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Transcript

The Story So Far... · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  I have an actual question for the both of you. Okay. [upbeat music] This is AutoCollabs. Uh, beard regiment, do you have one? [sighs] Yeah, I guess everyone with a beard has to have one.
• 0:18
  But, like, is it oil? Is it wax? Is it- You know, I used to have a really, really serious beard regiment, and then I realized when I didn't, uh, it, it didn't really make a massive difference.
• 0:28
  And, you know- But your beard has gotten a lot shorter. I've seen pictures of, like, the big Kyle beard. I did have- And that- Yeah...
• 0:33
  that doesn't do well without any regiment I was 40 pounds heavier, and most of it was in beard. [laughs] [laughs] Like, yours is so- That's heavy... nicely kept, very few strays. Yours, very few strays.
• 0:46
  I feel like I'm like a sleeping dog. You know, like when a dog's been sleeping too much- Yeah... and the hair just... No, but you have, like, nice straight beard hair. It's, it's different. Mine'll get a little gnarly.
• 0:57
  I, I use something called Honest Amish Beard Wax. I have to look it up. Honest Amish. You have to use the, the... I think it's, like, heavy duty. It's just, like, a... I don't know. It's, it's not like a wax.
• 1:08
  It's like, um, like a pomade. You know why I'm asking this, though? And I put a tiny little bit in every day. You know why I'm asking this?
• 1:13
  Because- We launched this podcast- And everybody and their brother was like, "Oh, guess I gotta get a beard and a black hat" [laughs] Some sisters.
• 1:21
  [laughs] We should start selling them on the website, the hat with the beard attached. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's perfect. So, oh, my gosh, Halloween's coming around the corner.
• 1:32
  That should be some- It should be a thing... hand those out at ASOTU CON. So the feedback that I've been getting from the show, um, kind of reflects the time that we have making it.
• 1:42
  And people are saying it's, uh, it's, like, a lot of fun. And it's, you know, um, we get a different angle on a lot of the people that you see in here around the industry.
• 1:52
  And honestly, it's like, that's what I enjoy most.
• 1:54
  Like, I feel like the, the, the recipient, the best beneficiary [laughs] of everything we're doing together because I feel like we have been uncovering some things that, I don't know, it's not part of the normal conversation in the car business, I guess.
• 2:05
  Yeah. For me, I even... I've learned some things, just from a practical perspective.
• 2:10
  You know, people like Jason Rice and Tommy Gibbs, uh, that we've been able to interview at this point, have, have given me perspectives on, um, like, actual hands-in-the-dirt things that dealers are dealing with or, or the way that they're approaching problems.
• 2:26
  Um, and then perspectives on even people that I've known really well, you know, over the last couple years, like Glen Lundy, and really hearing the, the- Yeah, that one was... I, I, I learned a lot...
• 2:37
  well, like, the way he walks in and approaches, you know, a dealer and approaches the consulting perspective and, and recognizing that whether you have a consultant or not, that change management comes with certain expectations that maybe you should have going in.
• 2:49
  Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. I think, too, for me, um, it's, it's also just the relief aspect. Like, the car business is all about... Like, we're always all about the business.
• 3:01
  It's like, "They didn't get to the meat and potatoes for, like, three minutes. I'm out." [laughs] "They didn't teach me anything I don't already know." But to your point, we're getting a lot of, uh...
• 3:11
  I, I think we're striking a good balance if we could pat ourselves on the back [laughs] for that. Yeah. Well, thank you, Michael. We're so good at this. Right.
• 3:17
  Because, I mean, like, we all e- the three of us all produce our shows individually. You guys have a group, group effort. This is a group effort. And it's always kind of down to business.
• 3:26
  So getting to laugh, find the balance between the golden nuggets and just relief, I think... [clears throat] Sorry. And we've been laughing so hard that- [laughs] I'm sweating... I'm, like, loaded up.
• 3:36
  I'm like, "I'm gonna start sounding like Kermit the Frog" [laughs] Um, striking that balance, I think, is something that I, I've found really interesting.
• 3:44
  And, and like both of you have alluded to, like, we, we stop recording, and I'm like, "Oh, man, I needed that." Yeah. Yeah. So. So okay, let's- I love you, man. All right. Let's ask some questions. Aw. All right.
• 3:54
  We're gonna have a little bro-fest for a minute. What in, in the last...
• 3:58
  Since we've started recording this and kind of leading up to ASOTU CON, which, you know, we're like three and a half weeks away at the time we're recording this. We're all sitting in Philly. We just walked the venue.
• 4:06
  In the industry at large, what is the most important conversation that you're hearing? Kyle, I'll start with you. Yeah. 'Cause we all kind of have different friends in the industry and kind of have a different angle.
• 4:15
  So from your perspective.
• 4:17
  Well, it's interesting because e- even, even with ASOTU, like, a lot of the conversations that I start to have or get to have trend toward technology and marketing, just because I think that's the way I've been bucketed for so long from a just industry perspective.
• 4:30
  And, and, you know, uh, uh, I think a year ago, everyone kind of, like, threw their hands up and was like, "First-party data, cookies" on all- [laughs] You know, and, and everything's been pushed back.
• 4:42
  And now there's different stuff happening with Apple. But I do think that that, that created this impetus for us to say, "Hey, look, as an industry, our data is not great.
• 4:52
  Uh, as our industry, our connected technologies have not done a good job at, at syncing with each other. As an industry, we haven't cared for even customer data in, in a good enough way to be able to retain them," right?
• 5:05
  We talk about retention as, like, a culture and, you know, a, a, a how you handle customers and customer experience, but there's also a data piece to that.
• 5:13
  And I think that's, that's one thing that I've seen, even though now the focus is less on, "Oh, it just, you just have to maintain your first-party data," that transitioned into this very, uh, very collaborative effort, very, uh, like, understanding that the data housed in multiple different systems is necessary for not just data for marketing's sake- Mm-hmm...
• 5:36
  but data for customer experience sake. And I think that's a super healthy conversation because a lot of times your, your technologists don't relate to your, your experience people. Right. And I think they're- Yeah...
• 5:46
  coming together at this point. How about you, Michael? Let me just clear the frog out of my throat. [laughs] It seriously won't go away. Um,
• 5:56
  I think it's really interesting, it, it seems like people are putting more effort into-Trying to better articulate their value proposition.
• 6:06
  Like, we've gone through 20, maybe 30 years of, "Hey," company X emerges and, "Uh, we'll help you get more traffic, leads, and sales." Like, that was the thing.
• 6:14
  Well, everything's gonna help you get more traffic, leads, and sales, traffic, leads, and sales. And that compounded to a degree that I, that I think the house of cards kind of fell in on itself. Mm.
• 6:23
  And now people throughout the industry are like, "You know what? Maybe first we should get a clear idea of what it is we hope to achieve, and then build backwards from that."
• 6:33
  And we've even heard guests on the show, like Glen- Glen Pash, uh, as far as- Mm... um, customer experience, he talked about, like, what do we want them to feel, and let's work backwards from that.
• 6:42
  But I feel like I'm- I'm hearing more and more, like, let's figure out what we actually want, what problem we actually solve, and let's get better at articulating how we aim to solve that, and not just revert to traffic, leads, and sales or, you know, big data or whatever.
• 6:58
  And- and so what I think is happening is there's more meaningful conversations happening to that effect. Mm. Um, people are really trying to understand and be okay with not having to do all the things. Mm-hmm.
• 7:11
  Like, even dealership-wise, like, okay, so you're a Subaru store and I'm a Subaru store, therefore we're the same? No.
• 7:18
  Actually, we're having much more open conversations about what makes that store different and- and why then ultimately their definition of success looks different from this store. Mm.
• 7:29
  And we're really trying to detach from this, you know, OEM report that tells us- Like prescriptive-... we have to be the same. Exactly... has to be the same thing. Yeah.
• 7:36
  There's an element of that which makes, I think, the auto industry different than all the other, any other industry, in that it's a franchise system.
• 7:43
  However, it can and does look so different across store to store to store regardless. I mean, they could be several miles apart only. Mm.
• 7:53
  And what works for store A could be a lot different than what looks for, works for store B. And, you know, if I'm, if I put my OEM hat on for a second, that's something that's actually concerning.
• 8:02
  I mean, I'd be concerned about that if I was- Right... an OEM.
• 8:04
  Because, you know, from a, a franchise consumer experience delivery model, like, I wanna make sure that it's as seamless as possible, it's as consistent as possible.
• 8:14
  But the truth also is that it's not like a franchise restaurant, like a McDonald's or something, where I'm gonna eat at this one today- Right...
• 8:22
  and that one next week, and that one a month from now in a different city, and I wanna make sure, you know, the fries taste the same. Mm-hmm. This is still a lot different than that, right? It's buying a vehicle.
• 8:32
  I'm not gonna be back for a number of years, anywhere between, like, three and seven years. And so is the requirement that high? My answer to, to my question is [laughs] Yeah. Fine. You want my answer?
• 8:46
  [laughs] Well, I- I really just politely asked you to what you thought to just give me a minute to tell you what I thought. [laughs] Enough about you. Let's talk about- Let's talk a little bit more about me...
• 8:54
  enough about me. Let's talk about you. What do you think about me? [laughs] The- the thing I- I see, so you both mentioned this, you know, technology and this element of- of kind of working together.
• 9:03
  If I pull up for a second, I'm feeling this spirit of people willing to celebrate one another- Mm...
• 9:11
  that are in competitive industries, that I feel this, like, undercurrent of that growing, which is something that we set up to do. I mean, it's the spirit of Auto Collabs. Like, how can- Yeah...
• 9:18
  we work together and understand and acknowledge right out of the gate that there are no, like, two right... There's no right way to do it, that for everybody it's different. Every store is different.
• 9:29
  Every market is different.
• 9:30
  Um, every provider is different, and some combination of providers is going to be that dealership's secret sauce for a season, and then they're gonna change it, and they're gonna change vendors and providers. So I've...
• 9:41
  I feel like I see the industry partner side of the business being willing to champion one another in a way that I feel like I haven't seen before, and, uh, that's really encouraging to me.
• 9:52
  Because I feel like when that happens and everyone gets a little more open-handed and not so territorial, I think the dealers win. And when the dealers win, the customers win. When the customers win, we all win, so.
• 10:01
  Yeah. I, I think there's a general approach that maybe it's been... Maybe it's a result somewhat of this season of profitability that we've been in. Mm-hmm.
• 10:13
  But there's an, a renewed a- approach to, like, an abundance mindset, not just in dollars, but, like, in, in customer base or in people base or in, like, the way that technology partners approach dealers- Mm...
• 10:25
  that there is this kind of, "Hey, look," you know, "I don't have to be at your throat." And actually, you know, I was, uh...
• 10:33
  M- my good friend Ben, who we're, we'll interview at some point, uh, he- he has this kind of story that he tells. And anyone who's new in the industry, he kind of tells it this way.
• 10:42
  He's like, "So what happens online is industry partner X says industry partner Y is terrible, and- and dealer X, uh, competes against dealer Y in the same city.
• 10:53
  And then all of a sudden, everyone gets to NADA, and for some reason, the two guys that were fighting online are standing at a bar for five hours- [laughs]... just cracking jokes," right? So true. Singing karaoke.
• 11:04
  And, and I think that that bar meant, like, that, that, like, that those two people at NADA, uh, you know, singing karaoke at the bar, have moved into the digital and into the every day in the way that we interact- Mm...
• 11:16
  as an industry. And I- I, you know, it's like you said, it's the heart behind this podcast.
• 11:21
  And what we're trying to do with ASOTU is, is allow everyone to kind of, like, move towards something that is not fighting each other, but solving the customer experience. Yep.
• 11:31
  I spent half the morning, I'm just gonna point this out, for those- On your beard. [laughs] Uh, thinking about... No, envying both your beards.
• 11:38
  [laughs] But also legitimately dyslexic, thinking that your shirt said, [laughs] "Love cars more than you love people."
• 11:44
  [laughs] For those that can't see this, Paul's wearing a shirt that says, "Love people more than you love cars," which I think underscores everything in this conversation. You guys know I love you.
• 11:55
  This has been a fun project and, like you said, lots of heart behind it. Uh, so I got nothing to add to that. I love it. And just for everyone, that wasn't the wrap of the whole Auto Collabs podcast.
• 12:05
  We got more of these to go. [laughs] Oh, we have a lot more to go. We just got our season finale. He's like, "I enjoyed that. We'll put it up now." [laughs] I guess Michael's leaving.
• 12:12
  [laughs] Uh, and with that, I was signed to a new podcast deal, so. [laughs] Uh, we didn't get sponsors soon enough. Peace out. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] "Do we have sponsors yet? Do we have sponsors?"
• 12:22
  This is like episode three. [laughs] "My wife told me to ask before she lets me go to Philly one more time." [laughs] Oh, well, on that note, I think we have a lot more interviews to do.
• 12:32
  So, uh, thank you for listening with us. Thanks for being on the journey. And, uh, we'll see you in, like, 70 more interviews we have to release.
• 12:39
  [laughs] 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.
• 12:52
  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.
• 13:00
  [upbeat music] Oh, it's so hot. [laughs] Oh. [laughs] Oh. I'm glossy.
• 13:19
  [laughs]