Interview with Glenn Pasch CEO of PCG Digital

Interview With Glenn Pasch

This Zoom video call is a discussion between Todd Smith from 360Converge and Glenn Pasch CEO of PCG Digital discussing the current state of the automotive industry. We covered the importance of process, not just technology to successfully implement Digital Retailing at the dealership. We also talk about the need for training your team to come out of this crisis more competitive and with higher closing rates. This was a great conversation with lots of value for general managers, sales managers, and salespeople within the dealership.

Video Transcript

Captions
00:00
promise okay well here we are again
00:03
today my name is Todd Smith CEO of 360
00:06
of birds join with Glenn pash CEO of PCG
00:11
companies joining from as he said rainy
00:15
New Jersey this morning and I thought we
00:19
just kick off have you want to do a
00:21
little bit of background about PCG for
00:23
anyone it doesn’t know you are sure so
00:26
PCG digital is our agency we’re a full
00:29
service digital marketing agency we’ve
00:31
been around for about 15 years
00:33
we focus on you know SEO paid search
00:37
social media advertising our job is to
00:41
get you in front of shoppers maximize it
00:43
for as efficient as possible then we’ve
00:46
also have another division now that’s
00:49
underneath Brian’s moniker bpe I’m
00:53
passionate prizes and that houses our
00:55
consultative business and all of our
00:58
events our nap event in now it’s gonna
01:02
be July cuz we had to move it because of
01:04
my situation we’re in digital marketing
01:06
strategies conference and then we had
01:08
the automotive analytics and attribution
01:11
summit in the fall in Boca yeah so
01:14
that’s that’s what we do yeah I know I
01:17
know Mike McFaul my CEO went to that he
01:20
said was really good so said yeah we’re
01:22
very happy the conferences you know we
01:25
used to do more we used to do a lot of
01:27
smaller ones and then we just got to a
01:29
point where it was taking a lot of focus
01:30
away from our core business the agency
01:32
so we narrowed it down and just said
01:34
we’re gonna do two one on the west coast
01:36
one on the East Coast and yeah the the
01:39
the that people that come are from a
01:44
vendor perspective and also the
01:46
attendees they’re all very you know
01:48
you’re getting the people who are the
01:50
dealer principals and the general
01:51
managers or marketing managers of large
01:53
groups and what’s great is all the
01:55
vendors you know you’re getting like
01:57
someone like yourself the CEOs the
01:59
owners you know so the dealers like it
02:01
because they can talk to owners of the
02:03
companies of the products you’re using
02:04
and vice versa vendors always like to
02:06
talk to the decision-makers as well yeah
02:08
that helps it’s always helpful so here
02:11
let’s jump in obviously this
02:13
kovat 19 very interesting time so from
02:17
it from an agency point of view what has
02:20
it been like impact wise we’ll start
02:22
there and then I’d like to see what you
02:25
guys are doing and then move to your
02:27
conversations with dealers and what
02:30
that’s been and what you’ve seen there
02:31
so I thought we could kind of migrate
02:33
through all that so let’s talk about
02:36
like PCG impact what has happened to you
02:38
guys you know where do you see it going
02:41
so impact we’ve been actually knock-on
02:46
as I said earlier knock on wood what’s
02:50
great is that we we haven’t you know no
02:52
clients have left us you know meaning
02:55
that no one who said all right we’re
02:56
shutting down everybody we definitely
02:58
have had people who’ve paused services
03:01
so from a revenue standpoint we we’ve
03:04
lost a little bit of monthly recurring
03:06
revenue we’ve been able to because we’ve
03:09
had a pretty good sales season and
03:12
growth over the last six eight months
03:14
you know we haven’t had to lay anyone
03:16
off at this time you know where we’re
03:18
really holding fast that we don’t have
03:20
to pause anybody and so everybody’s just
03:23
diving in and working for our clients
03:25
what we have seen interestingly enough
03:28
is people are holding on to SEO you know
03:31
some of them are cutting back their
03:33
budgets on paid search which we also
03:35
recommended we said you know pull some
03:38
of that back a search volume isn’t there
03:40
cut back a little bit on Facebook but
03:43
the interesting thing is a lot of the
03:45
our dealer clients are listening to us
03:46
saying well you definitely need you know
03:48
SEO your website still has to be tight
03:50
Google my business they’re handing the
03:52
limitations that Google’s allowing you
03:55
you know they’re they’re not allowing
03:56
you to update a lot of things on it
03:58
right now and then Facebook so it’s been
04:01
good the yeah we went remote I think
04:04
this is our gonna say our third may be
04:07
our fourth week I think the fourth week
04:10
that we went fully remote we actually
04:13
you know having being digital and most
04:16
you know allows our whole team we can
04:18
all work motely right and that’s going
04:21
to be interesting I mean we’re we were
04:23
happy we just moved into a new space but
04:26
I’m
04:27
curious how many companies are really
04:28
gonna look at all of that overhead of
04:31
having a building to say wow how much
04:34
could we actually do remote and if we
04:37
needed to get together you know going to
04:40
a shared workspace just to have me yeah
04:42
I mean we’ve been doing zoom meetings
04:43
and things like that just to touch base
04:46
but that that I’m curious about on the
04:48
other side for some companies if they’re
04:50
gonna realize hey you know we actually
04:52
can work remotely yeah that’s a good
04:55
point you know that’s in Auto it might
04:58
be a little challenging to have that
05:01
obviously but the sales side even of
05:04
that you know having your salespeople
05:06
work from home and engaging shoppers I
05:09
mean outsource be DC’s kind of do that
05:12
already
05:12
all right outsource chat I mean they’re
05:15
already doing a lot of that component
05:17
tree it’s could it be done and managed
05:20
from the dealership perspective almost
05:22
like a gig economy would be interesting
05:24
I see somethin for vendors I was talking
05:27
to a few you know there’s definitely
05:28
some layoffs or furloughs for some of
05:31
those people but you know so for some of
05:34
the larger companies out there but what
05:36
is interesting I was talking to a few of
05:38
them who who are still working but they
05:41
have to work remotely yeah and they’re
05:45
they’re generating revenue remotely so
05:48
all of a sudden they’re feeling there’s
05:50
going to be decisions in companies where
05:53
they say well why am i paying to have
05:55
Todd travel around the country on
05:57
airplanes to sell right when he can sell
06:01
out of his house where he can see you
06:04
know there’s a lot of expense that you
06:07
have you may not need or it cuts back
06:11
where you say you generate your
06:13
appointments and then I’ll fly you in so
06:17
that that I was thinking about as well
06:19
that’s interesting you think about that
06:21
from the perspective these you know
06:23
larger companies obviously having to cut
06:25
their sales forces mm-hmm you know this
06:28
is a huge cost and when there’s no
06:30
opportunity to sell it’s kind of hard
06:32
and I know they’ve all been hit pretty
06:34
hard a lot of these third party are you
06:37
know the vendors a lot of large ones
06:39
have been hit pretty hard
06:40
recently I seem that well yeah it’ll
06:43
come back through time like always but
06:45
will they shift now and do more work
06:48
from home kind of environment and as
06:51
you’re saying maybe don’t put them on
06:53
airplanes and don’t you know put them as
06:55
large territory managers making a
06:59
homegrown person you know to download
07:02
observe their local field I don’t know
07:04
that’s an interesting thing I think a
07:06
lot of changes smart vendors right now
07:08
are looking have to be looking at their
07:10
businesses of like ok we can’t have this
07:13
happen again how do we shore up our our
07:15
ship right prevent this and where are we
07:19
weak and I think any really smart
07:22
business owners have to be looking at
07:23
every potential thing that they’re doing
07:26
right now and as you said so sales staff
07:28
is big to be able to look at I saw one
07:31
cut their entire automotive sales stuff
07:33
out which is terrible you know then it’s
07:36
remote work at home that’s could be a
07:38
new thing I think we’ll need to see new
07:41
technologies to be able to manage remote
07:43
remote work forces probably better
07:46
that’s not there yet I mean that’s gonna
07:49
be interesting so yeah I think this is
07:51
look I always look at these times as as
07:54
it’s crazy and detrimental that it is to
07:58
business it’s also an opportunity like
08:02
how do you turn this into what comes
08:04
next you know well I think the other
08:06
piece I was was working on an article
08:09
about this so you know what does it mean
08:11
for customer service or customer
08:14
experience on the other side so think of
08:16
it from a dealerships perspective if I
08:19
have less customers right that and I
08:22
have to sell or Emal’s is my follow up
08:26
better is my care better is how I’m
08:29
taking care like am I really embracing
08:31
this versus you know we’ve all seen this
08:34
at times where any business when things
08:37
are going really well
08:39
success covers a lot of mistakes in your
08:42
processes might close well if I if I
08:45
don’t there’s someone right behind you
08:47
and somebody right behind you well now
08:49
it’s you
08:50
right that’s it so now I’m wondering if
08:53
to your point if people really are
08:54
looking at it and saying what are we
08:56
doing now that was different than before
08:58
or maybe we’re just getting back to
09:00
doing what we should have been doing all
09:02
the time better right what happens when
09:05
all of a sudden you know as you said
09:07
over time that volume starts to come
09:09
back to some sort of normalcy
09:11
are we retaining any of these changes to
09:15
say hey by the way right we do this
09:18
better now or does it just hey here we
09:21
go again and we just go on to that
09:22
gerbil wheel that’s the real question
09:24
like what will happen so shifting you
09:26
into the dealer side you know I said and
09:29
I read something I think last week I
09:31
said if you are not cleaning up your
09:33
data right now and you are not going
09:35
through your CRM and reworking your
09:38
communication to make it better flow
09:40
better more tightening up spending the
09:44
time working on your business not in
09:47
your business right you’re missing this
09:50
is this is the best pause button in
09:52
history for you to actually step out of
09:56
the hamster wheel as you described get
09:59
and look at the hamster we all go oh if
10:01
I move this to the left four inches I
10:03
get a view of Manhattan verse verse a
10:06
wall I I don’t I don’t know if people
10:09
are thinking that because there’s
10:11
everyone’s just still so worried about
10:13
what comes next you know and that fear
10:16
of the unknown a lot of times will
10:18
paralyze not only businesses but people
10:21
into not doing anything it’s like you
10:24
know you just you freeze up ya know I
10:26
think to your point I think it’s a
10:28
really valid point if you knew there was
10:30
an end right if they said listen we know
10:33
for sure 100 percent June first we’re
10:37
open everybody now will reverse engineer
10:40
and plan to build but you’re right
10:42
everyone’s worried about how long and
10:44
and listen as a business owner to you
10:46
know Brian and I we’re constantly like
10:49
you have a good idea along right what’s
10:54
next what’s next if they say listen we
10:56
you know you sort of throw out we can go
10:59
for this long and then we’ll see but I
11:02
agree I mean there’s nothing but
11:04
time and it’s how you’re using that time
11:07
if you’re you know if you’re someone’s
11:09
headed I really wish I could remember
11:11
because I thought it was very dolly if
11:13
you’re if you haven’t been furloughed
11:15
you should be busting your ass twice as
11:17
hard for the company that didn’t
11:19
furlough you or if you own the business
11:21
to your point is you have more time
11:23
because there is less distractions some
11:26
of those distractions you made yourself
11:28
right now or just the value of the time
11:31
you get back I mean I used to mock you
11:33
know my office is 4550 minutes away to
11:36
an hour depending on traffic that’s two
11:38
hours I just got back from not commuting
11:40
ya know war being on an airplane or
11:43
being in you know and yes I can work
11:45
anywhere but you find yourself being
11:47
more productive because you just have
11:49
your time so then to your point is what
11:51
are you doing so if I’m a dealer I’d be
11:54
asking questions about everything are
11:56
you looking about what was our process
11:58
when we greeted customers how could we
12:01
do better where were we effective where
12:03
weren’t we let’s look at this product I
12:04
mean a lot of times you’ve seen it
12:06
you’ve been in the biz for a long time
12:08
sometimes a lot of processes there are
12:11
like the Frankenstein monster we just
12:13
add on an ad on an ad on and realize
12:16
wait a minute we’re paying for two of
12:18
the same thing or that didn’t really
12:21
work or god we still have to your point
12:23
of the crm oh we have templates from
12:26
that trainer that was here five years
12:27
ago and why are they still here we don’t
12:30
use them anymore or let alone to your
12:32
point which is day to day the data yeah
12:35
that I mean God what you know this is
12:38
your time and it it is but to your point
12:42
also was that idea I have to think of
12:45
that I have to really just go I can work
12:47
on my business now because in my
12:49
business is not dominating my time as
12:52
much right yeah you’re not playing
12:53
firemen you know now you’re back you you
12:56
can actually go back to fire chief right
12:58
to runnin I think that’s important that
13:00
you know I am big on data and you know
13:03
every CRM I’ve looked in or DMS you know
13:05
there’s seven Todd Smith’s you know
13:07
there and there should be one and the
13:11
thought that there’s that many it’s well
13:13
you break it down that it’s probably
13:16
when it was entered in
13:18
and how it was entered in you know a
13:19
service advisor didn’t want to look you
13:21
up so he just put in as a new customer
13:23
again and again and again and without
13:26
that collective view you really don’t
13:28
know the people you’re doing business
13:30
with and I think that’s an important
13:32
thing and these are the small things so
13:34
let’s talk on the like I want to hit the
13:37
hot button we don’t spend a lot of time
13:38
on it but let’s talk a little digital
13:40
retailing as just that’s cuz we have to
13:45
we have to I mean come on like between
13:48
you and I we need to talk about digital
13:50
retailing and like this is I don’t know
13:53
in my opinion has this been put out as
13:55
the savior of us during this time or
14:00
what I had heard someone told me a stat
14:03
maybe last week that said before Corona
14:06
a third of stores were on digital
14:08
retailing now probably half plus they’re
14:12
all on or getting onto it in some form
14:15
first what do you think about that in
14:17
general – what do you really see as the
14:21
impacts coming out of this I think
14:23
that’s the deeper question to me is not
14:26
that hey everybody wants to use it
14:29
what’s really gonna happen on the ground
14:31
for these guys who are gonna try to
14:33
implement digital retail wrote the whole
14:38
book on it without vendors which I
14:40
reference a lot now there’s I think a
14:43
lot more vendors than the 33 or for you
14:46
guys covered in the book but it’s some
14:49
you know interesting enough when you say
14:51
yeah third of the dealers were on it I
14:53
would say there is a third of dealers
14:55
who had some sort of technology tool on
14:58
their website I don’t think they a third
15:00
were doing digital retailing okay but
15:03
the point is is that Brian and I have
15:06
been working for the last 18 months with
15:08
a manufacturer – because they wanted to
15:11
figure this out and create a blueprint
15:13
to say we want we want to be able to
15:17
tell all of our dealers that we think
15:19
this is the way it’s going okay what we
15:22
found was even the technology folks
15:26
didn’t understand the impact of this
15:29
because it wasn’t just I’m going to put
15:31
a peace attack on the website it was
15:34
well how are you tracking in the backend
15:35
every step so that you can analyze how
15:38
far they going down through the tool or
15:40
if I move step four up to step two does
15:43
that let them go further down tool and
15:45
then being able to see that in analytics
15:47
and then people weren’t even thinking
15:50
from a dealer perspective some of them
15:51
were right so I will say the ones who
15:54
are really figuring out how to use it
15:56
thought about how do you create a
15:58
marketing message to let consumers know
16:01
we have this right versus if they’re
16:04
just gonna stumble on to the website
16:05
most of them what we saw were people
16:08
just thought it was a payment calculator
16:11
and a training tool you know how to baby
16:12
right and I think what it and they go oh
16:17
it’s all in one place that’s cool so
16:20
getting that concept that we have to
16:22
market and educate what’s in it for them
16:24
and then on the other side people
16:27
weren’t thinking that well how do we
16:29
have to change our processes of
16:31
communicating with people when they
16:32
submit their name or if they show up for
16:35
an appointment you know what’s different
16:36
and so I think the whole I think that
16:40
but the misunderstanding was the thought
16:44
that we’ll carvanha was doing something
16:46
that looked online and so we have to do
16:52
something that looks like online and I
16:54
used to tell dealers the the stop
16:57
worrying about that yeah technology is
17:01
helping people the key is that carbonate
17:04
just marketed into all of your problems
17:07
that people didn’t like about going to a
17:08
dealership it took too long way too
17:11
confusing we’re gonna make it easy
17:14
we’ll come drop it in your driveway you
17:16
know that type of concept now you read
17:18
the reviews not everybody was happy with
17:21
carvanha you know you still have to have
17:23
a wet signature listen it not
17:25
everything’s going to work but even if
17:27
you go to Carmack’s I said used to tell
17:29
dealers look if you want to understand
17:31
marketing go look at what carmack stats
17:33
they don’t talk about priced and they
17:35
just talk about the experience yeah it’s
17:38
gonna be easy so I think that what
17:42
customers really want is
17:45
tonight why does it take so long that’s
17:47
really what it is so if I can do some of
17:49
the things that I’m sort of comfortable
17:51
with if you market it to me that hey
17:53
Todd you can do as much or as little
17:55
online as you want I’m gonna give you
17:58
some of the steps here if you want to do
18:00
a great we’re going to receive that
18:02
information we’re gonna acknowledge we
18:05
have this information and when we reach
18:07
out to you you show up we’re gonna pick
18:08
up where you left off and so you save
18:11
time and I think I think people that’s
18:14
what people want and if dealers really
18:16
just embrace right now two years from
18:19
now who knows right over this next the
18:22
rest of this year and going let’s say a
18:24
year over this next year if you just use
18:26
that technology and thought how can I
18:29
save customers time here I think that’s
18:33
that’s that’s what I’ve been preaching
18:36
to my clients who are doing it is mark
18:38
it out what market that you’re gonna be
18:40
easy here’s how much you know you can do
18:42
it and I’ll pick up from where you left
18:44
off and then figure out how to do that
18:46
when right there and if you can get them
18:49
out of here in an hour after they pick
18:50
the car home run that you’ll begin so I
18:55
think that’s what it is but everybody’s
18:57
confused that I want to be carvanha I
19:00
want to do this and I want to do that
19:01
I’m like dude slow down what one of the
19:05
first things that I remembered when we
19:07
had our my first year and company was
19:10
dealers would always ask me who has the
19:12
best follow-up and I would always say it
19:16
doesn’t matter because they would always
19:19
then say I want you to put the best
19:22
person on your system who’s the most
19:24
successful follow-up program in my store
19:27
right I would say no because it’ll never
19:30
work because you’re not them and like
19:33
every dealer is not carbonyl or not
19:35
Carmack’s you got to find your own like
19:38
that thing and I think that you know it
19:41
looked even carvanha there 16 usually I
19:44
read and they’re filing 16 human
19:47
interaction points transaction so not
19:51
just this digital like experience I mean
19:55
the technology should just explain
19:57
support
19:58
an experience that the customer is gonna
20:00
have in that journey and I feel that
20:03
dealers are trying right now to plug
20:05
tech in thinking it’s gonna solve the
20:08
problem of their process and that’s not
20:12
well yeah and that was a conversation I
20:15
had with the manufacturer when we have
20:17
some of our early meetings I said the
20:21
the dangers gonna be if you try to force
20:24
something from the top down yeah where i
20:27
forcing something from the top down like
20:28
you were just saying is that it goes
20:30
against Mike what the experience is and
20:33
so when people say well what tool should
20:34
I use what’s the best tool all right I’m
20:37
like well and I would say well let’s
20:41
reverse engineer what experience do you
20:43
want your customers to have right talk
20:45
to me about that talk to me about your
20:47
how your staff how you’re doing then
20:50
I’ll say well based on that you should
20:52
look at these two or look at this one to
20:55
start I said but I don’t have any answer
20:57
to your point there is no magic it’s
21:00
what you know that was the old running
21:02
joke what CRM is the best the one that
21:03
your team’s gonna use yeah that’s one
21:06
that’s the best one what yep and that’s
21:09
leadership mean thing what digital
21:11
retailing tool is the best I don’t they
21:14
all uh they all have great features
21:17
they all have features that struggle but
21:20
a lot of the struggle is you’re picking
21:22
a tool because you went to a xx group
21:24
and Bob who runs the great dealership
21:26
says it works for me so now I come back
21:28
and I said well I want that tool too and
21:30
then you don’t think of it and it’s not
21:33
even the tool it’s it’s those two cats
21:36
it’s like you don’t mark it out to come
21:38
up with a concept to say we listen to
21:40
you we did this here’s an hour express
21:43
spot and I don’t really expressed by
21:45
this technology you use and then our
21:48
people will pick up where you left off
21:51
that’s that’s where the confusion is
21:53
everybody’s running to your point is
21:55
that’s why I went from a third to 50%
21:57
I’ve talked to a few people who you know
21:59
are the top some of the top people out
22:01
these taxi because my phone’s blown off
22:03
the hip I want it or not I’m going okay
22:07
and what what’s gonna happen – oh great
22:11
so now you’re going
22:12
be give a customer the ability to choose
22:15
these three things and then you’re gonna
22:17
ignore them when you contact yeah or
22:20
you’re just gonna avoid like that’s the
22:23
whole thing to me it’s a peep it’s like
22:24
leadership first right like no you have
22:27
to have leadership that’s gonna commit
22:29
to this and I mean fully commit to do
22:31
not hey we’re just gonna do it over here
22:35
and a swimlane but this is going to be
22:37
how we operate that’s first and then
22:40
after then you have to have a very good
22:42
documentation of your processes and then
22:45
decide how digital retail is going to
22:47
impact those processes too smooth to me
22:51
it’s like standing out a process right
22:55
like howdy use tech to support that
22:58
process not hey I’m gonna insert the
23:00
tech and now I got to rework a whole
23:03
entire process I think yellers will
23:05
you’ll fail I mean absolutely Dan more
23:09
always said he uses a great analogy he
23:12
says the job of the leader is to remove
23:15
obstacles for your team yeah that’s your
23:17
job you should be removed to yours I
23:19
like the sanding the edges because if
23:21
you have but that’s the problem is I
23:23
mean you’ve you’ve heard it that you
23:25
know dealers who struggle when the first
23:27
question I asked I always call them the
23:29
three pillars I say do you have
23:30
documented processes what’s your
23:32
training beyond new hire so training
23:35
development and then accountability so
23:37
many times well I don’t really have a
23:39
process or it’s not written down I’m
23:41
like well then everybody’s doing their
23:42
own thing right so you can’t blame the
23:45
tool if you don’t have a process yeah
23:48
you know and if you’re not gonna hold
23:50
them accountable to the process so that
23:52
to your point is you can’t just slap
23:53
digital retailing on somewhere and go
23:56
WOW X tool didn’t work for us I’m going
24:01
yeah but you didn’t think it through you
24:03
just whacked it on the site instead
24:06
we’re doing it so you could check the
24:08
box off yeah and then you’re gonna
24:11
complain that it’s not working and your
24:12
customers are gonna get more frustrated
24:14
than if you ever had the tool to begin
24:16
with and that’s why I see the most of it
24:19
where the customer starts the journey on
24:22
a digital retail tool the
24:25
gets to the salesperson a salesperson
24:28
starts him right back at the first crowd
24:29
and they go well I just spent an hour on
24:32
your website putting my info in getting
24:36
my stuff
24:37
why am i all the way back at the
24:39
beginning and the sale goes oh no that’s
24:41
the digital thing this is this isn’t
24:43
just deal with my process and won’t
24:46
that’s a disconnect and that’s I think a
24:49
super fundamental challenge of dealers
24:51
need to get their hands around before
24:54
they create bad experiences for the
24:58
customer so well – your point is I mean
25:01
how many times did that have forget
25:02
digital retail how many times did that
25:04
happened from a handoff from a BDC to a
25:07
sales associate every day right so you
25:11
know you know and when I try to map out
25:13
in a whiteboard or mind map their
25:15
processes for them when they go come on
25:17
in and help me I just walk through walk
25:19
me through every customer touch point
25:21
let me and I write it up on the board
25:22
I’m like you have a process for this and
25:24
we’ll women walk me the BDC put good
25:27
notes like you beat it into them to
25:29
finally put notes into the CRM but when
25:31
that person shows up to the appointment
25:33
how does that sales person get those
25:35
notes oh well they’re supposed to I’m
25:38
like I’m like it doesn’t happen they’re
25:42
not going over to the CRM and opening it
25:43
up and say oh I see you talk to John and
25:46
the BDC and he told me that like and so
25:48
this has been going on and and all did
25:51
your retailing is going to is hey you
25:55
know just aggravate bands on the vine
25:56
right it’s gonna intensify because
25:59
you’re gonna have four or five more
26:00
steps it’s not just hey I want to buy
26:02
the Honda Court I’m telling you I want
26:04
to lease it for thirty six months and
26:05
here’s my trade-in it’s a Ford Fusion
26:07
and I want to put this much down hi what
26:11
brings you here you know yeah what
26:13
brings you in today so I think I think
26:18
it’s moving in that direction part
26:20
because I think with with shutting down
26:24
or not being able to come in customers
26:28
are still shopping they’re still looking
26:29
leases are looking up
26:31
yeah it’s more the fact that dealers now
26:34
we’re realizing wow I should be
26:38
should have been at least dipping my toe
26:40
in the water on this and understanding
26:43
more about what this actually is because
26:46
I’ve seen other dealers in my market or
26:48
at my 20 Ruben they’re trying to figure
26:50
out but they’re now at least five miles
26:52
ahead of me yeah so but you know that’s
26:56
what we’ve been preaching is you got to
26:58
figure out the marketing you got to
26:59
figure out the process is there else the
27:01
text just gonna be another widget on
27:04
your website yeah and that’s not what
27:06
dealers need right now I really believe
27:09
they need to as you’re saying like focus
27:12
back deep into the process first and
27:14
then align the tech to your processes
27:18
you do business and how you want to do
27:20
business like what’s your unique selling
27:23
proposition right like how are you
27:25
different than the competitor well
27:26
everyone’s gonna have digital retailing
27:28
so that’s not going to be a competitive
27:30
attribute it’s gotta be something else
27:33
that you’re doing within your processes
27:35
that support the digital retail yeah I
27:38
think so yeah it’s it’s I talk about I
27:40
came from hospitality I work in
27:42
restaurants for years and years and
27:43
years and years and so I always when I
27:46
talk about it I say okay if I came to
27:48
Orlando and I said I’ll buy dinner
27:51
let’s go steakhouse right you’re
27:53
probably gonna say oh I I got the place
27:55
we’re going I absolutely do glad I got
27:57
the place for going there you go now
27:59
there’s a reason why there’s there’s a
28:01
million places to get a good steak in
28:03
Orlando and the reason you’re going
28:05
there is because the way they make you
28:06
feel or the way they take care of you or
28:08
whatever it’s not the steak right yes
28:12
you have a chef that maybe be able to
28:13
but if I need a Ford f-150 and there’s
28:17
five places there is no chef it’s a
28:20
there’s the truck so you to your point
28:22
as dealers have to really focus on what
28:24
wraps around that truck
28:26
what’s the experience of doing business
28:28
with me yes the tool could make it
28:31
easier for some people who would like to
28:33
save time other people are like no I
28:35
don’t want to do that stuff I want to
28:36
come in it’s it’s but you got to start
28:39
at the experience or else to your what
28:41
we’ve been saying is you’re gonna end up
28:42
picking the wrong tool that doesn’t work
28:45
because you haven’t thought everything
28:46
through it’s just well I’m gonna do X
28:50
without thought without
28:52
this without looking into your own tool
28:55
to be able to say hey this piece works
28:59
for me and I know why it does and I’ve
29:03
thought it through versus oh well I
29:07
heard that one’s a good one right wait
29:10
that makes sense so shifting gears again
29:13
what do you feel messaging coming out of
29:16
this is going to be like what are
29:18
successful dealers what do you think
29:20
they’re going to be I mean no one’s
29:23
gonna sit and hang on the kovat 19
29:25
messaging right so I assume it’s going
29:28
to be around some site type of safe
29:31
environment and easy process right but I
29:36
don’t know are you kind of already
29:38
starting to craft what that’s gonna yeah
29:40
we’re we’re working on something that
29:42
we’re probably going to announce next
29:44
week or so to our clients we came up
29:47
with a thought to help just answer that
29:50
point you know once once we start having
29:53
customers wanting to come out or can
29:55
come out right but also sort through
29:59
because I’m sure there’s a lot of
30:01
programs at manufacturers or reliefing
30:04
you know releasing you know whatever new
30:06
incentive it is or hey you know if your
30:09
least happen to come up now in April you
30:12
know is they’re all really I think
30:14
there’s a lot of things that are I think
30:18
we have to go back to to again that
30:20
experience is coming out with messages
30:22
of we’re going to help you we’re gonna
30:24
we’re gonna sort through and find the
30:26
best programs for you we’re going to
30:28
help you make it easy or fast and safe
30:31
whatever you know hopefully you know
30:34
there will be a time where we don’t need
30:35
to wear masks and we don’t need to wear
30:37
gloves and we don’t have to keep 57 feet
30:39
away but you know uh my wife and I were
30:43
talking about it is you know are people
30:45
just gonna be more aware of hygiene now
30:47
and well you know when they’re coughing
30:49
to cover
30:49
I just think from a marketing standpoint
30:51
is that I think people are going to be
30:54
relieved to get out and but more
30:57
importantly they’re gonna need help
30:59
because they need their car they want to
31:02
get a great deal and it I just don’t
31:04
think it’s gonna be one ninety nine one
31:06
nine
31:06
$1.99 is that again that’ll attract the
31:09
small amount but I think it’s it’s that
31:12
sense of help so I think we’re dealers
31:15
but if but again that has to tie into
31:17
your brand messaging that you’ve had and
31:19
what you’ve built up over years you
31:21
can’t just flip a switch and say well
31:24
now we’re gonna be the good guys and you
31:26
know we’re gonna be helpful and you know
31:27
that was never your message you were
31:29
always the you know best price low price
31:31
whatever so I think that’s where I think
31:34
that’s where a messaging has to come out
31:37
of moving forward yeah that makes a lot
31:40
of sense when you when you think about
31:41
it cuz look we all know messaging is
31:43
critical to this you know technology
31:45
plays a part processes play a part your
31:48
people you know that’s interesting one
31:50
of the things I was talking to somebody
31:51
I want to get your thoughts on all the
31:54
people they furloughed therefore they’re
31:56
not forcing them they’ve created a huge
32:00
amount of training curriculum for them
32:02
because now they’re in this kind of
32:05
window you know they’re getting paid you
32:08
know even if not full salary half
32:10
whatever a couple dollars I’ve spoke to
32:13
doing this
32:14
they’re very aggressively now like
32:17
training and retraining their team so
32:20
those people will come back and add more
32:22
value to the store so that was a way
32:25
they were also leveraging this downtime
32:28
for their employees was to do that any
32:32
thoughts on that I think that’s great I
32:34
was wondering you know a couple dealers
32:38
that I talked to said the funny thing
32:42
was they didn’t have any as up-to-date
32:45
as they wanted you know they had some
32:47
training stuff more product versus sales
32:50
skills because you know they turned off
32:52
whoever they had bought that training
32:54
from but I was also interested in you
32:58
know that thought of well how many of
33:00
those furloughed people were if they
33:02
weren’t furloughed they were laid off
33:04
you know because I can’t pay you right
33:06
how many those people are gonna come
33:08
back you know same thing I don’t know if
33:10
dealers have thought that through we’re
33:13
all of a sudden if I gotta bring back
33:15
you know I laid off let’s say 25
33:18
salespeople
33:20
how many am I gonna get back and you
33:22
know he’s getting it to get back up to
33:25
speed
33:27
there was a good article from a Harvard
33:30
Business Review that analyzed after 2008
33:34
the recession right and it looked at the
33:38
companies that cut deep into their
33:42
employee base and their growth out of
33:46
the recession compared to the companies
33:48
that furloughed or reduced pay and kept
33:51
the people as long as they could through
33:54
it right they came out it was like it
33:57
was like 20x like it was a massive
34:00
increase if they took at as much as they
34:04
could of those people in place verse
34:08
well think about that you know that
34:11
doesn’t surprise me at all because
34:13
that’s a trust factor that we are in
34:16
this together so if I lead you off right
34:19
and said Todd come on back the back of
34:23
your heads going well the next time he
34:24
hits a bump maybe I’ll come back because
34:27
I need the job and I’m good at the job
34:30
but what am I also doing looking for
34:32
another job at the same time why because
34:34
the next time I hit a downturn you owner
34:37
hit a bump guess what I’m expendable in
34:40
your mind versus I’m gonna hold on you
34:43
know you see some CEOs taking pay cuts
34:45
or you know we’re just gonna figure it
34:47
all out or we’re gonna use up whatever
34:49
we do because and you see how long hates
34:52
but you know that’s a that doesn’t
34:56
surprise me at all because you you know
34:59
either it’s you know either you just
35:02
don’t keep I don’t wanna say you don’t
35:04
care but it you know again sometimes it
35:06
has to be that drastic but then you
35:08
shouldn’t be surprised if you don’t get
35:10
those people back you might have to and
35:11
the reason why it’s a slow growth out is
35:13
that I probably didn’t get those people
35:15
back and if they had any experience of
35:18
doing later
35:19
now I had to hire all new people so my
35:21
production is going to be low out of the
35:23
gate yeah they’re not up to speed versus
35:26
holding on to people where I said
35:28
earlier people feel gratitude grateful
35:32
you know
35:34
and feel that you know we’re all in this
35:37
together so that when things get good
35:39
it’s like oh think I work for great
35:41
company you know right things we’ve got
35:42
laid off I didn’t get laid off they did
35:44
this for me to hold on dedication to
35:48
that so I just was thinking with the
35:50
salespeople that was I’m and also you
35:54
know you may you won’t need everybody
35:56
you know if I laid off 25 you know maybe
35:58
I only need eight or nine to come back
36:00
and then how do I choose those eight or
36:02
not now I know some dealers who I talk
36:04
to jokingly said well I used Corona to
36:07
get rid of some bad eggs you know and I
36:10
said well that’s silly you have a
36:12
horrible process to begin with and if
36:14
you let people not perform and you held
36:17
on to them yeah we’re gonna do that
36:19
again when things get good like you
36:20
should understand how you got into that
36:22
situation and how to use coded to fire
36:25
some of that student yeah they damn it I
36:27
think that sort of would have a greater
36:28
problem right yes yes and this this
36:33
current situation right they that’s
36:35
broken process deep in that
36:37
organizational like belly right there
36:41
that makes a lot of sense it’s very
36:43
interesting and I look we’re I think in
36:45
interesting times
36:46
I think it’s there’s still huge
36:48
opportunity I think any sales people
36:50
listening this they got laid off doubled
36:53
down on your skill set right now I mean
36:55
learn digital retailing learn those
36:58
products learn more sales skills learn
37:01
metal better trial closes learn how to
37:04
read people how to read body language
37:06
learn now because you have a window of
37:10
opportunity to come back stronger and I
37:12
think managers you also have an
37:15
opportunity to document your processes
37:17
and learn like not what people say you
37:21
do at the dealership what you tell the
37:23
owner oh we we have a great process and
37:26
then I’m sure you’ve experienced it
37:28
they’ll tell you one process and then
37:31
you’ll observe a completely different
37:34
process one of the things it’s it’s
37:37
funny when you go in ice that’s the
37:39
first thing I say what what’s supposed
37:41
to be happening now leave me alone for a
37:43
couple hours and I’ll come back and tell
37:45
you what’s really happening
37:46
yeah how’d you end up over here Oh a
37:49
little they know better and then it as I
37:51
said it’s one of those three pillars
37:52
it’s either you have to process and you
37:56
don’t have a continual coaching and
37:57
training or there’s just no
37:59
accountability like it’s only one of
38:01
those three things it’s it’s nothing
38:03
beyond that and if you can simplify it
38:06
and then you know what lever to pull
38:07
then you can help but yeah I think that
38:10
this is the time where people and listen
38:14
it’s I I was laid off at one time and
38:17
it’s horrible horrible but your job now
38:20
is to get a job as well and that means
38:24
updating your LinkedIn profile and
38:26
knowing how to talk about yourself when
38:28
you’re in their interview and starting
38:30
to locate places that you might want to
38:32
go work and target them connect with
38:35
people there so that when you go back
38:37
and if you do go back to the dealership
38:40
and they bring you back well then great
38:42
and then just continue to keep working
38:44
again sometimes it’s not anything other
38:47
than if I keep everybody here the whole
38:50
ship sinks and you know a lot of times
38:52
employees don’t understand that you know
38:55
the owners have to keep the ship towing
38:57
you know or else we all can just shut
39:00
the door and then we’re all in them but
39:03
that should be explained to somebody not
39:05
hey you’re fired overtaxed or hey you’re
39:08
out overtaxed or whatever or a mass hey
39:11
get out see you later twenty-five people
39:13
gone you know that’s that’s not its
39:15
leadership right so your ship it comes
39:18
down to that so well
39:20
hey Clannad it’s been good catching up
39:23
it’s fine I love these kind of
39:25
conversations because they’re
39:26
challenging and I think you have to
39:29
cover a lot of ground and have good
39:30
thoughts and hopefully it’s helpful you
39:34
know I love people post comments and
39:36
questions below
39:37
I’ll post just you know tomorrow and
39:40
yeah I can do anything I can do to help
39:43
anybody if you want to bounce ideas
39:45
around digital retailing or just
39:47
leadership and building processes just
39:49
reach out I got time to chat yeah hey we
39:52
I think everyone s time right laughter
39:55
didn’t in my like attic area with my
39:57
Philadelphia Eagles chairs I’m
40:01
well hey man great seeing you today and
40:04
I really appreciate the time and thanks
40:07
for everything this real quick

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