The Walk Around – Détails, épisodes et analyse

When you invest in your talent, your team becomes stronger, together. In this episode of The Walk Around podcast, we’re joined by Liza Borches, President and CEO of Carter Myers Automotive and Danelle Delgado, co-founder of training services, TeamEngage. Borches and Delgado’s automotive talent development partnership was born from a shared passion for growing and retaining female leadership in the industry. Listen in for their insights from working in automotive retail and the success that diverse perspectives can bring to everyone in a workplace. 

In this episode you’ll hear: 

• The importance of developing female leaders in the automotive space 

• How strengthening women makes men stronger too 

• Investing in your team's leadership abilities to avoid turnover 

• The power of establishing confidence and using your differences as an advantage 

• How having a mentor can develop your skillset and more! 

Liza Borches is a fourth-generation automobile dealer, President and CEO of Carter Myers Automotive, with rooftops found across Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and soon Maryland. Originally founded in 1924, CMA has a rich history in the automotive space and currently represents 18 car brands with 3,000+ new and used vehicles in stock. Liza is passionate about making a difference by creating win-win solutions for customers, futures for associates and contributions to her communities.  

Danelle Delgado is the co-founder of TeamEngage and is focused on delivering life-changing team training in service-based companies. She specializes in scaling human capital, personal achievement, team communication, sales strategies and results. Working alongside Liza, Danelle’s specialized training has expanded the CMA brand and helped drive opportunities for women in the field.  For more about Liza Borches and Danelle Delgado, visit their LinkedIn profiles.

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In just under an hour, gain the insights you need to better market your dealership on social media, improve the physical experience for customers coming to your store and more. Mary Rice, Dealer Principal at Toyota of Greensboro, a leading dealership in North Carolina, joins our podcast and offers tons of actionable tips for dealers to improve their business. Plus, she shares her recommendations for women joining this industry and guidance for everyone looking to advance within automotive.

In this episode you’ll hear: 

• What led Mary to leave marine studies and join the automotive industry 

• What her dealership did during the CDK Global outage and her advice to dealers 

• Her best tips for women wanting to join the industry and how to stand apart at work 

• How she is changing the game for her dealership through authentic social media videos – and how you can too! 

• How revamping her dealership led to a greater customer experience (some guests even stay past their appointments because of the atmosphere!) 

 Mary Rice is a third-generation car dealer. She has over 15 years of experience in the automotive industry and has graduated from the National Automotive Dealer Association (NADA) Academy, a program that prepares the next generation of dealers for success. Before joining Toyota of Greensboro, Mary had a successful career in real estate sales, where she earned the Century 21 Centurion Award for five consecutive years. She leveraged her digital marketing and sales skills, which she acquired during her real estate career, to help Toyota of Greensboro increase sales. Mary is proud to be the Toyota approved dealer of record for the Greensboro Toyota dealership since 2020, and 2023 marks the 25th year Toyota of Greensboro has received the Toyota President’s Award.

For more about Mary, visit her LinkedIn.

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Get ready for a thrilling ride in this episode of The Walk Around podcast. We explore the amateur racing circuit and discuss how the organization Out Motorsports is supporting an inclusive community for LGBTQ car and motorsport enthusiasts. Plus, don’t miss some helpful tips for dealers to better create authenticity in business from an experienced automotive editor and reviewer.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The creation of Out Motorsports and how the organization seeks to create community for LGBTQ car and motorsport enthusiasts
• How dealers can be a part of the community
• Whether you’ll find electric vehicles on racetracks any time soon
• The importance of authenticity throughout the car sales process
• If we’re experiencing a golden age for gasoline-powered vehicle enthusiasts
• What techy car component is no good in Jake’s opinion and more!

Jake Thiewes is the owner of Out Motorsports, an organization for LGBTQ car and motorsport enthusiasts and the President of the Washington Automotive Press Association. An avid enthusiast himself, Jake competes wheel-to-wheel with the National Auto Sport Association in his Spec3 BMW 325is.

He is a knowledge force when it comes to vehicles, as a reviewer. When not behind the wheel – a rarity – he enjoys traveling to explore new places and eating his way through the DC metro area’s restaurant scene.

For more about Jake, visit his LinkedIn.

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Dealers can gain valuable insight in this episode on how to meet moms and families where they are in the car buying process by understanding their specific needs, making the process less intimidating and more transparent and by providing helpful online content through social media that empowers customers and dealership staff.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What moms think about (and get frustrated by!) buying EVs for their families
• How dealers can appeal to the mom segment and women buyers (don’t miss Kelly’s tips here!)
• How to empower your customers through content that makes them excited and comfortable with the car purchasing process
• A debate on the best mom car and what customers’ sentiments towards mini-vans are (love them or hate them?)
• How dealers can bring value on social media, uplift their team in the sales process and more!

Kelly Stumpe is a mom of three, car salesperson, Child Safety Passenger Technician (CSPT) and creator of The Car Mom. She was raised in the car industry and grew passionate about the industry after starting her career as a client advisor at BMW of West St. Louis.

With over 1 million views since the launch of her YouTube channel, The Car Mom, in November 2020, Kelly’s informative and fun reviews have captured the attention of women across the country looking to upgrade their vehicle needs. Her reviews focus on what mothers really care about - everything from the car seat set up to the cup holders. All of her unique content is shared weekly across multiple media channels.

For more about Kelly, visit her Instagram and her Youtube.

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As we navigate the middle of 2023, we continue to adjust to the evolving industry and changing market. In this podcast episode, we dive into what inventory levels are prime for dealerships, continue discussions of vehicle affordability for your consumers, and discuss what the future role of dealers will be as technology increases and consumer purchasing habits change.

In this episode you’ll also hear:

• The ideal inventory level at dealerships
• More lessons dealers can learn from online retailers
• What dealer relevancy/roles may look like in the future
• Making vehicles affordable for consumers in a high-inflation period
• From a dealer to aspiring dealers: advice for their career path and those new to the industry
• Open-door policies and establishing an environment that encourages employee retention
• How to analyze new dealership technology, EV adoption and more!

Ken Ganley, owner and CEO at Ken Ganley Companies, grew up in the car business – his father was a dealer and Ken developed a passion for the business while hanging around the family dealerships. He and his wife are both Northwood University grads that majored in Automotive Marketing.

Throughout his career, Ken held positions in Finance and Sales management. He began purchasing dealerships in 1995 and ultimately purchased his father’s former stores. Now with 50 franchised dealerships in four states, the Ken Ganley Automotive Group has grown significantly. The group was recently named the 14th largest dealership group in America and made over $3 billion in revenue in 2022.

For more about Ken and Ken Ganley Automotive Group, visit their company LinkedIn.

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A common theme echoing this year in the automotive industry is constant change. Predicting where we will be in terms of affordability, inventory and sales? Tough. But thankfully, the economists specializing in this industry keep us informed with an understanding of what the data means and where the industry could land in the future. In this podcast episode, we talk to a top automotive economist about questions dealers and dealership staff may have, what dealers can do to address economic concerns for consumers and more.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What is going on in the car industry right now

• Whether the industry will ever return to normal

• How consumer spending has changed and what that means for dealers

• What savvy dealers can do to address affordability concerns for their customers

Jonathan Smoke, Chief Economist for Cox Automotive, leads the economic industry insights team and helps track the economy, new and used vehicle sales, supply, prices, retail and fleet demand, consumer credit and auto financing, and dealer sentiment. With over 28 years of experience in the automotive retail and real estate industries, Jonathan helps translate important data into understandable and relevant material.

He has also served as chief economist at Realtor.com and Hanley Wood. You might have heard Jonathan speak at major auto industry conferences such as the NADA and NIADA conventions, Automotive News World Congress and Used Car Week. As a thought leader and expert, Jonathan’s often featured in industry and national news outlets such as Automotive News, Auto Remarketing, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Bloomberg and CNBC.

For more about Jonathan, visit his LinkedIn.

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Training programs are a value-add for individuals at dealerships looking to advance their careers and teams aiming to reach higher levels of success, but courses are often seen as a luxury item for many dealers. In this podcast episode we explore how thoughts on training are changing within the automotive industry, the correlation between employee retention and customer satisfaction, appealing to different generations and more. There’s even talk on the role of artificial intelligence in modern training!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Why continued training is important for dealership success

• The correlation between employee retention and customer satisfaction

• Differences in event-based and continuum-based learning

• The challenges of training content that appeals across generations

• Balancing technology (like artificial intelligence) and human-to-human interaction in training and more!

David O’Brien is President and CEO at Quantum5, a learning sustainment technology company. Growing up in the automotive industry – his dad was an automobile dealer – David eventually joined the industry in sales and management positions. His love for training and the auto industry ultimately led David to Quantum5, where he developed a training solution that brings personalized learning to dealerships in an effort to disrupt the traditional LMS approach to learning. In 2022, Quantum grew by 500%. Previously, David was a partner in a training company that was acquired by AON Consulting/ Resource Group and a partner at Predictive Index, a global strengths assessment and sales training company (Predictive Index is one of JM&A Group partners too!).

For more about David, visit his LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/david-obrien-5926735

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Inflation and low inventory have caused new and used vehicle prices to soar over the past year. On this episode of The Walk Around podcast we discuss customer education, how used EVs will impact dealerships and how used car dealers are managing when major manufacturers like Tesla cut prices on their new vehicles. This conversation will benefit any dealer looking for insight into customer relations, used cars and more.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How to appeal to consumers left behind in this inflationary period

• How used car dealers can differentiate themselves from franchise dealers

• Missing price segments in the marketplace and what that means to the consumer

• What acquiring inventory may be like in the future for used dealerships

• Whether there is a profitable market for EVs at used car dealerships

Joel Bassam is the President of Easterns Automotive Group, a family-owned used car dealership that operates eight retail locations around DC, Maryland and Viriginia. He is the second generation to work at Easterns since it opened in 1988, starting at the family business at the age of 12. Joel moved his way around the dealership from service tech to sales manager, director of marketing and beyond.

Fun fact: Joel is a Walk Around listener who asked to be on the podcast to share the perspective of an independent used car dealer with our audience. And we’re glad he did! If you have unique insights to share with us, reach out, and you may find yourself on an upcoming episode!

For more about Joel, visit his LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/joel-bassam

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Simply put, the automotive industry can be stressful. Trying to balance that stress and other triggers amidst pressure to sell vehicles, manage apprehensive customers and navigate a tough economic climate is challenging. In this episode, we discuss methods for understanding the root of our emotions and triggers, managing stress, giving feedback to staff and more. Discover the tactics needed to elevate leadership at your dealership with expert Dr. Scott Livingston, president of Livingston Consulting Group.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What emotional intelligence is and how to balance it in the automotive industry
• When stress can be used to your advantage in your dealership work
• Methods for managing triggers and knowing when stress turns bad
• Using Pattern Interrupt to diffuse situations
• Extrinsic and intrinsic motivators and how that impacts your team
• How to listen to and understand your team’s emotional needs
• Why people ultimately follow leaders
• The three-part process of feedback and how to give feedback to your staff

At Livingston Consulting Group, a leadership development organization, Dr. Scott Livingston, specializes in leader development and executive coaching. He has worked with leaders from Abbott Laboratories, JM Family Enterprises (JM&A Group’s parent company), Dover Manufacturing and many more. Dr. Livingston uses emotional intelligence to improve the relational skill and performance execution of leaders in organizations as this provides a measure of self-awareness, which helps enhance leader relationships and decision-making capabilities. Scott has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles, some of which were held at Eli Lilly where he was a two-time winner of the Leadership Coaching Award and four-time winner of the distinguished Master Performer award. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development at Indiana Wesleyan University and Concordia University Irvine.

For more about Dr. Scott, visit his website: https://drscottlivingston.com/

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A great marketing strategy should be top of mind for dealers. Not only can this help your dealership attract and retain customers, but a goal-oriented process can also demonstrate brand consistency and help your dealership navigate the ever-changing market. We explore DMS and CRM systems, artificial intelligence in marketing, how upward trends of leasing impact your dealership and more in this podcast episode.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The need for cheerleaders who support and help you build your career in automotive
• How to retain customers at your dealership
• Protecting and maintaining your first-party data in your DMS and CRM systems
• What your strategic partners need to have to support your dealership
• How technology can help with personalized offerings for customers and creating loyalty
• What dealers should be thinking about with car leasing and customer retention
• When to rely on AI (artificial intelligence) in your marketing creation and when not to
• If dealers don’t do this one thing, there will be no market...tune in to hear Diana’s plea to dealers

Full of passion and energy, Diana Lee is the CEO and Co-founder of Constellation, a global SaaS company using end-to-end enterprise marketing technology. At Constellation, she helps brands mass-automate compliant creative and streamline the regulatory approval process. Her automotive career started at the age of 18 when she saw an ad for a greeter at a local car dealership. Over the next 34 years, she became a salesperson and then moved through positions while battling the competition, particularly as a young Asian woman. Her perseverance in sales, marketing and consulting and her desire to provide for herself are truly inspiring. Diana was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 New York. An immigrant from South Korea and mother of three, she has a mission to create seats at the table for other talented immigrants, minorities and women.

For more about Diana, visit her LinkedIn profile.

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