Car Dealership Guy Podcast
The Car Dealership Guy Podcast Network offers three formats covering automotive retail: The main podcast features interviews with dealers and innovators, Daily Dealer Live provides real-time news and commentary, and Industry Spotlight highlights dealerships and vendors with tactical insights.
Episodes
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Barrett Charapp Beaty, Stephen Rand, & Lucas Goerlitz | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Barrett Charapp Beaty, Attorney at Charapp & Weiss
- Stephen Rand, Fixed Operations Director at Mercedes-Benz of Plano
- Lucas Goerlitz, Service Manager at Napleton Palatine Subaru
This episode is brought to you by:
Experian Automotive – Experian AutoCheck is the only vehicle history report available across top consumer shopping sites, helping dealers build
He Sold His Dealerships to a $1.8 Billion Ponzi Scheme. Then Bought Them Back! | Charlie Caprara, Owner of FX Caprara
Charlie Caprara is the Owner of FX Caprara, a nine-store dealer group he has built with his family over 52 years in the car business.
He started selling cars out of the family's home in Watertown, bought his first store in 1990, and grew it into a multi-brand group before watching most of it sold out from under him when the new majority owners turned out to be running a massive Ponzi scheme.
H
Ricart on Ford Pro Elite, DeCecco on AI, Le on China Entrance | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Jared Ricart, President & Chief Executive Officer at Ricart Automotive Group
- Mike DeCecco, Director, Partner Management at Impel
- Tu Le, Founder at Sino Auto Insights
This episode is brought to you by:
Experian Automotive – Experian AutoCheck is the only vehicle history report available across top consumer shopping sites, helping dealers build shopper con
"I Was Hungry!" From Bronx Projects to Launching a Dealership Empire & What It Takes to Build It | Frank Pena, President at Dare to Dream Automotive
Frank Peña grew up sleeping on a relative's floor in Washington Heights after his family immigrated to the United States when he was two years old, and by the time he left the company that gave him his start, he had spent twenty years working his way from used car salesman to company president.
He walks through how he took over three dealerships without losing a single employee, and argues that
Hill on Vendor Trust, McCormick AI Compliance, Lundy/Strosnider/Guy Panel | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Beth Hill, General Counsel/COO at The Shop FordDirect
- Ryan McCormick, Compliance Officer at Preston Automotive Group
- Glenn Lundy, President at 800% Elite Automotive Club
- Kevin Strosnider, Dealer Operator / General Manager at Strosnider Chevrolet
- Brooke English Guy, General Manager at Coastal Chevrolet Cadillac Nissan
This episode is brought to you
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Dave Rogers, Tully Williams, Ed Roberts, & Richard Lupo | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Dave Rogers, Fixed Operations Director at Piazza Management Company
- Tully Williams, Fixed Operations Director at The Niello Company
- Ed Roberts, COO at Bozard Ford Lincoln
- Richard Lupo, Fixed Operations Director at Apple Tree Honda and Acura
This episode is brought to you by:
Presidio – Today’s episode is brought to you by The Presidio Group, one of
Why CSI Is Broken and What's Replacing It | Cuyler Owens, CEO of Widewail
Cuyler Owens is the CEO of Widewail, a customer reputation and review intelligence company that works with thousands of dealership rooftops across the country.
He built software companies before coming into automotive, and now works alongside a market advisory board of dealer principals to turn millions of customer reviews into staff coaching, training, and revenue decisions.
Topics:
00:20
Barron on Tech, Johnson on Dealership Workplace, Kaulback on Strategy | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Josh Barron, COO at Habberstad Auto Group
- Bruce Johnson, Vice President, Product Marketing & Enablement at CDK Global
- Devin Kaulback, General Manager at Subaru of Niagara
This episode is brought to you by:
Presidio – Today’s episode is brought to you by The Presidio Group, one of the automotive industry’s leading buy-sell advisors. Visit Presidio’s new R
The Dealership Model Built to Survive Any Crash | Jack Carter, Garrett Jones, Luke Godwin
Today I'm joined by Jack Carter, Co-owner at Turn & Burn Motors, Garrett Jones, President at Ella Blvd Motors, and Luke Godwin, General Manager and Owner at Godwin Motors.
These three operators share the specific moves working right now: Luke Godwin took his dealership from 63 percent leveraged, in his words "up to my neck," down to 36 percent today by pausing car buying to let cash flow catch up
Wyler on Sponsorship, Hudson on "No Sell Nell", L'Ecuyer on AI | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- David Wyler, President and CEO at Jeff Wyler Automotive Family
- Chris Hudson, General Manager at Mark Miller Subaru
- Caleb L'Ecuyer, Sales Professional at Coastal Chevrolet Cadillac Nissan
This episode is brought to you by:
Presidio – Today’s episode is brought to you by The Presidio Group, one of the automotive industry’s leading buy-sell advisors. Visit
Why Saving $300,000 Started With a Crashed Loaner Car | Industry Spotlight
Jonathan Kienle's team once sent a salesperson to chase down a customer's canceled check, and he crashed the loaner car doing it, and Kienle says that single moment is exactly why he stopped trusting cash, checks, and credit cards to handle his dealership's biggest transactions.
He walks through how switching the default down payment method saved his group $168,000 in fees so far this year, with
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Dave Rogers, Pam LeJeune, & William Demaree | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Dave Rogers, Fixed Operations Director at Piazza Management Company
- Pam LeJeune, VP at The Moran Group
- William Demaree, Group Director of Fixed Operations at Tom Wood Group
This episode is brought to you by:
Carmax – CarMax Auctions. Access thousands of cars weekly at 50+ locations nationwide through our 100% online auctions. From high-end to high mileag
"That's Flushed Money!" What ChatGPT Really Looks for Before Recommending a Dealer (+ How to Fix It) | Zach Billings, CEO at Wikimotive
Zach Billings is the CEO of Wikimotive, a search marketing agency he has led for over two decades, building it into a bootstrapped, U.S.-based team of 50 professional writers serving dealers across the country.
Free of outside investors, Wikimotive recently ran an all-staff exercise to rewrite its mission statement around a single measure, dealer outcomes rather than its own bottom line, and it
Ruth on Used, Helms on Streaming, Zabawa/Moroz on Digital Retailing | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Rob Ruth, President / Owner at Bob Ruth Ford
- Shane Helms, Founder / CEO at TrueView Media Group
- Matthew Zabawa, Chief Product Officer at WebBuy Digital Retailing
- Steve Moroz, Managing Partner/GSM at EZ Nissan
This episode is brought to you by:
Carmax – CarMax Auctions. Access thousands of cars weekly at 50+ locations nationwide through our 100% onli
From $30K Cash Backpacks to a $400 Million Wholesaling Empire (+ How He Built a Better Auction) | Anthony Clavenna, CEO of gateway Car Connection
Anthony Clavenna used to fly across the country with $30,000 in cash stuffed in a backpack just to buy trucks off strangers, and he says that scrappy, no-safety-net approach is exactly what let him outpace giants like Carvana and CarMax at buying cars off the street.
He walks through the moment the business finally graduated from cash runs to wires and a private app, how a single fraud incident g
Hartman on Carvana, Pharr on F&I, Spradlin on Transforming BDC | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Jason Hartman, Founder at JXCE
- Scott Pharr, CEO at Pharr Motor Group
- Charlie Spradlin, General Manager at Art Moehn Auto Group
This episode is brought to you by:
Carmax – CarMax Auctions Access thousands of cars weekly at 50+ locations nationwide through our 100% online auctions. From high-end to high mileage, CarMax Auctions has the inventory you need t
"Where Did The Money Go?!" The 100-Year-Old Payment Process This Dealer Group Finally Killed | Industry Spotlight
In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Travis Siebert, SVP at DealerPay, and Kris Towle, Chief Accounting Officer at Niello Company to discuss why one of the auto industry's oldest processes, collecting cash and checks from parts and service customers, still costs dealerships money, time, and trust.
They speak candidly about the safety risk of sending drivers out wi
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Wes Lloyd, Spencer Nicholson, Ryan Maher, & Galal Hamdy | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Wes Lloyd, Service Director at Stuckey Auto
- Spencer Nicholson, Fixed Operations Director at Stuckey Automotive
- Ryan Maher, CEO at BizzyCar
- Galal Hamdy, Strategic Relationship Leader at Zurich U.S. – Direct Markets
This episode is brought to you by:
Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I team
The 65-Year Dealership Empire Born Out of the Wild West of NY Auctions & The Hard Lessons Learned | Laddie Stern of Stern Auto Group
Laddie Stern is the Founder of Stern Auto Group, a 20-store empire he has built over 65 years in the car business.
He started as a wholesaler for his uncle before buying and scaling the Skyline and Hatfield auctions into the country's largest privately held auction company, then returned to grow a new car group alongside his son Jonathan.
He speaks candidly about the 2008 downturn that changed
Ulrich on Digital Dealer, McVeigh on Leadership Balance, Yates on AEO | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Tustin Ulrich, General Manager at Roper Kia
- Mike Yates, General Manager at BMW of Bridgewater
- Mike McVeigh, Sales Manager at Jeff D'Ambrosio Auto Group
This episode is brought to you by:
Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real
How a Viral Lemon Video Took This Dealer to #1 in Alabama | Kielan Whitner, General Manager at Townsend Nissan
Kielan Whitner made more in his first 90 days selling cars than he made in an entire year working as a certified public accountant at a Big Four firm, and he says that gap is exactly why automotive struggles to attract the talent it needs.
A fourth-generation dealer, he built his foundation on the fixed side of the business, service advisor to service manager, before stepping into the general ma
Shaver on Auto Tech, Schrementi on Risk, Singleton on Recession-Proofing | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Nathan Shaver, Managing Partner at Shaver Auto Group
- Christopher Schrementi, Managing Director at Gallagher
- Chris Singleton, Managing Partner at Mike Terry Auto Group
This episode is brought to you by:
Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectivel
Meet The Secret Agent Running This Dealer's Operations | Industry Spotlight
In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are John Keohane, VP of Operations and Partner at Temecula Valley Buick GMC, and Liam Golightly, SVP of Customer Success at Podium to discuss how AI operator agents are giving dealership leaders a way to run their entire operation without being in every conversation themselves.
John built his own AI agent, which he nicknamed Emily,
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Diana Lee, Felicia Barr, & Bobby Perkins | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Diana Lee, CEO and Founder at Constellation
- Felicia Barr, Service Director at Bertera Auto Group
- Bobby Perkins, Fixed Operations Director at Lexus Montgomery & Toyota of Montgomery
This episode is brought to you by:
Digital Dealer – Lost opportunities and slow processes are quietly draining your dealership's bottom line — Digital Dealer fixes that with r
The Biggest Opportunity in Car Dealership Acquisitions Nobody's Talking About | Alan Haig, President/Founder of Haig Partners
Alan Haig is the President and founder of Haig Partners, the leading merger and acquisition advisory firm for auto dealerships, where he has guided some of the industry's largest deals.
He tracks buy-sell trends and franchise values across every major brand, and he's watched Infiniti collapse further than any other name in the business while Toyota and Lexus keep climbing.
He speaks candidly a
Lundy on Training, Nielsen on Digital Dealer, Salas on EV's and Hybrids | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Glenn Lundy, President at 800% Elite Automotive Club
- Jaymie Nielsen, Show Director at Digital Dealer
- Al Salas, Founder/Chairman at Eco Auto
This episode is brought to you by:
Digital Dealer – Lost opportunities and slow processes are quietly draining your dealership's bottom line — Digital Dealer fixes that with real sessions, hands-on labs, and live dem
The Chick-fil-A Strategy Behind This Dealer's Explosive Growth to $1B | Leo Portaluppi, Owner/CEO at P4 Automotive
Leo Portaluppi says the accountability gap holding back growing dealer groups is one owners create themselves.
He argues that titles without real equity produce managers who still think like employees, and that fixing it means giving partners a real path to owning 10, then 20 percent of the store they run.
Topics:
02:10 Fixed Needs Variable, Vice Versa.
04:10 "If You Want Reliable, Don't Bu
Cavazos on Women in Auto, Gates/Lusk on China Cars Risk, Spisak on Leaders | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Ashley Cavazos, President at WOCAN & Moderator/Trainer at NCM Associates
- Steve Gates, President at Gates Auto Family
- Cody Lusk, President/CEO at American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA)
- David Spisak, President/CEO at Disruptive Growth Solutions, LLC
This episode is brought to you by:
Digital Dealer – Lost opportunities and slow
Fixed Ops Friday w/ David Hennessey, Tully Williams, & Owen Montgomery | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- David Hennessey, VP of Fixed Operations at Harris Auto Group
- Tully Williams, Fixed Operations Director at The Niello Company
- Owen Montgomery, Service Advisor at Chariot Automotive Group
This episode is brought to you by:
800% Elite Automotive Club – 800% Elite Auto is a whole-dealership solution. Live weekly training and 1-on-1 executive coaching align O
The $100K Secret Why Dealer Credit Card Fees Keep Climbing Every Year | Industry Spotlight
In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Eric Cohen, CEO of Merchant Advocate, and Cole Frankman, Owner/Operator of Frankman Motors, to discuss why credit card processing fees keep climbing year after year and how dealers can uncover the hidden increases buried in their merchant statements.
Eric reveals that 80 percent of dealerships he reviews are being overcharged b
Lundy & Law on Partnership, Naamani on Sales Data, Cunningham on Auctions | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Glenn Lundy, President at 800% Elite Automotive Club
- Jay Law, Head of Sales at Car Dealership Guy
- Jad Naamani, Director of Marketing at Seez
- Chad Cunningham, CEO at DuPONT Registry Exchange and Live
This episode is brought to you by:
800% Elite Automotive Club – 800% Elite Auto is a whole-dealership solution. Live weekly training and 1-on-1 executiv
"The Poison Is Out": Confessions of a Former Broker-Addicted Car Dealer | Matt Haiken, President of Prestige Auto Group
Matt Haiken is the President of Prestige Auto Group, a second-generation dealer who has run stores under the Lincoln, Volvo, and Polestar brands for more than 20 years.
He built LotVision, an AI platform that gives dealers live analytics on competitors' inventory, and he watched Polestar pull its franchise from under him with almost no warning.
Topics:
13:40 Carvana Runs Without Sales Manag
Pecoraro on Used, Swiech on F&I, Anderson on Social | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Phil Pecoraro, Operating Partner at Murdock CDJR
- Jason Swiech, Sr. Product Marketer, F&I at CDK Global
- Jimmy Anderson, GM at Checkered Flag Porsche
This episode is brought to you by:
800% Elite Automotive Club – 800% Elite Auto is a whole-dealership solution. Live weekly training and 1-on-1 executive coaching align Owners, Sales, F&I, BDC, Marketing, and
The Hidden System Behind the Country's Fastest-Growing EV Dealer Empire | Industry Spotlight
In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Alex Lawrence, CEO and co-founder of EVauto, and Chris Roig, Director of Sales Engineering at Netchex, to discuss how the country's largest EV-only dealer group is scaling into new states without letting payroll and HR become the bottleneck.
Alex reveals a payroll tax scare that nearly caught EVauto off guard and how a surprise
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Bob Kuehl & David Meltzer | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Bob Kuehl, Vice President of Fixed Operations at Zeigler Automotive Group
- David Meltzer, Owner at David Meltzer Enterprises
This episode is brought to you by:
Podium – Most AI is a black box. Podium's is yours to control — and it increases conversion by upwards of 26%. Check it out at podium.com Check it out at https://www.podium.com/
Check out Car De
"That Job Is Gone!" AI Already Killed This Dealership Job (+ How to Prepare for It) | Matt Muilenburg, Chief Product Officer at Impel
Matt Muilenburg is the Chief Product Officer at Impel, a company building the AI platform used by thousands of dealerships to run sales, service, and fixed operations.
He has spent thirty years working in dealer technology, starting at the Cobalt Group in the early internet era. He has focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on dealership operations over the last several years.
Topic
Laethem on Growth, Gage on Process, "Car Dealership Kid" on Service-Sales | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Jeff Laethem, President at Ray Laethem Buick GMC
- Malcolm Gage, General Manager at Park Place Motorcars Arlington
- Peter McKay, Owner at Car Dealership Kid
This episode is brought to you by:
Podium – Most AI is a black box. Podium's is yours to control — and it increases conversion by upwards of 26%. Check it out at podium.com Check it out at https://www.p
The Ford Whisperer Who Turns Broken Dealerships Into Empires | Eddie Stivers, President at Stivers Auto Group
Today I'm joined by Eddie Stivers, President of Stivers Auto Group.
He breaks down why his own cost of people sits at 56% of gross against Carvana's 20%, and the plan to fix it within 36 months.
Eddie also unpacks how he is using Claude to catch missed fleet sales and rethink decades of gut-feel vehicle ordering.
Topics:
03:30Ford Hit Dead Last In Satisfaction.
08:05Stivers Buys Broken Toy
O'Koniewski on Chinese Cars, Mowid/Wear on Reinsurance, Hudson on OpenAI | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Robert O'Koniewski, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association (MADA)
- Dan Mowid, Senior Division Reinsurance Executive, Direct Markets at Zurich North America
- Josh Wear, Vice President of Underwriting, Direct Markets at Zurich North America
- Chris Hudson, General Manager at Mark Miller Subaru
This
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Jeff Pister, Chris Collins, & Nicolas Salvo Labelle | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Jeff Pister, Executive Manager at Honda Marysville
- Chris Collins, Owner at Chris Collins Inc
- Nicolas Salvo Labelle, Fixed Ops Manager at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Quebec
This episode is brought to you by:
Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectivel
"Values Rose!" The EV Bloodbath That Never Happened (and What Smart Dealers Are Doing Now) | Jimmy Douglas, Founder & CEO at Plug
Today I'm joined by Jimmy Douglas, Founder & CEO at Plug.
He breaks down why the top used EV dealers turn inventory in 30 days instead of 59 while selling for 3% more, and shares the arbitrage move of stocking a competitor's EV so you capture a sale that was happening anyway.
Topics:
00:47 Tax Credits Killed EV Residuals.
08:20 Selling A Computer On Wheels.
18:29 Live With An EV For One Mo
Dell on Used Cars, Miller on Embedded Insurance, Midgett on GM Search | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Rob Dell, Vice President at Bob Ruth Ford
- Jeremy Miller, Director of National Partnerships at In the Car
- Kelly Midgett, Owner at Kelly’s Automotive
This episode is brought to you by:
Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real tran
"The Million Dollar Swing!" How One GM Drove $1M in Profit Growth in a Year & The Numbers Behind It | Frank Esparza, General Manager at Tracy Honda
Today I'm joined by Frank Esparza, General Manager at Tracy Honda.
Frank walks through how his Honda store in Tracy, California, turned a stagnant pay plan into more than a million dollars in net profit growth in twelve months.
He breaks down enforcing minimum sales standards, why he moved his advertising budget from broad reach to buyers already in the market, and how a lending partner is appr
Baldwin on Dealer Group Expansion, Sansone/Sherman on Leadership & Culture | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Paul Sansone III, General Manager at Sansone Jr’s Keyport Kia
- Billy Sherman, Sales Manager at Sansone Jr’s Keyport Kia
- Travis Baldwin, Vice President at Best Deal Auto Sales
This episode is brought to you by:
Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more eff
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Mike Stanton, Danny Negalha, & Chris Skinner | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Mike Stanton, President & CEO at National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)
- Danny Negalha, Corporate Fixed Ops Director at McGovern Automotive Group
- Chris Skinner, Fixed Operations Director at Granbury Nissan
This episode is brought to you by:
Experian – Experian Automotive helps marketers identify and engage high-value auto shoppers, strengthen cust
"It Could Be a Record Year!" Inside Auto Retail's Biggest Buy/Sell Year Yet & What Top Operators Know | George Karolis, President at The Presidio Group
Today I'm joined by George Karolis, President at The Presidio Group.
George breaks down why the average dealer is over 70 years old with no succession plan, why nearly 18% of dealers now say they want to sell in the next year, and why the biggest groups are trading luxury stores rather than walking away from them entirely.
He also unpacks why Toyota stores now trade like BMW and Mercedes dealer
Levi on Retreat, Sokolowski + Bobo on Bench Program, Trafford on Leadership | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Yossi Levi, Founder at Car Dealership Guy
- Matt Sokolowski, COO at Willis Automotive
- Jaiden Bobo, Sales and Leadership Intern at Willis Automotive
- Glen Trafford, General Manager at Salmon Arm Toyota
This episode is brought to you by:
Experian – Experian Automotive helps marketers identify and engage high-value auto shoppers, strengthen customer loyal
Why Most Dealership Couples Fail (And How the Best Ones Succeed) | Kelly and Rob Ruth, Bob Ruth Ford
Today I'm joined by Husband and Wife, Kelly and Rob Ruth of Bob Ruth Ford.
Married 24 years, Rob and Kelly built the dealership together while he worked bell-to-bell, 78-hour weeks, and she ran the household solo, raising their kids largely on her own.
Kelly reveals the role she played long before it had a title, shaping personnel decisions from behind the scenes and backing Rob's zero-revenue
Transparency in Automotive Advertising Panel | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Shane Helms, Founder / CEO at TrueView Media Group
- Shelley Pratt, Director, Media, Activations, and Business Intelligence at Nissan USA
- Kristin Coleman, Vice President Marketing at AutoNation
- Mario Diez, CEO at Peer39
This episode is brought to you by:
Experian – Experian Automotive helps marketers identify and engage high-value auto shoppers, stren
"Best Boss, Worst Boss!" The Interview Question That Exposes Every Bad Hire | Industry Spotlight
In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Bill O'flanagan, Dealer Principal at Reedman Toll Auto Group, and Todd Kaminski, Head of Direct Markets at Zurich North America to discuss the one interview question that predicts almost everything about whether a new hire will thrive or wash out, and why building a culture of transparency and daily accountability is the real fi
CDG In The Wild | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Glenn Lundy, President at 800% Elite Automotive Club
- Brian Benstock, Vice President & General Manager at Paragon Honda and Paragon Acura
- Kyle Coleman, President & CEO, Coleman Automotive Group
This episode is brought to you by:
The Presidio Group – Today’s episode is brought to you by The Presidio Group, one of the automotive industry’s leading buy-sell
Why Dealers are Paying Ransom for their Own Customer Data | Matt Leone, CEO at DriveCentric
Today I'm joined by Matt Leone, CEO at DriveCentric.
Matt breaks down why one dealer group ditched a $100,000 Salesforce contract they were barely using, why building your own software rarely pays off the way it promises, and why the next fight in the industry is over who actually owns the customer relationship.
Topics:
06:00 The Referee Analogy For Software.
11:50 Consolidation Isn't Happen
Law on Digital Dealer, Burnett on Sales, Ebin on Ads, Pister on Fixed | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Jay Law, Head of Partnerships at Car Dealership Guy
- JB Burnett, Executive General Manager at Preston Automotive Group
- Robert Ebin, Director of Legal Affairs at KPA
- Jeff Pister, Executive Manager at Honda Marysville
This episode is brought to you by:
Presidio – Today’s episode is brought to you by The Presidio Group, one of the automotive industry’s
"I Never Took Their Money!" Why Some Manufacturers Tried to Blacklist this "Car Mom" | Kelley Stumpe, Founder & CEO at The Car Mom
Today I'm joined by Kelley Stumpe, Founder & CEO at The Car Mom.
She has built the largest online following of car-buying moms in the country, and she has never taken a dollar from a manufacturer to do it.
That refusal has gotten her blacklisted from press events and cut off from loaner cars, but it has also made her the most trusted voice family car shoppers turn to.
Topics:
04:00 The Mos
Spradlin on Used Car Acquisition, Murphy on 5-Day Frontline | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Charlie Spradlin, General Manager at Art Moehn Auto Group
- John Murphy, Used Vehicle Director at Holler-Classic Automotive
This episode is brought to you by:
Presidio – Today’s episode is brought to you by The Presidio Group, one of the automotive industry’s leading buy-sell advisors. Visit Presidio’s new Research & Reports portal for M&A insights, blue sky mu
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Ryan Downing & Jay Trivedi | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Ryan Downing, Dealer Principal / Owner at Ross Downing Auto Group
- Jay Trivedi, Dealer Principal/Owner at Jay's Chevrolet GMC
This episode is brought to you by:
Haig – Haig Partners – When it comes to selling your life’s work, trust the only advisors who have built a reputation for maximizing value for family-owned dealerships. The team at Haig Partners has ac
7 Critical Tactics for Dealership Growth in 2026 (& How to Apply It) | Nick LaSorsa, Director at LaSorsa Auto Group
Today I'm joined by Nick LaSorsa, Director at LaSorsa Auto Group.
Nick runs two very different stores in the New York metro, and he lays out the exact playbook he uses to keep both profitable heading into 2026.
He explains how a single hiring platform audit uncovered more than $15,000 in wasted spend, why he cancels every vendor contract the day he signs it, and how a mobile fleet service built
Gingrich on CDP Push, Thomas on Affordability Tracker, Malloy on Chevrolet | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Dennis Gingrich, Sales & Finance Director at The Niello Company
- Dave Thomas, Director, Content Marketing at CDK Global
- Pat Malloy, General Manager at Patriot Chevrolet Of Limerick
This episode is brought to you by:
Haig Partners – When it comes to selling your life’s work, trust the only advisors who have built a reputation for maximizing value for fa
The Secret Plan to Create America's Next Dealer Owners (& What Comes Next) | Perry Watson IV, President of NAMAD
Today I'm joined by Perry Watson IV, President of NAMAD.
Dealership consolidation is accelerating, and the price of entry to ownership has never been higher.
Perry breaks down the numbers behind it, including how over 40 percent of new vehicle sales at some brands now come from minority consumers, and why one manufacturer doubled a dealer's sales volume within two years just by getting ownersh
Ripley on Theft, Hoang on GM Approval, Stream Companies on FTC | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Brian Baker, President Automotive at Stream Companies
- Zach Slabinski, Director of Retail Ready at Stream Companies
- Brian Hoang, CEO & Co-founder at Mia Labs
- George Ripley, VP at International Association of Auto Theft Investigators
This episode is brought to you by:
Haig Partners – When it comes to selling your life’s work, trust the only advisor
4th of July Special w/ Hall, Haig, Zeigler, Cardone | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Don Hall, President and CEO of Virginia Automobile Dealers Association
- Alan Haig, President of Haig Partners
- Aaron Zeigler, President of Zeigler Auto Group
- Grant Cardone, CEO of Cardone Capital
This episode is brought to you by:
Podium – Most AI is a black box. Podium's is yours to control — and it increases conversion by upwards of 26%. Check it
"Drowning in Traffic!" Why Dealers Are Drowning in Traffic They Can't Convert (+ How to Fix It) | Scott Traylor, Vice President at Mia Labs
Today I'm joined by Scott Traylor, Vice President at Mia Labs.
Scott breaks down how voice AI is pulling $8,000 to $30,000 a month in after-hours revenue at stores where customers used to just hit a voicemail, why service advisors are letting calls go unanswered on purpose, and how Mia became the first voice AI company approved by General Motors for their co-op program.
If you think AI is still
"Stop Missing Calls!" The 90% Service Scheduling Secret Most Dealers Are Ignoring | Industry Spotlight
In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Mike Martucci, General Manager at Jim Ellis Kia, and Kevin Esmezyan, Chief Product Officer at Matador AI to discuss how conversational AI is turning a three-person sales team handling 700 leads a month into a machine that doubles close rates and books service appointments at nearly 90% — while most dealers are still missing afte
Levi on Ventures, Lawrence on EV Market, Hatch on Volume Sales | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
Yossi Levi, CEO of Car Dealership Guy
Alex Lawrence, CEO & Co-Founder of EV Auto
Sam Hatch, General Manager at JRR Motor Sales
This episode is brought to you by:
Podium – Most AI is a black box. Podium's is yours to control — and it increases conversion by upwards of 26%. Check it out at http://podium.com
Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff:
CDG C
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Matt Haiken, Damon Egan, & Luis Malespin | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Matt Haiken, Dealer Principal and President at Prestige Collection Auto Group
- Damon Egan, Service Director at Sherwood Ford
- Luis Malespin, Parts Director at Premier Hyundai
This episode is brought to you by:
Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more ef
"AI Can't See!" The AI Phase After Agentic That Will Reshape How Dealers Run Every Department (+ How to Use It) | AJ McGowan, VP of Research and Development at Reynolds & Reynolds
Today I'm joined by AJ McGowan, VP of Research and Development at Reynolds & Reynolds.
He breaks down why fragmented software platforms are quietly limiting what AI can see and do, uses a service drive scenario to show how a fully connected system could surface a high-value trade opportunity in real time, and explains why Reynolds is investing in its own hardware infrastructure to make that scale
Riley on New Car Pricing, Barbosa on First 30 Days | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Jameson Riley, General Manager at Riley Volvo Cars Stamford
- Eric Barbosa, VP of Variable Operations at Plaza Motors
This episode is brought to you by:
Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistently and sell more effectively — using real transaction data, not theory. By analyz
"The Breach Is Coming!" The Vibe Coding Security Bomb Hidden Inside Your Dealership (& What Every Dealer Building AI Tools Needs to Know) | More Than Cars
Today I'm joined by Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier, Co-founders at More Than Cars.
Paul and Kyle break down exactly how a single exposed API key can hand a hacker access to an entire dealer management system, why dealerships are uniquely at risk given the volume of sensitive customer data they store, and what the best operators are doing to build securely before the first major breach hits the i
Keller on Automotive Opportunity, Keys on Pricing, Vesely on 4-Day Work Week | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Vic Keller, Founder and CEO at Experience Ventures
- Namu Keys, Senior Product Marketer, Digital Retail at CDK Global
- Sam Vesely, Director of Marketing & Public Relations at Ford of Cookeville
This episode is brought to you by:
Zurich – Zurich Advisor IQ is Zurich’s AI-driven training and coaching platform built to help F&I teams perform more consistent
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Bowers, McIsaac, & Sabino | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Matt Bowers, Owner of Matt Bowers Automotive Group
- Vince McIsaac, Director of Parts Operations at Hawk Auto Group
- Jim Sabino, Fixed Operations Director at All American Ford
This episode is brought to you by:
OPENLANE – OPENLANE is getting ready for DealerFest 2026, its biggest customer event of the year. For the entire month of July, earn points for ev
"Follow the Money!" Profits Are Down 16%. The Buy-Sell Market Is Ripping. Here's Why & What Top Operators Know | Alan Haig, President at Haig Partners
Today I'm joined once again by Alan Haig, President at Haig Partners.
Dealer profits fell 16% in the first quarter of 2026, yet the number of dealerships changing hands surged 39% over the same period last year.
Alan breaks down the capital stockpile dealers built during the COVID era, why franchise values have held steady despite softer earnings, and which brands represent the best buying oppo
Haggerty on Dealing with Product Gap, Massimilla on Digital Handoff | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Patrick Haggerty, President/General Manager at Faulkner Infiniti of Willow Grove
- Peter Massimilla Jr, Internet Sales Manager at McGovern CJDR
This episode is brought to you by:
OPENLANE – OPENLANE is getting ready for DealerFest 2026, its biggest customer event of the year. For the entire month of July, earn points for every transaction you make on OPENLANE
"We Tripled the Store!" — Critical Playbooks for Used Cars, Service Growth and Beating Big Groups | Kyle Coleman, Rob Ruth, Scott Simons
Welcome to Dealer War Room from Car Dealership Guy, where we sit down with top operators to break down how they're navigating the biggest challenges in auto retail.
These three rural store owners share the specific moves working right now: Scott Simons bought a Chevy store for $6.9M and tripled sales & fixed ops in under a year.
Rob Ruth built a street-sourcing machine buying 300 cars/month fr
Knight on Mobile Service, DeJohn on Service Retention, Velez on Sales | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Ryan Knight, Director of Operations at Knight Automotive Group
- Britt DeJohn, Sr. VP of Business Operations at Impel
- Nicholas Velez, Internet Director at Valley Kia of Fontana
This episode is brought to you by:
OPENLANE – OPENLANE is getting ready for DealerFest 2026, its biggest customer event of the year. For the entire month of July, earn points for
This Dealer Got Burned on a $8,000 Trade-In. Here's How He Now Catches Every Hidden Repair | Industry Spotlight
In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Frederick Grimm, Co-Founder and COO of AppraisalPro, and Danny Galat, General Sales Manager at Lithia Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Bend, to discuss how dealers are using real-time diagnostic scanning to stop taking hidden mechanical losses on trade-ins and turn a wholesale department that was bleeding money into one that's actuall
Fixed Ops Friday w/ Love, Golightley, & Carlstedt | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Joel Love, Service Director at Toyota of Montgomery
- Liam Golightley, SVP Dealer Success at Podium
- Ryan Carlstedt, EVP Fixed Ops at Willis Auto Group
This episode is brought to you by:
Experian – Experian Automotive helps marketers identify and engage high-value auto shoppers, strengthen customer loyalty, grow service revenue, and activate 1,100+ automo
"Copy the Best!" Rick Hendrick's #1 Business Decision in 50 Years (And Why Zeigler Just Copied It) | Industry Spotlight
In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, joining host Sam D'Arc are Aaron Zeigler, President of Zeigler Auto Group, and Johnny McKellar, who leads NationsGuard for Hendrick Automotive Group, to discuss why Zeigler is leaving its third-party warranty provider to stand up its own dealer-owned program, Zeigler Guard, and what Rick Hendrick himself says has been the single best decision in his 50 ye
Cottone on Growing Used, Cox/Fullpath on Integration, Duncan on Retention | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Michael Cottone, Head of Subaru Motors Finance at Chase Auto
- Steve Rowley, President of Cox Automotive
- Aharon Horwitz, Co-Founder and CEO of Fullpath
- Katie Gattuso Duncan, General Manager at Mohawk Chevrolet
This episode is brought to you by:
Experian – Experian Automotive helps marketers identify and engage high-value auto shoppers, strengthen cu
"You're Sitting on Gold!" Why Most Dealerships Are Sitting on Hidden Fortunes & What Top Operators Know | Vic Keller, Founder and CEO at Experience Ventures
Today I'm joined by Vic Keller, Founder and CEO at Experience Ventures.
In this conversation, he makes the case that most dealers are sitting on hidden enterprise value they haven't tapped, that the vendor landscape is moving too slowly for dealers who want to win now, and that the single biggest lever in any dealership is still the people, not the platform.
Topics:
01:30 Fixed Ops Is Unbeat
Stein on 3Xing His Rooftops, Benstock on Driving BYD in Kazakhstan | Daily Dealer Live
Today's show features:
- Adam Stein, Executive Director at Plaza Auto Group
- Brian Benstock, Vice President & General Manager at Paragon Honda and Paragon Acura
This episode is brought to you by:
Experian – Experian Automotive helps marketers identify and engage high-value auto shoppers, strengthen customer loyalty, grow service revenue, and activate 1,100+ automotive audiences acr
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