ofpeoplehateit,andthat'sokay,right?
That'sI'mokaytolosethat2%.
Um,areyoudeterminingtheoneprice,orisitdeterminedkindofatahigherlevelandit'salreadythereforyoutosee?
Well,again,onprettyoncars,hey,that'stheprice.
Youknow,it'sit'seasy.
It'snoadolescent.
Anewcar,anewcarareanewcarmanager.
SoJadrian'sbeenhereaboutfiveyears,andyouknow,again,we'retheautodealershipconquest.
Youseewhateverybodyelseisdoing,right?
So,like,yeah.
Now,asyouknow,withMercedes-Benz,youcan'tadvertiseoffMSRPonyoursites,butyouknow,allyouhavetodoisputuponeofthoseunlockyourpricethings.
Andit'snothard,right?
Andsoit,youknow,theinterestingthingisreallyclients,they'lldothatunlockyourpricething.
They'llgetaprice,they'llgetatotaloutthedoornumber.
It'sit'sreallyupto,youknow,we'vewe'vedoneourpart,right?
Like,okay,fine,here.
What'syourbestprice?
Thereitis.
Youknow,no,yougottodobetter.
It'slike,youaskedmewhatmybestpricewas.
Igaveyoumy,I'mmakingiteasy,youknow.
Andandagain,it'ssplit.
Um,andevenfromthere,therearepeoplethatwillshopfive,sixdifferentdealerships,unlockthebestpriceofallfive,sixdifferentdealerships,andyouknow,doyougetthem?
Hopefully,youknow,youyoutakeyourphoneout,youfilmavideo,andmaybetheylikeyourfaceversusthenextguy.
Ifthenextguyevenbotherssendingthemavideo,theyprobablyarenot.
Andyouhopetostandout.
Butbutthat'sthat'sourgame.
Imean,that'sthat'sthisiswhatwechosetodo.
ButIcantellyou,anybody,youknow,mystoreiskindofadestinationstore.
Ifsomebody'scomingthroughthatdoor,that'sathat'sahighcloseyouknowprobability.
Likepre-oncarsareamazing.
So,youknow,thoseleadsaregreat.
Anditit'sthisbusinessafterall.
Youstillgottodothefundamentals,butyeah.
No,ofcourse.
Andforthosethatareinterestedtoknow,Imean,alotofwebsiteswhenyougo,whenyoufilloutyourinformationtogetthetheprice,unlocktheprice,that'sjustagenericleadform.
You'renotactuallygonnagetaprice,you'regonnagetaokay,we'llbeintouchwithyouwiththeprice.
Andthenit'slikeanormal,likeyouknow,you'vegottokindofbeaonepricestoreforthereactuallytothenbeapricethatgetsunlocked.
Soit'sIthinkwehaveaprice.
Youyouweactuallyhaveaprice.
Youcan,youknow,youcangetthatprice.
We'llstanddown.
IIgetit.
Imean,youandIarewe'relivingthesamething,right?
We'redoingthethesamethinghere,andit'sumIloveit.
IabsolutelyloveitbecauseI'mallaboutspeedandefficiency.
Andifit'sgonnabeano,let'sletitbeanoin20minutes,notineighthours.
Right,right.
ButIthinkthatmostpeople,yeah,right,becauseit'slike,Idon'tknow,it'sjustumamusingtomethatdealersthere'snoperfectwaytosellacar.
Let'sjustbeinagreementonthat,right?
Youcannegotiate,youmightthinkthat'sthebetterway.
Youcandooneprice,youmightthinkthat'sthebetterway.
ButIcantellyouonethingforsurenegotiationwillneverbequicker,easier,lessum,justyouknow,there'salwaysgonnabemorefrictionandjustum,Idon'tknow,unpleasantnessinthatmodel,right?
There'syoucannottellmethatoh,negotiatingisabetterprocessfromlikeaclientexperience.
Likeit'sjustnot.
Nobodyenjoysit.
Imean,there'saverysmallpercentageofpeoplewhodo,butthosepeopleyoucouldarguemaybenotgonnabethebestlong-termfitfromarelationshipperspective.
Butum,soyeah,youmightthinkthat'sthebettermodel,butit'slessefficient,Ipromise.
Itjustis.
YouknowwhatImean?
Soit'suhit'sinterestingtoseemoredealerscomingaroundtothisconceptof,yeah,theinternetdidchangeeverything.
Itchangeditonusedcarsalongtimeago.
Yes,youcangogetthesamenewcartoanyotherdealerwithin10milesofhere,butdoyouwanttogetthedealdonepleasantlyin30minutesorless,ordoyouwantittobepainfulandtakethreedays?
Andyouprobablydon'tevenlikethepersonattheendofit,buthey,yousaved500bucks.
Socongratulations,right?
That'sIthinkthat'sreallywhatitcomesdownto.
Butthat'syougottabelieveinit.
Doyousometimesworkwithpeoplethatdon'tbelieveintheprocess?
Uhwell,that'sthething.
It'slikedoyoueverhiresomebodythatmaybeworkedatyouknow,callitadomesticstore?
Sure.
Right?
Andthey'reusedtosellingthings,youknow,highlinesales,youknow,okay.
InbetweencominghereandleavingtheJLRstore,ItriedmyendupbeingaGSMforawhile.
AndIwenttoaHondastore.
AndIthinkHonda'sagreatbrand.
Imean,it'sitjustisagreatbrand.
Highbrandloyalty,andthecarsaregreatandallthat.
Umbutyouknow,itwasitwaswithinthecitylimitsofChicago.
AndIremembertellingalotofcustomersaboutandsay,hey,Ijustgotdone,youknow,I'vebeenwithMercedes,withPorsche,andwithJLRmostrecently.
AndnowhereIamatHondatryingtogiveyouaMercedesexperience,youknow,andtellingthistocustomers.
I'mtellingthat,I'mtryingtotrainthesalespeopletobethesameway.
And,youknow,yougettheseblankstares,like,no,Ijustwantabetterdeal.
Youknow,it'slike,yeah,yeah.
Okay.
Uh,knowingwhatsomeoftheotherstoresweredoingaroundtown,I'mlike,ifyoupaidme,ifyouwalkedinandjustpaidmeMSRP,youwouldbegettingabetterdealthanmajorityoftheotherstoresaroundtownininthatbrand,right?
Um,butohboy,whatwhatIfoundoutwasgoingonaroundtownbecausethere'snomargininaHonda.
Yeah.
Andthenathree-year-oldoneis$2,000lessthananewone.
Sofigurethatout,right?
PayingMSRPforaHondaisagooddeal.
I'mjustgonnaleaveitatthat.
Interesting.
Okay.
IIneveruhexpectedtheretobeshenanigansintheHondaworld,butuh,Imean,I'veI'mnottotallysurprised.
Imean,I'msureyou'veseenatleastoneofmyvideoswhereIuhgoonalittlerantaboutToyota,whichisitthey'rethesamethinginthatinthatway.
Whereandbytheway,toreiterateforthehundredthtime,bothexcellentbrands,don'thaveaproblemwitheitherofthem.
Ijustmarvelattheuhtheusedcarvaluesandandpeople'swillingnesstopay$2,000lessforathree-year-oldHondaorToyotathanabrandnewone.
ButuhIdigress.
Soisitatrulyopenfloororisitcomplicated?
Canyoureallygoandsellanyofthesixbrandsthatyouhave?
Doug,dayone,theyhandyouaMicrosoftsurface.
Nobodyhasatowerherebecauseyouweredesignedtobeuhmobile.
Now,again,wehavesixonthecampushere.
WhenuhbeforeMotorworkswassoldtothiscurrentgroupandsoldtheother,wehadwehadtwoMercedes-Benzstores.
SowehadMercedes-BenzBarringtonandMercedes-BenzHoffmanEstates.
We'rebothunderMotorworks.
They'reafewmilessouthofhere.
Um,youcouldfromMercedes-BenzBarringtongotoMercedes-BenzHoffman.
Youdidn'thavetodealortrade.
Yousaid,Oh,thatthat'sinmysister'sstore'sinventory.
Yougrabyoursurfaceandyoucoulddrivewithyourcustomersthereandsellthemacarthereasifyouworkedatthatstore.
Andtherewasaninfinity.
StorethereandaJLRstorethere.
Soitisamazing.
Nowtheydon't,youknow,they'renotgoingtogetyoulikeIcan't,theJMFPorschedoesn'twantmetogetcertifiedforPorsche,andneitherdoI.
It'salotoftimetogetcertifiedforPorsche.
Butyougottothink,youknow,especiallyinthepre-ownedworld,tohave,youknow,asturnisthisimportantthing.
Oneshowroomgetsacustomer,andmaybetheycameinandthat'sjustnotthevehiclethatworksforthem.
Butyouhavesomethingsimilarinanotherstore.
Whywouldyouwanttointerruptthatrapport?
Whywouldyouwanttointerruptthatflowandthensay,okay,well,nowIgottowalkyouoverandintroduceyoutothisguyandstartalloveragain.
IgottorelogintotheCRM.
Letmegetyourdriver'slicense.
Letmedothis.
No,right?
Youjust,youknow,andwe'reAdventSolutionsdealerasourCRM.
Anditisshocking.
LikeI'vegotleadsininmultipleshowrooms.
AndasIworkmytasks,they're,youknow,uhIisolatedbytheshowroom.
AndIcanflipbetweenshowroomsandworkineveryshowroomasifIwasworkinginmydealership.
It'sit'sanamazingsetup.
That'sprettywild.
IIdon'treallyknowoftoomanyplacesthatoperatethatway.
Isthereanyever,youknow,obviouslyyou'vegotahomebase.
YourhomebaseisinMercedes.
I'msureeverybodyelsetherehasahomebaseaswell.
DopeopleevergetfrustratedwithyougoingoverandsellingaBMWoraPorscheorCadillacifthat'stheirhomebase?
No,becauseIdon'tgetfrustratedwhentheycomeintomyshowroom,right?
Andthat'sthebeauty.
Like,ififyouwouldsellcarsanywhere,likeIitwaskindoffunny,evenwhenIwasnotpartofthisgroupwhenIwasattheJLRstoreasapre-ownmanager,youknow,becauseweusedtoallworkunderthesamegroupandstuff.
II'vehadthisconversationwithsalessalespeopleforthelastfewyears.
Isaid,ifIweregonnasellcarsanywhere,it'dbeonMotorworksbecauseyoucouldsellsixbrainsinunderoneroof.
Like,whywouldyounotwantthat,right?
Andthethepreviousownersreally,reallylike,youknow,helpthatout,really,reallylikeputthatbehind.
And,youknow,asaselling,no,don'tgetmewrong.
ThereareHondaguysthatwillneverstepfootinmyshowroom.
Sure.
They'renotinterested.
Theysell20Honasamonth,andthey'renotinterested.
ButI'vegoteverybodycanbuyHonda,right?
Imean,youknow,andI'vegotfriendsthatneedtobuyHondasfortheirkidsandstuff.
SohereataMercedesBenzstore,um,IcouldsellsomebodyabrandnewCivicfortheirfortheirsonthat'sgraduatingcollegeandandlet'sgo,right?
Yeah.
Um,it'sit'sinandyouknow,likeourPorschestore,forinstance,hasjustgrownlikecrazyoverthelastdecadeorso.
Youknow,thinkaboutthat.
TheywereasmallerPorschestoreintheregionafewyearsago.
Yeah.
Andthefactthatthey'resandwichedbetweenaMercedesandaBMWstore,andbytheway,ourStarbucksisinthePorscheshowroom,theamountoflikeininfluxofbusinessthattheyreceivedfromthathasbeenhugeforthem,right?
IfsomebodycominginlookingataGLCormaybeanX3andsaying,I'llstepuptoaMakan,yeah,it'sbeenit'sbeenhugeforthem.
Sothey'rethey'regettinganewbuildinguhthisyear.
It'sImean,we'rebreakinggroundthisyear.
Soit'llbesadtoseethemkindofgooutoftheoutofthecomplex,butthey'llstillbe,youknow,oncampus.
Butuhno,andandespeciallyhere,youhaveto,ifyouwanttodothisproperly,getagoodrelationshipwiththemanagersineveryshowroom.
TheyknowwhatIcando.
Theydon'thavetobabysitme.
Imean,Iwasonthedesk,IwasanFImanager,Iwaswhatever.
Imean,whenIworkadealforthemostpart,again,it'saoneprice,it'sathis,it'sathat,it'sjustlike,here'smydeal.
It'sdone,it'sbannedup.
Isolditinhalfanhour.
Signoffonaletmegogetmypaperwork.
So,notalotofpushback.
That'sawesome.
That'ssmart.
PuttheStarbucksnexttotheshowroomthatyouwantthemosttrafficin.
Anduhthatthat'sagoodstrategyrightthere.
That'sright.
Yeah.
Soisthepayplanjustdoesitisitconsistentacrossordoesitchangebasedontherooftop?
Um,it'sfairlyconsistent,buteveryGMsortofhasleewayonlikethemonthlyspiffs.
Right.
So,likeinthisshowroom,it'slike,okay,well,wereallygottogetridofCVPs,uh,loanercarsforpeoplethatarenotfamiliarwiththeuhnomenclature.
Soumhere,myspiffsthismonthareonCVPs,ormyspiffthismonthareonCPOs,andthevolumeisthisandthevolumeisthat.
Butum,weagain,whydoestheonepricewedon'tgetpaidonfront-endgrowthhere?
Soit'sit'saflatcommission.
Yeah.
Ireallydon'tcarewhatwhatthesalesmanagersellyouthecarfor.
Yeah.
Itdoesnotmattertome,youknow?
Andsoitmakesitfreeingbecauseitreallydoesn'tmatter,right?
Itit'sit'sokay.
Thisiswhytheoneprice,youcouldbelieveintheoneprice,isbecausewe'vedonethehardworkupfront,andnowandnowIjustgottogiveyoutheexperiencethatyoudeserve.
Soletmeconcentrateontheexperiencebecausethepricepart,whichusuallyistheworstpart,thehardlikeIkeeptellingeveryone,thehardpart'sover,right?
Likethat'swhatlet'slet'sfindthevehiclethatyoulike.
Let'sthat'swherewe'regonnaspendourtimeismakingsurethatyou'rewelltakencareofandyoufindthevehiclethat'srightforyou.
Andthenthethehardpart'sover.
Yeah.
Look,Imean,it'sit'samusingtomebecauseI'vehadalotofconversationswithalotofpeople,andyou'reprobablythefirstandonlythatI'vespokentothatdoesitjustabouttheexactwaythatwedoit.
Now,wedon'thavethekindofA-Z,westillhaveafinancedepartment.
We'reextremelyintegrated,right?
It'snotlikewe'resendingyouofftosomedungeontodopaperwork,right?
Likepeopleimagine.
It'sallveryintegrated.
Butbutyou'reexactlyright.
Imean,oursalespeoplealsodon'tgetpaidonthefrontendgrossbecauseuhtheyhavenothingtodowithit.
I'msorry,theyjustdon't.
IIwillarguethatwithanybody.
Um,Imean,ifyou'reinastorethatdoesthewholebigbackandforthdogandponyshownegotiation,thenIguess,yeah,suretheyhavealittlesomethingtodowithit.
ButtherealityofitisI'mtryingtogetpeopleinthedoorasareyou.
Andtodothat,you'vegottobeaggressive,you'vegottomakeiteasy.
I'mnottryingtojusthopesomebodywalkssomebodywalksinandthenwecan,youknow,getsomehugecommissiononthem.
Thatthat'sjustthat'saveryoutdatedwayofthinking.
Soit'suhit'srefreshingtotalktosomebodyelsethatseesthebusinessininthesameway.
AndIthinkit'swhenyou'renotbeingpaidonthefrontendgrossofthedeal,theclientwinsbecauseyoudon'tcarewhattheybuy.
Youjustwantthemtogettherightcar.
Correct.
Correct.
Imean,hereIgo,Iwentonatestdrivejustlastmonth,twoBenzes,twobeamers,andaandaandacayenneinoneafternoon.
Imean,itjustitiswhatitis.
Nowit'sabouthere,we'regonnahavefun.
We'regonna,youknow,andandandwhenyoustartthinkofitthatway,it'slike,well,I'mgonnagetasale.
Now,andandsomebodymightsay,ah,thatseemslikesomuchwork.
Well,letmeaskyouthis:haveyoueveruppedsomebodyinyourdealership,showedthemtwoBenz,andhadtosaygoodbyetothembecausetheyhadtogolookattheBMWorlookatanAudi.
Youknow,they'regonna,we'renotsurewherewe'reon,sowe'regonna,youknow,well,thatthey'regoneforaday,anditmighttakedaystogetthemback.
Versus,ortheniftheyevercomeback,right?
Orthey'regonnagotoanotherMercedesstoretotoshopyouversusokay,Ihavetogoanotherhourworthoftestdriving.
That'sdays.
Thatextrahourofyouknowlabororwhateverisissavingmedays.
It'samazing.
Yeah.
Yeah,that'suhthat'struly,trulyunique,verycool.
Anditsoundslikethisprocesswasputinplacebeforethedealershipwassold.
Soyouthenewownershipdecidedtoretainit.
IsthatamIunderstandingthatcorrectly?
Theydid.
Soit'sareallyamazingstory.
Mr.
Mergadoumcameover,youknow,FreedomFlights,Cubanrefugeeimmigrant,thewholething,grewupinsuburbanChicago,um,andmadeitdowntoMiami,andthat'swherehestartedhishiscareerinthecarbusinessandstuff.
ButhisdadwasahugeCadillacguy,andhisdadpurchasedhisfirstCadillacfromMotorworksyearsago.
Soashegrewhisdealerempire,Mr.
MergadohadhiseyessetonMotorworks.
SowhenheboughtMotorworks,heboughtitforitsculture,foritsprocess,forwhatitwas.
Yeah.
Andthat'sthat'samazing.
Imean,andIknowyou'vegonethroughsomethingsimilarrecently,right?
Yeah.
Um,soalotofdealergroups,whentheybuyaplace,theycomeinwiththesledgehandlers.
Theywipethesalesmanagementstaffcleanandgo,well,wegotourguys.
WebroughttheybringintheirownGMs,theirownsalesmanagers,GSMs,everything,andgo,wewebought,youknow,andeverybodyhastosortofreapplyfortheirjob.
Theymightnotdothattosalespeople,butdefinitelythethemanagementstaff,right?
Well,yeah.
Thatwasnotthecasehere.
Theysawtheoneandonlyprocess,theyletit,theysaidthisishowitworks,anduhtheyletuscontinueit.
Andit'sit'sbeenablessing.
That'samazing.
Andyeah,you'reexactlyright.
Imean,wewentthroughtheexactsamething,anditwas2019whenTerryRafiandhisfamilyboughtthedealerships,andthey'reprimarilyinCanada,butsimilar,similarsize,30plusrooftops.
And,youknow,theytheysaidthis,Ineverforgetthefirstdaythattheykindofcamein.
Weweremeetingthem,andyouknow,everyone'snervous,ofcourse,right?
Anytimethatsomethingthatyouknowandloveispotentiallygoingtobechanging.
Andtheysaidtheexactsamethingthat,hey,we'reweboughtthisplacebecauseofwhatitis,theculturethatithas,it'sstandinginthecommunity,thewaythatyouoperate.
Sowe'reheretosupportyou,hopefullyimproveincertainareas,butjustkeepdoingyourthing.
AndIrememberfeelingthatdaylike,allright,we'llsee.
Right.
Andsureenough,yeah,itthattheysaiditandtheymeantit.
Andandit'sbeen,youknow,theyhaveletusoperateinaveryuniquewaythatuh,youknow,theycouldhaveeasilycomeinandsay,we'rechangingeverything,right?
Anditanditdidn'thappen.
AndI'mgladthattheydidn'tdothat.
Sothatthat'sacoolstorybecauseIwasasweweretalking,I'mlike,oh,itsoundslikethiswasn'tsomethingthatwasimplementedwiththenewownership.
Itsoundedlikeitwasalreadythereandtheykeptit.
Andthat'srare.
That'sreally,reallyrareininthisindustry.
SoIjustfiguredwe'dwrapuptalkingaboutsomeofyourvideos.
Um,thereareafewofthemthatstandouttomethatsomeofthemore,Iguess,satiricalones.
Uh,Ireallylovedyouryourcoverchargeuhidea.
Theykindofareofthesamevein,soyoumightbeontosomethinghere,althoughI'msurethey'retheonesthatarealittlebitmorecontroversial.
Doyoudoyouhaveafeelingwhattheotherone'sgonnabethatthatIthatIthoughtwasveryamusing?
Wasittellingtheguytocomebackat730tolookatthe20cars?
Thatonewasprettyfunny,butno,theotheroneI'mthinkingaboutwasyouruhyourjustlookingpricingpackage,yourtheuhjustlookingmenu.
Whatinspiredthosetwoideas?
Basically,theideathatyouwouldhavetopayuhwhenyougettoadealershiptohaveanexperiencethere.
Whatinspiredit?
Well,Ialittlebitofbuy-in.
Imean,imagineifyouhadthatbuy-infrom,andmaybeIdidn'tmakeitclearinthevideothatthatstuffwouldgetcredittoyouattimeofpurchase.
ButumitwhatinspireditwasmytimeintheFIofficeandmenuselling,right?
Youknow,yougotthesethreelevelsofprotection.
Soumimagineifyoudidthattosomebodyupfrontwalkinginandlikewhatkindofyouknow,pickyouradventure,whatkindofexperiencedoyouneedhere?
Andyouknow,uhweit'sit'swhenwhenforthedealer,whenfortheyouknow,forthecustomer.
Hey,youknow,thattheguy,youknow,mightmightgeta$100forgoingontestdrives,andbutthecustomergetsknowsexactlytheserviceupfrontofofwhatthey'regoingtoget.
Andyouknow,itpeopleaskmeallthetime,howdoyoucomeupwiththisstuff?
I'mlike,well,18years.
I'veseenitall.
Soumthatwasone.
Whatwasthesecondone?
Well,sothatthethesecondonewasthethecovercharge.
Theykindofhadlikeasimilarconcept,theyweretwoseparatevideos,butitwasohthat'sright,that'sright.
Walkingintoanightclub,right?
Andyougottapaypaytogetin.
Nowthatoneyouveryexplicitlysay,hey,thisgetsappliedtowardsyourpurchase.
Theotheronemaybeaswell.
ButIjustIfoundthembothamusing.
That'sright.
Yeah.
Anyonewho'sbeenincarsalesknowsthatunlessyou'reinaveryuniqueplacewhereyou'repaidasalaryasasalesperson,whichIIthinkthoseplacesdoexistsomeplaces,butyouknow,you're100%commissionattheendoftheday.
Soalotofsalespeople,andthisispartofthethethingthatIdon'tloveabouttheindustryandthatIhopetochange,isthatalotofsalespeoplefeellikeit'slikethemversusthethecustomer,becauseuntilorunlessyoubuysomething,I'mjustworkingforfree.
Andyoujustkindofhavetomakeyourpeacewiththat.
That'syou'reweareclientadvisors,anduntilyouearnasale,yeah,you'reyou'rejustprovidingadviceandserviceatthatpoint.
Youyoudo.
Andyouknow,itkindofstemsalittlebitfromIwishuhsomecustomerswouldbealittlebitmoreupfrontaboutit.
I'llgiveyouaquickexample.
Iwasonasalesforourstore,anditwaslikeLaborDayweekend.
Sowewererunningskeletonstaff,andIuppedsomebody,andshestraightuptellsme,Hey,I'manFImanagerataHondastoreinPennsylvania.
I'mintownfortheweekend.
Youknow,we'regettingdrunkallweekend.
WheredoyouthinkItookthattestdrive?
Fine,it'sLaborDay,it'syouknow,let'swhatdoyouwant?
AudiA5,cool.
Let'sgoonatestdriveonLakeshoreDriveinChicago,let'shaveafuntime.
Didn'texpectmuchaboutit,right?
It'slike,thisismyandyoukindofmakepeacewithit.
Andyou'relike,you'reright.
Igetit.
I'mnotgoingtosell100%ofthepeoplewalkthroughthestore,butbeupfrontaboutit.
Youknow,ifsomebodyweretotellyou,hey,I'mrealistically,I'mI'mdoingthisformykid.
Mykid'sdowninFlorida.
HewantedmetoseewhatIthoughtaboutthisvehicle.
I'mjustheretokindofgetnoproblem.
I'llgiveyouhalfanhourofmytime.
Nobigdeal.
You'renotgonnaruinmyday.
Thiswon'truinmyday.
Yeah,butyouknow,we'rewehaveexpectationsfromourmanagementstaffthat,youknow,onceonceyougetacustomerintheserum,that'syourresponsibility,andyouyougotta,youknow,squeezebloodoutofarock.
AndthatwaskindofwhatI'mtryingtogetuhthroughtoclients.
Like,Idon'tmindhelpingyou.
LikeIsaid,youmaynotbereadytoday.
That'sokay.
I'llbehereinsixmonths,I'llbehereinsixyears.
ButlikejustkindofbeupfrontwithitsoIknowwhatI'mdealingwith,soIcouldtakeitinaparticulardirection,andit'llbebetterforyou.
Ipromise.
Oh,100%.
Yeah,Ithinkthat,andthatmightbehardforsomepeople.
Somepeople,itmightbehardforthemtocomeinandbetotallylayallthecardsonthetable.
Butbutyeah,ititdefinitelyhelpswhenpeoplearetransparentwithyouaboutwhattheirreasonsforbeingthereare.
OneofthequestionsthatIlovetoask,andIencouragemysalesteamtodoit,isrightofftheripaftertheintroduction,whatarewewhatareyoulookingtoaccomplishtoday?
Whatareyouheretoaccomplish?
Right?
Becausepeopledon'treallyexpectthatquestion.
Alotoftimesthey'lljustsortofwordvomitlikeexactlywhythey'rethere.
Youknow,they'llstartandtheymightdivulgethehey,I'mI'mintownforabachelorettepartyandI'mIgottakillsometime,right?
Andcheaperthanamovie.
Yeah,right,exactly.
Cheaperthanamovie.
Exactlyright.
Sowhatisthevision,right?
Fastforwardacoupleofyears,you'rebackonthesalesfloornow,you'vestartedsocialmedia.
Wheredoyouwantthistogo?
Honestly,IwouldloveitifIcould,youknow,afriendofminewho'skindofasuccessfulbusinessguysaid,Couldyouteachthistoothers?
AndIsaid,Huh?
Youknow,becauseyouknow,inyourmind,mostsuccessfulsalesguyswindupstartingamarketingdepartmentandpitchingdealersonIcouldsellyoumorecars,right?
SoIhadthatkindofinthebackofmyhead.
Idon'tknow,maybeyouknow,that'sthat'sanidea.
Buthegoes,No,no,no.
Likehe'she'sinCharlotte,NorthCarolina,andhegoes,Allright,um,youknow,Pennski'southereorHennessyorwhoeverisouthere.
CouldyouplantaVinciergeineverysingledealership?
Sowhatyou'redoingfronttoback,thewholeprocess,Iloveit.
Hedoesn'tlikecarshopping,buthesoIwasalwayslikewhenhehadacarshop,I'dgowithhimorwhatever,andliterallynotasaMaven,justlike,youknow,let'spayprofit,pleasejustlet'sjustdothisquickly,almostlikeTommydoesorwhateveranddelivered,right?
UmsoIgo,well,that'saninterestingconcept.
Hegoes,Yeah,youknow,soIdon'tknow,isthisaconsultingfirm,right?
Whereeverydealershiphasone,two,maybethreeguys,becauseasyouknow,Imean,we'rewe'vebeenatawe'vebeentalkingaboutthiscrossroadsinthisbusinessforever,butwhatisthefuture,right?
Whenyouhavesomebodythatreallyonlywantstowork40hoursaweekandmakeXamountofincomeversussomebodythatwantstobethattopproducer,topearner,whatever,isittwodifferentkindsofpayplansonthesamechromefloor,right?
You'reyourproductspecialistfocusversusactualVincier'sclientadvisortypetypelevelthing,right?
Andandcouldthisbetaught?
Ithinkitcouldbetaught.
Youknow,whenitcomestodealershipssocialmedia,somebodyaskedmeonetime,uh,well,we'relookingtohire,Isaid,listen,thisiswhatIseethat'ssuccessful.
Icouldbewrong,butthere'stwowaystobesuccessfulasadealershipinsocialmedia.
One,haveamazingeyecandyandthemostamazingvideographerthat'sgoingtodrawtheviewsfrompicturesandreelsoflikeaGT3RS,andyouknow,likewehaveaPorschestoreinChicagolandthat'sgotthe50,000followersonInstagramandthey're4Khigh-endcontent.
Yeah.
That'sonewaytodoit.
Theotherwaytodoitisbelieveitornot,it'syouhavetohavesomebodywithapersonality.
It'sactuallygottobeapersonorateam,right?
Wherepeople,andI'mjustsaying,whatwhat'ssuccessfulidea,whatI'veseen,whatI'veobserved,right?
Soit'sit'saDougHorner,right?
Whereit'slike,I'mtheGSM.
Andandagain,youyoureallykindofblewmeawaywhenyoucameoutwhereyou'relike,andyouknow,don'ttakethisasjustyouknow,blownhotair,butI'mlike,everyMercedes,everyBMW,every,youknow,shouldhavethatDougHorner,right?
Whereit'slike,here'swhoIam,here'showwedothings.
Iputmyselfoutthere,andyouknowwhattoexpectatthisdealership.
AndIthinkthatpaysdividendsmorethanjustrepostingapictureofthestockMercedesBenzatthateverydealershiphas,andthatyougetzeroclicksonzerolikes,zeroshares.
Oh,youknow,theleasespecialonGLAis$359thismonth.
Noonecares.
Youknow,noonecares,right?
Yeah.
No,IIsothat'sverycooltohear.
AndIagreewithyouthatthereprobablyisafuturemodelwhereyou'vegotmaybethosedifferenttiersofpeopleinthestore,right?
Becauseyou'vegotpeopleouttherethatarecontenttowork40hoursaweekandtheymakefourorfive,sixgrand,andthey'rejustkindof,youknow,they'retheyknowthecarsandthey'lltakeyouontestdrives,butthey'renotreally,theydon'twanttoworkextraandmakeallthecallstodothesales.
Andthenyougotpeoplethatreallyjustputtheirallintoitandtheyapproachitinatotallydifferentway.
AnditIcouldseeaworldwhereyou'vegotthatthosedifferinglevelsuhofsalespeople.
It'sveryinteresting.
AndIlook,everythingisteachable100%.
Ifyou'vegot,butyou'vegottohavetherightpeople,youknow,otherwiseit'ssquarepegroundhole,right?
So,well,thisisuh,youknow,thishasbeenalotoffuntogettoknowyoualittlebitmore,veryinteresting.
Ithinkuh,youknow,ifIcangiveyouonepieceofunsolicitedadvice,youhavebecauseyouhave,youknow,whatworksforme,likeyousaid,isthatpeopleareseeingwhatitistodobusinesswithus,right?
Becausethey'rethey'rewatchingithappen.
AndI'vetoldpeople,youknow,whenIgotoanyDAorpeoplejustreachouttome,they'rethey'relike,Iwanttodothesamekindofthing.
AndIcautionthem,I'mlike,well,letmejustwarnyouthatyoubetterdobusinesstherightway,orI'mnotsureyou'regonnawanttoshowthemwhatitlooksliketodobusinesswithyou.
NowI'mproudofit.
You'vegotbasicallythesameprocess.
Somixingthatinasmuchaspossiblesothatpeopleknow,hey,ifIcallRaul,thisiswhatit'sgonnabe.
Thisit'sgonnabeAtoZ.
He'sgonnabewithmeeverystepoftheway,andit'sgonnabeabestpriceupfront.
Andit'sum,it'sgonnabeandit'sgonnabejustaneasy,easy,easyprocessbecausetheyalreadyknowyou'reyou'realreadylikable,you'reknowledgeable,you'refunny,you'vegottheskitsandeverythingelse.
Now,justkeepshowingthemexactlywhatitlookslike.
BecauseIthinkthatthemoreyoucanmixintherealstuffthat'shappening,themorepeoplewillbelieveitthatthat'stheexperiencethey'regonnahavewhentheycontactyou.
Andthatiswhat'sImean,IIfeelsoblessednow.
Ineverthoughtamillionyears,Ithoughthonestly,mycontentwouldbewaytooboringtowork.
ButIthinkthatnowwhenIlookbackatitfromyouknow30,000feet,Isee,oh,peopleliketoknowhowthingsreallywork,howwhatreallygoesintoit,whathappenswhenthesalespersondisappearsintothesalesmanager'soffice.
And,youknow,forme,it'smoretradeappraisalsandupdatingdealswithuhincentivesthattheycan'tdothemselves.
Butwhatit'sum,youknow,it'sitworks.
Andthenpeopleshowupandwegivethemtheexactprocessthattheywereexpecting,andthey'rehappy.
So,youknow,Ithinkifyoustartmixingthatin,it'llit'llsuperchargeyoubecauseyou'veyoucandoitbecauseyouryourprocessworksandit'sgood.
AndthenIwouldn'thideitfromanybody.
No,andandIreallyappreciatethat.
Imean,youknow,that'sthat'salwaysbeenlike,sowheredoyoutaketakeyourcontent?
Idon'tthinkthat100%allthetimeskits,youknow,it'sfun,it'sfunny,it'sitiswhatitis,butit'sit'snotrealityoflikeactuallydoingbusinesswiththeguy.
Andandthat'swherelikeforagain,IIwillcommendyouonemoretimebeforeweendthisthing.
AndI'mlike,I'mI'mreallygrateful.
I'mreallygratefulthatbecauseeverybodywantstoknowhowthesauceisjustmade,everybodywantstoknowwhatOzisdoingbehindthecurtain,andyoushowingpeoplethatit'sit'snotsomewe'renotjustscheming,youknow,rightandandyouknow,it'slikeno,isthisthesearerealnumbers,thesearerealthings,incentiveyourvehicle'sworthwhatit'sworth,youknow,allthisstuff,andwedothingstherightway.
AndandIthinkthatclients,especiallyatthislevel,uhdeservedeservethetheprocess.
And,youknow,again,thanksforhavingmeon.
Yeah,thankyoufordoingwhatyou'redoing.
Um,I'myouknow,IIowepartofthisuhinawaytoyou.
Soagain,I'mverygratefulandanduhthankyouforthesupportandI'llkeepsupportingyouandandyouknow,hopefully,youknow,wemeetonedayandandyouknow,again,thanksagain.
Yeah,no,I'mandI'msurewewill,andthankyou.
UhthatmeanstheworldtomeandIappreciateit.
Andit'suhI'vehadmanysimilarconversationswithpeoplelikeRussandGeorge,thepeoplethatweretherethatkindofpushedmeoverthehump.
SoI'mthrilledtobeapartofyourjourneyinsomeway.
AndI'mI'mconfidentthatatonepointyou'llbepartofsomebodyelse'sjourneywhentheyseeyouandthey'relike,hey,ifhecandoit,Icandoittoo.
Oruh,youknow,thattomeumjustmakesitallworthwhile,right?
Becauseit'sthishasbeenawildride,it'sbeenalotoffun.
Butmorethananything,it'sbeenjustsuchagreatwaytoconnectwithcarbuyersandcarshoppersandthepeopleouttherethatmaybehaveaanotionaboutcardealersthatthatwecanhelpchange,right?
So,well,Raul,Ireallyappreciateyoubeingheretoday.
TheVinciers,Ilovethename,bytheway,soclever,verywelldone.
Anduhcan'twaittoseewhereyougofromhere,brother.
Appreciate.
Thankyouagain,ofcourse.
About this episode
Raul Tomsa (aka “The Vincierge”) joins Doug Horner to explain how he went from finance and pre-owned roles back to the sales floor—and why it’s working. The conversation covers his unconventional path into car sales, the difference between finance and sales management, and his “one price / one hour” approach. A big focus is how his social-media content supports lead follow-up and builds trust, not just views. He also discusses Motorworks’ “one and only” process, A-to-Z selling across six brands, and why personality beats corporate posting.
Original notes
Let Us Know Who You'd Like To See On The Podcast!
Raul Tomsa, aka @vincierge did something unheard of in the automotive world. He left behind the steady job of sales manager to get back on the sales floor and start making automotive content. Raul sits down with Doug Horner, aka @BenzsandBowTies for a full length interview brought to you by @CallRevu to unpack WHY he made this surprise move, and how the unique dealership group he works for has made it an intriguing option.
Hosted by Doug Horner, General Sales Manager at Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted and a rising voice in automotive social media, this new podcast brings a transparent, high-energy perspective to dealership operations, leadership, and digital engagement.
Known online as @BenzsandBowTies he has amassed 500K+ followers and 25MM+ viewers monthly across his channels where he often blends humor into content resonating with agents, operators, and customers alike with authenticity and real-world dealership insights.
"We all are consuming social media all day long every day,” Horner shared in a recent Car Dealership Guy interview. “If everyone is doing this all day long, then that's where we need to be.”
The Doug Horner Show dives into what drives dealership success today through candid conversations with respected industry leaders, performance coaches and digital creators shaping modern automotive culture.
About Doug Horner
Doug Horner is General Sales Manager at luxury dealership, Mercedes-Benz North Olmsted, and the creator of @BenzsandBowties, a brand centered on real dealership culture and leadership perspective, and the joy of the work, as an auto industry influencer.
About CallRevu
CallRevu is the leading communication intelligence platform built for automotive retail—empowering dealerships to take control of every conversation, from the first ring to the final result. Our holistic solution combines an automotive-specific hosted phone system, call monitoring, performance training, and reputation management–fueled by AI-powered analytics that turn every customer interaction into actional intelligence. Founded in a dealership in 2008, CallRevu was created by the industry, for the industry to drive revenue, improve performance, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Learn more at www.CallRevu.com
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The Doug Horner Show
Doug Horner
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