Latest / Auto Collabs / Meet the New Boss Who’s Always Been In Charge with Melanie Wilson

Transcript

Meet the New Boss Who’s Always Been In Charge with Melanie Wilson · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  Hey, it feels good to be back. [upbeat music] This is Auto Collabs. I feel like it's been a while since we've done this.
• 0:12
  So for all of you listening to Auto Collabs, um, we're glad you're with us still because we only really do these so we can getter, get together and, and joke around for about 20 minutes on a, randomly on a day.
• 0:23
  [laughs] No, it's good to see you all. We're like, "We haven't made fun of Cirillo's dome recently-" [laughs] "... so let's do an Auto Collabs." He's like, "Hey." Hey, wait a minute. Hey, wait a minute.
• 0:31
  Uh-oh, what's he getting? There we go. Ah, he threw a hat on his dome. Here, it's my turn. Make fun of my dome. [laughs] I can't, it's too beautiful. What do I do with my hands? Oh, my God. Oh, no.
• 0:41
  What do you use to moisturize? What do you use to moisturize? Oh, well, [laughs] I don't know how we're gonna tie this. Let's see if we... We started a beard trend. Let's see if we can start a bald trend.
• 0:50
  Everybody's gonna get shaved. I just don't think it's gonna catch on the same way. Hey, guys, what do you think? I'm gonna struggle with that. Yeah.
• 0:55
  'Cause I guarantee what's under this, nobody needs to know, so, you know. Ky- Kyle could shave that, and within three minutes it's exactly that long again. It's exactly that long, yes. Kyle is a Viking.
• 1:04
  [laughs] A straight up Viking. Um- Well, hey, n- the person that we have on today actually ha- doesn't have to deal with anything about beard- Doesn't have a beard... or bald head... or a bald head.
• 1:12
  [laughs] Uh, we're really excited to hang out, uh, with Melody. Uh, she is the new, uh, uh, interim CEO, right, of, uh- Yep... of NIADA, the National Independent Auto De- Automobile Dealers Association.
• 1:26
  And if you're not familiar with that, and a lot of our listeners, uh, really lean in on the franchise side of the business, uh, I would pay attention because, um, you know, the, independent dealers are not just like your mom and pop shop on the side of the road.
• 1:38
  There are some large independent dealers. Um, even a lot of industry partners have come out of ind- independent dealers. And there i- there's a lot of learning that, um, that franchise can take from independent.
• 1:49
  I'm sure we'll get into that. Uh, so we really hope that you enjoy this conversation with Melody West. So here we are, Melody. Thank you so much, uh, for taking the time to join us. Your lighting looks amazing.
• 2:03
  You did whatever you needed to do to make it happen, so thanks for being here with us today. You know, interior decoration in the hotel room. Yeah, right. Everything- Leave it all around, right?
• 2:11
  Do you put it back when you're done or do you just say like, "You know what? They'll, they'll know where it goes"?
• 2:15
  I mean, I try to, like, make people's life easier, but sometimes I'm like, "That was really heavy to move. I'm-" [laughs] "... gonna let you find someone else to put that back."
• 2:25
  [laughs] Now I'm sweating when I had to go on the call and all that thing. Yeah.
• 2:28
  I love it already because it's obvious, um, you know, you stepping in to be the interim CEO of the NIADA, um, it, it must be an organization that values, uh, a little candor, a little humor, and a little, like, "We're gonna make this work."
• 2:42
  Um, how, how have your first, uh, how many weeks has it been now? Uh, I think, like, four. How, how have the first four weeks been? Um, they've been great.
• 2:49
  I mean, um, my executive team and I, we've worked together for a while now, and so we're all real close anyway. And, um, I tease everyone that they're kind of like my big brothers, and so I just pick on them constantly.
• 3:02
  And so when we get, like, in front of people on panels and stuff, I'm like, "Be serious, be serious, be serious," but- [laughs] This is sounding so familiar to- It rarely happens, sorry...
• 3:11
  what, what we hear all the time. Yeah. Um- And we're normal. Check. Yes. Okay. Yes, we are. Yeah. Validation. Val- I don't think I need anything else from this podcast. I've just been validated.
• 3:22
  [laughs] Here to do my job. Got a good home. There you go. Are, are you, are thee the only female on the executive team? Yeah. So y- did you get that moment where you're like, "Now I'm in charge"? [laughs] Um- Yeah...
• 3:33
  let's tell the truth. I've been in charge- [laughs]... bossing them around for quite some time. Um, now it's just official and they have to listen, I guess.
• 3:40
  Um- Yeah, and y- 'cause you've been a part of, uh, the NIADA as at least a fractional CFO for quite some time. Six years, is that right? Yeah, I've been, um, full-time and fractional. Yeah. I've...
• 3:51
  I've, I, I cannot leave. Um- [laughs]... I'm just ingrained now. Yeah, what... A- a- and go back, go back to that because you weren't in the auto industry before.
• 3:59
  You, uh, were mainly in the, the, the, the nonprofit organization sector. What was the initial kind of move into automotive like? And, and maybe, uh, like, take us back.
• 4:08
  What did it feel like i- initially getting into the auto, especially the independent auto, uh, side of the business and, and kind of how you approached that? Yeah. So, um, I didn't pick it. Um- Common story.
• 4:21
  [laughs] Yeah. I, I t- it, automotive picked me, and now it won't let go. Um, which is fine 'cause I love it. But I, um,
• 4:29
  I was a CPA and I was a consultant that worked with, um, small, eh, nonprofits and small businesses was my niche focus.
• 4:40
  And I kind of just had this point in my career where I was really tired of going into places and fixing, like, what was broken, and if, if they had just done it right the first time, um, it was very expensive.
• 4:52
  So I started my own business to address that. Um,
• 4:57
  and, um, Steve Jordan had been talking to a c- a colleague that I knew, and he was like, "Yeah, we've grown a lot and I, I need some help, and I, but I don't know how to fix it."
• 5:09
  And they were like, "Oh, you should, you should talk to this girl." And, um, so he, he didn't wait for the referral. He just started calling me. And I'm like, "I don't know who that is. Don't give me that phone."
• 5:20
  [laughs] So I ignored him for, like, two weeks. And then, um, the g- the mutual connection said, "Hey, um, [laughs] there's this company you should talk to. His name is Steve." And I'm like, "Oh." "Oh, that. Yes."
• 5:34
  [laughs] Yeah. "He's been calling me." [laughs] New number. "Been avoiding his phone calls." Yeah. [laughs] Um- Like, I, I had the restraining order ready. I was about to sign it. Yeah.
• 5:42
  I'm like, "I don't know what NI- what is NIADA? I don't even know what that is." Um, so I, I called him and I'm like, "Hi. I think you've been trying to get ahold of me." And he's like, "You're really hard to find."
• 5:52
  And I'm like, "Well-" That's because... And that's when you said, "That's because I'm expensive." Yeah, right. Yeah, there you go. Set the tone. I was just like, "Well-" Let's set the tone right away. There you go.
• 6:00
  Um, I didn't know who you were and, and so-Uh, we scheduled a meeting, and it was just, it was so much fun. Um, because if you know Steve at all, he's just a character. And I, I'm a low-key character.
• 6:14
  And so, you know, he'd say things like, "Well, how do you get business?" And I'm like, "Referrals." "Well, is that working for you?" "Well, I'm sitting here talking to you, so..."
• 6:21
  [laughs] You're like, "My, my strategy is I don't answer my phone." Yeah. If I don't know you, uh, the answer is no, I'm not gonna help you. Um- Especially if you're on wire.
• 6:30
  So we had, um, had a very interesting conversation and, and then he slapped my hand because I didn't have a contract ready, um, for him that day. And I was like, "Look, bro."
• 6:42
  [laughs] "I like you a lot, and if you want my help, I'm here. But, um, if you don't, that's also fine." You have brothers. Yeah. [laughs] I feel like you have brothers. I am the oldest. I have a little brother. Gotcha.
• 6:56
  Yeah. There it is. But, yeah. There it is. Yes. As a- I'm the little brother. This is, this is all making sense to me. [laughs] I was the girl, like, I was not playing with dolls.
• 7:06
  I was outside, like, having sword fights with sticks with the boys and just being- Oh, running craps at the end of the- Yes... at the end of the block and all that. You know wall ball? Yeah.
• 7:14
  That was like the big thing when I was little. Yeah. I haven't played wall ball forever, but that- Do you remember?... that sounds fantastic I forgot that was even a thing. Yeah.
• 7:20
  I'm, I'm so excited that that just got said. That's amazing. Yeah. You know, and if you miss it, then you stand up on the wall. Yeah, that w- And you gotta get... Yeah. You're the, you're the target now. Yeah. Mm.
• 7:30
  Ah, this is good. Yeah. This is good memories. [laughs] We should probably talk about, we should probably talk about the auto industry a little bit. Yeah, well- Um, and not w- not as much wall ball...
• 7:38
  um, so that's how I got into it. [laughs] Yes, exactly. Uh, don't know how we got to wall ball, but, um- That's, that's... It always ends in wall ball with us one way or another. [laughs] Trust us.
• 7:46
  [laughs] So I, yeah, worked with Steve and we, we kind of set everything up, and he kept saying, "Do you just, do you just wanna come on? Do you just wanna come on full time?" I go, "No, no."
• 7:57
  [laughs] And it, it took him a year. He said, "I... It took me longer than I thought it would." And I said, "Well, I'll, I'll take that as a win." Absolutely. What did you love- One of the things I'm- Go ahead Michael.
• 8:06
  Sorry. Sorry. I, I'm... We're all so excited now. Uh- [laughs]... w- wall ball- Wall ball... I joined on this. I know. Got everybody pumped up. Pumping. Um, we're seeing this trend where
• 8:16
  existing business owners in the auto industry are wondering, "Is this the time I should exit?" There's some economic turbulence that we all kind of don't wanna talk about.
• 8:26
  Um, and they're wondering, "Hey, is this the time to just kinda, you know, go do something else?" But what I find fascinating is that there are more and more CPAs and money people getting into the auto industry.
• 8:40
  I'm wondering what vantage point you can offer there. What are you seeing as some of the biggest opportunities that our industry is maybe gonna face over the next year or two, maybe three years? Oh, man.
• 8:51
  It's so hard, 'cause right? Like, the whole world's been upside down and shaken for the last two or three years.
• 8:56
  And I mean, even in, in our business, I feel like I'm like, "I don't, I don't even know what trends are anymore." [laughs] Like- Right... I c- I can't even see them anymore. Right.
• 9:06
  Um, so I think we're all kind of shooting in the dark a little bit. But, um,
• 9:11
  you know, the thing about car dealers that I've learned, and it's, like, literally one of the things I love the most about them, is if you're thinking about getting out, you probably should because the real car dealers are like- Mm...
• 9:23
  "Bring it on." Like- Yes. Wow. Really?... "We're gonna crush this." Um- Wow... 'cause it's just, it's just a mentality, right? Like, it's the car business and it's gonna go up and it's gonna go down.
• 9:34
  It's never gonna go away. Um, but I feel like, you know, the best car dealers that I've met are the ones who are like, "Bring on the challenge. I got it. We're gonna get through it."
• 9:45
  And we know that there's, you know, gold at the end of this rainbow. We're just... We just have to stay on the path long enough to get there. So, um, it takes a certain amount of resiliency to be in the car business.
• 9:56
  And, like, I don't have to be a dealer to know that. Yeah. Yeah. No, no kidding. That's good.
• 10:02
  So, a- and, and I think, you know, one of the things, a lot of our audience is on the franchise retail side, and, and, and you've had a deep interaction with the independent side.
• 10:11
  Um, whe- when you look at, like, the way that the independent side of the industry is dealing with that, I think it'd be interesting for, like, both audiences to kind of know.
• 10:22
  'Cause there's, you know, there's a different scale, there's a different volume, there's a different relationship to, like, there isn't a relationship with a franchisor or anything like that, that, that people are trying to figure out inventory.
• 10:32
  But there's a, there's a massive, uh, challenge right now when it comes to things like used car inventory, um- Utter dependence on used cars, right?
• 10:40
  That, that independent dealers are dealing with it at a whole different level than the franchise store is that, that is getting inventory coming back. Um, when, when those...
• 10:49
  When, when the dealers are saying, "Bring it on," it, it, it's just a different flavor than just, like, an inventory- Mm-hmm... dynamic d- due to new cars.
• 10:57
  What are you seeing and what are you hearing from the members of NIIADA in the way that they're approaching, um, s- some of that thought process? Inventory issues. Yeah. Or any of the- [laughs] Yeah.
• 11:08
  Just, like, the challenges that they're dealing with as- Yeah... independent dealers, yeah. Um, it is different than, than the franchise side.
• 11:15
  And, and you kind of have to figure out some of the stuff on your own when you're on the independent side. But, um, they're, they're just... They're being creative.
• 11:23
  Um, a lot of them have changed, like, what they're looking for, where I think when I first came on, you were seeing, like, really specific criteria for dealerships on, like, I sell this kind of car between this year and this year and, and with this many miles.
• 11:37
  And- Mm... um, you've kind of seen everyone broaden those criteria of what my dealership actually sells, because now you're selling what you can get essentially. Um,
• 11:51
  and, and they're being smarter about the inventory that they bring in. So with costs up, obviously now we're seeing, you know, i- inventory prices are still high.
• 12:02
  Retail prices are starting to come down, cons- consumers are like, "Uh, I'm not gonna pay that anymore."Um, so you're closing margin gaps and stuff. So they're looking into things like, um, certified pre-owned programs.
• 12:15
  Mm-hmm. So NADA just rolled out one for inde- specifically for independent dealers, um, that help raise the value of the car, help sell the car a little bit faster, and covers a wide range of mileage on the vehicles.
• 12:27
  Um, so they're finding things like that that can really help them compete a little bit better with the inventory and, and build those profit margins back. [sniffs] What is...
• 12:36
  Do you know what your average dealer size is as far as inventory or sales? Oh, man. That's such a good question. I don't know what the average is actually. Now I'm gonna write that down and go find out. Um- That's cool.
• 12:47
  It'd make a great piece of content at some point. Yeah. [laughs] Right? But, but I mean, like- Um, 'cause we go from s- I mean, like, so small, you know, four or five cars a month, um- Right...
• 12:56
  all the way up to, like, CarMax is in our, our group, so- Oh, wow. Really? Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So we've, we- That's it all. That's all of it. [laughs] Yeah. Yeah. We, we run the gamut.
• 13:07
  Yeah, and you have to think about the sheer number versus franchise dealers. There's how many franchise dealers? 17,000, 16,000, something like that. Right. Oh, yeah. There's what? 60,000 people that would...
• 13:18
  Or 60,000 independents s- or m- between 40 and 60, something like that. It... Yeah, it's a massive number. I mean, we have, we have, uh, 14, 14 and a half thousand dealers as members. Yep.
• 13:31
  So, um, and, and we're not penetrating the market at maybe even half. Right. Probably about 25%, so. Yeah. So what's the... You know, because that, I, I think that's an interesting point, is that, you know,
• 13:45
  like, what the Independent, uh, Auto Dealers Association is doing for those dealers and, and why, you know, more dealers that maybe pay attention or understand that it's there but aren't members, what, what's the value that, that the NIADA is bringing to those dealers on a day in, day, day out basis on a, you know, from whether it be education or a CPO program- Yeah...
• 14:06
  or, or, or l- legalities that you're involved in? What, what would you say to those dealers that maybe understand the NIADA, NIADA exists, but haven't engaged or haven't, uh, been a part of that organization?
• 14:17
  Yeah, I love talking to those people. Because when you talk about... Y- we were talking about the franchise side. You kind of got something to lean on, right?
• 14:24
  You've got someone telling you the parameters that you're gonna operate within and how we're gonna solve these problems. On the independent side, you don't really have that support system unless you create it.
• 14:33
  And so NIADA is really focused on understanding what is, what is the industry doing, what are the challenges specifically to our dealers, and then, and then pulling in people and providing educational content to help them navigate those areas specifically.
• 14:48
  Um, we're also putting together things like the CPO program, um, and other member benefits that give independent dealers access to, you know, discounts at AutoZone or Advanced.
• 15:00
  Um, the CPO program, which helps them compete against, you know, sorry, the franchise used car stores- [laughs] No, that's good... and, and also, you know, your neighbor.
• 15:09
  Yeah, I think they compete against each other, too, right? Yeah. Yeah. It's like, that's the auto industry. Yeah. It's like, "Hey, we're friends right now, but once we step back on our lots, like, I will crush you."
• 15:17
  Yeah. Fair. We're gonna duke it out on the wall ball court. [laughs] And we settle things like a dealer. We started a thing. I have a feeling there's gonna be a wall ball game at the INEX Desoto event.
• 15:26
  [laughs] I- All you need is a wall and a ball. Like, we... It's easy. [laughs] Set up a tournament, you know? No. Anybody got a wall?
• 15:32
  Wall- Actually, we're gonna, we're gonna have an event in Arlington this year, so maybe, maybe we'll call you up and we'll do a little- Hey... celebrity wall ball challenge. That's where I am. [laughs] It's been a while.
• 15:40
  I will, I will start working out. [laughs] Right. Um, yeah, so the education, the member benefit programs we have, the other programs that we're rolling out. And then we're in Washington, DC.
• 15:51
  We have, we have two staff who live in Washington, DC. They're on the Hill every day.
• 15:55
  We're engaging with NADA and AFSA and, you know, all of the coalitions up there to really be in front of legislators and be on the front end of what's trying to come out and educating them on what it does.
• 16:07
  Not, not just to the industry, but to the consumers. And hey, you know, when you talk about the CFPB coming down on, on all of this stuff, to be there face to face to say, "W- we care about the consumer.
• 16:19
  We're not trying to hurt anyone. We understand what you're trying to do, but, like, where can we meet in the middle on this?" Because you're creating burdens for problems that, you know- Mm-hmm... 90% of us
• 16:31
  aren't doing that. Yep. Yeah. Um, and so the advocacy piece is, is huge. We're really the ones that are there protecting you and your business kind of on a day-to-day basis. You can't possibly do that.
• 16:42
  You're running a business. So that, that would be, I think, why. We're, we're partners. That's how I see us. Um, if you have a problem and we haven't produced education on it, give us a call.
• 16:53
  Someone will call you back who knows the answer and walk you through, like, what to do.
• 16:57
  And, and, um, you know, if you're a new dealer, we have 20 group programs that, that will put you with dealers who have done this before and can help you walk through, like, how do I scale?
• 17:07
  How do I open a service operation? What if I want to bring in a finance company? Like, we have all those things available where you, you don't have to be alone.
• 17:15
  I think, you know, the world likes you to think that you're, you're isolated, but you're not. Mm-hmm. It's a community, it's a family, and we're gonna help take care of you.
• 17:22
  I wanna go back- One of the things that has impressed me so much, I keep... It, it... Who was it between this time? Was it me and Kyle? Yeah. Yeah.
• 17:30
  [laughs] Um, one of the things that impressed me so much, I actually had a call with one of your team members yesterday, Troy Shrier. Mm-hmm.
• 17:35
  And we were chatting about the upcoming event and, and some of the initiatives that he's working on.
• 17:41
  And something that impresses me, Melanie, is that you can really get a sense of the heart at, uh, in NIADA, like this just real tender and real concern for the dealer body and trying to expand that positive influence throughout the industry.
• 17:57
  Like you said, I mean, 14 some odd thousand as members, but so- Yeah... so many that, that maybe are not realizing the benefits. So that's impressed me. I'm curious,
• 18:08
  uh, um, you know, kinda getting an inside look at the organization over the past few weeks-And gearing up towards your event, I think, is it June- Yeah... coming up in Las Vegas? Mm-hmm.
• 18:18
  What are you seeing as maybe the core focus of that event being? What i- what's the message you really hope to be able to convey to the dealers that attend? So our June show is really built for all dealer types.
• 18:32
  So, you know, when you get into the independent space, you've got buy here, pay here, lease here, pay here, retail dealers. Some have service ops, some have finance, some don't.
• 18:39
  The June show is really meant to cater to all of them. Um,
• 18:44
  and so what we're working towards is, um, really defined education tracks so that you know if, if you're a buy here, pay here dealer, these are the courses that, that would be the most beneficial to you.
• 18:54
  If you're retail, th- this is where you should go. Um, and so our, our, our focus is really a really strong education program at this show, plus a little bit of fun, you know- [laughs]... on the side. So, um,
• 19:11
  we- one of my goals, um- Wall ball. No... [laughs] maybe now. Um- You could play that inside too. Like o- the options are just opening up. We can play that right in the show floor. Corner off the expo hall, you know?
• 19:23
  Um- This feels good. You can even pre-select people you don't like to be the target. [laughs] I'm not walking down that one. [laughs] Um, so we've got, um...
• 19:37
  One of the goals that I have personally is, um, I really wanna do an, an excellent job of connecting our dealers to the resources that solve their problems. I think, um,
• 19:50
  I think we do a good job of that now, but I think we could do a better job.
• 19:53
  And, um, so we've, um, started these, we call them service bays in the expo hall, and they'll be like little 20-minute sessions that kind of run in the corners where, um, different products will be demoed kind of right there.
• 20:06
  And so you can just pop in, you see a little 20-minute presentation, and then they have a booth in the expo hall, so if you're interested, you can go find them. And- That's cool...
• 20:14
  so we just wanna do, you know, the things that really kind of put the right people together at the table and, um, and really connect our dealers with what, what they need. That's awesome. That's great.
• 20:24
  Kyle, you wanted to go back somewhere. Yeah. I, I, I wanted to go back because I, I'm, I'm really interested to hear, you said, you know, "Hey, we're the advocates to the consumer."
• 20:33
  How do you see continuing to like, like, strengthen the bridge in that gap, um, both like the way dealers are strengthening that bridge, and then the way that, that, that organizations like yours, NIADA, NADA, NAMAD, things like that, are strengthening that bridge to go, "Hey, we want to advocate for the dealer to the consumer and for the consumer to the dealer both ways."
• 20:57
  How do you strengthen that?
• 20:58
  You know, I think, um, I think this is one area, and I don't know if we'll get to it in '23, we have so many big plans, but this is one area I really want to be on the vision board of NIADA because
• 21:12
  we know, and we do a good job of communicating to the dealers, like, why they're great and why- Mm... they're excellent, and why it's important to be a part of us, and how...
• 21:20
  And we know how much education they're getting from us, and we know what kind of resources we provide to them, and, like, we know all of that. Um, but, I mean, I was a consumer before I was here.
• 21:31
  I don't know that I could have seen the NIADA sticker and been like, "Oh, that's a, that's a good thing." Like, I know- Right... that's a good thing. Right. Um, so I think- Cheers...
• 21:39
  that we could go a long way to, to, um, really kind of focus on the consumer and helping educate them on, "Hey, when you see these logos at dealerships, this is what that means. This is, this is where they're going.
• 21:54
  And, and when you see these certifications, like, this is what they went through to be prepared for that."
• 22:00
  And really helping them understand, like, if you, if you are going to one of these dealerships, you're going to someone who has promised to do business ethically, who has promised to, you know, be transparent, who has promised all of these things.
• 22:13
  And so I think educating them on that, and then also being able to help them with, hey, what is... what does it mean when the dealer's talking to you and they say, "This is a CPO vehicle?"
• 22:23
  O- what question should you ask the dealer when they say that? What could you see? What does that mean? You could be provided. You know, what, what is the CARFAX?
• 22:31
  And just really kind of walking alongside them to help them understand there's a difference between NIADA dealers and non-NIADA dealers, and it comes in the form of resources and education that- Mm...
• 22:44
  that they're utilizing. Wow. Well, Melanie, it has been so much fun getting to sit down with you. Um, I... There has to be a wall ball tournament, maybe an exhibition match. I don't know. I'm, I'm fixated on this.
• 22:58
  And maybe it has to happen at the, uh, event in June. Uh, congratulations again on your new role as interim CEO at NIADA. It's been fun learning about your vision there.
• 23:08
  Um, how can those listening learn more about NIADA? Where would you point them towards? Um, niada.com is, has links to all of our stuff. Um, so you can find out about our 20 Group programs.
• 23:20
  You can find out about the CPO program that just rolled out. Um, our events are up there, education classes. Pretty much all of it's at a fingertip.
• 23:28
  But you can always call our office, too, and, um, someone will, will help you. We've got... We have a really strong team that really cares about what they're doing. So they will hunt an answer.
• 23:39
  I've watched them spend hours like, "There's this one thing and no one has the answer. I'm going to find it." And- No, no, that's great... so. That's amazing. Melanie, thanks so much for joining us on AutoClass today.
• 23:48
  Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. [upbeat music] Okay, I didn't think we were gonna get into childhood games, um, but I think it's worth mentioning childhood games here.
• 24:03
  Michael Cirillo, what childhood games did they play, like, on the streets of Canada? Hockey cards. What are hockey... Wait. So, um- [laughs]... what you doIs you start with one hockey card, usually a goaltender.
• 24:17
  Somebody will have a goaltender card- Like a sports card. A hockey card. Sports card. Right, like a baseball card.
• 24:21
  And they'll place it up against the wall, and they'll determine the, the distance that you need to sit, and you will take your player cards and- Chuck them at the... Try and fling it down.
• 24:33
  And if you fling it down within, say, four tries or whatever they dictate, you get to keep the goaltender, and you get all your cards back. Um, that is when I learned- Oh, so it's like a gambling game. Yeah.
• 24:42
  So it's a gambling game, basically. This is how I learned that I was addicted to gambling in the third grade. [laughs] That's a really clever way to gamble. Somebody gave me- Right... a card.
• 24:52
  I didn't have any hockey cards. Somebody gave me a card. They said, "Y- we don't want Cirillo to be left out. Here's a card. Try." I kept winning. I was just like- And then you ended up with all of them.
• 24:59
  You were freakin' good at it, right? I, yeah, you know when you just, like, fluke. You know you're fluking, and you just don't know what your hand's doing, but it's working. [laughs] And I came...
• 25:07
  Guys, I came home with 600-plus hockey cards. [laughs] Unbelievable. Ah. And my dad was like- I don't even understand... and I was excited about it. I'm like, "Look at this, man. I got Patrick Roy. I got Mario Lemieux."
• 25:19
  Oh, boy. I got... My dad's like, "Where'd you get all these? We didn't buy these for you." And I'm like, "So hear me out. There's this game." [laughs] And he's like, "So you were gambling." It's totally legal.
• 25:27
  I was like, "Uh..." Well, when you say it like that, it sounds so, it sounds so different. [laughs] Ky, how about you? What did they play in the streets of Ohio? Oh. Well, I didn't actually grow up in Ohio.
• 25:38
  Uh- Where'd you grow up?... even though my parents are there. Florida? Yeah. Florida would be, like, the, the, the where I... Actually- What did they play on the beaches of Florida? I don't know. Please...
• 25:44
  I'm telling you, wall ball was, like... Well, I was in central Florida, and we just had a bunch of lakes. So we were either on a boat or playing wall ball. So I was, I was right in the line there. Wall ball was a thing.
• 25:54
  Yeah. It was, it was a thing. You know, I, I wanna talk about, you know, o- one of the things that, uh, Melanie did talk about was this, um, uh, this how, like, that, um, well, I wrote it down here.
• 26:08
  That they are broadening the used car criteria in order to, uh, in order to compete with franchise dealerships and having things like CPO programs.
• 26:18
  So I know we had a lot of fun talking about games and everything, but that was really interesting to me.
• 26:22
  And I think that franchise de- like, one, one of the things that I always wanna think about is what can franchise and independent dealers learn from each other?
• 26:28
  And, um, learning that, that independent dealers that all they do is focus on used cars are broadening the, the scope of what they actually have in their inventory, I think is important for anybody, uh, anybody to, like, be looking at at this point.
• 26:43
  Going, "Okay, maybe my, maybe my sweet spot has been blank, and I need to expand my thinking to this," or, "I need to add value to, uh, to attract consumers in a different market."
• 26:54
  Um, that was something that, like, as I'm talking to franchise dealers or independent dealers, I think it crosses the barriers there.
• 27:00
  And it's probably a learning that independent dealers have had to struggle with quicker than franchise dealers have. That really did stand out to me, too, Kyle.
• 27:07
  And the other thing that stood out to me was her confidence in declaring this industry is not going anywhere. Mm. I love just little, like, uh, like that for the naysayers, you know? Her spirit is strong regardless.
• 27:19
  Yeah. Yes. No one's cutting that out for a reel, right? Regardless. Yeah. The, the spirit is strong. I think it r- regardless of what happens, she's like, "There's a lot of unknowns.
• 27:26
  Let's focus on today and what we need to do today, and answers will come in the future, but this industry's not going anywhere." That was a tremendous interview, interview.
• 27:35
  It's always fun to be able to sit down with people who have so many deep insights about the comings and goings of the auto industry, and especially NIADA. So we hope you enjoyed this episode with Melanie Wilson.
• 27:48
  On behalf of Paul J. Daly, Kyle Mountsier, and myself, Michael Cirillo, thanks so much for joining us on Auto Collab.
• 27:55
  Sign up for our free and fun-to-read daily email for a free shot of relevant news in automotive, retail, media, and pop culture. You can get it now at asotu.com. That's A-S-O-T-U.com.
• 28:08
  If you love this podcast, please leave us a review and share it with a friend. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time.
• 28:17
  [upbeat music] Welcome to Auto Collab. [laughs] Welcome to Auto Collab. [laughs] Are we recording? Are we rolling yet? Not yet.