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An Expert on Yesterday with Tom Ryan · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  You know what else I didn't get while we were in Philly? [upbeat music] This is Auto Collabs. I did not get to the Italian market. Ugh. The one suggestion we had.
• 0:17
  The one time- The one- Someone said- The one thing... go to a place, and we all didn't go to a place. Psh. [sighs] So you know what that means. We just need to- Go back... have a excuse to get back to Philly.
• 0:27
  We're going back to Philly, y'all. [laughs] I think, I think we have... H- honestly, I've thought about this.
• 0:33
  If, if you don't know, this podcast started with us in Philly, you know, sitting around a table recording the beginnings of what was the Auto Collabs podcast. We went back another time and did that in person.
• 0:45
  We wanted in person to be a, a critical part of the show. Mm-hmm. I think we have one more in us, personally. I think we have one more. I think there's another Philly in us. I think we have one more Philly in us.
• 0:54
  That's fair. We could do a Philly. And then we should definitely do the Italian market, and we should film it. [laughs] We should film it. We should somehow try and do something in the Italian market.
• 1:04
  Uh, not a flash mob. I don't know why I was just picking up flash mob. [laughs] No. We should eat. Flash mobs and Philly haven't been friends in the last couple of years.
• 1:11
  [laughs] After you eat at the Italian market, you don't have the energy to, to do a flash- That's, that's the cruel trick. Everyone starts dancing. Blegh. [laughs] That's, that's where they get ya. Oh, my goodness.
• 1:24
  [laughs] My goodness. Well, you know, I feel like the, the eccentric start to this podcast episode matches our guest to a T. Period.
• 1:32
  Tom Ryan is one of the most brilliant and eccentric people in the auto industry, period, end of story. Um, he just has, like, a Seth Godin vibe to him. Absolutely. But he has- Yeah, where-...
• 1:45
  also all this automotive knowledge and all these automotive relationships that, that kind of sent me for a little bit of a twist. You know what's really interesting?
• 1:54
  Tom Ryan is, like, one of the most connected people in auto- Exactly... from what I understand. Yet I don't even know if he knows how to spell social media.
• 2:03
  It's incred- Like, it's one of those, it's one of those rare circuits where he just, like, he's gotten to know everyone over the years. You, you're like, "Tom, what, what are you up to?"
• 2:11
  "Oh, I just got, I just got out of dinner with the president of blop, blop, blop, blop, blop." Of the world. And I'm like, "Where, where at?" He goes, "Abu Dhabi." Yeah, I don't know. [laughs] Maybe not Abu Dhabi.
• 2:22
  But, but that would not surprise us. But it's always in the most interesting place with the most interesting people. Uh, never ceases to blow my mind. But he's so down to earth, even s- uh, it's...
• 2:30
  Uh, like, there's this... There's no disconnect between him and humanity and real conversations at all times. Wow. I don't know if we could say any more. [laughs] I hope you guys enjoy this conversation with Tom Ryan.
• 2:43
  [upbeat music] Tom, it is so good to sit here with you. I remember the very first time I saw you.
• 2:56
  We were in Sun Chevrolet, and Todd Caputo was switching over to Be a One Price store. And I walked in, and I was like, "Who brought, like, Seth Godin's cousin into- [laughs]... this room?"
• 3:11
  Because you did not look like the typical folks that I see when I walk into a dealership conference room, which is, like, the most boring space, right? It's like a Manila office that is functional only. Right.
• 3:21
  And I was like, "I need to pay attention to what this guy is saying." So, uh, it's good to be back with you in this. We've seen each other a few times since then, but, um, seeing you in this environment- Well, thank you.
• 3:31
  Yeah. It's awesome. I have a question. And I'm delighted. I have a question. Here we go. Was Tom Ryan al- Was he an early adopter of Lululemon pants at that point as well? Yeah. Um- Wow. [laughs] I did wear, I wore...
• 3:44
  Um, yeah, by then I was. Although we still, pre-pandemic, on professional settings, um, wore suits. Funny, my youngest daughter- [laughs] Remember... so she's been- Everybody, remember a time...
• 3:57
  out of high school for a long time now. She's 25 years old. And so in high school I had to go... So she would've been, this would've been seven, eight years ago. Nine years ago. Maybe more, or even 10.
• 4:08
  She made me go to Lululemon to get her stuff because she was playing volleyball.
• 4:12
  And at that point, I didn't really know they made men's clothes, and I happened to be standing around while she was getting stuff, and I thought, "I should try these on," or, "Go for this." [laughs] And now that's it.
• 4:25
  That's all. Oh, really? That's it. Oh, is that how it works? No, I've, I've never, I wouldn't have known that unless you said that because- Yeah...
• 4:30
  I only saw him in, in the suit, which was a really well-fitting suit, I might add. Yeah. So I, I bought- It's one of the first things I noticed... Edeea suits, which are wonderful Italian suits.
• 4:39
  The problem is I have a closet full of stuff now that I wear T-shirts most of the time. Right. [laughs] He's like, "I went full T-shirt, Lululemon pants." Yeah.
• 4:49
  They snap out when you pull them out of the- They are awesome... of the luggage. [laughs] Yeah. Aren't they awesome? I've never- Yeah. Do you know the story on how they got their name? No. No. But I'm so excited.
• 4:59
  I think we're about to find out. [laughs] We're about to find out. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 5:02
  So, um, it was a Canadian guy that founded, started making, um, yoga wear in the '70s, and, uh, they ended up, um, the Asian Chinese market knocked them off. And so they bootlegged all of it.
• 5:17
  And so he then kept that logo, which is now the Lululemon logo, made a new company, and picked a name with the most Ls that he could find because it is- Lu- Lu- Yemen. [laughs] Lululemon. [laughs] Right?
• 5:31
  It's, uh, um, it's the one thing they have trouble pronouncing. He's like, "I'll show them." [laughs] Yeah. Yeah, isn't that great? "I'll show them. They're gonna have some Lululemons around here." [laughs] Yeah. Yeah.
• 5:43
  No. That's so great. What- Yeah... that is- So what a funny, uh, funny thing. W- what a- I, I don't even know what to do with that... what a Canadian, if I've ever, if I've ever heard of one. Yeah. Okay, okay, okay.
• 5:53
  I, I really wish- I got my story... Cirillo was here right now to hear this. [laughs] The, yes. If Cirillo was here, uh, this would be next. Okay. So my story, maybe not, doesn't, maybe doesn't...
• 6:02
  But my story is like this. I didn't meet him in person. And first time, I'm on the drive from one store to another. Everybody in, in the, in the company is... We've got, like, probably six or seven people on the call.
• 6:15
  Um, you know, e- and everyone from COOs to CEOs, and it's like, "Hey, we're potentially moving to one price, one person, and there's this guy, Tom Ryan, and we've gotta have, you know, these six, seven, eight people on the call."I'm, I'm driving because it's kind of inconsequential at this point, and, you know, there's kind of this general introduction, and everyone gets to know each other for a second.
• 6:38
  Tom, Tom explains exactly what he does from a consulting perspective, and then, uh, the price comes out, right? And, and it was, it was probably one of the greatest moments ever.
• 6:48
  And, uh, and, and the price comes out because, you know, everybody asks price at the end of the call.
• 6:54
  And, uh, and then one of, one of the people on this, the side of the company and, uh, kind of goes, "Well, you know, Tom, we have, we have a few locations, so, you know, I'm, I'm sure there's a little bit of, like, figuring out we can do with that."
• 7:09
  And there's this, like, really pregnant pause that happens. [laughs] And I'm just... I'm like, I've... I feel like I'm in a car getting punked. I'm looking around like, "Oh, man, someone's gonna get me," right?
• 7:20
  [laughs] And Tom just, like, so elegantly, I don't know, I've never told you this, but I liter- I had to mute, I laughed so hard after he said this.
• 7:30
  But he goes, he goes, "Well, I do, um, I do convert one-price dealerships." Yeah. [laughs] It's just, it's just this like... It was just this moment. And from then on, everything- [laughs]...
• 7:44
  everything that Tom Ryan has said to me or, or- Oh... like, interacted, like, there's always...
• 7:51
  I always feel like there's a moment where there's just a pregnant pause where he just kinda, like, just kinda sets the tone for- Oh, there's nothing like-... what he's about to say.
• 7:59
  And I just appreciate that, that nature of yours. [laughs] That's awesome. There's nothing like a well-pr- placed pregnant pause. [laughs] Right. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Totally. Exactly.
• 8:08
  Tom, so, so take us back because you, you haven't always been, uh, you know, with Fuse or consulting dealers on one price, one person, and you've been in the industry for quite some time. Yeah.
• 8:18
  You know, I, I, I know a little bit of your history and your story, um, but take us back.
• 8:23
  Like, go all the way to the beginning because I think what's really interesting is that there's a through line for you that nothing has really changed except everything's changed at, uh, all at the same time. Yeah.
• 8:34
  Um, back to the beginning. I, I think you're right. Yeah, yeah. So I, um, um, my dad was, uh, part of the Walser Automotive Group, and, uh, my uncle founded it, so Paul and Andrew are my cousins.
• 8:48
  I started as a lot guy back in, like, in 1975 roughly. [coughs] And w- I was in high school, and then when I got out of school, I was...
• 9:00
  I moved in, um, with my cousin, Paul Walser, who was the, back then, the used car manager of the Ford store. So while I was in school, he said, "Well, why don't you sell cars?"
• 9:13
  So I started selling used cars at Walser Ford. Um, and over time, that led to becoming a finance manager, new car manager, used car manager, GSM, and then, uh, the GM of three of the stores.
• 9:31
  Um, I really, I kind of fell for... I don't know why. W- I really liked the whole training thing. At one point, they came to me and said, you know, "Would you consider, we wanna...
• 9:42
  We're thinking about building out a training department to do all of the stores." I think there were a dozen at that point. And I said, "Yeah, that's awesome. So let's build our own processes." We did that throughout.
• 9:55
  Then we converted to, uh, upfront pricing in 2000, and I was the director of training. And then, uh, throughout this, so at that time I'd been there, you know, 25 years.
• 10:09
  And I always, I joke about it, Kyle's heard me say it, I always, um, wondered whether I actually had any marketable skills- [laughs]... or I was simply related.
• 10:19
  [laughs] And so, uh, one day I went in and quit, and that was 2008. [laughs] You're like, "Let's figure this out." Right. Wow. Right in the middle of everything, he's like, "Oh, I'm out." [laughs] I did.
• 10:29
  Literally went in, and my sister Peggy was there. Uh, she's Paul's personal assistant. And I told her, I said, "Is Paul around?" And she said, "Yeah. What's up?" And I said, "I'm gonna resign."
• 10:40
  [coughs] She said, "Well, you-" And how's it with that P&L, right? [laughs] Yeah. She said, "Well, you wait till I leave the building." [laughs] And I said, "Sure." And so, uh, I did.
• 10:51
  And so I left, and I s- I went over and I did Maury's Buy Happy Promise, they called it, and at the same time, I did the Holler Automotive Group. They were my first two clients.
• 11:02
  So it was a combination of about 25 stores, and we were off to the races. And so, um, then- And just, and, and just to be clear, your clients as, uh, training them to also do, like, upfront pricing, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm.
• 11:17
  Yeah. And so there was a bit of a falling out between, uh, Paul and I 'cause we're... You know, I fixed him up with his wife. We've been really real- closer to him than my brother.
• 11:28
  And so I was talking [laughs] with a guy, uh, Austin O'Brien, who did our website and all that stuff, and he's a young guy. And he said, "Well, you know, how much contact do you have with your family?"
• 11:39
  And I said, "Really none." And I told him the story and he said, "Wow, that's really lame." And I'm like, "Oh, Jesus. Really?" And he's like- [laughs]... "Yeah, that's your family." And I'm like...
• 11:50
  So I called Paul one day and I said, "You know, it's been so long, I can't remember why I don't like you." And, um- [laughs] That's the opening line. He's like, "Let me remind you." He said, "Yeah." Right. [laughs] Yeah.
• 12:01
  I just can't remember. And he said, "Well, then we should have breakfast." So we had breakfast. We kind of hashed things out.
• 12:08
  Uh, spin the clock forward, uh, he then, we were working out one day, said, "Would you be willing to sell half of the Ryan Adams Group", at that time, "to Walser?" And I said... Mm.
• 12:20
  I thought about it and I thought, "Sure, why not?"
• 12:22
  And I didn't know at that time they had acquired the luxury collection in Wichita, and he was gonna be involved with NADA, and he just thought that was really the wave of the future.
• 12:35
  And so we partnered back up-Um, and then [laughs] another time at the gym, I asked him, I said- [laughs] Things happen at the gym... they do. We work out, you know, we try to get together.
• 12:46
  Wearing some Lululemon, just- Right. And I- Just a couple of guys in some Lululemon talking...
• 12:51
  yeah, I said to him, we were on elliptical machines, and I said, "You know, when would be a good time for you to make your cousin rich?" And he said- [laughs]... "Well, when do you wanna be rich?"
• 13:01
  [laughs] And I said, "I don't know, like 15 years ago." [laughs] And he said, "Why don't you buy into some of these stores?" That, uh, I had kind of hooked him up with Carl Schmidt to do the Hello Automotive Group.
• 13:14
  The Hello Group. Yeah, yeah. And I said, "I didn't know it was an option." And he said, "Sure. If you wanna, uh, buy in, you're welcome to." And I said, "Awesome. How, how do you pay for it?" He said, "I have no idea.
• 13:28
  I, the accountants do all that." [laughs] He said, "But I, I think you're gonna have to write a check" [laughs] So, um, so I did. And so I bought into, uh, the Hello Group, and that's been awesome.
• 13:41
  And throughout all of this, uh, Walsrode converted over to single point of contact, and they developed Fuse in about 2010, 2011, right in there. Fuse is, uh, finance under a secure environment software.
• 13:58
  It's built as a cash register. And every time I would have clients, like, um, Kyle's, uh, previous employer, they all [coughs]
• 14:08
  excuse me, come to Minneapolis to sort of see what this is, and they'd see Fuse and say, "This is awesome." So I had been working or trying to get my cousins to take Fuse to market for a number of years.
• 14:23
  And then the pandemic hit, and we were in talks with, um, an Israeli venture capital firm that Andrew, uh, was friends with. And these were some big, these were co-founders of Skype and Groupon and- Yeah...
• 14:39
  um, one is the chairman of Wix, the website company. You know, just a couple of things. Little experience in there. And they were... Yeah, they were huge money, and, and these guys were really interested.
• 14:50
  And so we decided to take Fuse to market. At that time, I guess we didn't know, right? We, we had no idea what we were doing. Um, Fuse wasn't perhaps robust enough at that time on the platform.
• 15:05
  It wa- It had to be switched over from Microsoft to AWS, built in a different... A- And so these, uh, Israeli development team, which there's 30 of them over there, are unbelievable.
• 15:19
  And so that was the beginning of Fuse. Then they, uh, asked if I wanted to be the VP of sales for Fuse. So I sold the Ryan Adams Group to Fuse, and here we are. There we are. There we are. My job hasn't changed.
• 15:33
  Okay, so, so here's, here's... Yeah, your job hasn't changed. You said something in there. You said, "We had no clue what we were doing."
• 15:40
  And when I, when I, like, listen back through your story, you know, it's like lot porter turned salesperson. Had no clue what I was doing, but figured it out. Yeah.
• 15:49
  First training thing, I'm sure there was a moment that you were like, "Have no clue what we're doing- [laughs] "... but we're gonna figure out," you know? Yeah.
• 15:56
  "Hey, w- I'm gonna, I'm gonna consult with dealerships to do something that we did at a, at a single place for eight years." Had no... You know, I- I've actually heard you say that.
• 16:05
  Like, well, when we started this, we had no clue what we were doing, so we built some- No... systems and processes to move people through a six-month timeline.
• 16:12
  And now currently it's like, had no clue what we were doing, but we're figuring out. And I think what I love about that is...
• 16:20
  I mean, y- you know, for the people that don't know Tom, there's, you know, you're not on social media big and loud- No... or anything like that. But if you go, "Hey, Tom, do you know someone at such and such and such?"
• 16:33
  The answer's probably something like, "Had dinner with him last week." [laughs] Right. Yeah. Nice. Normally, right? But- That's part of being old. Yeah. [laughs] But the, but, but the reality is is- Have a dinner...
• 16:43
  that's the automotive industry. Yeah. When I look at it, it's like, we didn't really know. Pandemic hit, we figured it out, right? And that's- Yeah, I think, and you and I had conversations, that, um,
• 16:56
  I never thought failure was an... It never dawned on me that it wouldn't work, right? It dawned on everybody in the world I... Funny story. So Kyle knows, um, Paul, you may not. So I've been sober 42 years.
• 17:09
  I've, I went to rehab in 1980. [laughs] And so we were walking around the lake, Paul and I, it was my 41st year of, or whatever, and he said, "You know, when you went into rehab, the over under was about 90 days."
• 17:24
  [laughs] "And I got the under." [laughs] And he said, "Now come to think of it, everyone did." [laughs] And, um, you know, uh, it never dawned on me to, that, to not. You know what I mean? Yeah.
• 17:36
  And so I, my whole life have looked at it and go, um, play up, if that makes sense. If you're, if you're- Mm... a tennis player, play tennis with great tennis players and you'll succeed.
• 17:47
  If you're a golfer, play golf with great golfers. Don't play with people you can beat. Uh- Yeah...
• 17:53
  do everything in life that, with people that challenge you and challenge the status quo to bring you up, not to bring you along. What's the other side of that?
• 18:05
  So, you know, you say, you know, play up, so you're constantly learning and gleaning from people who are better than you, trying to be around them so you can glean from them.
• 18:14
  How does that pass through you to, like- [clears throat]... the next person? I think you, um, and Kyle would tell you this, uh, simply 'cause I know, I've know- you know, I've been closer to him than Paul.
• 18:26
  Um, I think I'm an open book. I don't think I hide anything. I think if they have an answer, give them the answer. And I'm, I'll always help. I, and I, and I'm painfully direct.Um, well, right.
• 18:42
  [laughs] You weren't kidding. I mean... Yeah. And so- [laughs]... um, there's only, there's only one a- Th- this is, this is a normal conversation with, with Tom real quick. I'll just give you the, the basis of it.
• 18:52
  "Hey, Tom, I was thinking..." "Well, I'll tell you..." "Well, really? That's all it i- I mean, it, uh, it, that, the" Just, "I mean, that's what it is."
• 19:01
  And that's normally, like, by the end of the conversation, he's throwing his hands at you, shrugging his shoulders and being like, "What did you expect me to say?" [laughs] "J- the non-truth?"
• 19:11
  Yeah, so there's only one north, um, and it's easier to stick to that. Mm. Yeah.
• 19:18
  And I think that's why the world's in trouble a little bit today from a, not to get off, but from a news perspective, nobody un- nobody, nobody knows, right? You flip from one channel to the other.
• 19:28
  There can only be one baseline of north, and then we can all navigate the world. Today, we have two. Yeah. And that's- At least-... being, that's problematic, right? And so- At least two norths. Yeah.
• 19:39
  And so I think that that's... So I try to keep my north as consistent as I can. What, what is your north? I think, uh, transparency and honesty. A- and that doesn't mean I, you know, I'm like every other person that
• 19:56
  BS's my way through stuff. [laughs] But [coughs] in front of a group, we have a standard, uh, people, the, all of us that are influencing this to
• 20:10
  do our best, 'cause we're, you know, I'm an expert on yesterday, not tomorrow. [laughs] And so we're all trying to figure out what tomorrow looks like. And so you do it based on your best estimates and gusts.
• 20:24
  You know, I had this conversation with, um, somebody very recently. This week, a dealer was visiting Walser, and they a- uh, asked the question, I got this... I was talking to Sherry Schultz. She worked.
• 20:35
  She's the head HR person. And in conversation, it dawned on me that, 'cause she had said that, she said, "Look, our salespeople are actually [coughs] customers for the first year." And I went, "Holy crap."
• 20:53
  Shoot. That's why they sell so many- Ah... 'cause they don't, they're not trained like salespeople. Haven't been ruined yet, right? Yeah. And so that's what's attractive to them from customers is
• 21:07
  their thought process is the same. Mm. And I think that's what customers in our world really want, is they want information, they want facts, and they want answers, and they'll,
• 21:21
  th- given that, they'll conclude the right things. And so this, the pandemic has not been good for dealers. It's been awesome for all of us financially, but it's been terrible for our industry, right? They have gouged.
• 21:34
  They have, they've done everything wrong to customers we can. And high, uh, demand, low availability is the worst thing for a sales process in the world, right? Mm. 'Cause it's a take it or leave it.
• 21:48
  You don't want it, someone else will. And on top of that, everything we've known about selling cars is under scrutiny, meaning w- we were all taught you had to drive with them, right?
• 22:00
  We were all taught you had to sit down and do a needs analysis. But they, we were also all taught they, y- if they don't drive one, they can't buy one. Right. Well, no one's driven one in the last year- Yeah...
• 22:11
  and we've sold more than we've ever sold. Gone. And for more money. And so I think it's, there's a... You know, you have to be open to the idea that it's not the way we did it. It's how they want to.
• 22:25
  Well- And so I think that I like change- Mm... 'cause it, I, I'm able to distance myself between people that won't change and what the future looks like. I, I love that.
• 22:38
  Like, some people, there, there's kind of a continuum, right? Fuse pen. What's that? Fuse pen. Yeah. It's a fuse pen. It's a, it's a Lamy. It's a g- Yeah, they're awesome... it's an, it's an incredible pen.
• 22:49
  [laughs] And it writes perfectly, and I write with it every day. Does it say fuse on it somewhere? Or do you just- Both... recognize it? The thing- You know what's really funny? I'll get, I'll mail it to you both.
• 22:56
  He handed it to me in a box- Thank you... that has fuse on it, but this one actually didn't say fuse on it. Oh. But I know it's a fuse pen because it's Lamy. And everybody- So-...
• 23:02
  and everybody watching this podcast knows it's a fuse pen now. [laughs] There you go. There you go. But there's a continuum on change. It's like o- over here you've got, "I hate change."
• 23:12
  Then you got, I, then you have, "I don't really like change." Then it's, "I, I'll accept change." Then it's, "I'm okay with change."
• 23:19
  And then over here, which is what I, m- what I l- heard you say just now, which was, "I love change." Yeah. And that's an aggressive position to take in, in a w- in, in a place where comfortability is comfortable.
• 23:34
  But if you love, if you, uh, actually admire and pursue change, then, like, the result of that is change becomes a m- a matrix that you're constantly able to just drop into, right?
• 23:46
  I think you're, I'm either s- dumb or, uh, I'm not sure, because I don't have any fear of it. I have a fair amount of confidence when I... I'm actually very conservative. I think some people see me as a risk, risk-taker.
• 24:00
  I'm not. Uh, they're very calculated, but I'm willing to go there m- because I believe [coughs] in my heart that that's the right direction.
• 24:11
  And when you believe, you have conviction, and I think that's appealing to people, right? Um, I find, uh, what we do religion, as it were. I think it is the right... I think it's the way customers wanna buy. I do. Mm.
• 24:27
  And so that's easy for me to stand up and, and talk about it. Well, and, uh, in that thread, you love change. You see what's going on over the last three years in the industry and where we are right now.
• 24:43
  You have kind of a front seat as for where we're going because of the things you're involved with.What are you most excited about for the, on the industry's behalf?
• 24:53
  'Cause, right, 'cause there's a lot of challenges coming up and, you know, not... Inventory aside, right, we have this FTC stuff. We have, you know- Yeah...
• 25:00
  new entrants in and, and dis- you know, quote, unquote, "disruptors," whatever we wanna call them. Like, you see all that and you have a front row seat to that.
• 25:06
  What are you most excited for for franchise retail auto over the next 24 months? That customers get to buy a car the way they want. No, but that's- And that's-... why you're excited for customers.
• 25:19
  Why ex- Well, I'm excited because that's gonna force change on our industry in a good way. It's gonna take us out of...
• 25:26
  I mean, there's a reason why, and, and you've, I'm sure, heard, you know, Lexus did the study which was the top rated occupation was a firefighter, 100%. 9% automotive came in at.
• 25:39
  Um, Perfect Strangers, if there's a punchline, came in at 54. [laughs] Um, that's a pretty telling thing, right? And so, um, I don't see that when I look at you, Paul, or you, Kyle.
• 25:53
  I see friends, and I see people that if customers met us, they would trust us to do business with us. There's no other industry. There's no, no True Jewelry, True Mattress.
• 26:06
  There's only TrueCar, and that's a third party getting involved because of a lack of trust. That's my fault, not the customer's fault. Mm-hmm.
• 26:14
  If we did a better job, those industries or that, those businesses wouldn't be necessary. And so I, I'm excited that the industry will change, or those that won't may not make it.
• 26:30
  Because there's so much pressure against the agency model, right, that the electrics are, and certainly, you know, Ford has been pushing that, uh, direct kind of thing.
• 26:42
  And the only reason they're doing that is because we're not willing today, collectively as a dealer body, to do it the way customers wanna do it. Man. Well, I'll tell you what.
• 26:55
  If you, if you just met Tom Ryan for the first time, I'm guessing you've leaned in just a little bit, and we're excited that you're gonna be with us at ASOTU CON.
• 27:04
  I'm guessing people are gonna be finding you at a lunch table- Oh, yeah. He'll be awesome... somewhere near them. Uh, I will be right next to him, hip by hip, because Tom's such a good friend.
• 27:13
  Um, Tom, thank you so much for joining us on the Auto Collabs podcast, and, uh, we can't wait to see you soon. Awesome. I can't wait.
• 27:22
  [upbeat music] You know, when Tom Ryan talks about believing and having conviction and moving, and that he's not actually a risk-taker, he's actually just conv- has conviction the direction he goes, it all of a sudden clears up for me why his personality is so dang magnetic,
• 27:41
  right? Yeah. He just draws you right in, and you're like, "I wanna pay attention to this guy. I wanna have a conversation with him.
• 27:45
  I wanna, like, kind of already agree that whatever direction he's going in is the right one." My, my favorite thing, like, every conversation that I have with him is so matter-of-fact.
• 27:56
  [laughs] And even in this conversation, it's just, "Nope, that's, it's just the way it is. That's the way I feel, right now at least," you know? Or, "This is, I've had the experience. Just trust me," you know?
• 28:08
  There's no... There's almost not even, there's not this, like, place where he feels like he has to persuade you or push you to something.
• 28:17
  It's just so matter-of-fact to him that you can either come on board and, and move forward or not. Aren't- And that's okay either way... isn't- It's like, "Oh, you don't want to? That's okay."
• 28:27
  But- That's the most persuasive people. If you think about it- Yes, exactly... like, that's exactly how they operate. They're never actually asking you to do anything.
• 28:35
  They're actually compelling you through their words and their body language and their confidence and conviction that, like, I, you know, I wanna walk in that direction too. Well, and here's the other thing.
• 28:44
  When you get a guy that collects books that are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, well, I don't know about hundreds of thousands, but- A lot of thousands...
• 28:51
  tens of thousands of dollars, and he knows everything about them, as well as stories like the Lululemon story, you all of a sudden have some confidence that this guy knows enough about enough things- Knows a thing about a thing...
• 29:04
  to have a, an expert opinion here, you know? The other word that comes to my mind, we've said commitment, conviction, courage. There's a lot of vulnerability in this episode, opening up about his story.
• 29:15
  There's sobri- he's talking about sobriety. These are not typically things we talk about in the automotive industry in, out in the public. Mm.
• 29:22
  And it takes a great deal of courage, I think, to have enough self-awareness to know what y- what you're like, what your mode of operation is, and to proactively kind of almost go against it.
• 29:36
  Like, create intentional friction against yourself to go and do the big thing, because I think the world that we live in today, we s- you know, en masse, we spend more time talking ourselves out of doing something that we want to do for fear of whatever.
• 29:51
  And so that conviction, that ability to be vulnerable and do the thing regardless requires a great amount of courage, and that, therein lies the differentiator, you know what I mean?
• 30:00
  Like, and, and that's something that I just pick up on, and I think it's worth noting for those that are listening.
• 30:05
  That's what's brilliant to me about ASOTU and this mission and Auto Collabs and having these types of conversations. This is how we elevate this industry, is by saying, like, "Hey, guess what?
• 30:16
  We're all, we are not automotive. We are people that work in automotive, and as people, we have these things."
• 30:22
  And you can be as courageous as Tom, and you can go and do the things that you wanna do with as much conviction. Sheesh. That's a way to- Whoo. That's a way to wrap it up. You just came with that.
• 30:32
  That's a way to wrap it up. Why don't you close us out, Michael? Good man. Um, well- I don't have anything else to put on that.
• 30:36
  [laughs] On that note, on behalf of myself, Michael Cirillo, Paul, Jake Daly, and Kyle Mountsier, thanks for joining us on Auto Collabs.
• 30:44
  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.
• 30:57
  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.
• 31:04
  [upbeat music] Welcome to Auto Collabs. [laughs] Welcome to Auto Collabs. [laughs] Why are we recording?
• 31:21
  Are we rolling yet? Not yet.