Latest / Auto Collabs / Eating Your Own Dog Food with Lindsay Ciavattone

Transcript

Eating Your Own Dog Food with Lindsay Ciavattone · Auto Collabs

• 0:00
  So I have a confession. [upbeat music] This is Auto Collabs.
• 0:09
  And the confession is, and I think the two of you will get this- I, I, I- Is this really the place- I, I have to, I have to pick a bone, because I feel like Auto Collabs has become- Michael's confessional...
• 0:18
  uh, Michael Cirillo Confessional. I'm gonna get like the- [laughs]... the confessional thing, and I put the priest collar on. Be like, "Go ahead, my son." Oh. Right. Go ahead, guys.
• 0:26
  Uh, my confession, I think you guys will understand this one. Not totally out of left field. Mm. 'Cause I know you're both sound engineers. I know both music production, like I, I have...
• 0:36
  You know, we're all sound engineers here. Okay, okay. What? I sing people's names to remember them. I don't think it has anything to do with sound engineer. Yeah, because it's like- I, yeah. I don't know...
• 0:50
  Lindsay Silvitone. [beatboxes] Lindsay Silvitone. [beatboxes] Right? And that's- You do. Who we're talking to today.
• 0:54
  You need like a bass drum after that The only way I'm gonna remember her name is to hit that bass line on Silvitone. [beatboxes] Yeah. That's, I get it. I feel that. The bass that you pick out, that's my confessional.
• 1:03
  It's like, that's like a Jim quick trick. You know? That is kind of like a Jim trick. Yeah, like your name, Kyle, is like a, like an AT&T, like, you know, like a little... [sings] Kyle Mounseer, ba, ba, ba. That's fair.
• 1:17
  Yeah. Yeah. I, I'll take it. Well, I mean, Jim Quick- Can you record that for my LinkedIn audio thing? [laughs] [sings] Kyle Mounseer. It's gonna be- [sings] Welcome to the Auto Collabs.
• 1:25
  I see a freeze frame at the end of that. Dun, dun, dun. [laughs] Right, like breaking through a wall? Yes. You need to make that as ringtone. That's perfect. That's perfect. This is, this is sad. I'll work on it.
• 1:33
  Why do people even listen to this show? [laughs] Well, here's the thing. Speaking of LinkedIn- [laughs]...
• 1:35
  we definitely, we scoured the LinkedIn of Lindsay, because I can't wait to ask her some of the k- some of the questions about her history in auto.
• 1:43
  Um, you know, we've gotten to know her a little bit over the years, but it's always great to, to see new faces around the ASOTU verse. So, uh, we hope you enjoy this conversation with Lindsay. Lindsay Silvitone.
• 1:54
  Silvitone. It's, I got it now. I got it. [upbeat music] Hey, Lindsay. Thank you so much for joining us today. We're excited for the conversation. Awesome. I am too. Thanks for having me.
• 2:06
  Hey, rumor has it that you may or may not have actually sold cars before. That rumor is true. It is. I mean, anyone's talking about that rumor, I'm not that impressive. Dude, oh, we've heard it all over.
• 2:18
  It was at ASOTU Con. All over. There was a Reddit thread about it. Dude, at the convenience store- It got upvoted... this morning was talking about it. [laughs] He heard you were gonna be on the show.
• 2:28
  Well, when you find out what it was... Yeah, when you find out what it was, maybe this will turn into a little bit of a topic of conversation. [laughs] But I'll set the stage for you. Okay.
• 2:34
  So this was a Western Massachusetts Pontiac automobile dealer. So, you know, really aging myself here. [laughs] Wow. Yeah. Lots of linoleum. [laughs] And you know those, like, black, shiny metal chairs. Brass everywhere.
• 2:50
  Yeah. Right. I can smell it too. Yeah. I actually can smell it. Oh, you can smell it? For sure. Yeah. So we had a... Felt cloth seats... do you remember... Oh my gosh. You know- Do you remember the Pontiac Aztek? Yes.
• 3:01
  Oh, yes. So- Why did, why do we keep making cars that look anything similar to that, by the way? I don't think we do. That was a pretty unique one. Well, it looks like the Aztek.
• 3:10
  So I remember, so I remember being in the dealership, and we had the concept car poster on the wall. And I was like, "That's pretty cool." And I mean, I'm 17. I know nothing, right? [laughs] Like, this is...
• 3:21
  I, I started at that dealership to, like, make phone calls to people. And I was like, "Oh, that's kind of a cool car." Car shows up on the lot, and I'm like, "What the hell happened?" [laughs] What happened?
• 3:32
  Like, the, from concept on the poster- Who did this?... to real life. Who did it? So we had, we had a couple in our loaner fleet, um, which our loaner fleet was probably, like, four cars, you know?
• 3:42
  And so I sold the cherry red Pontiac Aztek with 20,000 miles on it- Gosh... our loaner fleet. That was a very exciting moment for me. So it was, uh, yeah, it was a good time. It- Whenever I th- whenever I think of...
• 3:57
  So you sold that car. How long were you selling cars? I mean, I've sold cars for years. Do you tell people about this? But that was the first real car- I feel like you don't tell enough people about this.
• 4:05
  I, and I have this thing, whenever we have a guest on the show who is, um- Maybe she does. You don't know her whole history. Did somebody just say Pontiac Aztek? That- [laughs] You need a rumor story already...
• 4:17
  that was a beckoning call for me to come in here.
• 4:18
  [laughs] And so I have this thing where when industry partners have sold cars and they don't talk about it enough, I get upset, because I feel like that is the most relevant point of connection you can have with any dealer.
• 4:31
  It's like, "Oh," 'cause once you sold a car... 'Cause I never sold cars. I helped service cars. I worked in the back. But, like, there's a thing.
• 4:38
  Kyle's like, "I sold cars," and they just kind of look at him a little differently than they look at you. Yeah. Lindsay's like, "It's actually how I start every call. You're just angry." Yeah. No, I don't think she does.
• 4:46
  [laughs] And whenever I think about- I don't think she probably do... an Aztek with, of that red color, all I think of is the hood of a Pontiac with no clear coat on it anymore. I don't know why. That's right.
• 4:55
  [laughs] Right. And somebody is still out there hosing out the back. Like, there's one out there, someone's, like, hosing out the back- Check this out... getting it for the weekend. Like, it's happened. What a hoser.
• 5:05
  [laughs] Oh, there's the Canadian showing up. Wow. You got your green card now. Leave us alone. Oh, yeah. Right. Right, right. [laughs] Well, it's funny, though. I do try to tell people about this, and I always feel...
• 5:15
  You know, it's one of those things, like, I don't know that I'm the best, like, promoter of myself. Um, so my team members often will, like, jump in and be like, "Did you know Lindsay used to do this?"
• 5:24
  And, uh, so yeah, I think it's, it is a great connection point. Like, it is- Well, but there's a fine balance, and I, I get it. Because now that I'm, like, two years removed- I think-...
• 5:34
  from being in a dealership, you, like... There's, there's an element of, like, once been in a dealership. It's like training wheels kind of thing. You've always kind of been there. But the market moves so fast.
• 5:45
  And the further you get from it, like, you almost feel this, like, apologetic, like, "I don't wanna tell them that I used to work for a dealership, like I know what I'm talking about.
• 5:53
  There's some elements that I do and some that I don't." You do get that, like, kind of like- Yeah, no-... fine balance of- Absolutely.
• 5:59
  I mean, we'll be having conversations and I'm like, "Yeah, it's been a minute since I wholesaled a car myself," right? Like, but-Fundamentally I can, you know, there's that shared experience.
• 6:09
  Um, but that's very, very true. Like, I'll tell people, like, "Hey, I know this," but also we've been moving at, like, light speed over the last three, four years. And so, you know, some of that can be outdated.
• 6:23
  Um, which is why we're doing some of the work we're doing here. Yeah. And you, I mean, your trajectory, you were on a fairly quick path to, uh, executive leadership in a dealership.
• 6:34
  What, what do you think contributed to that, that path to success? Um, kind of a funny... This is a little bit of a story, very quickly, though. One of my general managers- That's a perfect spot for a story. Yeah. Yeah.
• 6:46
  So I was at, uh, I was at a Mercedes-Benz store. And at the time I was in F&I, and the manager just, like, randomly, I'm standing at the desk or whatever, he's like, "Why are you so motivated?"
• 6:57
  And I thought that was, like, the weirdest question. [laughs] And I, and I was like, "Well," I was like, "I'm not independently wealthy." [laughs] Like, I- [laughs]
• 7:07
  And, and I said to him, I was like, "Listen, I'm not independently wealthy. Like, I don't have the luxury of, like, not working or, like, you know, doing a passion project job."
• 7:16
  Um, and I said, "But here's the thing, like, I'm not gonna waste my own time when I'm at work," right? It's like- Mm... why should I show up and put anything less than the most I have that day into whatever we're doing?
• 7:30
  Because it's like I'm wasting my own time. And I tell that to people all the time, like, be selfish. Like, think about yourself, like, what are you doing for you right now in a good way, right?
• 7:40
  Like, how are you getting something out of this? It's like- So what do you mean? Like, so what do you get? Like, just keep unpacking that one, right?
• 7:46
  When you're working hard with motivation, with intention, what are you giving to yourself?
• 7:52
  I think that's just knowing, like, when I put my head down on the pillow at night, like, I did the best that I could that day, right?
• 7:58
  And it's, it's values alignment of, like, if I'm gonna show up, I'm gonna be all in, right? This is the kind of person I am. You're reminding yourself that that's the kind of person you are.
• 8:08
  I bet you learned a little bit more, too. I learned a ton. [laughs] I mean, the other thing, too, though, to that point, like, let's, let's be very real here.
• 8:16
  I had some excellent, excellent mentors through my time at the dealership, right?
• 8:22
  I got really lucky and I had a few people early on, like, take me under the wing, show me how to do and operate in this business successfully. Um, I- without that, I would not have gone as far as I did. Um, 100%.
• 8:37
  Like, I did not do this by myself in a vacuum without a very strong team of people around me. Man, I think we can end the podcast right there.
• 8:47
  So, yeah, I know, I'm like- I feel like we've got more substance out of the first seven minutes... nine one-liners and we're six minutes in. I know it. Cirillo's just got his mind blown.
• 8:54
  He just came in thinking we were talking about us Aztecs- [laughs]... and all, all of a sudden, you know, we're... Cirillo's like, "Yep, we're good. Can't even say a word." Okay.
• 9:02
  So this is, this is a question because I, I asked... I get asked this question a lot, too. But when you spend so much time on the retail side and there's an- a, there's a particular energy.
• 9:13
  Yes, there might be long hours, but also the growth trajectory. What was... Like, what, was there a guiding reason in your life that said, "Hey, this is, this is my time to leave the retail side"? Uh, 100% yes.
• 9:25
  So I will tell you, there was a day I was sitting at my desk, I was at Porsche, like, the dream job, right? Like, I'm a GM at Porsche. I have an awesome team. Everything's wonderful.
• 9:38
  And I sat at that desk and I thought to myself, "Oh my gosh, my son is starting school in the fall and I cannot keep him home on Thursday anymore." Mm. 'Cause we had Thursday. I had Thursday, Sunday off, right?
• 9:53
  So Thursday was, like, my day with him, and then I saw him on Sunday. And then I realized he's actually gonna be in school. I have to send him to school, and I'm gonna see him one day a week. Mm-hmm. Mm. Right?
• 10:05
  And you know, you- dealership hours, right? It's like early morning sometimes, very late nights. Like, so that to me, I was just like, holy crap. Like, that's not something that I'm willing to do.
• 10:16
  And so that was really the, the tipping point to start looking and figuring out- That's a good reason. That's a great reason. [laughs] I'll take that. [laughs] And, yeah, it g- I mean- Yeah...
• 10:25
  it's, you know, and I think, I, I hope, and I wish this for many people, that at some point
• 10:33
  we can figure out whether it's, like, hiring people in pairs or putting them on, like, teams where we can better balance out that, you know, dealership, like, working hard, getting the job done with also making sure that you can, you know- It's, it's-...
• 10:49
  take care of family... so tough because it is, it's like, it is retail, right? But when... I, like, people say that to me all the time. Like, "But it's retail. You're in a retail environment."
• 11:00
  Yet the people that are in auto making the money that, uh, people are making in auto, especially at an executive level, like, nobody else in retail anywhere. Like, go find a retail spot at the mall- No...
• 11:14
  that's- Where a general manager makes more than $90,000... where a general manager's making- No chance. Right. Yeah. Yeah.
• 11:19
  And so the only people that are making that type of money in the world are working typically at least Monday through Friday. They might be wor- make- working long hours, but they're working that.
• 11:29
  So it, it's, it, it is, because you see so many people kind of like get to this level, and then their family grows and it's like, can't do it anymore. So I, I do... I think, I think that, not for everybody.
• 11:42
  There are some people that that's a, that's a trajectory that they'll take and they'll love it and it, and it works for their family.
• 11:47
  But I do hope that there are dealerships and dealership groups out there at least attempting to solve that for executive leadership. And I love... Actually, we were at, um... Do you know the West Herr Group? Yes. Yep.
• 12:01
  So the West Herr Group is working on this with, um, uh, their frontline employees, uh, especially, like, salespeople.
• 12:08
  They are h- they're, they're giving them this, like, pair-up thing where they both work three days a week. That's awesome. But it's basically like they hire one person.Exactly. Mm. Yep. Which is wild to me, you know?
• 12:20
  And these people are all making great money because they basically sell, like, between the two, 35 to 40 cars a month because there's no, like, there's no fight. It's just we're working on this together. Yeah.
• 12:30
  Split deals, there's nothing, there is nothing I hated more- We split everything... in life was split deals. I was just... It was the worst. Well, because you had the- Right... ethic you had.
• 12:39
  So everybody wanted you on their split deal. Yeah, right. But you didn't wanna be on anybody else's split deal, right? [laughs] Well, and I mean, when I was managing the sales team, like- Oh. Oh...
• 12:47
  bringing- Oh, that's... Oh, it's the worst. [laughs] To pair the, the two, right? Yeah. That, that was, yeah, pretty bad. But- You know what I like, though? What- Yeah.
• 12:53
  And you think about that, like, why couldn't we have managers- Yeah... that operate in the same, you know- Yeah. 100%.
• 13:00
  I mean, on the flip side, guys, retail automotive might be the only retail industry in which general managers can wear something other than khaki cargo pants- [laughs]... tube socks, and sandals.
• 13:14
  Like, we're- This is fair... well-dressed. But I- This is fair. This is fair...
• 13:17
  I, I was gonna say, though, you know, to the point you were making about family, um, one of the things I love about automotive is, is what you've just shared kind of actually contrasts the, you know, this, this
• 13:31
  adopted hustle, grind till you die, till your eyes bleed narrative that's out there that we see all the time on social, which is actually retail automotive, there, there's space for everyone, for all different- Mm...
• 13:44
  definitions of success. You're, you're saying, "Hey, family's important to me. I'm gonna find it.
• 13:49
  Now there is a trajectory that I can follow to pay attention to the things that I've deemed are most important to me" And that you're doing it well is just, I think, a, a huge show to the world, like, hey, there's space here.
• 14:03
  You can architect your own growth, and you can achieve whatever desired outcome you want to achieve. So I think, I think that's a special kind of underscore to, to what you just said. Yeah. That's a great point.
• 14:16
  I, I would say, too, though, the... So the barrier to entry in a dealership is, would you say, fairly low, right? Like, we- Yeah. Cargo pants and tube socks... we're helpful. We're ready to train people. We, we jump in.
• 14:29
  Um, but for the surrounding parts of the industry, much more difficult. Um, and I think- Mm... overall, like, hiring practices are evolving and those things are becoming better.
• 14:42
  But for somebody like myself, I'll just be very transparent, I don't have a college degree. I didn't have that opportunity. It did not work out for me. I also have ADHD, which I didn't know until, like, three years ago.
• 14:54
  So I spent the majority of my life- [laughs]... it was just, like, a complete pile of crap. Explains so much. Right?
• 14:59
  And so for somebody like me to say, "Hey, I wanna go outside of the dealership and I wanna, you know, branch out a little bit. I wanna go to some other place," like, a little bit more difficult. Um, but I agree.
• 15:12
  I mean, you can... This industry is so exciting. It is so much fun, and there is definitely a place for everybody, and it's just figuring out how to put all the pieces together. That's great.
• 15:24
  Now I have to get to this because I would be remiss. Now you're obviously with CarGurus. You've been, you know, you've had some time with Ally and now with CarGurus.
• 15:32
  But, uh, o- one thing that always strikes me is when you start to get into, like, what a company actually does and get to know the people in it, it's, um, a, typically a lot more expansive than just the, like, general knowledge thought.
• 15:44
  Like CarGurus, third party listing site, right? Now, the people that know CarGurus might know that there's, like, ads capacities and, and a lot more going on, like, behind the scenes or the ability.
• 15:56
  But I wanna zero in on one thing, because you said something that I stopped you m- basically mid-sentence right before we got on the podcast about where maybe one or more of your employees actually work. Yeah.
• 16:11
  Tell me about that. So I'll give you a little, like, I'll, I'll set the stage. Give me the backstory- I'll give you a very quick backstory... and then, and then jump in. Yeah. So w- our...
• 16:18
  I'm on the commercialization team. It's a long, stupid name, but anyways. So we're, we're on the commercial side of the business. We f- primarily focus on digital retail and wholesale parts of CarGurus.
• 16:30
  Very exciting place to be. Um, feeling very, like, like, we, on this side, kind of operate in more startup mode than, like, our listings and core business does. Um- Mm...
• 16:40
  and so when my boss was hired, um, which was a few years ago, you know, he came over from many years of experience at Amazon and, and immediately said, like, "We need dealership subject matter experts.
• 16:54
  Like, we need to get these people in here to help us build what we're building." And so one of the first roles that he hired for, um, was mine, and lucky enough, I was able to, to get in on the ground level.
• 17:08
  Um, and when I built out my team, my, like, no, you know, I would not, um, concede to this at all. The requirement was that whoever I hired had to have worked in retail automotive, like, hands down.
• 17:25
  The majority of our organization, of course, that is not the case. Like, we do have people here and there that have come out of that environment. Mm-hmm.
• 17:32
  Um, but my team is comprised completely of people who've come out of retail automotive. Wow. And we're doing some super exciting things, um, and actually partnering very deeply with a few dealers where they are 20...
• 17:45
  You know, like, all week they're sitting in a dealership working with the dealer to achieve the goals, um, that they've set out. And so we're, we're learning a ton.
• 17:56
  Like, we are hungry for insights and learnings so that we can drive better product, we can drive better enhancements, we can be more connected to our dealers than ever before.
• 18:06
  And so that's, that's what I'm running with right now. There's a word that we like to use around here called collaboration, and that's what that sounds like to me. Yeah. Sounds like a little collaboration.
• 18:18
  Sounds like a little troublemaking. All of it. Yeah. Little bit. Little bit. Lot. [laughs] All of it.How many of those people do you have across the country? I have four. I have four right now.
• 18:26
  Um, we're, we're in, uh, we're in planning stages for next year, so that could change. But it's, it's something that has been extremely rewarding, and we've built some s- really amazing relationships, um, by doing that.
• 18:41
  What kind of learning... Okay, give us, like, one or two learnings that have come from having people planted at dealerships- Yeah... full-time. Yeah. So here's a good one.
• 18:50
  We always, we talk about here, like, let's eat our own dog food, right? Which is like, let's figure out, like, maybe how things aren't working the way we expect.
• 18:59
  And so one of those things is the way our leads show up in the CRM. Now, we know dealers are using, like, a whole spectrum of CRM systems.
• 19:08
  Um, and so there are times, because they're all so customizable, where our leads are not displaying the way that we would want them to, to delineate, like, where this customer came from or what type of lead it is.
• 19:21
  Um, and so something that we're working on really right now, we literally had a conversation this morning about it.
• 19:27
  Um, and so lots of work being done to figure out how we can optimize that for the dealer so they don't have to do anything extra. And then we're making sure that, you know, information is getting across the line.
• 19:37
  Um, so that's one example. Which- That's huge... super important. Yeah. If you've ever been in a BDC- [laughs] Or read a lead- Yeah...
• 19:45
  you know that there are some leads that you're like, "Can't wait to get that one," and other leads where you're like, "[sighs] Gonna have to fish everything out of this." Yeah. Yeah. You know? 100%. Oh, man.
• 19:55
  Lindsay, I, we, this is, like, the, the roll to the end, but I, there's, like, I'm, I can see in, in Paul and Michael's faces over there, they're like, "You cut me off," but I'm gonna cut 'em off because- [laughs]...
• 20:06
  we're gonna allow people to connect with you.
• 20:08
  Um, but, uh, this has been an absolute great conversation from the one-liners of, of leadership and motivation that you had at the beginning, to the cool stuff that you're doing with CarGurus.
• 20:19
  And, uh, can't wait to continue connecting and, and, and see what comes out of this really cool, uh, team that you have. So thanks for joining us here on Auto Collapse. Awesome. Thanks for having me.
• 20:31
  [upbeat music] Can I just say, I really like her. She is awesome. Yeah. She's a wonderful boss. I've never met her. I've never, like, had a conversation with her before, but she's awesome. She's one of our people. Easy.
• 20:43
  This is that time where you, you know, and this is why I love Auto Collapse so much.
• 20:49
  Because you've got small companies, big companies, small dealerships, big dealerships, people all over the country that you either think you have nailed or you've met someone and it gives you a perception of a company or of an organization.
• 21:04
  And then, like, you, you open up this sliver, right?
• 21:08
  Because CarGurus, and I think everybody at CarGurus would, would, would notice that, like, there's a s- there's kind of a split audience on, on the perception of these big brands like that, and that probably comes with any br- brand.
• 21:19
  But then you, like, open up this sliver and you're like, you just get a peek in. And you've got Lindsay and her director, her boss, enabling this brand-new team that works out of dealerships- So cool...
• 21:32
  to collaborate and solve the real problems that they're dealing with every day. Not the, not from the perspective of tech, but from the perspective of activity. That's next level. Total next level. That's next level.
• 21:42
  Yeah. I mean, like, our industry is a Russian nesting doll of perceptions, you know? Like, look at what we're- Yeah... doing with more than cars. It's like, let's open that up.
• 21:51
  The perception that the public has of dealer, probably not accurate. Perception that dealers sometimes have is of, quote-unquote, "vendor" or "service provider," like you said.
• 22:00
  Once you, like, slice it open a little bit and look inside, you're like, "Oh, dang." Like, there's a lot going on. Yeah. Yeah. This young lady sold Aztecas, and then, uh- Aztecs Or Aztecs.
• 22:10
  [laughs] Azteca's the Mexican place down the street. Ooh. That's the Mexican place. We're getting close to lunchtime. I'm hungry. Yeah. [laughs] We are getting close to lunchtime.
• 22:15
  It was the Nacho Libre reference of Russian nesting dolls. [laughs] But yeah, you, and then, and then was a general manager of a Porsche dealership. Like, sh- she knows what's up. For AutoNation, right? For Penske.
• 22:28
  Penske. Oh, yeah. I don't know if this is the right place to close this thing down, but the, one of the notes I took today was, does anyone say Porsche still anymore? [laughs] And now I know one person.
• 22:38
  And it's Kyle Mountsier. Porsche. Well, on that note- Sorry. Sorry... on behalf of Kyle Mountsier, Michael Cerillo, and myself, thank you so much for listening to Auto Collapse.
• 22:50
  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.
• 23:03
  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.
• 23:09
  [upbeat music] Welcome to Auto Collapse. Welcome to Auto Collapse. [laughs] Why are we recording?
• 23:26
  Are we rolling yet? Not yet.