Latest / Auto Collabs / Out Of Town Experts with Danny Zaslavsky

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Out Of Town Experts with Danny Zaslavsky · Auto Collabs

0:00
Have you guys noticed that we do a, a triplet mm-hmm? [upbeat music] This is AutoCollabs. Or like a triplet mm. So, like, they'll, they'll- Mm... drop a power bomb.
0:17
And it, it, one of, one of us kicks it off. It's like, "Mm." "Mm." "Mm." [laughs] I haven't noticed that, but now I'm gonna be listening for it.
0:25
What we need to do is we need to make, like, a segment about that, where we like, "Mm. Mm." [laughs] Well, so the problem is- "Mm, mm"... I caught us doing it about halfway through.
0:35
[laughs] And then, because it's such a natural instinct, I mean, that, like, we're- Mm... they're literally dropping, you know, knowledge and wisdom. And, and then- You're like, "No, don't do it"...
0:44
on the third time- "Mm" [laughs]... I caught myself, guys. I almost swallowed my own tongue. [laughs] Like, I almost choked. I had to quickly hit the mute button on the- [laughs]...
0:53
RØDECaster, 'cause it was like, "Mm, mm" And I was like [choking sound]. [laughs] We just thought you had eight more pepperoni pizza.
1:00
I think there's probably no better intro to this episode than that whole thing, when you started with, [laughs] "I don't know if you noticed."
1:08
But the reality is, is this interview that we just did with Danny Zaslavsky from VinQ and Country Hill Motors. He splits his time between, yes, dealer world and vendor world. He was full of insights.
1:20
My desk is just full of notes, because that's just the way the conversation was. When you're around people that are thoughtful and are hands in the dirt, I just, then the knowledge starts coming out from experience.
1:35
You know, Danny is this kind of guy that, um, yeah, I'll never forget, he had me on one of their, like, VinQ webinar podcasts.
1:44
And he, he is willing to essentially recognize that who he's in the room with is the most important thing that go, that's going on right there, right now. Right.
1:56
And I would expect that he's that way with his businesses and with the people that he's around.
2:02
Um, but he was willing, on, on a podcast that, like, a couple hundred people were sitting on this webinar watching, he was willing to literally just speak directly to me in this very caring and intentional way.
2:15
And I've noticed that in the way that he approaches, and even, like, the staff at VinQ that I've met. And I'm sure the staff at, that, like, all of his staff kind of exudes. And, uh, you know, uh, I...
2:27
We'll, we'll kind of hear a little bit in this interview a, a, a portion of that, and the way he approches, approaches even other vendors across the industry. Um, and so i- it's just, it's, it's a very intentional way.
2:40
And whether you, uh, are, are a partner with their product or not, paying attention to how he approaches the industry, how he approaches dealers and approaches other partners, and even just his staff and team, I think, uh, we would just do, uh, we would all do well to, to take heed to that.
2:56
I think he's, he's a servant of our industry. Yeah, we're excited for you to hear that in this interview with Danny Zaslavsky.
3:01
[upbeat music] All right, we are hanging out with, uh, Danny here of, uh, Country Hill Motors, as well as DealerQ, VinQ.
3:19
It's a lot of different things that he's doing. Uh, and we're really excited to have a conversation just about, uh, the industry and, and, and the way that you're a part of it. So, thanks for joining us, Danny.
3:30
What's up, guys? All right, I gotta clear the air. Real, real talk. The first thing that I said- Let's do it... as I was about to- You're starting off with real talk? Yeah, real talk.
3:37
[laughs] I was like, "Danny," and I was about to say your last name, and I was like, "I've said your last name 15 different ways to 10 different people." So- [laughs]...
3:45
what I'm gonna start with is clearing the air on saying your last name, because you've said it to me even in a voice message [laughs] before. And I still- [laughs] Can I give it a whirl?...
3:55
was like, I got that, like, ugh in my stomach. Come on. Come on. Can I try? Can I try? Common, common spelling, guys. Let's go. Yeah, Kyle. Zaslavsky. Zaslavsky. No. Zaslavsky. Zaslavsky. Oh, Kyle for the win. Yes.
4:08
I just set him up. I knew I was wrong. [laughs] I'm just kidding. I didn't know. [laughs] Cirillo's still like, "Is that a Z or a V?" Yeah, I'm like- "They're together"...,"We call it a Zed in Canada."
4:20
[laughs] "Danny Zed Zaslavsky." [laughs] Yeah. Oh, man. The V is silent. Danny, I, I gotta, I gotta start by asking, uh, because a lot of people now know you as VinQ, right?
4:32
VinQ's kind of taken this, you know, this role in automotive to kind of redefine the inventory management system and how you bring data together. And now you've got even...
4:43
N- just, I mean, we're gonna talk about this, but you've got even more dashboards and more touch points across, across inventory management and websites and all that.
4:50
But, um, you know, I don't think a lot of people really know the legacy of where you came from.
4:56
And I, I'm privy to a little bit of your origin story in automotive, but take us back just real quickly to how you got in automotive and what that foray in the, the retail side of the business looked like and still is.
5:11
You know how they say life, you never know what life is preparing you for? Yeah. So, uh, early, when I was, uh, uh, 19, 18, I was working at the car dealership.
5:22
At that time, I was selling cars and just got into marketing. And I met a guy, uh, named Matt, who my dad met at a Sears, and, uh, sold us our first computer.
5:33
And he came to the dealership and installed our first computer, 'cause we paid him on the side to, uh, figure it out, and then gave us, uh, uh, also some code 'cause we wanted to write some- Pause. Pause. Yes. Yes.
5:46
[laughs] Yes. For all the youngins out there. [laughs] He was like, "You said Sears." [laughs] [laughs] Oh, yeah. "You said Sears."
5:54
For all the youngins, that's a department store that used to be attached to these thing called malls. I know rarely people go to these things.
6:01
[laughs] And what's even more crazy is- And if that was a catalog business-... they sold things people wanted and- Oh, yeah... some of those things were computers.
6:07
So that's what, for the context for the young people, that's what Danny's getting at here. [laughs] Oh my goodness. You know- All right, uh-...
6:13
in Syracuse, New York there are literally houses standing that were ordered from Sears catalogs. Wow. No way. No kidding. Really? Yes way. You could buy a house from Sears. My dad freaking loved that place.
6:26
[laughs] Oh, really? Loved that place. They just took the building down, like, four months ago. Oh my God. I swear to God, it's on, on Metcalf. I know exactly where it is.
6:33
'Cause that's like, quite frankly, Sears was, like, my entry into the car business. And you'll, you'll figure out why in a second, but- All right, all right... uh- Now, now, now, I'm, I'm... I've cleared the air.
6:41
You keep going. [laughs] That was a valid segue though, Kyle. [laughs] We'll give you that one. It's fair. Agreed. So a guy worked there, I told you, named Matt, came, installed their first computer.
6:52
Uh, he figured out that we couldn't, uh, do what now is called syndication. And, uh, the guy's name was Matt Watson. He's the guy who was the founder, CTO of, uh, VINSolutions, VIN Stickers at the time. Wow.
7:06
And him and I struck a friendship. And, uh, he started building the company down, down the street from me. I watched him, like, I'd go visit him and see, like, uh, watching his business grew, uh, grow.
7:18
And I remember thinking, "Shit, I should, like, ask him. Like, maybe he'll hire me. Maybe I should go work with him." And I never did, because I remember thinking, "I have more work to do." I, I...
7:28
Like, I've always had a little bit of this, uh, uh, imposter syndrome, where I had to master something before I could feel comfortable taking it to the next level.
7:37
And at some point, Matt's career just took off, and, uh, we've remained friends. Uh, but then, um, uh, about, like, six years ago, I, uh, him and I have kept in contact. And I, I was ready to start a software company.
7:52
And I, I called him up and I said, "I, I feel like the world's saying it's time for you, you and I to do something." And he's the one who introduced me to, uh, Chris Hoch, who's, uh, my business partner today.
8:03
And, and, uh, uh, from that, uh, VINQ has been born. And so Matt's still my friend, lives down the street. And, uh, uh, certainly a lot more cool stuff in between there. But it was born from a problem.
8:16
I mean, at the car dealership, we were using, like, six different systems to solve the same problem. Mm.
8:20
And all my people were running in different directions, uh, like, using this app or using that system or talking this language 'cause they're using that software.
8:28
And, uh, it all boiled down to the information about a car. And it's like, "What the heck are we looking at in the screen that's driving our behavior to go do something?"
8:38
Whether to make a purchase or make a sale or to justify some behavior. And, uh, it's, it was really critical back then, I think more so now, that, like, we pointed all the arrows in the same direction of the company.
8:53
But, uh, back then, all the arrows were pointed all these different directions even though the company was trying to go this way. So that's why, uh, VINQ exists. Gee. So tell... I don't know the, this story.
9:06
Tell me about, like, your history in the car business. Is it a family business? Yep. So my parents are from Ukraine. So Zaslavsky, Zelensky. I'm not comparing. I'm just saying. [laughs] Just an observation.
9:23
Uh, just, just an observation. [laughs] No, I, I could never. That guy's way more courageous. Um, so w- my parents came over from Ukraine in '79. My dad started a, uh, shoe repair business.
9:33
And it happened to be down the street from, uh, what was Country Hill Motors at the time, with three cars on the lot and a small part of a building.
9:41
And my dad walked up, walked up the street one day and there was this dude there named Josh, who's the guy who waves in our photos and, and said, uh...
9:47
He ended up buying a car from him and then said, "Hey, can I come work with you?" 'Cause my dad loved cars. And, you know, being an immigrant, he had that entrepreneurial spirit.
9:57
And, uh, what my dad for some reason was called to at the time was to figure out how to buy the right cars at the right places. So he was thinking like, "What can I do that's innovative to go buy the right cars?"
10:08
And so he, he had an idea to buy, like, three or four of those Nextel phones, pass them out to new car dealers, said, "Hey, when you're bidding for, uh, trading for a car, page me.
10:16
I'll tell you what the heck it's worth, and then I'll come buy it. And not only am I gonna buy it, I'm gonna buy the good, bad, and the ugly, all of it." And so, um- [laughs]...
10:23
my dad would literally, like, brawl fight to get in and push wholesalers out of the way so he could buy the right cars, um, until eventually he, like, conquered Kansas City. And he was like, "I need more."
10:33
So then he went to Harley stores, figured out that they trade for cars, and Camping World, and they trade for cars. And so we solved procurement differently, uh, because we just were hungry for it.
10:43
And in the meantime, he's calling me, you know, every day and like, "Have you sold anything? Have you sold anything?" [laughs] So I'm at the dealership. Growing up, uh, we, we didn't have a manager.
10:54
It was just me and four other guys selling cars.
10:57
And the way he was buying cars gave us the ability to have actually a niche in the market, because we were finding cars that we could sell in the 3 to $12,000 price range when we first started. And we were a cash lot.
11:10
Like, we're not talking about buy here, pay here or subprime. I mean, this was, this was cash.
11:14
And so what we figured out was, like, if you can give a consumer a 30,000 or $40,000 experience when they buy a 5 or $6,000 car, then you want them for life because they don't have three other cars in the driveway that are sitting there and that they can count on.
11:30
So you gotta make them feel safe in the decision, in the promise, and in the, in the experience. And, and we also figured out that, like, most people didn't like to shop.
11:38
They just wanted to get it done so they can start experiencing all the things that they were thinking about and why they decided to buy the car. So
11:48
straight off the- So you're ki- yeah, so you're kind of still figuring out the best way to buy a car. For sure. [laughs] Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I'm on a journey though.
11:56
How many years- It's like, I bet it was- All the way back to the beginning. Everyone wants to jump in. [laughs] I... No, I, I, I gotta ask though, do you f- do you find...
12:02
I, I have trouble articulating this to some people in my circles. M- my parents are from Europe. Uh, my father's Italian, my mother's from Portugal.
12:12
Do you find-The European entrepreneur grit is at a different level than... Like, like for example, we've glamorized kind of hustle culture, what we call it here in North America.
12:27
But to a European immigrant, we call that Tuesday. [laughs] You know what I mean? Like, it's just na- did, did you find that growing up? Like, your...
12:34
I'm, I'm hearing you talk about your father's creativity, resourcefulness, and pr- procurement. Do you find, like, that's something unique that's passed on to you, that you've observed from them? The rules are different.
12:46
Um, when you're in, in, in Ukraine, uh, somebody throws a brick through your window, uh, you don't call your insurance company. You replace the window. Um, I mean- Mm-hmm... the rules are different.
12:56
So you don't get the same security blanket that you do here in the States. And, and unconsciously, we just kind of know the boundaries 'cause we grew up in them.
13:07
The boundaries are very different, um, when you grow up, um, in a, in a, in a different country, depending on the country you come from, right? And depending on whether you had money or not when you were growing up.
13:17
Sure. My parents were su- super poor. So, um, the... So when you get here and you see all this opportunity, then it's like overload, right? And then you're like, "What am I gonna grab onto?"
13:31
And what you grab onto is really important because y- immigrants come in waves, and, uh, we've got plenty of people who grabbed onto the wrong thing, and we got people who grabbed onto the right thing and made the best of it.
13:45
Um, and, uh, I think it's a little bit of life. But yeah, um, I think the way you grow up and where you grow up is, uh, uh, determines how much grit you have. There was a quote that Elon Musk said that I freaking love.
13:57
Somebody, uh, asked him, they said, "Will your kids be as successful as you?" And he said, "Only if they struggle as much as I've struggled." Oh. And- Oh... uh, I was like, "Okay."
14:08
And as a dad of, uh, almost nine-year-old twin boys, I think about that a lot. Um, so, um, yeah. I find that really interesting. I mean, it is something it... You know, some, some refer to it as DNA, but it, it is.
14:24
It's like, I love how you position that, that the, the rules are different. And but it also kind of, to me, it's, it's always been in- um, inspiring because it shows just how powerful the, the human spirit is.
14:39
Like, how... Like, when we're placed with our feet to the fire, we perform so well. For sure. And, and you just kind of wish a lot of people could, could, um, experience that.
14:49
As a, as a dealer owner, I wanna ask just a quick follow-up to that.
14:53
What have you found works well to maybe instill some of that confidence, that inner belief into your people so that they can, um, I guess, understand that they're more powerful probably than they give themselves credit for?
15:06
So at VinQ, I have a line, um, and you gotta understand the context of it before I say it, 'cause it can be inferred the wrong way. But the r- the, the line is, "Run faster." Um, because you get to earn to work smarter.
15:20
Um, you just do. Um, and in the meantime, if you don't know how, then run faster. Um, and they get to run faster than me. Uh, so the goal is to outrun me, uh, because I'm in the weeds. Um, I love what I do.
15:35
Uh, just truly love it. I love solving problems. I love, uh, learning. I love being in, in, uh, with people that, uh, can level me up and teach me and challenge me. Uh, it's the way I'm wired.
15:49
Um, so, uh, you surround yourself around people who can, uh, can thrive in that kind of environment, and then, uh, run faster. Um, so truly, you know, don't ask anybody anything that they can't, that you wouldn't do.
16:05
And, uh, I just got off a, a, a call with a 26-store group that we're super excited to go on board and, and, um, and I'm the one that's going out there and taking my team, and I'm on the front line.
16:18
And, uh, and eventually some of my guys will run faster and they, and they push me out of the way and say, "I got this. You just gotta trust me." [laughs] And I'll say, "You bet."
16:27
[laughs] And, and that's what I'm asking them to do is- Right... make me obsolete. That's good. Love it. That's good.
16:34
Uh, you know, I, uh, you know, the, the, the interesting thing about a, a, a platform like yours, right? That you've got...
16:44
You're executing on a, on a few different things, and if people don't know VinQ, they should get to know it. Um, you know, you've, you've recently added, uh, these websites and then scorecards.
16:54
Um, but, you know, the core of your technology is this inventory management system that's bolstered by- Mm-hmm... uh, that's bolstered by a vehicle acquisition system.
17:02
Then you've kind of built out since then, recognizing needs. And what I, what I think that's interesting, there's some technologies in automotive that, um, can live in somewhat of a silo, right?
17:13
By, by their nature, they only have to connect to one or two things.
17:17
Um, but an inventory management system, uh, it, it, it requires a unique level of connectivity, of connected data, of understanding other relationships and partners in order to equip dealers to do what they need to do.
17:32
I'd love to hear a little bit about, like, your journey in connecting a lot of those points.
17:38
Uh, because I think that's a journey that, uh, Paul was saying, uh, on a call we had earlier today, that it's a journey that more and more people in automotive are starting to take.
17:46
That more and more people are going, "Okay, I recognize that I need all of these hands, uh, shaking in agreement to make what I need to do work," but there's a unique...
17:57
You know, your u- your type of platform is u- unique in that you literally can't start unless you start that way.
18:05
So walk us on that journey a little bit about bringing together these partners, creating these connections, um, so that you can serve dealers better, um, and not just creating one siloed, uh, you know, ecosystem.We didn't get into a very easy business.
18:23
Um, so when I was growing up, you know, there's a couple platforms that you can live in. Um, you live in your CRM, you live in your DMS, um, and you live in your system where you price your car. Um, and as
18:38
technology has evolved, like, uh, um, you know, Viato, for example, has done incredible things over the last 15, 20 years.
18:47
I mean, carved out, uh, a, a, a psychology, a methodology that, um, uh, has really helped the automotive industry in really big ways.
18:58
Um, what that taught me is you really spend your dec- your decision points are where you do pricing. It's where, um, you make acquisition decisions, and it's where you make selling decisions.
19:13
And there's so many variables to that for, you know, disposition of channels and sources, and you can get well into the weeds.
19:20
Uh, but that, uh, trigger sets the motion of everybody in your organization, your salespeople, your sales managers, your detail people, your title clerks. I mean, literally everybody, right?
19:35
So, um, it's a really critical point.
19:38
And so what, w- what we've been creating is, is the next evolution of what Dale started, which is, um, a pricing system that also is tied directly to inventory management, that's tied directly to acquisition, that's tied directly to merchandising, that's tied directly to private party, that's tied directly to notifications on your watch, cell phone or, or scoreboard, um, that's tied directly to other dealers.
20:07
Uh, because that's, um, at, at that point, what you have is a really strong engine in the middle or a cannon that you can point. And, uh, and, and with online disruptors that are coming, with, uh, um,
20:23
technology changing, with, uh, uh, different, uh, dealership models happening, what's, what's gonna become more and more important are those decision points.
20:34
And you gotta have, uh, some muscle, uh, in, uh, that technology where those decisions are made. So when it comes to testing this and testing new ideas and putting some of these pieces together,
20:49
is your store kind of the guinea pig? Like- [laughs] Always has been. [laughs] Right?
20:55
Like, and, and I, I know it probably started that way, but I'm wondering because there's probably some separation of powers between the two now. And there's like,
21:03
what, what's the mentality when, like, this new thing is kind of brought in? Do you get some eye rolls? "Oh, Danny's got another great idea." Or, or is, like, there a culture now of just like, "All right, let's try it"?
21:14
Uh, both. Um- [laughs] You know, it's like when you fly in anybody, they're always more intelligent than you. Like, the expert, you know, has always lived out of town. [laughs] There, there's a little bit of both.
21:23
Um- That's a great saying, the expert always lives out of town. [laughs] It's so good. [laughs] So the,
21:31
in the beginning, I mean, you gotta build up the, the grit or the stomach to test stuff and know that it's sometimes it's not gonna work. And then the reaction to that, right?
21:40
You might say, "Well, you know, screw this thing. It's not, it's never gonna work. Blah, blah, blah. This has gotta work. Why is this number not right?" Whatever.
21:47
And when you can, um, educate the people that are using that, then all of a sudden it's all about one thing, control. They've gotta feel like they've got input and control.
21:55
And then what ends up happening is once, uh, those people start seeing their vision implemented in the technology process, then, like, their eyes light up and you're like, "Oh my God, I'm making a difference."
22:07
And I think that's what being alive is about. So, um, we, we wrap that in that idea of making a difference, and that's what we're trying to do.
22:17
Not all ideas are the right ideas, but having a dealership, um, uh, to, uh, A, give real input and, and, and there's no shortage of it.
22:27
[laughs] Um, and then also have a place to actually see if it sucks or it doesn't is great. But we've, we're lucky enough to have, uh, outgrown just my dealership.
22:37
Uh, we, 'cause I'm an independent guy, um, and I certainly have processes, but we have, uh, a great, uh, franchise, Patrick Abad, who's on the cover of Digital Dealer Magazine. Um, he's a, a, a VinQ client.
22:50
We're, we're stoked to work with him and others that say, "Yeah, give me, give me the early stuff. Let's try it." Um, because you better fail fast and, uh, and, and pivot while it's young 'cause that's, it's important.
23:03
I, I think that that brings...
23:04
Whenever we, we speak with someone who bridges that gap between industry partner side and dealer side because they do have a foot legitimately in both sides, I love celebrating that and making it more known because I think it brings a certain level of credibility to what you're doing.
23:21
Because I, I know that, you know, as an industry partner in, in several different ventures, you know, it, it, it can be really easy to lob stuff over the fence, right, and start my sentences with dealers just need to, [laughs]
23:33
right? Mm-hmm. And so I think that the more industry partners there are who also are operating inside the confines and the struggles in the day in, day out of the dealership world serve everyone so much better.
23:46
And, and I just, I just, uh, you know, I wanna give you cred for that because it's difficult. Oh, thanks, man.
23:51
And, and I also wanna make sure more people know that because I think it carries with it a certain weight, uh, right out of the gate, like from conversation number one.
24:00
David Long called it servant mentality, and I heard him say that the other day and I, I couldn't agree with that more. It's really, really smart. But that's, um, that's what we gotta keep. Yeah. Jim.
24:13
See, I see- I- I see body posture, like questions queuing up, like... [laughs] He's like pulling the slingshot back. Who, who's going first? Who's going first? Michael's got g- Michael's, I, I can't...
24:23
He's got good- You, you first, babe. [laughs] I'll never forget when Kyle said that to Paul. I love it so much. Yeah. [laughs] Remember where Kyle's like, "You first, babe" [laughs]
24:33
"You first, babe" [laughs] Now, o- one thing that I thought, I, I really loved how you, you positioned here earlier, um-You know, coming up in the industry, this is my 22nd year in the industry, and I love this new, fresh vibe that, that kind of our age group, our generation is bringing in.
24:50
Which is, you spoke about a competitor in the most loving way I've ever heard. [laughs] It...
24:57
Y- you know, whereas, like, when I was coming up, I, I remember, you know, when I first launched my company, I would straight up go to conferences and dudes would be like, they'd lean into me and they'd be like, "I know where you live."
25:07
[laughs] "I know how many children you have. I know..." Y- you know, and I was always like, "Holy Jesus, this is cutthroat."
25:14
[laughs] I love how you kind of paid homage to a competitor and spoke to the lessons that you learned, and then, um, so gracefully kind of just highlighted what you believe makes your offering unique.
25:27
And I think that's really important, 'cause it feeds into the narrative of what we're hoping to accomplish here on Auto Collabs, right?
25:33
It's, it's about bringing in different points of view and understanding and showing empathy. And, and so I just wanted to give you kudos for that. I thought that was really awesome. Oh, thanks, man.
25:42
Yeah, that's a big deal. Well, I mean, the... It, it's taken... We have the...
25:46
Here, truly, we have the luxury of looking back over the last 20 years and seeing a lot of things happen, and have the privilege to see clearly what needs to be done now, right? I didn't car- I didn't carve that trail.
25:58
Um, someone else did. So it's, uh, it's only because of that that we're able to innovate today. So there's, there's no question. Um, I don't like scarcity mentality.
26:08
I think you're not, you're not gonna get very far in life with it. Plus, it just sucks living, um- [laughs]... with that kind of fear. So, uh, uh, ain't nobody got time for that. Yes.
26:18
So, I, so that means- To quote the great Sweet Brown, right? [laughs] Note to the Post-it, note to the Post-it note that has a heart emoji next to, "Crush them!" [laughs] That's great.
26:31
I, I, I'll ask before kind of, that we wrap this up, I w- I do wanna ask this question because you're on the dealer side and you're on the industry partner side and, and you have an innovative mentality toward technology.
26:43
You know, what...
26:44
Like, as you look over the, especially the next two or three years in, in the way that dealerships are operating and, and interacting, what are you positioning yourself for, both on the technology and the dealership side, um, the, to ensure that in two or three years you're operating in the way that it needs to be?
27:03
Like, what are you doing right now that's, that's, that's positioning things to make sure that in two or three years you're in the right position to, to be successful and to serve customers well, that maybe isn't something that you fully execute today but you know you're planning toward?
27:17
As a dealer or as VinQ? We'll d- talk, talk kind of through both. I'm sure they kind of lean into each other, if I had to guess. Yeah. Well, it's true, 'cause I mean, we're- He's like, "Nah." Yeah. [laughs] Not really.
27:30
Not really, no. They, they're just running separate lanes. I don't really let them talk. That's only in my brain, and I segment it, right? Yeah. [laughs] Glad we all agree. Uh, so at the dealership, um, I think...
27:46
Here, I'll say this.
27:48
I think, uh, digital retailing, the website, uh, that the consumers shop on, um, and, um, anything else, anything else that, uh, feeds, uh, into what the consumer touches is one thing, and that's consumer experience.
28:05
So I don't think dig- digital retailing belongs as a separate thing from a website. I think they're one thing. Right now, they're sold as separate things.
28:12
There's a lot of separate things being sold out there because, uh, uh, of experts.
28:17
And I think, um, when I, when I and along with my team start thinking about it more holistically, like we've done with VinQ, with, uh, you know, end-to-end inventory appraisal to, uh, back to acquisition, um, customer experience is the next thing to group.
28:35
Um, and to do it with the same, uh, filter of what exists and how can we make it better. Uh, because I think
28:45
when you couple the back end with the front end in a way that, um, uh, tightens the process and operation, then you get more efficiency and scale. Um, I don't like to run faster. Um, I'm doing it now.
29:01
Uh, but one day I hope to work smarter. So that's what, um, that answers the question on, on both sides. Uh, for, uh, um, the dealership and for, uh, the, uh, for VinQ.
29:17
The other, the l- the other thing is, um, I think if I had it my way, um, dealers, uh, would regress a little bit in the way that they communicate with each other. Uh, because I, I...
29:35
Auctions, in my opinion, only exist just to create confidence between a buyer and a seller, period. Why the hell do we have to pay all this money for confidence? Um- Mm...
29:46
I think there, I think there needs to be a better way. So, um, uh, that is, uh, the journey I'm on at VinQ right now. Can, can we get a T-shirt that says, "Why the hell we, do we pay this much money for confidence?"
30:00
I know. I'm writing it down literally on the- Like, that was strong. Might be... That might end up being the title of this episode. [laughs] That was strong.
30:08
I also wanna, I also just wanna be very clear that the first part of that statement was not a paid advertisement for ASOTU CON and Solving the Customer Experience episode in a while. Yeah, right.
30:17
[laughs] We're just that, we're just that aligned. We're just that aligned. Yeah. Well, well, speaking of ASOTU CON, you are bringing some really... You, you're bringing something really cool to ASOTU CON.
30:28
And when we- We are... when we set out, we were like, "Let's think of this from an activation mindset," right? No one's standing at a booth picking up squishy balls and business cards.
30:36
So, uh, what's the VinQ team, uh, representing? What are you bringing to ASOTU CON? And, uh, what can people expect?Well, you guys challenged us. You said, uh, "We're not doing demos, we're having experiences."
30:47
So we said, "Game on." So we, uh, uh, we hired a team and rented, uh, this, uh, it's called the Titan. It's a Hollywood-level, uh, it's got eight 11K cameras on this ball.
31:01
Uh, and we took it around, uh, car dealerships, we took it around VinQ. And you're gonna get to experience the software in a car dealership in an Oculus. Yes. Uh, uh, uh, VR style.
31:12
So, uh, we're, uh, we're bringing that, and we're excited. We, we... It's not done yet, so, uh, wish us luck. [laughs] I love it. I love the ambition. But, uh, but hey, we think it's gonna be cool.
31:26
Well, Danny, I can't wait to experience this. I hope you have some footage of you walking through the dealership with this 11K surrounded ball thing that you're talking about. Oh, for sure. Do you- Yeah, yeah.
31:36
Okay, good. Yeah, yeah. 'Cause we wanna- Oh, yeah. We wanna see that too. You gotta ship us the- We need to send that to us... the BTS footage. You do. You do. [laughs] 'Cause we'll put that up, yeah. Yep.
31:43
Because that's how it should be. Like, when people collaborate on something, they should all bring some energy and new ideas, and they should all encourage one another with what they're doing.
31:52
And that's part of the game, right? You always try to level each other up. "Oh, yeah? Well, check this out." Exactly. That's what great collaboration is about.
31:58
Danny, thank you so much for spending some time with us- Yeah... today. I cannot wait to hang out at ASOTU CON. Thank you, guys, and thanks for having us. It's gonna be fun.
32:07
[upbeat music] Okay, I... There are, like, many phrases written down on my desk.
32:23
Um, I'm gonna, I'm gonna say one, and you guys say if you wrote down anything. But I love when he brought up that thing about Elon Musk saying, you know, when someone asked him, "Will your kids be as successful as you?"
32:34
And he said, "Only if they've struggled as much as I have." Oh. Obviously, Danny coming from an immigrant family understands what it is. He said very poor. He grew up in Ukraine.
32:44
Like, the whole thing about that was just, like, fired me up in the side. Only if they struggle. Like, the depth of the struggle is, really matches the heights of the success. So that's written on my desk. All right.
32:53
I'll give you mine. I'll give you mine. Go ahead. Go, go, go. I'm not even gonna give context to that. That was perfect.
32:56
Mine was the part where he said, and I mentioned it during the interview, where he said, "Why the hell are we paying so much for confidence?" Yes. And I was like, "Skrrt." [laughs] When he's talking about auctions.
33:08
That was- When he's talking about auctions, which was so good. I'd never thought of it that way.
33:11
Like, everybody keeps saying, you know, a lot of these online auctions and things like CarOffer are coming and saying, "Hey, look, there's a better way for dealers to pass inventory between dealers, and if we communicate better..."
33:22
And what he, what he, the way he laid that in with, like, "You're just literally paying for confidence." Yeah, he was like, "Auctions only exist to create confidence between the buyer and the seller."
33:32
Do you know what's interesting about that on the back end, though? Is that if you have to pay for confidence, it's that you lack trust. Yes. Ooh. [snores] [laughs] Ooh.
33:45
[laughs] Did we get our, did we get our, our three mms in on that? [laughs] Four times. All right, Cirillo. That's deep. That's deep. What, what, Mount Seer- You got a quote? You got a quote? What did you like?
33:55
Um, I liked his bit about how the expert's always from out of town. That's a good one. And the, the thought actually was different.
34:01
I mean, I feel like I've experienced that personally, where it's like, "Ah, he's from down the street. We don't need to pay attention to what he says." Yes.
34:08
But, but, but then my mind immediately shifted and I'm like, "But how often do we do that in our own business?" We discredit past experience and work.
34:17
Y- you know, like, just everything that could be right under our noses.
34:21
I mean, I think the two of you even had an experience with this where you found somebody that was so talented who had discredited their own, you know, media abilities and things of that nature. Yeah. And it was...
34:34
They didn't even know they could make a, a living doing it. And, and you were able to help shift their perspective. And I, I wonder, how often is the expert right inside of our business- Mm...
34:45
and they don't know it, and I don't know it, and I'm expecting that it's some, you know- Somebody else... subject matter expert from out of town? So.
34:51
I mean, I was just literally thinking of when I tell my kids something, and then somebody else tells it to them, and it's the most genius thing. [laughs] It's like, "I've been telling you that for 30 years."
35:01
Well, not 30 years, but- Also, I realized in this interview how incredibly immature I am because- You just realized this? Yeah, I know. That's a revelation.
35:11
I, the, the, the eye rolls from my wife and children- You had a pig nose and ears on when you entered the Zoom call, Michael. [laughs] He's laughing because I'm right. [laughs] Oh, Georgia. Um, I, he's, he...
35:22
I, I'm excited to see how this, this VR dealership thing plays out at ASOTU CON. Oh, yeah.
35:29
'Cause my mind legitimately immediately went to walking into this Titan thing and just seeing people sitting everywhere and wondering, "Why are they sitting everywhere?"
35:37
So we put on the Oculus to find out they're all sitting either in a service [laughs] lounge- [laughs]... or in the bathroom. They're like in the, the VR ba- I'm like, "Oh, okay. Gotcha."
35:47
[laughs] I didn't know that's where they were supposed to hang out. I don't think they've been in- No wonder they've been in here for 45 minutes. [laughs] It's a mess.
35:55
Well, uh, thank you on behalf of myself, Kyle Mountsier, Paul J. Daly, and Michael Cirillo. Thanks for listening to Auto Collabs. We'll see you next time.
36:05
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36:18
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36:24
[upbeat music] Welcome to Auto Collabs. [laughs] Welcome to Auto Collabs. [laughs] Welcome to Auto Collabs. [laughs] Are we recording yet? Are we rolling yet?
36:43
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