Latest / CBT Live / Hyundai CEO's China Warning, NJ Allows Off-Site Service, Toyota's David Christ (09.18.26)

Transcript

Hyundai CEO's China Warning, NJ Allows Off-Site Service, Toyota's David Christ (09.18.26) · CBT Live

0:24
SPEAKER_03: Hey everyone, and welcome into another edition of CBT Live, right here at the CBT Automotive Network.
0:30
SPEAKER_03: Today's Friday, September 18th.
0:32
SPEAKER_03: I'm very glad it's Friday, by the way.
0:34
SPEAKER_03: I'm Jim Fitzpatrick.
0:35
SPEAKER_03: I'm joined by my lovely partner here, Bridget Fitzpatrick.
0:38
SPEAKER_04: Hello, everyone.
0:39
SPEAKER_04: Welcome to the show.
0:40
SPEAKER_03: Yep, it's uh gonna be a great show.
0:42
SPEAKER_04: It is going to be a great show.
0:43
SPEAKER_04: Coming up, we have Michael and Seffie Lucky, co-owners of Lucky Mazda of Woodbridge, and then we'll be joined by Seth Dobbs with Fox Rothschild Law Firm to talk about the recent FAQs put out by the FTC regarding pricing transparency.
0:57
SPEAKER_04: That's right.
0:58
SPEAKER_04: But before that we get to that, we have a few things we need to talk about.
1:01
SPEAKER_04: First of all, do you know what tomorrow is?
1:04
SPEAKER_03: Saturday.
1:06
SPEAKER_04: Well, it is 18 years ago.
1:09
SPEAKER_04: Tomorrow.
1:10
SPEAKER_04: Oh.
1:10
SPEAKER_04: We met.
1:11
SPEAKER_03: We met 18 years ago.
1:12
SPEAKER_04: That's right.
1:13
SPEAKER_04: Not to put you on the spot.
1:14
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
1:14
SPEAKER_03: But you guys can totally back me up on this, though.
1:17
SPEAKER_04: Not our wedding anniversary, but it is not that day.
1:19
SPEAKER_04: It is an anniversary of something.
1:21
SPEAKER_03: I wanted to see if you knew the day.
1:22
SPEAKER_03: I knew the day.
1:23
SPEAKER_03: Right, right.
1:24
SPEAKER_04: So yes, 18 years ago.
1:25
SPEAKER_03: 18 years ago.
1:26
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
1:26
SPEAKER_03: And it's been just an incredible, just it's been unbelievable ever since.
1:33
SPEAKER_03: Help me out here.
1:34
SPEAKER_04: It's been a great thing.
1:35
SPEAKER_03: What are the today's time?
1:36
SPEAKER_03: Anyway, let's go on to the same story.
1:39
SPEAKER_03: It's been great.
1:39
SPEAKER_03: It's been five kids and six grandkids later.
1:42
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
1:43
unknown: Right.
1:44
SPEAKER_03: Some of them happened before.
1:45
SPEAKER_03: We should note that's right.
1:47
SPEAKER_03: We don't have any children together, other than CBT News, by the way.
1:51
SPEAKER_03: That is our child together.
1:52
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
1:52
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
1:54
SPEAKER_04: Anyway, sorry we are a little punched up.
1:55
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but that American blended family.
1:57
SPEAKER_04: We do.
1:58
SPEAKER_03: Right.
1:58
SPEAKER_04: The new normal.
1:59
SPEAKER_03: Bridget was married five times.
2:01
SPEAKER_03: I think I'm like your fifth husband, right?
2:02
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
2:03
SPEAKER_04: Anyway.
2:04
SPEAKER_04: All right.
2:04
SPEAKER_04: So let's talk about a few things happening in auto today.
2:08
SPEAKER_04: Hyundai CEO Jose Munez is talking about Chinese automakers.
2:13
SPEAKER_04: Now he's not saying anything that we don't already know.
2:15
SPEAKER_04: He's saying that they could come in.
2:17
SPEAKER_04: He's saying that they can make significant inroads.
2:20
SPEAKER_04: But he did have a quote that I thought was important because we talk a lot about this on and off camera.
2:25
SPEAKER_04: And the other day we were talking at the kitchen counter, and you we were talking about how, okay, forget about price here.
2:31
SPEAKER_04: What about how great they look?
2:33
SPEAKER_04: 100%.
2:34
SPEAKER_04: Yes.
2:34
SPEAKER_03: We talk so much about the price situation and the fact that, well, it's not a level playing field because it's subsidized by the Chinese government, and therefore it's not fair to all of the other manufacturers and the other brands.
2:45
SPEAKER_03: I totally get it.
2:46
SPEAKER_03: I understand that.
2:47
SPEAKER_03: However, okay, that's what's not most appealing to the consumers around the world.
2:53
SPEAKER_03: Look at the styling, look at the technology, um, and and look at what they have actually done with those lines of cars and what's included in them.
3:01
SPEAKER_03: It's unbelievable.
3:02
SPEAKER_03: So let's put the f the price side uh the price part element of it aside for a moment, and let's talk about why American American manufacturers and even other brands are having a difficult time competing on the styling and technology front.
3:18
SPEAKER_03: Right.
3:19
SPEAKER_03: Because I think it's two different issues there.
3:21
SPEAKER_04: And he had a lot to say, but one of the things that he did say, which made me think of that conversation, was the level of innovation, the level of improvement, the technology is unbelievable.
3:30
SPEAKER_04: And that was a quote from Munez.
3:32
SPEAKER_04: So um, yeah.
3:33
SPEAKER_04: Let me add one other thing.
3:34
SPEAKER_04: Please do.
3:35
SPEAKER_03: The range of their batteries are incredible and the recharging very, very quickly.
3:39
SPEAKER_03: Okay, I think American ingenuity uh can has to step up in this area.
3:44
SPEAKER_03: Forget the pricing situation.
3:46
SPEAKER_03: And uh let's let's let's win on that field, right?
3:49
SPEAKER_03: On that battlefield, right?
3:51
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we can build these cars and we can get batteries that that last 400 miles or you know 500 miles and charge within 10 minutes or what have you.
3:59
SPEAKER_03: That's what's going to change the EV landscape, in my humble opinion.
4:03
SPEAKER_04: No, I I think that you're right.
4:04
SPEAKER_04: And also one of the things we talk to dealers on and off camera a lot as well, and we were talking off-camera to a dealer recently, and he was talking about how he is interested in developing relationships with Chinese manufacturers because he really would like to to understand and he wants to be ready for when they do eventually get here because he would like a dealership.
4:25
SPEAKER_03: So he's he's trying to figure out ways to to uh and the Hyundai CEO uh Jose has come out and said pretty much that yeah, we we've got to gear up because he feels as though they're gonna be coming to America.
4:38
SPEAKER_03: Right.
4:39
SPEAKER_03: And um, so I had the opportunity to interview him and uh great guy, not not about this issue, by the way, but uh fantastic guy, very, very well respected in the auto industry, as is Jim Farley, and he too feels they're gonna come.
4:51
SPEAKER_03: Right.
4:52
SPEAKER_03: It just seems like everybody's now talking more about the fact that it's inevitable the Chinese vehicles will be here at some point.
4:58
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
4:59
SPEAKER_03: And to your point, dealers now are starting to slowly line up to go, well, if they're gonna be, I might want to be a hand raise my hand to get a to get a franchise.
5:08
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, the shift has happened from okay, keep them out, keep them out, what's gonna happen?
5:12
SPEAKER_04: Now it's what do what can we do to be ready as a dealer by the way.
5:16
SPEAKER_03: I agree.
5:16
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
5:17
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
5:18
SPEAKER_04: So um you had a great conversation uh two days ago um on CBT News with David Christ from Toyota.
5:25
SPEAKER_03: Yes, I did.
5:25
SPEAKER_03: Great guy.
5:26
SPEAKER_04: A lot of great points out of that interview.
5:27
SPEAKER_04: I don't know if you want to touch on some.
5:29
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
5:29
SPEAKER_03: Well, I congratulate well, I didn't congratulate him.
5:31
SPEAKER_03: I said, you know, you can see the interview there, and you can, by the way, you can see that interview in its entirety right here at CBTnews.com.
5:37
SPEAKER_03: Phenomenal guy.
5:38
SPEAKER_03: We talked about how strong that product really is uh in the U.S.
5:42
SPEAKER_03: Um I was teasing him because of the daily supply of cars.
5:45
SPEAKER_03: I think he told me that Toyota is uh at a 12-day supply of vehicles.
5:50
SPEAKER_03: But when you think about that, and then you you say, okay, well, they're also running neck and neck recently in automotive news and CBT News for that matter, they're running neck and neck with GM as the number one uh retailer in the country for automobiles.
6:04
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
6:04
SPEAKER_03: And when you and then you reported the other day the fact that GM uh only has one hybrid, and I think it's the Corvette or something.
6:11
SPEAKER_03: So it's like, and meanwhile, Toyota has leaned in on hybrids and they've done extremely well with them.
6:17
SPEAKER_03: So I think these are all of the influences and things that we can learn uh here in the US among the US auto manufacturers.
6:25
SPEAKER_03: You know, we were going all in on EVs in a big way, not hybrids, but EVs.
6:29
SPEAKER_03: Oh, that's gonna be the future.
6:31
SPEAKER_03: That's what we're changing all of our you know production over to that.
6:34
SPEAKER_03: And uh and so we we talked about the fact that he's got a 12-day supply.
6:38
SPEAKER_03: Yes, and then and they're gonna be soon to be possibly the number one retailer of automobiles.
6:44
SPEAKER_04: And he said that about 60 percent of Toyota sales in July were driven primarily by hybrids, basically.
6:49
SPEAKER_04: That's right.
6:50
SPEAKER_04: That's pretty big.
6:50
SPEAKER_03: And also, I can't remember the number of vehicles, but it's a number of vehicles under$35,000.
6:55
SPEAKER_04: Yes, Toyota has six models.
6:57
SPEAKER_03: Six models under$35,000.
6:59
SPEAKER_03: Right.
6:59
SPEAKER_04: So that's right.
7:00
SPEAKER_04: So for more on that interview, it was a great conversation.
7:03
SPEAKER_04: You can see it at cbtnews.com.
7:05
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
7:05
SPEAKER_03: And by the way, I might add, okay, I was in the Toyota industry in the early 80s.
7:10
SPEAKER_04: Yes, you were.
7:10
SPEAKER_03: Everybody's going, how old is Jim?
7:13
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
7:13
SPEAKER_03: Anyway, in the early 80s.
7:14
SPEAKER_03: So, and I will tell you that we heard the same thing from all of the manufacturers.
7:18
SPEAKER_03: Don't let the Japanese in.
7:20
SPEAKER_03: Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Subaru.
7:22
SPEAKER_03: Don't let them in because it's gonna ruin our auto market.
7:25
SPEAKER_03: It's gonna screw up our manufacturing.
7:27
SPEAKER_03: And you know, yeah, I don't think so.
7:29
SPEAKER_05: I know.
7:30
SPEAKER_03: So they're still alive and well, and they're doing great.
7:32
SPEAKER_03: However, the Japanese influence changed the way Detroit built cars.
7:37
SPEAKER_03: That much we know for sure.
7:39
SPEAKER_03: So that's my competition can be good.
7:42
SPEAKER_03: Ranch is a good thing.
7:43
SPEAKER_03: In a lot of times is good.
7:44
SPEAKER_04: So we've got a couple great guests coming up, or three great guests coming up.
7:48
SPEAKER_03: I'm looking forward to this because I will tell you, every time we pull up next to a Mazda, it blows me away.
7:54
SPEAKER_03: The styling of that car.
7:55
SPEAKER_04: You are not lying, you say every time you make a comment, look at that car.
7:58
SPEAKER_03: That's because I'm like that.
7:59
SPEAKER_03: That's a mess.
7:59
SPEAKER_03: That looks just like a Lexus.
8:01
SPEAKER_03: By the way, uh for the Lexus dealer that's about to come on to go, but we're a Mazda, we're not a Lexus.
8:07
SPEAKER_03: My point is, you want to save 60 grand?
8:10
SPEAKER_03: Buy the Mazda.
8:11
SPEAKER_03: Because I'm telling you, and I've I've spoken to some people that drive Mazdas, and they're like, no, no, no, no, this is like the new Mazda company.
8:18
SPEAKER_03: But my God, every time, what a I tell them.
8:20
SPEAKER_03: Every time they've got that bigger SUV that's beautiful.
8:24
SPEAKER_04: That's an impressive lineup.
8:26
SPEAKER_03: It's actually nicer than the Lexus.
8:28
SPEAKER_03: Just my opinion.
8:29
SPEAKER_03: But anyway, we'll talk to him about it.
8:31
SPEAKER_03: We'll see if he agrees.
8:33
SPEAKER_04: All right, a new dealership, a new market, and a new chapter for one husband and wife.
8:38
SPEAKER_03: Michael and Stephanie Lucky, who joined us today to talk about their new Mazda store in Woodbridge, Virginia.
8:44
SPEAKER_03: So, Michael and Stephanie, congratulations on the new store.
8:47
SPEAKER_03: Sorry about that.
8:47
SPEAKER_03: It's Steph, it's Seppi, not Stephanie.
8:50
SPEAKER_03: Sorry about that.
8:50
SPEAKER_03: My bad.
8:51
SPEAKER_03: Two way too much coffee, so forgive me.
8:53
SPEAKER_04: Uh yeah, that's what's happening, I think.
8:55
SPEAKER_03: There was a little too much caffeine this morning.
8:57
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
8:58
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
8:59
SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much for joining us.
9:00
SPEAKER_04: It's great to be with both of you.
9:03
SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
9:03
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
9:04
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
9:04
SPEAKER_03: Congratulations on your new store.
9:06
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, congrats.
9:07
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
9:07
SPEAKER_03: And folks, am I right?
9:09
SPEAKER_03: Or is that new styling of Mazda SUVs just it's amazing.
9:14
SPEAKER_03: It really is.
9:15
SPEAKER_03: Right?
9:16
SPEAKER_06: You took the words out of my mouth.
9:17
SPEAKER_06: That's what I tell everyone.
9:18
SPEAKER_06: It's like luxury without the luxury price.
9:20
SPEAKER_06: That's what I tell my friends.
9:21
SPEAKER_06: That's right.
9:22
SPEAKER_03: There you go.
9:22
SPEAKER_03: No, you're exactly right.
9:24
SPEAKER_03: Every time we're in a parking lot or pull up next to these Mazda SUVs, I'm like, my God.
9:30
SPEAKER_03: It's it's the the the just the lines of that car, the styling is every bit uh of Lexus uh or infinity, but but more Lexus to me like that.
9:40
SPEAKER_03: That's exactly.
9:41
SPEAKER_03: We're showing it right now on the screen.
9:42
SPEAKER_03: Beautiful car.
9:43
SPEAKER_04: But anyway, Michael, let's start with you.
9:45
SPEAKER_04: Talk to us about what this beautiful lineup of cars you have.
9:48
SPEAKER_04: How is business at Mazda of Woodbridge today?
9:52
SPEAKER_00: Uh thanks.
9:53
SPEAKER_00: Business is good.
9:54
SPEAKER_00: And you know, there was an important date that you mentioned earlier.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: Our ours, I was writing it down, so I was ready for this.
10:00
SPEAKER_00: It was June 15th, 2005.
10:04
SPEAKER_05: Michael, Michael learned from my mistakes.
10:06
SPEAKER_05: Right?
10:07
SPEAKER_05: Good move, Michael.
10:08
SPEAKER_03: Now it's a very good, oh geez, what is my what I don't want to I don't want to do what Jim just did.
10:15
SPEAKER_00: Business is good.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: It's um we had an opportunity from Mazda um to start up this store.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: It's an open point store.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: We started about um two and a half months ago now, and it's it's a great product, it's a great market, and we're filling this business with the right people.
10:34
SPEAKER_00: And by having those together, we're we're able to deliver a great experience, and the product supports it.
10:40
SPEAKER_00: Um Mazda invited us to go to Japan right before we opened up the store, and we got to see what was coming.
10:46
SPEAKER_00: And if you're if you're if if the other brands are thinking that we look like Lexus now, just wait.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: The the new CX90 looks even more um, it's not out yet, not displayed yet, but the new CX90 looks even more and more like a luxury vehicle, like Sefi said.
11:01
SPEAKER_00: Wow, that's fantastic.
11:03
SPEAKER_00: Business is good.
11:03
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot going on being an open point.
11:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
11:06
SPEAKER_00: Um but we're happy.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: If you look down on where we are right now, I'm happy where we are.
11:10
SPEAKER_04: That's good.
11:11
SPEAKER_03: That's good.
11:12
SPEAKER_03: Well, congratulations on the open point.
11:13
SPEAKER_03: That's fantastic.
11:14
SPEAKER_04: So, Michael, if you don't mind, you've been in the car business for a while.
11:17
SPEAKER_04: Talk to us about your journey so far in the business.
11:21
SPEAKER_00: Uh sure.
11:22
SPEAKER_00: So um I grew up in this business and I sold my first car at age 12.
11:28
SPEAKER_00: I I grew up and did every job within the dealership.
11:30
SPEAKER_00: I'm a third-generation dealer.
11:32
SPEAKER_00: Um, but the the journey into uh back into retail, so I taught at the NADA Academy for about six years as an instructor.
11:40
SPEAKER_00: And about three years ago now, I had the opportunity to go back into retail and buy a Mazda store in New York called Riverhead Mazda, which was in the same town that I grew up in.
11:52
SPEAKER_00: Oh wow, very cool.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: So within that three-year time frame, uh the store that we bought was uh it was almost like an open point.
12:02
SPEAKER_00: It was it had been there for a long time, but we had to move it to a new location.
12:05
SPEAKER_00: I was the only employee, um, operated in trailers, had to hire the team, build up the brand in the marketplace, and um about a year into that, we had some success.
12:17
SPEAKER_00: About a year into that, Mazda came to me and said, You're doing a great job.
12:21
SPEAKER_00: You know, you're treating customers well, you're treating our market well, you've done what we've been trying to do in this market for the last 30 years, you've been able to do it in a year.
12:29
SPEAKER_00: And they said to me, What do you want to do next?
12:32
SPEAKER_00: I said, Well, um, what do you mean?
12:34
SPEAKER_00: They said, Well, we have we're we're looking to grow and we're looking at people like yourself to help grow the brand.
12:40
SPEAKER_00: And I said, Well, thank you.
12:43
SPEAKER_00: Uh, number one, and number two, um, I'd love to be closer to home.
12:47
SPEAKER_00: And they said, What do you mean?
12:48
SPEAKER_00: Are you from New York?
12:49
SPEAKER_00: I said, Yeah, I'm from New York, but I've been living in the Washington, D.C.
12:52
SPEAKER_00: area for the last six years teaching, and I never moved, so I've been commuting from DC to New York every week.
13:00
SPEAKER_00: And they said to me, Oh, well, what do you think about Woodbridge, Virginia?
13:04
SPEAKER_00: And I said, Well, what's Woodbridge, Virginia?
13:06
SPEAKER_00: So I looked it up, and um and here we are now.
13:10
SPEAKER_00: So a year and a half after that initial meeting, through many uh interviews, through many meetings, through a lot of time effort, Sefi joined the business, uh, went up in New York, and we are here now in our own store in Woodbridge, Virginia, operating, and uh excited to be here and the support that we received from Mazda along the way.
13:31
SPEAKER_03: That is so cool.
13:32
SPEAKER_03: Wow, what a great story and a great journey.
13:34
SPEAKER_03: So, Sefi, you came into this from a completely different world.
13:38
SPEAKER_03: You were a teacher and then worked in technology.
13:40
SPEAKER_03: Talk to us about what it was like to switch careers and jump into a highly competitive business.
13:46
SPEAKER_06: Yes.
13:47
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, so I mean, Mike mentioned the date we met.
13:49
SPEAKER_06: So we've been together for, you know, 21 years.
13:51
SPEAKER_06: So I've been around the business, I've been adjacent, I would say, to the business.
13:55
SPEAKER_06: Right.
13:56
SPEAKER_06: But I never really saw myself in the business.
13:58
SPEAKER_06: I just didn't, I was a teacher, I taught Spanish, I taught technology, and then I worked at a startup for almost um almost 10 years.
14:05
SPEAKER_06: And so at that startup, I was it was an ed tech startup.
14:08
SPEAKER_06: So a lot of technology, a lot of um innovation, and then I moved into product management.
14:14
SPEAKER_06: And before Mike brought me into the automotive world, I was a product manager at Lenovo in the ed tech um vendor management space.
14:23
SPEAKER_06: And so I'm bringing a lot of like very different experiences.
14:26
SPEAKER_06: I am from this area though, I'm from um DC area.
14:30
SPEAKER_06: So I grew up, I played basketball in this area.
14:32
SPEAKER_06: I grew up, yep, I talked to Bridget.
14:34
SPEAKER_06: Bridget's from um around here as well.
14:36
SPEAKER_06: So I grew up, you know, playing basketball in this area.
14:39
SPEAKER_06: Um I played basketball in college as well.
14:41
SPEAKER_06: But I'm from this area, we lived here, so I grew up like knowing this area.
14:45
SPEAKER_06: We're around Potomac Mills Mall and Woodbridge, so I was more familiar with the area.
14:50
SPEAKER_06: But I would say that Mike, um, he had tried several times over the years to you know invite, entice me to join automotive, and I just really didn't see it for myself until he started bringing me to some conferences.
15:02
SPEAKER_06: He brought me to um the Asoto, the Automotive State of the Union, you know, great, great or great uh event.
15:08
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Paul and Kyle are awesome.
15:10
SPEAKER_06: Paul and Kyle, yeah, amazing.
15:11
SPEAKER_06: So they were so welcoming.
15:13
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, and there I met um this key group of women in my life, uh, women of color automotive network, Wokian.
15:18
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, they have a breakfast there every year.
15:20
SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
15:21
SPEAKER_06: I met them and immediately they were like, You're one of us now.
15:23
SPEAKER_06: And I was like, okay, I was still at Lenovo at the time.
15:26
SPEAKER_06: And I was like, All right, but um, they started showing me what's possible in this industry, and there's so much that you can do.
15:34
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, there's so many different types of people um that can join this.
15:38
SPEAKER_06: There's so much, you know, so many different opportunities.
15:40
SPEAKER_06: That's right.
15:40
SPEAKER_06: And so that really opened my eyes.
15:42
SPEAKER_06: And from there, yeah, once I joined Riverhead Mazda, uh, Mike had me doing everything from like I don't know, he had me selling service in Spanish because I was a Spanish teacher.
15:52
SPEAKER_06: So I had you doing whatever I had to do, I was gonna do it.
15:55
SPEAKER_06: But I love I love to learn, obviously, as a former teacher.
15:58
SPEAKER_06: And so it's been very natural, I think, for Mike and I.
16:01
SPEAKER_06: We've been together so long.
16:02
SPEAKER_06: We have three amazing daughters as well.
16:04
SPEAKER_06: Oh, that's great.
16:05
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, the car girls we call them because their initials start with um C A R.
16:10
SPEAKER_06: So we call them the car girls.
16:11
SPEAKER_06: Perfect.
16:11
SPEAKER_06: And so we've always worked very well together.
16:14
SPEAKER_06: I think we always knew we were gonna work together at some point.
16:16
SPEAKER_06: It just was a matter of like when and how.
16:18
SPEAKER_06: And sure the opportunity came up.
16:20
SPEAKER_03: That is so cool.
16:21
SPEAKER_03: Are are there those days that you curse him because he got you into the car business?
16:26
SPEAKER_03: You're like, I was so happy being in the this tech startup.
16:30
SPEAKER_03: Why did you drag me into this crazy business?
16:32
SPEAKER_03: I'm just kidding.
16:33
SPEAKER_03: I'm kidding.
16:34
SPEAKER_06: No, but I mean I understand it it can be so intense and stressful.
16:37
SPEAKER_06: I think we have the right people around us who support us so much.
16:41
SPEAKER_06: It's so important.
16:42
SPEAKER_06: So, you know, if I'm ever we're stuck, we have people to support us and help us.
16:46
SPEAKER_06: So I haven't gotten there gone there yet.
16:50
SPEAKER_04: Your your story reminds me so much of ours in a way.
16:53
SPEAKER_04: Actually, Jim is from New York and I'm from the DC area, just like the two of you, which is kind of ironic.
16:58
SPEAKER_04: Yep.
16:58
SPEAKER_04: But and then Jim was in the industry for so long, and I kind of came in on, you know, under his, you know, advisement, I guess, so to speak.
17:06
SPEAKER_04: But dragged her in.
17:08
SPEAKER_04: Yes, yes.
17:09
SPEAKER_04: But I I love how you've talked about how welcoming it everybody was at AsotuCon and WoCon, and even Mazda, um, I know was extremely welcoming.
17:18
SPEAKER_04: Um, Sepi, can you talk to your experience there and and um how Mazda really embraced your entry into the industry?
17:27
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
17:27
SPEAKER_06: I mean, really, ever since we did have to interview for this open point.
17:30
SPEAKER_06: So Mike and I went in on that together.
17:32
SPEAKER_06: Um we had an interview about, I think, a year ago, Mike, maybe.
17:36
SPEAKER_06: And so they were always very supportive and welcoming because we're very aligned with Mazda in terms of what we're trying to do, um, the experience we're trying to bring to our customers.
17:46
SPEAKER_06: We want it to be a really transparent, honest, just like fun, like not stressful experience where like a customer can get to the dealership and just like, you know, have some like a release of it's not going to be a stressful experience.
18:01
SPEAKER_06: We're very aligned with them.
18:02
SPEAKER_06: And so they've been just really wonderful and supportive.
18:05
SPEAKER_06: We we went to Japan, as Mike mentioned, in the beginning of June, right before we opened.
18:09
SPEAKER_05: Very cool.
18:10
SPEAKER_06: And we got to tour the factories and we got to, you know, have real like one-on-one time with the leadership at Mazda.
18:17
SPEAKER_06: We even we even did karaoke with uh Tim Manning and Tom Donna Lizzo.
18:23
SPEAKER_06: So, you know, we we really got to know them um as people and see, and we're all very aligned in what we're trying to do and uh what Mazda's trying to do, I think, in this industry.
18:32
SPEAKER_03: That's that wow, that's fantastic.
18:33
SPEAKER_03: I thought you were gonna tell me you named your kid Zoom Zoom, you know.
18:37
SPEAKER_03: That would have been that would have been maybe the dog or something.
18:41
SPEAKER_03: So, Michael, you know this business uh so well, but but Sefi is looking at it from a different perspective.
18:47
SPEAKER_03: Has she challenged the way you think about any part of running the dealership because of her previous experiences?
18:55
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
18:56
SPEAKER_00: You know, the the worst thing to say is that why are you doing something?
19:00
SPEAKER_00: It's because that's always that's why how we've always done it.
19:02
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
19:03
SPEAKER_00: And Sefi says things that originally I say, no, that can't work.
19:09
SPEAKER_00: And then I think about it and I say, well, why?
19:12
SPEAKER_00: Why can't that work?
19:13
SPEAKER_00: Right.
19:13
SPEAKER_00: And then actually, maybe it can work.
19:15
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
19:16
SPEAKER_00: And and as and at in the beginning, she she told me, um, you know, you you're very quick to say no about something because you haven't seen it before, but there are things that she's brought to the industry that that are unique, that are unique from her background, that um that are challenging me, challenging our team, and and making it better.
19:35
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
19:36
SPEAKER_00: Quickly, uh, she does she is our controller day-to-day.
19:39
SPEAKER_00: I'm the general manager day to day.
19:41
SPEAKER_00: But as a controller, she does our our daily bank reconciliation using AI um support, and she can finish that much faster than what we did at our at our stores up in New York.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: So she's utilizing technology in a new way, and then she also uh has a care of the people, and being a being a leader of a basketball team and a leader of our family, and they're bringing that leadership into the industry, she really provides things that are just not normal in the automotive industry to our team and creating a great culture.
20:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
20:15
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
20:16
SPEAKER_04: So um Jim and I work together, we're together 24-7, as I'm sure you are as well.
20:22
SPEAKER_04: Talk to us about how that works and how home life and just the blending of business and you all working together.
20:29
SPEAKER_04: Talk to us about that a little bit.
20:30
SPEAKER_03: And we don't have three daughters at home.
20:32
SPEAKER_04: No, we don't.
20:33
SPEAKER_03: We all right now we just have our daughters.
20:34
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, uniquely challenging in that I was working remotely the last like, I don't know, over a decade.
20:40
SPEAKER_06: I've worked remotely.
20:40
SPEAKER_06: I even taught online.
20:42
SPEAKER_06: So it's very different for our daughters.
20:44
SPEAKER_06: We have one in middle school, one in high school, one in elementary school.
20:47
SPEAKER_06: So nice, nice little spread there.
20:49
SPEAKER_06: And they're just used to me, you know, being home.
20:51
SPEAKER_06: Uh, I would say what we've done is really include them, like bring them.
20:54
SPEAKER_06: They come with us like to work on Saturdays.
20:57
SPEAKER_06: And um, they even our eldest, like, she's run the sales meeting in the beginning.
21:01
SPEAKER_06: She does like different games with our sales team.
21:04
SPEAKER_06: They're very involved in a way where they're getting to see what we're doing.
21:08
SPEAKER_06: And I think that's really important.
21:10
SPEAKER_06: Um, especially because again, this is a change for them where I'm now in the office at the dealership.
21:15
SPEAKER_03: So let me switch gears a little bit with you if I can, um, and uh and ask you, you know, the industry is got some challenges right now that we're trying to work through, such as affordability, that's a hot issue.
21:29
SPEAKER_03: Um, are you hearing that from consumers that that's at the forefront of their of their uh purchasing consideration today?
21:37
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
21:39
SPEAKER_00: Um Mazda is is has a really great brand for affordability in comparison to the other brands.
21:46
SPEAKER_00: Um you get a lot for the value and for the for the investment that you have in the vehicle.
21:50
SPEAKER_00: But it's on everyone's mind.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: It's on everyone's mind.
21:53
SPEAKER_00: And and the the business that that the physical location where we are was a used car dealership for.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: 20 years before we came here.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: And and our our tagline, our slogan is driven by respect, and it's respect for every customer, no matter who they are, no matter where they're from, no matter what budget they have, no matter what um background they they they have.
22:16
SPEAKER_00: And what we find is that we have to be we we have to provide a service to people no matter what their budget is, which is difficult to do with the price of vehicles on the road.
22:25
SPEAKER_00: But our our team works hard with every customer to provide something that's affordable.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: Um and and Mazda is uniquely positioned um in this market.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: It is interesting coming from New York in a very high lease market.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: We're about 70% leasing in New York at Art Store.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: And here it's it's in the single-digits uh leasing in this region.
22:44
SPEAKER_00: And leasing is a great opportunity to provide something of value in a more affordable way, and just another way to own the vehicle and drive a really quality vehicle, especially with the price of used cars these days uh being so close to new on the on that.
22:57
SPEAKER_00: That's right.
22:58
SPEAKER_03: Is Mazda got some good subvented lease programs?
23:01
SPEAKER_00: They they do.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: Uh it's just something that requires uh education of our customers here, consistent education, consistent of our sales team, yeah, making sure that everyone presents that opportunity.
23:12
SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, one of the things at NEDA that I had an opportunity to do is to see how thousands of dealers did the same thing in different ways.
23:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: And then I would be able to pick out the the technology, the solutions, the process, the way things that that you could use, and then be able to implement them.
23:30
SPEAKER_00: And being being so upfront with lease payments at the same time as finance payments in a digital solution in front of customers really shows that a vehicle that you might not think is affordable could be affordable.
23:41
SPEAKER_00: Right.
23:41
SPEAKER_00: Uh under the right structure.
23:43
SPEAKER_00: That's right.
23:44
SPEAKER_00: So that's right.
23:44
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's definitely something we hear every day.
23:46
SPEAKER_00: It's the number one concern is affordability.
23:48
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, of course, the other um that I guess goes into affordability a little bit today, but uh is our tariffs.
23:53
SPEAKER_03: And that Mazda doesn't, I don't think, uh, you know, it builds their whole line of cars here in the US.
23:59
SPEAKER_03: Um I think they've got a couple of models that they do, but for the most part, I think they're cut they're still being imported, right?
24:05
SPEAKER_03: Has that played much of a or had much of an impact because those vehicles are imported in terms of price?
24:12
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so so there is only one vehicle that's assembled in the United States, which is which is the CX50.
24:17
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
24:18
SPEAKER_00: What what's happened is the is the um the incentives that Mazda provides uh have shifted to focus on product lines that are are not as impacted by tariffs.
24:30
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
24:31
SPEAKER_00: So so we're seeing a drop in products that were are produced in Mexico in terms of overall sales because of less incentives and an increase in products that were produced in the United States or assembled in the United States, as well as in Japan because the tariff is less from Japan.
24:46
SPEAKER_00: So we're seeing a growth in the Mazda 3 sedan, the Mazda 3 hatchback, and a little bit of a retraction in the market in the Mazda CX30, for example.
24:56
SPEAKER_00: So it does impact Mazda.
24:57
SPEAKER_00: Mazda is one of the brands that has the highest uh dependency on vehicles that are coming from overseas versus the other brands that we have.
25:06
SPEAKER_00: And it has had an impact.
25:07
SPEAKER_00: I feel like the the discussion on tariffs was so hot and heavy last year in the spring and the summer, and there was a big, a big uh response from every manufacturer, and Mazda became pretty conservative because uh and and that did hurt volume for a few months, and then they came back um and started to be able to be more aggressive when it comes to um vehicle production and incentives.
25:29
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but it has an impact.
25:31
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it sure does.
25:32
SPEAKER_03: Um, Sefi, uh Mike managed uh mentioned that you're the controller.
25:38
SPEAKER_03: Uh do you put a kibosh on his expense and his spending?
25:41
SPEAKER_03: Because if you do, I I know where that maybe maybe Bridget taught you that.
25:46
SPEAKER_03: He could relate if you do.
25:48
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
25:48
SPEAKER_03: She'll come into my office and go, what the hell did you buy?
25:52
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
25:52
SPEAKER_06: I really trusted Mike to figure out what would be the right fit for me.
25:56
SPEAKER_06: And he knew he knew me very well that that would be the perfect role because you know that's what I do in our family life.
26:03
SPEAKER_06: And I'm so intense about like every die, every penny we need to know.
26:07
SPEAKER_06: But it's been really nice having, you know, Mike is um also the GM role because then I can talk with him about anything I need to and get the information where maybe in a in another dealership it would be more difficult for a controller um to communicate with, but I can get any information I need.
26:22
SPEAKER_06: So I looks great.
26:24
SPEAKER_03: Does he ever sneak into your office, Seffie, and go, hey, listen, I was just looking at the dealer statement.
26:28
SPEAKER_03: Could you explain to me this line right here?
26:30
SPEAKER_03: Because I never did understand how we got there.
26:36
SPEAKER_06: Absolutely.
26:37
SPEAKER_06: I now know better than Mike, so absolutely.
26:41
SPEAKER_04: Well, we know as husband and wife working together, it's not for everyone.
26:44
SPEAKER_04: No, it sounds like you all two have the.
26:47
SPEAKER_03: It's not for Bridget, in fact.
26:50
SPEAKER_04: In a previous life, maybe not, but now it's worked.
26:53
SPEAKER_05: That's right.
26:54
SPEAKER_04: But we have different strengths and weaknesses, as I'm sure you all do too.
26:57
SPEAKER_04: And that's that's we talked a little bit about this yesterday about kind of staying in our our lanes and but having to cross in and out at times as well.
27:05
SPEAKER_04: So um so glad that it's working for the two of you as it is used.
27:10
SPEAKER_03: I'll give you a tip, Mike.
27:11
SPEAKER_03: The the key really is you're right, honey, I'm wrong, I'll never happen again.
27:16
SPEAKER_03: And that seems to always work.
27:20
SPEAKER_04: That's how to do it.
27:22
SPEAKER_04: We have a comment of our viewers.
27:24
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
27:24
SPEAKER_03: What advice would you give to the next generation of operators who want ownership but are unsure how to make that jump?
27:33
SPEAKER_00: That's a that's a good question.
27:35
SPEAKER_00: Um, there's people that that I've seen a lot of people through the NABA Academy who have been prepared to be the next owners of the business or they're the operators of the store.
27:46
SPEAKER_00: It's something that you need to have a strong network of people to support you.
27:50
SPEAKER_00: You need to have your inner circle.
27:52
SPEAKER_00: You need to have the people that when you're um nervous about something, when you're concerned about something, you know you can't go to your team about it, and you know you can't go to your uh consultants about it, and you know you can't go to your lawyer about it, that you can call when you're driving home or when you have something that is a difficult difficult thing that you're dealing with, and that person um and I we have that.
28:12
SPEAKER_00: We have that that circle of people.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: Um without that, without that, those people will be very difficult.
28:17
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: Um and there's people that are gonna support you financially, but there's also people that are gonna support you uh emotionally, and it's and it's important on both sides.
28:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
28:26
SPEAKER_00: Um the the financial side as well, uh, it's it's a big commitment to go from to go from um from an operator to an owner.
28:35
SPEAKER_00: Uh we we also don't have any partners, Sefi and I.
28:38
SPEAKER_00: It's just it's the two of us.
28:39
SPEAKER_00: Nice.
28:39
SPEAKER_00: Uh we did consider uh whether we should bring in partners to get this started, um, but it is just the two of us, so we can make the decisions, and we don't have another uh a third person uh that we're reporting to or reporting with.
28:53
SPEAKER_00: But it is it's a big it's a big shift.
28:54
SPEAKER_00: There's different layers of this business that you learn, and I'm still learning.
28:58
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
28:58
SPEAKER_00: Uh there are things that in this role that I'm exposed to that I didn't, I was not exposed to as the general manager within our family stores, and all through all the experience that I did have.
29:09
SPEAKER_00: So it's it's just more like more layers, keep learning, uh, keep building your network because you never know who's going to be valuable in that network.
29:17
SPEAKER_00: Um and the connections that I made through NADA, the connections I've made to this industry have been invaluable.
29:22
SPEAKER_00: People coming in.
29:23
SPEAKER_00: We have someone who's a CFO on demand helping Sefi training, and she was one of my former students.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: Oh wow, that's cool.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: Be there.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: We asked her, she would, and she's grabbing great.
29:32
SPEAKER_06: She's watching this right now.
29:33
SPEAKER_06: Hey Crystal.
29:34
SPEAKER_06: There you go.
29:35
SPEAKER_00: Shout out to her.
29:36
SPEAKER_06: That's awesome.
29:37
SPEAKER_06: Yeah, yeah.
29:38
SPEAKER_06: We have these amazing people like Crystal Massey, who Mike is uh referring to.
29:42
SPEAKER_06: And I would just also say, like, reach out to people, you know, reach out to me and Mike.
29:46
SPEAKER_06: We want to support people now that I see what this industry can provide.
29:50
SPEAKER_06: Like, we want to like break down the door for everyone to come in.
29:54
SPEAKER_06: So, you know, reach out to those people, you know, just try.
29:57
SPEAKER_06: That's right.
29:58
SPEAKER_03: And by the way, other OEMs that are watching right now, this is the kind of team that you want.
30:02
SPEAKER_03: Hands-on, running the dealership, making waves in the community in a positive way.
30:07
SPEAKER_03: So uh I suspect we're gonna uh next time we interview you, you're gonna go, we just got awarded a Toyota point.
30:13
SPEAKER_03: So that's what happens with good people, and that's we we love these stories.
30:17
SPEAKER_03: Yep.
30:18
SPEAKER_03: So thank you so much for joining us today.
30:19
SPEAKER_03: Very much appreciate it.
30:20
SPEAKER_03: Please allow us to come into your business again to do a follow-up.
30:24
SPEAKER_03: We'd very much appreciate it.
30:25
SPEAKER_04: So the best of real quick, let's mention though that Michael was a former 40 under 40 at CBT News, correct?
30:31
SPEAKER_03: I yes he was.
30:33
SPEAKER_04: Just real quick, a little shout out to the 40 under 40.
30:35
SPEAKER_04: Little shout out, there it is.
30:36
SPEAKER_03: And I and in fact, I spoke to the president of Mazda.
30:39
SPEAKER_03: That's why he got the point.
30:40
SPEAKER_03: That's it.
30:40
SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
30:41
SPEAKER_03: I don't know if that if that has anything.
30:44
SPEAKER_04: No, congrats to both of you on all your success.
30:47
SPEAKER_04: That's right.
30:48
SPEAKER_04: And here's to even more.
30:49
SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much for joining us.
30:50
SPEAKER_03: Yes, this has been great.
30:51
SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
30:51
SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
30:53
SPEAKER_04: Thank you for having us.
30:54
SPEAKER_03: Yep.
30:55
SPEAKER_04: They've got great attitudes.
30:57
SPEAKER_04: They've got it.
30:58
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it was really fun talking with them.
30:59
SPEAKER_04: They're aw and we have a lot in common with them.
31:01
SPEAKER_04: We do.
31:02
SPEAKER_04: It's kind of fun.
31:02
SPEAKER_04: We do.
31:03
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
31:03
SPEAKER_03: They're a big um, you know, car dealers now, and we're still trying to get by.
31:09
SPEAKER_03: So what are you what are you gonna do?
31:11
SPEAKER_04: Okay.
31:11
SPEAKER_04: All right, you know what?
31:12
SPEAKER_04: I would love to thank today's sponsor, Radar.
31:15
SPEAKER_03: Good time to do that.
31:16
SPEAKER_04: Radar by Auto AI.
31:18
SPEAKER_04: Keeping up with advertising compliance can be a full-time job.
31:21
SPEAKER_04: Radar by Auto AI helps make it easier.
31:23
SPEAKER_04: Radar monitors your VDPs and meta-ads for pricing and disclosure issues, flags potential compliance risks, and can even keep an eye on your what your competitors are doing, protect your dealership, and stay ahead with radar by auto AI, and very good segue into the next conversation uh that we're gonna have about the FTC, how important it is.
31:45
SPEAKER_04: And the FAQs that they just recently re released, um, which we do have on cbtnews.com.
31:51
SPEAKER_04: You can we have a link to all those questions um if you need those.
31:55
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
31:55
SPEAKER_03: We yeah, and you know, just getting back to the to the uh you know, the couple that we just spoke to at the with the with their new Mazda store, which is just incredible.
32:03
SPEAKER_03: And uh you know, it it's that's what it's all about right there.
32:06
SPEAKER_04: It is and you know, um talking with Sefi who is new to the industry, I you know it's so hard to attract and retain good people in this industry.
32:14
SPEAKER_04: And I love how and I'm not surprised how welcoming everybody was at Asoto and Mazda and WoCon and and just how she's been embraced in this industry has been a true testament to all of the good people that work.
32:29
SPEAKER_03: She she mentioned Paul and Kyle, and and for everybody in the industry that knows Paul and Kyle, when you meet them, you feel like you've known them a hundred years.
32:36
SPEAKER_04: Yes.
32:36
SPEAKER_04: You know what's funny?
32:37
SPEAKER_04: She, I was thinking about this when she said this.
32:39
SPEAKER_04: She her first conference was a Sotocon, but Paul Paul's first c conference was ours back in 2016, 17.
32:46
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
32:46
SPEAKER_04: So um I thought that was that was interesting.
32:50
SPEAKER_03: And by the way, um, you know, um I'm crazy over social clips, right?
32:54
SPEAKER_03: In the auto industry.
32:55
SPEAKER_03: I love how creative, I know, how creative everybody is.
33:00
SPEAKER_03: So you know when I'm scrolling and you're like, what are you are you scrolling again?
33:02
SPEAKER_03: I'm actually working.
33:03
SPEAKER_04: I know.
33:04
SPEAKER_04: It's actually hard work for me.
33:05
SPEAKER_04: You're not listening to me, is what you're doing.
33:07
SPEAKER_03: I'm sorry, we're sorry.
33:08
SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
33:10
SPEAKER_03: So um no, it it and and I because I love all of the creativity involved in that that all of these people that are in the car business, that that typically before all of this, you never would have thought that they had this theatrical, you know, uh thread in them to be able to get in front of the camera and do some of the things that they do.
33:28
SPEAKER_03: So uh we found this social clip and and uh I think it's kind of cute.
33:32
SPEAKER_03: So uh let's let's show it now.
33:35
SPEAKER_02: Hey girly pop fans, Nikki Avalon here bringing you a 2025 XSE Camry all-wheel drive.
33:41
SPEAKER_02: When you're just rushing around and you got a lot of fun stuff in your hands, you can just open the car with the keyless entry and you're done.
33:49
SPEAKER_02: For all my girly pop size queens out there, we got this nice 12.3 inch screen, because you know every inch matters.
33:56
SPEAKER_02: We got plenty of room for storage.
33:59
SPEAKER_02: And when you're ready to jam out with the girls, we got the JBL sound system.
34:04
SPEAKER_02: I don't wanna be saved, don't save me.
34:09
SPEAKER_02: Oh sorry, coochie coolers.
34:11
SPEAKER_02: No more worrying about what's behind you.
34:13
SPEAKER_02: We got you covered, girl.
34:15
SPEAKER_02: And for my Pookies in their bro girl era, we got the eco mode saving you gas every day.
34:21
SPEAKER_02: Sport mode for that sneaky link you gotta get to real quick.
34:25
SPEAKER_02: And normal mode, but who's normal?
34:28
SPEAKER_02: And even on a bad day, you're getting 38 miles per gallon.
34:31
SPEAKER_02: Let's not forget about golden hour, ladies.
34:33
SPEAKER_02: We got this panoramic sunroof getting all that beautiful sunlight in.
34:38
SPEAKER_02: Don't be caught driving in a fishbowl.
34:40
SPEAKER_02: Get some tin, girl.
34:41
SPEAKER_02: Don't forget, ladies, always pop pock, and drop that thing.
34:45
SPEAKER_04: Oh my god.
34:49
SPEAKER_03: I know.
34:49
SPEAKER_03: I know.
34:50
SPEAKER_03: So but the thing is, is that you know, he he he's thinking outside the box there, and he's like, okay, what am I gonna do to get through all of this?
34:57
SPEAKER_03: And you know that that's gonna get shared a million times.
35:00
SPEAKER_03: And and he comes across as this fun, friendly guy.
35:03
SPEAKER_03: It's probably fun buying a car from him, you can imagine that, right?
35:07
SPEAKER_03: And uh and I I love that kind of stuff.
35:09
SPEAKER_03: I really do.
35:09
SPEAKER_03: Because it you know what it was, he didn't mention price, he didn't mention don't go to other dealers because they're gonna do this to you.
35:16
SPEAKER_03: You know that's a pet dealer.
35:17
SPEAKER_04: He's made it very entertaining, yes, funny.
35:19
SPEAKER_04: People were excuse me, yeah.
35:21
SPEAKER_04: Remember him.
35:23
SPEAKER_04: That's right.
35:23
SPEAKER_04: No drinking before I was not drinking.
35:27
SPEAKER_03: Right.
35:27
SPEAKER_03: No mum no more mamosas on Fridays for you, right?
35:31
SPEAKER_03: No, it's but it but it was really it was really uh I think it's funny.
35:34
SPEAKER_03: I you know.
35:34
SPEAKER_03: But uh yeah.
35:36
SPEAKER_03: But anyway, we're we uh we're we're so happy to have um the a very talented staff that finds those videos and sends them in.
35:43
SPEAKER_03: By the way, I might add, if you've got a video, send it over to us.
35:47
SPEAKER_03: Um in fact, send it to me at jfitzpatrick at cbtnews.com.
35:52
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
35:53
SPEAKER_04: You know what else I want to mention really quick.
35:54
SPEAKER_03: Well, what's that, Bridget?
35:55
SPEAKER_04: I want to thank our team here at CBT News because we have an incredible team behind the scenes in the control room back there doing what they do every day.
36:03
SPEAKER_04: A lot of people behind the scenes here.
36:06
SPEAKER_04: We appreciate you and we don't always say it, but we're saying it to the world now.
36:12
SPEAKER_04: We appreciate you very much.
36:13
SPEAKER_03: Does the control room have an applause uh uh sound?
36:17
SPEAKER_04: They don't they don't we're applauding them today.
36:19
SPEAKER_04: We are applauding them.
36:20
SPEAKER_04: Yes, but thank you, team.
36:21
SPEAKER_04: You're the best.
36:21
SPEAKER_03: They are the best.
36:23
SPEAKER_03: And it's a it's I mean, a lot of people think you we're not just kind of like a you know, right now today it's like if you have a ring light and a s and an iPhone, you got a podcast.
36:31
SPEAKER_03: But this isn't this is a little just a little bit more than that.
36:34
SPEAKER_03: Well, with a team of 15 people that uh takes a village.
36:38
SPEAKER_03: Amazing.
36:39
SPEAKER_03: If you were in the control room and you saw it, I don't know if do we have a camera in there, but if you saw it, you'd see four or five people in there that make this show happen.
36:46
SPEAKER_04: And we really appreciate them putting up with us.
36:51
SPEAKER_04: No, no, just kidding.
36:52
SPEAKER_04: Just kidding.
36:53
SPEAKER_04: All right, you know what?
36:54
SPEAKER_04: Today is Friday, so let's talk about our dealer of the week today, which is Morris Ford in Burnt Hills, New York.
37:03
SPEAKER_04: Um this week we're recognizing Morris Ford.
37:07
SPEAKER_04: Morris Ford has been serving its community since 1972, so we're talking about more than 50 to 50 years here.
37:14
SPEAKER_04: The dealership was founded by Terry Morris, and today is led by his son Charlie Morris, who serves as president.
37:20
SPEAKER_04: Um they are giving back.
37:22
SPEAKER_04: And Morris Ford was recently named 2026 Dealer of the Year by Donate Life New York State and New York State Automobile Dealers Association for its work recognizing organ, eye, and tissue donor registration.
37:35
SPEAKER_04: And this cause is personal to them.
37:37
SPEAKER_04: Charlie says that both he and members of his staff have family members who have either been organ donors or transplant recipients.
37:45
SPEAKER_04: So they really have um for sure.
37:48
SPEAKER_04: So 27 New York dealerships participated in the initiative this year to help that cause, and Morris Ford received the top recognition.
37:56
SPEAKER_04: So congratulations to Charlie.
37:58
SPEAKER_04: I know his sister is involved at that store as well.
38:00
SPEAKER_04: So um congrats to them and the team there at Morris Ford.
38:04
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, what a great thing.
38:05
SPEAKER_03: You know, it it's funny that I've often said that the publicly traded companies get all the fanfare, they get all the press.
38:11
SPEAKER_03: Oh my god, what's all what's Lithia doing?
38:12
SPEAKER_03: What's Auto Nation doing?
38:13
SPEAKER_03: What's this one doing?
38:15
SPEAKER_03: But the vast majority of dealers out there are those single store, maybe one or two dealerships in the group.
38:21
SPEAKER_03: That's really I think it's 92% actually of the groups that make up the auto industry.
38:27
SPEAKER_03: Uh 92% are under five stores.
38:29
SPEAKER_03: You know, so that's really that's really the fabric of the auto industry, you know.
38:33
SPEAKER_03: And they're doing a great job.
38:34
SPEAKER_04: And congratulations to be dealer of the yeah, and I think they'll all benefit from your n this next conversation.
38:40
SPEAKER_03: I do too.
38:40
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
38:41
SPEAKER_03: That's exactly what we're gonna have.
38:42
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
38:42
SPEAKER_03: We we we love when this guy comes in, he brings he brings the goods and he knows the business very, very well.
38:48
SPEAKER_03: And uh he's into clocks, by the way.
38:50
SPEAKER_03: And I'll and I'll show you what I mean.
38:51
SPEAKER_03: So uh so New Jersey changed the law for franchise dealers.
38:55
SPEAKER_03: Uh that they are they're now allowing service centers to be away from the dealerships.
38:59
SPEAKER_03: Uh so this is kind of new.
39:01
SPEAKER_03: Some stores, uh some uh uh states allow it.
39:04
SPEAKER_03: Here in Georgia, we do allow it.
39:06
SPEAKER_03: But uh so we are now joined by Seth Dobbs.
39:08
SPEAKER_03: You've seen him here before on CBT News, he's also the lead person over there in automotive at Fox Rothschild Law Firm.
39:14
SPEAKER_03: Talk to us about the new law as well as I want to talk to him also about the FTC rulings and the FAQs that just came out and all that good stuff.
39:23
SPEAKER_03: And nobody better to turn to than Seth Dobbs.
39:26
SPEAKER_03: So that Seth, thank you so much for joining us on the show.
39:30
SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having me.
39:31
SPEAKER_01: Pleasure to be here.
39:32
SPEAKER_03: So with that beautiful clock behind you, you either look like the Statue of Liberty or Mother Mary.
39:38
SPEAKER_03: I'm not I'm not sure which one.
39:40
SPEAKER_03: But you very much exactly right.
39:44
SPEAKER_03: You look very special.
39:46
SPEAKER_03: But uh anyway, so let's kind of jump right in here.
39:48
SPEAKER_03: Uh talk to us about the the law in New Jersey that's changed, uh, that allows dealers to say, hey, you know, I've got 20 acres that's uh three miles from here, and I'd love to build a service center.
39:59
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
40:00
SPEAKER_01: Well, I mean, if you look back when the franchise model started, dealerships were were uh much smaller than they are today.
40:06
SPEAKER_01: Uh the demand is much smaller than they are today.
40:09
SPEAKER_01: You have a lot more people that are out there uh requiring service, and simply it's a it's a uh a matter of just not enough space.
40:17
SPEAKER_01: Right.
40:18
SPEAKER_01: So some states have been on the forefront of allowing dealers to expand their footprints beyond just where the uh dealership premises lie and use some off-site service.
40:28
SPEAKER_01: Uh New Jersey is sort of leading the pack here by putting it into statute.
40:33
SPEAKER_01: Um so now they changed and to or in their statute, which will allow a dealership to have not just sales and service located at their facility, but they will allow off-site service so long as it's in uh the dealer's relevant market area.
40:47
SPEAKER_01: So there's still considerations to uh be mindful of.
40:51
SPEAKER_01: It's not just a car bunch, you could put a service facility wherever you'd like.
40:54
SPEAKER_01: It needs to be within your relevant market area, it needs to not impinge on neighboring dealers, it needs to comply with other franchise statutes and zoning laws, uh, but it does give the dealer the ability to uh service their customers in a location that's not the traditional showroom that they've been in.
41:11
SPEAKER_03: If I am one of those dealers uh uh and I happen to have five or six cars over there for sale from a new car showroom, am I in trouble?
41:22
SPEAKER_01: Uh the manufacturer, I believe it it it all depends on the dealership, right?
41:27
SPEAKER_03: I mean, if you're Because you know that that's gonna they're gonna push the envelope, right?
41:30
SPEAKER_03: They're gonna say, wait a minute, we got this little an whole other little dealership over here.
41:35
SPEAKER_03: Then you'll see a service manager's office right next to an F and I office.
41:39
SPEAKER_03: Sorry about the dealer.
41:41
SPEAKER_01: Dealers push the envelope, which is why I love the industry that we're in, and every day is something different, every day things are changing.
41:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
41:48
SPEAKER_01: Um right now I I believe they would prefer sales happen at the sales facility, but I have no doubt that if somebody's bringing a car in for service and uh it's it's dead on arrival, um those those dealers are gonna try and sell them something.
42:02
SPEAKER_03: That's right, that's right.
42:03
SPEAKER_03: And I would imagine that when a dealer announces that within their P within their PMA that they're gonna open up a an off-site service location, that there may they may go up against some uh pushback from competing stores that go, hey, wait a minute.
42:18
SPEAKER_03: Now you're now you're even if you're within your PMA, you're too close to the fringe there, and now you're impeding on what you know those customers that might come to my store, right?
42:27
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
42:28
SPEAKER_01: I mean with with respect to New Jersey, the the off-site service facility still needs to be within that dealer's relevant market area.
42:34
SPEAKER_01: Otherwise it would be protestable by a neighboring dealer.
42:37
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
42:38
SPEAKER_01: But that's not to say that a neighboring dealer is not gonna put a fly in the ointment by trying to to protest or stand in the way or at the very minimum delay um the opening of that facility.
42:49
SPEAKER_01: So I I do suspect that a lot of that will happen.
42:51
SPEAKER_01: And this is a brand new statute, so we're gonna see how it evolves over time.
42:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, for sure.
42:57
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be interesting.
42:58
SPEAKER_03: All right.
42:58
SPEAKER_03: So the other thing I want to talk to you about today, uh, which is uh uh something that is not going away, dealers, anytime soon, and that's the FTC's uh you know push to get dealers uh in line with regard to fair pricing and transparency.
43:14
SPEAKER_03: As many of you know, we had a conference on this a couple of months ago in DC.
43:18
SPEAKER_03: Uh this isn't going away.
43:20
SPEAKER_03: So uh we love when we talk uh to Seth about this.
43:23
SPEAKER_03: He's a specialist in this area, obviously working with dealers all over the country.
43:26
SPEAKER_03: But uh so talk to us.
43:28
SPEAKER_03: They just recently came out with a new set of FAQs for dealers.
43:31
SPEAKER_03: Um not sure if it made it even more confusing or left some some questions unanswered.
43:37
SPEAKER_03: But talk to us.
43:38
SPEAKER_03: Where where does the where does this stand?
43:40
SPEAKER_03: Because from my perspective, it doesn't look like we have uh enough dealers in the nation.
43:46
SPEAKER_03: Um painting with a broad brush, you don't send me any any nasty grams.
43:50
SPEAKER_03: But it doesn't seem like the industry as a whole is paying enough attention to this very important issue.
43:58
SPEAKER_03: Just could be me.
44:00
SPEAKER_01: Lot of dealers that are out there.
44:01
SPEAKER_01: I'll say from the the clients that we represent, many of them at this point are taking this seriously.
44:07
SPEAKER_01: But we still have many that are not.
44:09
SPEAKER_01: I think there's a wait and see approach by some of the smaller dealers that think that they might not be the lightning rod that gets the attention and they want to see how it transpires.
44:18
SPEAKER_01: We've seen a couple settlements uh pop up since the um the FTC started their their enforcement actions, but uh it it as you said, it is not going away.
44:27
SPEAKER_01: This is something that dealers need to take seriously.
44:30
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the more information and data we can get on what's expected of dealers, the better.
44:35
SPEAKER_01: I think the FAQ helps to some degree.
44:38
SPEAKER_01: Uh there's still a lot of uncertainty as to what dealers should be doing, who's responsible for issues that um that they're that that rest with their advertisements.
44:48
SPEAKER_01: Um but dealers can't simply ignore this.
44:51
SPEAKER_01: It's right.
44:51
SPEAKER_01: They have to focus on it because while we haven't seen um major enforcement actions as of yet, I I just think that the FTC is giving a little bit of leeway to allow dealers to get themselves compliant, and there will be a point in time where it's too late and enforcement actions are gonna start popping up.
45:09
SPEAKER_01: We see it on the smaller scale.
45:11
SPEAKER_01: Uh the last time I was on the show, we had talked about uh local attorney generals and local plaintiffs' bar kind of picking up on the smaller side of things where the FTC may not be going after the independent dealer or the the three-rooftop dealer, but your local attorney general is, as is the local attorney uh plaintiff's attorney bar.
45:30
SPEAKER_01: So it's interesting to see uh that they struck up so quickly, but I mean we we must have I don't know, I don't want to give a number, but we we have many, many lawsuits that have popped up from plaintiff's lawyers that are piggybacking off of what the FTC is believing is violative of state and federal statute.
45:50
SPEAKER_03: Wow, yeah, you're gonna start seeing uh bus ads and uh TV ads that say, do you think that you've been cheated by your local car dealer?
45:58
SPEAKER_03: You know, and uh because this this is one of those very hot issues.
46:02
SPEAKER_03: And you know, if you're talking about today's consumer, they just love car dealers, as we all know.
46:07
SPEAKER_03: So there it's a they're looking for anything, they're just waiting, and so are the attorneys, right?
46:13
SPEAKER_03: And uh and it's a very dangerous situation.
46:15
SPEAKER_03: You mentioned earlier a wait and see, but the wait and see is to say, oh, we were fine a million dollars.
46:22
SPEAKER_03: If you're if that's the wait and see dealers, you're really in hot water there.
46:26
SPEAKER_03: You know, that's not a that's not a good plan, you know?
46:28
SPEAKER_03: That's not a good strategy, right?
46:31
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
46:31
SPEAKER_01: And and they are going to be trying to set the tone.
46:33
SPEAKER_01: I don't think these are gonna be small violations.
46:36
SPEAKER_01: I think that the the dollar amounts we're gonna see are gonna be staggering and they're they're gonna be meant to strike fear into the industry because, as you said, you believe that a lot of dealers are not taking this as seriously as they need to be.
46:47
SPEAKER_01: And the only way to make them take it seriously is to start punishing.
46:51
SPEAKER_01: And I do believe we will be seeing that on all fronts.
46:53
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
46:54
SPEAKER_03: And you know, for the dealers that are out there listening to us, so many of you have shared with us on the show here and our conference and everything else.
47:01
SPEAKER_03: So many have said this is a good thing that's happening to the industry.
47:04
SPEAKER_03: We're all gonna finally uh sing off the same sheet of music, we're all gonna sit up and fly right.
47:10
SPEAKER_03: When, you know, it's gonna really clean up our industry.
47:13
SPEAKER_03: That, you know, listen, we're in this situation because we did it to ourselves.
47:16
SPEAKER_03: And I say I because I've been in the industry so long, but I know I'm the media, not a car dealer.
47:20
SPEAKER_03: But we kind of we kind of have.
47:22
SPEAKER_03: So, and I think a lot of dealers uh have said that.
47:25
SPEAKER_03: And uh, however, there's still those rogue dealers out there, you know who you are, and uh who are still just kind of saying, Oh, we're still playing these games.
47:33
SPEAKER_03: In fact, if you watch any of these brokers or advisors that are helping consumers buy a car, we don't have to mention any of them by name, but everybody in the industry has seen these clips on TikTok and other uh social media platforms where they call the dealer and they get, you know, and and the individual wants to get a price on the car.
47:55
SPEAKER_03: And guess what?
47:56
SPEAKER_03: There's now added to it another$3,800 that wasn't advertised.
48:00
SPEAKER_03: Guys, it's it's right there.
48:01
SPEAKER_03: Guess who else is watching those clips?
48:04
SPEAKER_03: The FTC.
48:05
SPEAKER_03: So it's it's it's you're just you're setting yourself up here.
48:09
SPEAKER_03: Do not do it.
48:10
SPEAKER_03: Change the way you're doing business, or you could risk losing your business uh with with fines that are in the millions of dollars.
48:17
SPEAKER_03: So uh we we can't say enough about it.
48:20
SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, that that I don't want to keep ringing the bell on this, you know, because I because I think it's that important.
48:24
SPEAKER_03: And uh do would you agree, Seth, that we we gotta keep reminding dealers that it's almost like a shark that's just like lingering out there under the water, you know, waiting for uh their next prey.
48:36
SPEAKER_03: You know, I say that affectionately, FTC, right?
48:39
SPEAKER_01: But but really Yeah, no, I mean you're you're absolutely correct.
48:43
SPEAKER_01: It it is not going away.
48:44
SPEAKER_01: It's something that the dealers need to take seriously.
48:47
SPEAKER_01: Um and it it'll be very interesting to see what happens over the next few years.
48:52
SPEAKER_01: But enforcement is coming.
48:54
SPEAKER_01: Uh it is not going away.
48:55
SPEAKER_01: That's right.
48:56
SPEAKER_01: And and as you as you indicated, it's I don't think it's a bad thing for the industry.
48:59
SPEAKER_01: I think it's a great thing for the industry.
49:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
49:01
SPEAKER_01: If if all dealers have a level playing field, um you won't have this animosity from dealer to dealer for between the ones that are doing it the right way and the ones that are doing it the wrong way.
49:11
SPEAKER_01: Uh and the FTC actually incentivizes and wants dealers to turn on each other and say, if you're doing it right and you know your neighbor's not doing it right, pick up the phone.
49:19
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
49:20
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
49:20
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there's no question.
49:22
SPEAKER_03: It's uh it's something we all have to pay attention to every single day.
49:26
SPEAKER_03: And dealers, you know, uh you you gotta, I hate to say this, probably gonna get some emails on this one.
49:31
SPEAKER_03: You gotta keep your eye on your managers.
49:33
SPEAKER_03: You know, you put them under the pressure to hit these numbers.
49:36
SPEAKER_03: I mean, really under the pressure to go, you gotta it's this month's gotta be better than last month.
49:40
SPEAKER_03: We gotta do better than we did this month last year.
49:42
SPEAKER_03: We gotta hit the numbers.
49:43
SPEAKER_03: You know, you push them, push them, push them.
49:45
SPEAKER_03: Well, when you do that, sometimes they become rogue managers in the way of marketing and advertising.
49:50
SPEAKER_03: And all while they're telling you, no, boss, we're compliant, don't worry about it.
49:55
SPEAKER_03: Well, not necessarily, because it's kind of a uh two different messages you're sending out.
50:00
SPEAKER_03: Hit every number, get every dollar you can, do whatever you got to do to close these deals.
50:04
SPEAKER_03: Oh, by the way, you're completely compliant, right?
50:06
SPEAKER_03: I've been around the business long enough to know that those two things often don't go hand in hand.
50:11
SPEAKER_03: So keep an eye on your managers, your GMs, your sales managers, because it's just we we we put the pressure on them, but then we also put that responsibility of saying, you know, make sure that we're compliant on our advertising.
50:24
SPEAKER_03: And as I said, sometimes those things don't go hand in hand.
50:27
SPEAKER_01: So and we we see that all the time.
50:29
SPEAKER_01: When we do a compliance audit on a dealership and we grab uh select deal jackets from various stores in a dealership group and we review them, they're not consistent.
50:37
SPEAKER_01: We see one store within the same brand doing things differently than another store within the same group.
50:43
SPEAKER_01: Uh and you go to the top level and they're appalled and they can't believe that this is what's happening at their group.
50:48
SPEAKER_01: But if you're not staying on top of it, uh I hate to say micromanage, but if you're not really looking over everybody's shoulders or set up a level of review internally, uh, this is what's gonna happen.
50:59
SPEAKER_01: You're gonna have rogue dealers and rogue managers and uh third-party vendors that are doing things that are gonna get the top level in trouble.
51:06
SPEAKER_01: That's right.
51:06
SPEAKER_01: So you need to watch all the way down to the bottom.
51:09
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
51:10
SPEAKER_03: And by the way, guess who won't be at the conference table with the FTC signing a check?
51:14
SPEAKER_03: Those employees.
51:15
SPEAKER_03: But you will.
51:16
SPEAKER_03: So, you know, uh again, and not to come down on the industry, but I think it's one we just got to keep ringing this bell, making sure we're doing the audits, making sure that we're keeping our eye on everybody, and also sending out the message, I think, to say, look, it's better to be compliant and to be able to look at our customers in the face and say, here's the price, like it or or not, but this is the way we do business.
51:38
SPEAKER_03: Okay, we're gonna be upfront and we're gonna this is how we're gonna treat you before, during, and after the sale.
51:42
SPEAKER_03: If you like that, great.
51:44
SPEAKER_03: You found a fantastic dealership.
51:45
SPEAKER_03: If you want us to play games, those are the guys down the street.
51:48
SPEAKER_03: You know, go go find it.
51:50
SPEAKER_03: That's not us.
51:51
SPEAKER_03: I mean, what's wrong with that approach, right?
51:53
SPEAKER_03: Nothing.
51:54
SPEAKER_03: So yeah, right.
51:55
SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
51:56
SPEAKER_03: In fact, Seth's the last guy you want to call.
51:58
SPEAKER_03: So he's we are glad.
52:01
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
52:02
SPEAKER_03: Seth's like that guy in you, you you can't handle the truth.
52:05
SPEAKER_03: You you need me on that wall.
52:07
SPEAKER_03: You want me on that wall.
52:08
SPEAKER_03: That is Seth.
52:09
SPEAKER_03: He's keeping an eye on everybody.
52:11
SPEAKER_03: So we appreciate it.
52:12
SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much.
52:13
SPEAKER_05: Yes.
52:13
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
52:14
SPEAKER_03: Thank you very much, Seth.
52:14
SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Seth.
52:15
SPEAKER_03: Really appreciate you coming in today.
52:17
SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having me.
52:18
SPEAKER_01: Take care.
52:18
SPEAKER_01: See you soon.
52:20
SPEAKER_04: Great conversation.
52:21
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
52:21
SPEAKER_04: But I do think the majority out there want to do what's right.
52:25
SPEAKER_04: And and I know you can't keep track of all the managers or anything, but if you call radar, you're right.
52:33
SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
52:36
SPEAKER_03: If you want to stay off the radar, then you gotta call radar.
52:39
SPEAKER_04: Right.
52:39
SPEAKER_04: So I mean, that's right.
52:41
SPEAKER_04: It definitely is something that to look into to uh to help with all that so that you don't have to be, you know, it's not like I said in the ad, it's a full-time job to to be monitoring all of this, and there's a solution that does it for you.
52:53
SPEAKER_03: For$299 a month to make sure that I can sleep better at night as a dealer principal, to say, okay, all of my ads, everything's compliant, I'm gonna know about it.
53:00
SPEAKER_03: Right.
53:01
SPEAKER_04: Man, I know you come you're coming down on them, but uh we know the majority out there, I don't want you to paint with a broad brush, the want to do the right thing and want to the customers to ultimately have the best experience at their stores.
53:12
SPEAKER_04: And the only way to do that is to be completely transparent.
53:15
SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
53:15
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
53:16
SPEAKER_03: Why does it sound so much nicer when you say it than when I said it?
53:18
SPEAKER_04: I said it.
53:20
SPEAKER_04: It's totally different than you said.
53:22
SPEAKER_04: You said, oh rogue managers.
53:24
SPEAKER_04: Rogue.
53:26
SPEAKER_03: I love my managers.
53:28
SPEAKER_03: They love me.
53:29
SPEAKER_03: We were like one big happy family.
53:31
SPEAKER_04: No, but that's what's great about CBD.
53:32
SPEAKER_04: There's probably only two of them out there, hopefully.
53:36
SPEAKER_03: What, that love me?
53:37
SPEAKER_03: Or they're right.
53:38
SPEAKER_03: No, but but uh that's just it.
53:40
SPEAKER_03: These are the kinds of this is the kind of reality that we want to bring here at CBT News because as you know, we you know, we've been doing this for 14 years, and 25 years prior to that, I've been in the business.
53:50
SPEAKER_03: So it's just one of those things that you you you get to know, you know.
53:53
SPEAKER_03: I I know if let me say this.
53:55
SPEAKER_03: If I were a manager today, it would be difficult because you want to be an aggressive manager with regard to volume and gross, volume and gross.
54:04
SPEAKER_03: That's all we listen.
54:05
SPEAKER_03: When a dealer calls a manager at the end of the day or at the end of the weekend, he only has two questions.
54:11
SPEAKER_03: How many and how much?
54:13
SPEAKER_03: I don't want a weather report.
54:14
SPEAKER_03: I don't want to hear about how many salespeople didn't make it in today.
54:17
SPEAKER_03: I don't want to hear about the shortage of cars.
54:19
SPEAKER_03: I only want to know how many cars you sold and how much gross profit you made.
54:23
SPEAKER_03: That's it.
54:24
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
54:24
SPEAKER_03: We live on that in this industry.
54:26
SPEAKER_03: Okay, that's our scorecard by the end of the day or the end of the weekend.
54:30
SPEAKER_03: That does that is kind of goes against the fact that, oh, we're gonna be completely compliant and we're gonna take our cars and we're gonna advertise them because the guy down the road might be eating our lunch because he's not compliant.
54:41
SPEAKER_03: I feel like you're missing it a little bit here.
54:43
SPEAKER_03: How are we missing it?
54:44
SPEAKER_04: Because if the customer feels like they're treated right and it's transparent through from beginning to end, then you are gonna sell more cars.
54:52
SPEAKER_03: I agree.
54:52
SPEAKER_03: I agree.
54:53
SPEAKER_03: You know, but it is a challenge.
54:55
SPEAKER_04: So if we ran the dealership together, I would say, how how is the weather there?
55:00
SPEAKER_03: How are your children?
55:01
SPEAKER_03: I bet Seffie would have me.
55:02
SPEAKER_04: How are your children doing?
55:03
SPEAKER_04: By the way, how many cars did you get out?
55:05
SPEAKER_04: And how much?
55:06
SPEAKER_03: You would do that as the dealer.
55:09
SPEAKER_04: All our transparency has been working.
55:11
SPEAKER_03: I want to hear from the managers on this very topic.
55:14
SPEAKER_03: Um, because you you get you men and women know what I'm talking about.
55:19
SPEAKER_03: Okay, that's the call you get, all right, or the text message now that you've got to send in.
55:24
SPEAKER_03: Um every dealer goes, Texas how many we delivered today, and I want to know what the gross profit was.
55:29
SPEAKER_03: By the way, front and back, I want to know what the back is.
55:31
SPEAKER_03: So sorry, I'm just telling you that's that's the business we're in.
55:35
SPEAKER_04: But more importantly, don't hate the player.
55:37
SPEAKER_03: Don't hate the player, hit the game, right?
55:39
SPEAKER_03: Speaking of games, big weekend for football.
55:41
SPEAKER_03: Uh huh.
55:41
SPEAKER_05: Both?
55:44
SPEAKER_03: How big is it?
55:45
SPEAKER_03: No, for both college and and obviously college and NFL, but we are in full swing in in college football, right?
55:52
SPEAKER_03: Can't wait.
55:53
SPEAKER_03: Unbelievable.
55:54
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
55:54
SPEAKER_05: Can't wait.
55:55
SPEAKER_03: And in our family, by the way, we've got Gators, and we have Old Miss, which are Rebels.
56:00
SPEAKER_03: Yep.
56:00
SPEAKER_03: And then we also have Georgia Bulldogs.
56:03
SPEAKER_03: We do.
56:03
SPEAKER_03: This is all, these are our sons and daughters, by the way, okay?
56:06
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
56:07
SPEAKER_03: And then we have um uh Kennesaw State.
56:12
SPEAKER_03: Kennesaw State, absolutely.
56:14
SPEAKER_03: We can't forget about them.
56:15
SPEAKER_03: Right.
56:16
SPEAKER_03: So it makes for a great Thanksgiving, you know?
56:19
SPEAKER_04: It does.
56:19
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
56:20
SPEAKER_04: My favorite holiday.
56:21
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
56:22
SPEAKER_03: And then we've got Harvard and Yale.
56:24
SPEAKER_04: Right.
56:24
SPEAKER_03: No, just kidding.
56:25
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
56:26
SPEAKER_03: That's it.
56:26
SPEAKER_04: All right.
56:27
SPEAKER_04: Thanks, everyone.
56:27
SPEAKER_04: It has been a great show.
56:29
SPEAKER_04: We hope you all have a great weekend.
56:30
SPEAKER_04: We'll see you back here on Monday at noon.
56:32
SPEAKER_03: That's right.
56:33
SPEAKER_04: Easter.
56:34
SPEAKER_03: Think compliance.