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Meet Terry Lancaster

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Marketing Strategist, Trainer, Content Creator at How to Sell More Cars The Start Picture this: It’s the 1970s, and I’m a young kid sitting in my grandfather’s basement, playing my aunt’s records, pretending to be Wolfman Jack, introducing Sonny and Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.” My aunt was just six years older than me, but she had all the cool music: Paul McCartney and Wings, Sonny, and Cher, you name it. Fast-forward a few years, and there I was, fresh out of college, getting married, and moving to Tupelo, Mississippi, 200 miles away from anyone I knew. I was 22 years old, and it was just me and my wife in the middle of nowhere, working for a 100,000-watt radio station. And that was my start in the advertising business. I had always loved radio, so when I saw a flyer on the college notice board asking if I wanted to be a disc jockey, my answer was an enthusiastic “Yes!”. I took the class, ran the college radio station for a couple of years, and then joined a commercial radio station. But it didn’t take long to realize that the radio business wasn’t about the disc jockeys or the music. It was all about the advertisers, and in the mid-80s, car dealers dominated the local airwaves. After college, I dove headfirst into the radio business’s sales department. The salespeople at the radio station all drove nice cars, so I figured that was the place to be. But nothing could have prepared me for my first encounter with one of those car dealers, a place called “Friendly Ford” in Tupelo, Mississippi. Freshly graduated, full of optimism, and armed with my new suit, new shoes, and a well-prepared presentation, I walked into the dealership. The general manager, a guy with his cowboy boots up on the desk, took one look at me and knew I was there to sell him something. He quickly shut me down, saying he didn’t need any advertising. Despite my best attempts to keep the conversation going, I was shown the door in no uncertain terms. Turns out “Friendly Ford” was not that friendly. However, this setback turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I crossed the street to a smaller dealership, where I met a young general manager who was hungry for success. We hit it off, and together, we launched an aggressive radio advertising campaign that quickly turned his dealership into one of the top advertisers on my station. As fate would have it, Friendly Ford across the street ended up underperforming, and Ford took back the store. A new general manager was appointed, who I promptly turned into another top advertiser on the radio station. So, in a roundabout way, it was Wolfman Jack who led me into the car business. And even though my first encounter with a car dealer was less than friendly, I found my footing and made a name for myself in the advertising industry. The Foundations My journey into the car business really took off when I started selling radio advertising. As a former disc jockey, transitioning to sales was not easy. I’m not a natural-born salesman; I enjoy talking and crave positive affirmation. The cold calling and walking into dealerships to sell them something was a tough gig for me. But when I found my rhythm and began to see success, it was deeply rewarding. I was an atypical radio salesperson, a stranger in a small market without a ready-made network. To succeed, I had to work harder and bring fresh ideas to the table. I quickly realized that car dealers, with their deep pockets, were the biggest advertisers. If I could present them with an idea that could help them sell cars, they were likely to listen, and that usually led to a successful sale. Within a year, I knew this was the right path for me. I moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to work for FM 100, the most powerful radio station in the nation, as their automotive specialist. I was dealing with large dealerships with enormous budgets, and I loved it. I got an opportunity to join the general manager of the Mazda dealership in Tupelo, Mississippi, who had started an advertising agency since we had first met. He was using a lot of the ideas we had worked on together. I went to work for him and started doing what I had been doing in Tupelo and Memphis but on a regional scale. It became harder as we tried to cover more territory, but we found a way to make it work. “At the time we were laying out these giant full-page newspaper ads, we printed them and just started mailing them to dealers.” The real breakthrough came when we started using direct mail to reach dealers. This was during the early days of the computer era, so we had access to desktop publishing. We could design these large newspaper ads and print them in a smaller format, and thanks to living near the FedEx hub in Memphis, we could get them to newspapers anywhere in the country within two days. Our audacious approach met with a technology curve that we were slightly ahead of, and our business exploded. We rode this wave for a long time, as dealers spent heavily on newspaper advertising. However, like all things, this, too, eventually changed. The Wins “I’m not an empire business; I did all this to make a living to support me and my family and my kids and do the things I love to do with people.” As dealerships started to shift their budget away from the newspapers, we had to adapt. We added radio, TV, and a lot of direct mail to our advertising mix, serving dealerships all across North America. But by the mid-2000s, the internet had come along and changed the game. I managed to figure out how to use the internet to reach dealers before they figured out how to use it to reach their customers, and this gave us an edge. The business was booming, and our biggest problem at the time was trying not to grow too big. I didn’t want to run an empire. I wanted a business that would support my family and allow me to do the things I loved with the people I loved. But everything changed when the financial crisis of 2008 hit. Both the automotive and advertising industries took a hit, and we had to learn to say yes to things we didn’t really know how to do and figure out our new path in this new era of the car business. What we really landed on is this idea that the only constant is change. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable became our greatest strength. Going through that crisis taught us that we always have to be open to trying new things. Technology has come along, and now every human being, from the salesperson at a dealership to the general manager, can connect with every other human being and tell their story. In the past decade, I’ve been warning automotive salespeople that robots are coming for their jobs, and they’re here now. They can walk customers through the entire buying process, from trade-in evaluation to signing on the dotted line. Carvana was delivering cars to people’s driveways, selling hundreds of thousands of cars a year with zero salespeople. The only way for salespeople to compete is to build relationships with their customers. Something technology can’t do on its own. Dealers can still get leads, but they have to pay a “Google tax” to whoever is acting as a middleman.  Dealerships are pillars of their local communities. They sponsor local sports teams, donate to rotary clubs, and give cars for hole-in-one prizes at golf tournaments. Building these relationships one step at a time is crucial. The same goes for their relationships with their employees. The only way to retain staff is to create a work environment that they love so that they can pass that love on to the customers. As much as some dealers resist the digital revolution, there are also customers who resist it. The key is to be open to change and willing to meet every customer where they are, whether they want to buy a car with the click of a button or come into the dealership and spend time talking about the specs of different models. Every customer is different and needs to be treated as such. You have to be ready to sell to them in the way they want to buy and build relationships one step at a time. The Future “My goal is just to sit here, do this and talk to car dealers as often as possible.” Post-COVID, I had a chance to reflect on what I wanted for the next chapter of my life. My passion for the automotive industry has been a constant since my early twenties, so it was clear that I wanted to continue to serve car dealerships. During the pandemic, I wrote a book called “How to Sell More Cars” and subsequently decided to rebrand my company, podcast, and website under the same name. I’m currently working on an additional chapter and recording an audiobook version of the book. What I’m looking for now is to form more relationships with dealerships. I’m not interested in mass lead generation or making cold calls. I want meaningful conversations with dealers about what’s happening at their dealerships. I want to understand their goals and how I can help their team achieve them. My own goal is to have these kinds of conversations with car dealers as often as possible, helping them to navigate the changing landscape of the automotive industry and ultimately sell more cars.

Commentary & Insights

Meet John Sternal

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Partner, Director of PR & Social Media, Merit Mile The Start "I embraced the aspect of performing, and performing in front of people." Growing up in Connecticut, I experienced an atypical childhood due to losing my biological mother at a young age. My father eventually decided to relocate our family to Florida, which was quite a change for me. As a child, I was a drummer and percussionist, and I had some early success with it. This performance background made me comfortable with public speaking and helped shape who I am today in my profession. During college at the University of South Florida in Tampa, I fell in love with communications and public speaking classes, and I was a huge sports fan. I had an internship with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later with the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, where I traveled all over North America, working with major sports media.  While I loved the art of practicing public relations, I realized I was falling out of love with working in professional sports. I craved the ability to help an organization shape their message and make an impact for their brand, which led me to join one of the world's largest PR agencies, Hill and Knowlton. The Foundation "Our ideal client is somebody who understands the value of building a brand." My time with Hill and Knowlton introduced me to the world of automotive PR, which I found fascinating. I loved learning about the economics of the industry, the different types of players, and how all the components worked in automotive. I wasn't promoting manufacturers and cars; instead, I was working on the behind-the-scenes business aspect of the industry. Since 2005, I have been working with automotive journalists and clients, building a close network of contacts in the automotive world. Over time, these connections have grown into long-lasting friendships and professional relationships. Everybody has a unique perspective on what PR is, and early on, PR was mainly about crisis management and event planning. Nowadays, PR has evolved to encompass a wide range of functions, including thought leadership, storytelling, and brand journalism. This evolution allows PR professionals like me to mold and shape the type of PR our agency focuses on, aligning it with our passions and strengths. Our agency, Merit Mile , works with a diverse clientele, from some of the largest companies in the world to startup companies and everything in between. The ideal client for us is not defined by the size of their company or their budget, but by their understanding of the value of building a brand and getting additional awareness for it. They should also recognize the difference between PR and marketing, with PR being less about sales and more about thought leadership, storytelling, and brand journalism. Clients who embrace and understand how we can make an impact for their brand and are willing to work as partners to achieve their goals are the best fit for our agency. This partnership is crucial in navigating the ever-changing PR landscape, where flexibility and adaptability are key to success. The Wins "I still today, 30 years later, sometimes get so excited about press placements for my clients that it literally brings a tear to my eye." My early days working in sports PR were eye-opening and exhilarating, setting the foundation for my passion for the industry. Although it wasn't exactly the type of PR I wanted to be doing, it was a great starting point, and it constantly challenged me. Over 30 years later, I still love what I do, and I'm far from being burnt out. I take great joy in securing press placements for my clients and making a difference for them. When you can still feel excited and moved by your work after 30 years, you know you're doing what you're meant to be doing. The automotive industry has also been a fulfilling part of my career, with its close-knit community and constant opportunities for growth and learning. The Future "The fact that something like ChatGPT can now intelligently create content is really going to change how we do our craft." Up until recently, I didn't think that PR and advertising would change drastically. The Internet, mobile phones, and social media have all come and changed the way we do business, but they didn't fundamentally change how our crafts are performed. However, the rise of artificial intelligence and advancements in tools like ChatGPT have made me reconsider. ChatGPT's ability to intelligently create content could significantly change the way we perform. I've already experienced editors asking if the content I submit was produced by chatGPT, which signals a shift in the industry. While there are both positive and negative aspects to ChatGPT's impact, it is clear that it will play a significant role in the future of PR and advertising. The exact nature of this change remains uncertain, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on as the industry evolves. I reflect on my career and I feel privileged to have experienced what I have. The exposure to PR so early on, as a twenty-something, in the sports industry; and to have had the opportunity to grow alongside my craft.

Commentary & Insights

Meet Sarah Vantine

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Vice President of Sales at Quantum5 The Start "I had always dreamed of going into museum curation. I was passionate about being creative, researching, studying artifacts, and learning about human history."  Growing up, I had two very high-achieving parents who instilled self-sufficient resilience. They helped shape my independence, and I have always been an independent person in many ways. My dad always let me make mistakes and learn from them. He didn't get too involved, even if I was going off track or doing something that he wouldn't necessarily recommend. This allowed me to try a lot of different things in childhood and adolescence. I never really had this fear of failure because my parents were very much like, "Awesome, keep it up. Do it for you, not for the sake of perfection." As a kid, I never really fit in with many popular groups. I was a bit of a nerd, and I loved Star Wars, video games, and the Science Olympiad. But within that, I was comfortable enough in my own skin that it didn't bother me that much that I had other interests that weren't necessarily cool.  "I had an art history degree and a studio art degree, and I intended to pursue that for the rest of my life."  The Foundations Everything changed in 2008. My college professors informed me that I wouldn't have the same opportunities to pursue my dream because I didn't have a Ph.D. The positions they had discussed when I started down this path didn't exist anymore. Instead, jobs were being held by people with PhDs who were willing to take unpaid internships and do field research. I couldn't afford to go back to school and invest in another degree that might lead to joblessness or unpaid research. So, I decided to explore other options. "If you don't hire me, I am going to go next door because they are also hiring. And then I am going to run circles around you." One day, I walked into a car dealership, even though I had never sold anything before and didn't know much about cars. Nevertheless, I had the confidence to explore something new and give it a shot. I didn't cave or back down; being from Atlanta, Georgia, I know how to stand up for myself. I got hired, and I stuck it out. Maybe my stubbornness inherently made me say to myself, "If they can do this, so can I."  I felt like a complete failure in the beginning because it was not easy to get started in the business. I didn't receive formal training until after 90 days of employment and didn't get into classroom training until almost six months after starting the job. But I didn't let that deter me. I just kept going, trying to work my way around challenges. I was determined to be successful like my coworkers, who were making a lot more money than I was. I just went with the punches. Ultimately, I learned a lot from those experiences, which have served me well. The Wins Being left out really shaped my career, being discounted or ignored until I had proven my worth. When I build teams and engage and train BDCs, I am always aware of the power you can harness when someone invests in you. I feel really strongly about giving people attention. People are inherently in a job to do well - intrinsically, we all have individual motivations as to why we do things, but that doesn't change the fact that we want and need to do well and perform at work.  After starting as a certified sales consultant in the automotive industry, I spent a little over five years with Hendrick Automotive Group. Through hard work and dedication, I progressed through several positions before joining the Scott Clark Auto Group. At the new workplace, I took on the Internet Director role and later became the Fixed Operations BDC Director. It was a fulfilling experience to build and foster the kind of work culture I had always envisioned.  When I think back to how it all began and the wins, I am reminded that the decision to work in automotive profoundly impacted every aspect of my life. It led me to meet my husband, who is also in the industry and compelled me to relocate to various cities, including Chapel Hill and Raleigh, North Carolina, before eventually settling in my husband's hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Each move we made represented a significant step along the journey that began with my choice to forego returning home to Atlanta and pursue an alternative path. It felt like the correct decision, and its effects rippled throughout my life. The Future My experience continues to be a huge influence on me today, how I engage with people and work with teams to improve results. My passion for training is directly related to what I witnessed at the very start of my career; I believe everyone should have access to welcoming environments and training opportunities that enable them to succeed.  This ethos has heavily influenced my professional trajectory. I have established BDC departments and witnessed team members elevate themselves and grow by stepping outside of their comfort zones, learning about themselves, and assisting others. This mindset has been contagious among those I have worked with - everyone is united in our mission to bring out the best in people. Despite the perception that the car business is driven solely by profit and populated by unscrupulous salespeople, I know first-hand that there are many good individuals who genuinely want to help others. These are the people I choose to surround myself with. Even when I achieved success and was approached by other companies, I declined their offers because I believed that my current role allowed me to make a greater impact and support my team. However, when I was presented with the opportunity to join Quantum5 , I recognized that I could expand my reach and assist even more people while aligning with my personal values. This is precisely what I aim to accomplish - to instill a culture of genuine care and foster meaningful relationships with people. The future is all about people and the integration of people and technology. I resonate deeply with the values shared by the Quantum5 leadership and look forward to the future we are creating. 

Commentary & Insights

Meet Fleming Ford

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President, Culture Ignited & DEI Champions Council for Retail Automotive; Director The Start “I always was analyzing my different leaders, different people on my team, why they struggle, why people failed.” I would go back to my parents as the beginning of my journey. In my family, everyone thinks they’re a therapist, so there was a lot of counseling and guidance. I have five younger brothers and sisters, and as the oldest, I got to boss people around all the time. Birth order and the personal stress that you put on yourself as the oldest child has been an ongoing challenge or, rather, an energizer for me. Like many others, I went to school, got a finance degree, and then realized I didn’t like finance at all. So instead, I got into selling finance and eventually found myself selling HR products like recruiting assessments, hiring processes, and behavioral leadership evaluations. I became quite good at it, and at 28, I was promoted to sales manager. That’s when I made some epic mistakes, and I really developed as a person; I discovered a passion for helping managers who want to do their best but haven’t been given the necessary skills to lead effectively. My curiosity led me to analyze my different leaders, cultures, and team members, trying to understand why people struggle and fail in their careers.  I became fascinated by the career choices people make early on and how they can end up in what I call “job jail” – making a paycheck but not enjoying their work. So my mission has been to help people find a place where they love what they’re doing, their workplace, and their boss, and I believe that can be life-changing. There’s no secret formula to figuring it all out, but I’ve been slowly chipping away at it, and it all started with the lessons I learned early on, both from my family and from my own experiences in the workforce. The Foundations “I think most managers go into just doing what they did best before they got promoted, versus what they need to do best is work with their people.” I’ll point back to my mother, who was an early instigator in encouraging me to find a job that makes me happy. However, when I started my career, job hopping was frowned upon. Times have changed, and we now understand that people might be searching for the right place or escaping terrible management. I believe people inherently want to do a good job, feel proud, and serve a purpose, but managers don’t always have the skills to empower or trust their employees. I’ve witnessed managers managing to the lowest level of their team instead of the highest, pushing away top employees. We need to shift our mindset to believe that everyone on our team wants to do their very best and find ways to bring that out of them.  This approach attracts better employees and allows people to rise to your expectations. One of the biggest struggles in performance-driven environments, such as automotive, is transitioning from performer to managing the performers. Unfortunately, we often don’t do a good job helping people onboard into their new roles. Managers need training in coaching, caring about others, and letting their team take credit. I work with high-potential employees, helping them transition into leadership roles by mentoring and coaching them. I encourage companies to be responsible for this transition period by identifying high-potential employees and working with them to develop new skill sets, such as conducting coaching reviews with difficult employees, setting attainable goals, and understanding their strengths to put them in the right roles. This process helps prevent frustration and burnout, enabling employees to grow and scale. To sum up, owners must equip their people with the necessary leadership skills, not just for the leaders but also for their teams. This approach allows everyone to feel more comfortable and promotes growth within the organization. The Wins Some of the most significant wins in my career include: Building the consulting arm at Omnia Group to equip our client with the power of utilizing behavioral assessments to build winning teams: The program made it easier for managers to hire the right person, improve the interviewing process and optimize talent. It also allowed for better team leadership based on understanding individual strengths, needs, and communication styles for improved engagement and retention. Being part of the original hiring and growth project of autotrader.com: I had the opportunity to shape the company’s beginning by working with the leaders, HR, and sales managers to identify the hiring benchmarks and get the right people for new roles. It was fun as they really took off quickly, and it was inspiring to work with their team. Working on the SHOT program with Toyota and the Ritz Carlton: This experience taught me about implementing strong company culture through pillars, hiring and onboarding systems, and the importance of employee engagement and buy-in. Facilitating the program for Toyota and working with dealers was an enjoyable and rewarding experience. These wins made me realize that focusing on the people side of the business is crucial for success, and finding purpose in my work is what truly defines “making it.” The Future I would say that coming out of COVID made me more reflective about my career and life choices. Some key realizations and goals I have include: I want to work with people I love and customers I enjoy working with while maintaining balance in my life. I’m learning to set boundaries to take care of myself, my family, my friends, and my health. I’m at a point where I want to help not just a few dealerships but many more. To continue to develop empathy for those I coach and work with. I experience similar challenges as them. I want to help leaders create healthier, high-performing teams, which in turn leads to healthier families and communities. Addressing the growing mental health crisis – with one in four people dealing with mental health issues, I recognize the power we have as leaders in the automotive industry to make a positive impact on people’s lives. My current focus is on finding ways to provide solutions at scale and navigating the balance between personal and professional life. I am also deeply involved in the DEI Champions Council. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council consists of around 20 different dealer groups, including some of the larger groups. We are focused on addressing various aspects of building inclusive cultures so we can attract and retain the talent to meet business objectives. A current topic we are focused on is the mental health of our workforce.  There are many aspects of people’s lives that they may hide or cover up at work, which can have a significant impact on mental health. Therefore, it’s crucial for leaders to create inclusive environments where everyone can thrive. This isn’t just about addressing the needs of specific demographics – it’s about creating spaces where everyone can express their needs and feelings openly. By creating courageous spaces, leaders can foster honest communication and nurture personal and professional growth among their team members. For me, this focus on DEI is an exciting and inspiring aspect of my future career. I’ve spent years working on hiring, interviewing, culture, engagement, and retention, which are all important. However, given the current cultural landscape and changing mindsets, addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion is a vital and impactful area where I would like to concentrate my efforts as I approach the end of my career before retirement.

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Reviews

CXAUTO2023 Speaker Spotlight: Lee Ann Gehrs

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I’ve been with Holman for 17 years now, and it is the organization with which I’ve spent the vast majority of my career. The leadership and employees at Holman were incredibly welcoming, and the company culture immediately resonated with me. I started off in sales and sales leadership before transitioning into operations and then employee engagement, which was an incredibly rewarding experience. After that, I served in a number of customer service leadership roles within our B2B segment of the organization.  In 2018, I was promoted to our retail automotive division and was tasked with centralizing our BDC, which we call the Customer Engagement Center for Holman. I've been in this area ever since and love every minute of it. The pace, the people, and the ability to be genuine and get things done in the automotive industry are invigorating to me. “You're not one or the other. You're everything." My experience in sales, employee engagement, and operations has positioned me well for what I do today, focusing on the experiences of our customers and employees. I believe this diverse background has prepared me to understand and connect with various aspects of the automotive industry. What sets  Holman  apart is the values at the top that perpetuate through every person in the entire organization. Our values are about setting people up for success and driving what’s right for our people, our customers, and our communities. We are literally built on the golden rule. We care about one another and see each other as whole individuals, not just defined by our roles. This supportive environment is what makes our company culture special and allows us to grow and thrive in the industry. "What has always been on my radar since I became a leader early on, is people, people making things better, and making business better.” My focus has always been on people and how they can improve both the workplace and the business. After joining the automotive industry, the importance of agility and adaptability quickly became clear. It is an exciting environment where you never know what the day will bring. The best processes can be disrupted by the needs of the customer, and we have to be ready to respond. Another key aspect of Holman’s success has been the focus on continuous learning and improvement. We invest in our employees by providing them with opportunities to develop new skills and grow within the organization. This has not only contributed to a more knowledgeable and versatile workforce, but it also fosters a sense of loyalty and dedication to the company.  Our purpose as an organization is simple but incredibly important; we seek to provide a rewarding career for all and a better life for every employee and their family. We refer to this as the Holman Way. This unwavering commitment to our deeply rooted core values and truly unique family legacy continues to shape our culture and guide our business. By empowering our employees and supporting their career growth, we create a positive and dynamic work environment that ultimately translates into better customer experiences.  “It’s no small task in an industry that's been around and has the compliance regulations that we do." The consumer is evolving. Their expectations are changing. We have to be able to adapt to every single customer who visits a Holman location.  That is what excites me about the future; being even more agile, not just in our mindset but also in our systems and processes. I'm looking forward to a time when it's easier for our employees to adapt in the moment, anticipate needs, and guide customers through the process. This will help us retain customers and drive a better overall experience. Joining our retail division right before the pandemic made it clear just how many factors drive change in this space. Market forces, inventory challenges, and shifting consumer preferences all contribute. As customers' connections to technology evolve, we must adapt to meet their needs, regardless of their background or demographic. It's a tall task to create an experience that's meaningful to every customer in the moment. However, we're not just looking for someone to buy a car and move on – we want them to become a part of the Holman community. We aim to make every customer feel like their purchase was a big deal, because it truly is. As the industry and technology evolve, we'll continue working to find the right tools, partners, and paths to deliver on our promise of continuing to drive what’s right. Embracing emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, will play a significant role in helping us better understand and anticipate the needs of our customers. Additionally, staying ahead of the curve in terms of sustainability and environmental initiatives is essential to meeting the demands of an increasingly eco-conscious consumer base. By staying committed to innovation, adaptability, and genuine care for both our employees and customers, we aim to redefine the automotive retail experience and lead the industry into a brighter future. Catch Lee Ann Gehrs live at  CXAUTO2023  in Marina Del Rey, The Ritz-Carlton, California. June 20th - 21st 2023. Head over to   https://tlsummits.com/  for more information and to understand why  CXAUTO2023  is one of the most exclusive and sought-after events in the automotive industry.  -Sponsored Event Marketing-

Commentary & Insights

Meet Ed Steenman

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Owner, Steenman Associates The Start Growing up in Hawaii, I had the unique opportunity to intern at a local radio station at just 14 years old; I was the youngest disc jockey on the island. During high school and college, I became semi-famous in a small island community where there were only two rock stations. A girl came along and changed my story, leading me to move to Portland, Oregon. I was an on-air talent on one station while selling radio ads for another. After a year, I decided to focus on the sales aspect, which ignited my love for media and advertising. With an MBA in statistics, I have both creative and business sides to my personality. This led me to work in an agency environment where I could be a voice talent and copywriter while also selling and working with clients. I was immediately drawn to the automotive space and enjoyed working with auto dealers. They understood the value of advertising, relationship building was at the core, and they had good budgets. The Foundations After working for a few agencies and a brief partnership, I decided to venture out on my own with my Macintosh 512K in a luggable bag. I set up shop in Seattle, and through persistence and hard work, I've built a successful career in advertising. At the time, advertising was simpler, with a few ads on radio, TV, or newspapers being enough to drive sales. However, the advertising landscape has since evolved, with an emphasis on omnichannel touchpoints, attribution, and extensive data analysis. Although the advertising industry has become more complex and heavily analyzed, creativity remains at its core. Successful advertising campaigns must still break through the noise with engaging, innovative content rather than relying on overused, dull approaches. My mission has always been to brand dealerships differently, focusing on their involvement in the community rather than just selling cars. The Wins "Running my own firm, having great partners and clients, and seeing the results of my work have been the most rewarding aspects of my career" No one can be an expert in everything, so having talented individuals like art directors, SEO partners, and videographers on my team has been essential. Working with great clients has been another source of satisfaction. The best clients are those who believe in the process, trust me and my team, and give us the freedom to create innovative work. These wins and the opportunity to work closely with businesses and dealership principals have been the driving force behind my passion for this industry. These moments of success are what continue to motivate me every day. The Future "The future of the automotive business has been shaped by the accelerated shift towards online shopping, changing advertising strategies, and the convergence of data and video." COVID-19 accelerated the trend toward online shopping in the automotive industry. This change has made it even more critical for dealerships to have effective advertising in place. Messaging found online must be on point and do much of the heavy lifting that used to happen in the dealerships. Concurrent to that change, a significant evolution has also happened in the way people consume video content. The rapid increase in cord-cutting away from traditional television to streaming platforms like Hulu, Pluto and others has opened up significant new and exciting opportunities to reach in-market automotive shoppers more precisely than ever before. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ed loves learning. He and his team have worked hard to develop in-depth knowledge and experience with all major streaming services and platforms as well as developing their own proprietary technology stack and direct bidding capabilities for OTT advertising. This, coupled with full transparency and a long history of creating exceptional video content for dealers, places Steenman in a unique position to continue to super-serve this business with new and innovative video advertising solutions for years to come.

Reviews

CXAUTO2023 Speaker Spotlight: Kevin Frye, Jeff Wyler Automotive Family

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Like many people in the automotive industry, I fell into my position. My wife and I had a chain of five eBay stores where we helped customers sell their items. I got involved in the early days of eBay Motors, navigating the challenging process of selling cars online, including hosting photos on a server and using the right camera settings. Unfortunately, there was no instruction book on how to do it. "I became one of those early e-commerce pioneers in automotive to write the book on how to sell a car online, and I literally sold over 500 on eBay Motors in one year." This achievement caught the attention of dealers who initially thought selling cars without physical test drives was impossible. So I started a business to serve these dealers, and eventually, the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family approached me about becoming their first-ever E-commerce Director. They recognized that e-commerce would play a significant role in the future of automotive sales. "That means, of course, you need to understand what the consumer wants and needs." One of the key principles we follow at the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family is focusing on being more consumer-facing. We conduct an annual user experience study, bringing in people from different backgrounds to give their input on current and future market trends. We ask questions about preferences for electric vehicles, online purchases, and dealership versus online platforms like Carvana. One surprising finding from our study was the security aspect of consumers preferring to sell or trade their vehicles directly to a dealership. As dealers, we offer simplicity and security that customers increasingly value due to rising concerns about fraud and violence related to private transactions. As we celebrate our 50th year in business, we can provide trust and security to customers, alleviating any fears or concerns about online transactions. To lead in this industry, we must be humble and continuously learn by directly asking questions to the people we work with. This approach helps us better understand consumer needs and improve our services. "In today's market, there's such a tremendous amount of data to include real-time data. So, how can you make that actionable and more personalized?" The biggest change in the automotive industry has undoubtedly been the advent of the Internet, which completely upended traditional automotive retail. However, I believe there are two more significant shifts on the horizon. The first involves leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the automotive retail experience. We're in the early stages of this, with chatbots on our websites, for instance. In addition, we've recently installed AI sales and service components across all our dealerships and websites, convinced that it will be a crucial part of the future consumer experience. The second shift is the adoption of Consumer Data Platforms (CDPs) to better manage our first-party data. The automotive industry has typically done a poor job managing data, and our goal with CDPs is to have all the data in one place so we can analyze and market based on it. AI will also play a role in taking this to the next level. Imagine AI analyzing recorded calls and providing insights on the most effective scripts, allowing us to personalize the process and become more consumer-facing. These two components—AI and CDPs—will undoubtedly shape the future of automotive retail. Artificial intelligence is the key to leveraging today's data to create a more personalized and effective consumer experience. The focus should always be on whether using AI and data improves the customer experience. As we continue to innovate in the automotive industry, it's essential to prioritize the consumers' needs and desires. By leveraging AI and constantly evaluating its impact on the customer experience, we can ensure we stay ahead and provide a seamless, tailored service for our customers. That's what we're constantly looking at. And part of what I will be discussing with my presentation at CXAUTO2023. Catch Kevin Frye live at  CXAUTO2023  in Marina Del Rey, The Ritz-Carlton, California. June 20th - 21st 2023. Head over to   https://tlsummits.com/  for more information and to understand why  CXAUTO2023  is one of the most exclusive and sought-after events in the automotive industry.  -Sponsored Event Marketing-

Reviews

CXAUTO2023 Speaker Spotlight: William Camastro, Gold Coast Cadillac

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I grew up in the Bronx, in a lower middle-class family with nine siblings. My dad worked for the city of New York, a very blue-collar job but ultimately became an engineer. We weren't poor, but we didn't really have much. Through high school and college, I worked in the city schools of New York, shoveling coal to heat the schools, stripping floors, and cleaning bathrooms. I saw an ad in the paper that said, if you sell X number of cars, we'll give you a demo. I didn't have a car at the time, so I took it. I realized that while I might not know as much as the people around me that had been there for a long time, I would work harder. I hadn't learned how to work smart yet, but I had learned how to work hard. I realized I could gain experience and knowledge, and I could bring initiative and drive that most people didn't have. "I learned to wear a suit and enjoyed dressing up for work." I started excelling, making money and moved into finance. Within five years, I became a General Sales Manager and later a General Manager for seven or eight years. I went to work for Roger Penske and was part of the first automotive company to go public. At that time, there were no consolidators or public companies in the industry – it was all family-run type businesses. When the public sector got involved, the automotive industry and the public environment didn't understand each other. The group I got involved withbought 14 stores in the New Jersey / New York area as their first holdings. Some stores weren't performing well, while others were. Within two years, they realized that the public environment would invest money if they saw growth. Interestingly, a store losing a million or two a year and which then broke even the following year would create enthusiasm in the investment community. It was better to turn around stores that were losing money than to have a store that made a steady profit with no growth potential. I was asked to take a group of three stores that were losing a million a year combined and turn them around. I had nothing to lose at the time; failure was just another learning experience for me. We made $5,000 in a quarter and raised the earnings per share by 40 or 50 cents for all the outstanding shares, turning into real money when multiplied by several million shares. I then repeated those successes in Danbury, Connecticut, and Jersey City. I had created a reputation for myself in the public sector and started to get rewarded with stock options, which I knew nothing about at the time. I spent seven years with the Penske organization, moving to Danbury, New Jersey, and ultimately to Palm Beach, Florida, where I had a group of nine stores. I turned them into $3-4 million winners. I started getting recruited by other public companies and took a large contract to work for a company seeking someone with my skills. "I didn't realize at the time when you are doing that kind of a job, not only is it a bit of a grind, but by the same token, you can't fail." Because if you fail, you're done. After 20 years in the public sector, I wanted to go out on my own. My brother and I bought several stores in the New York area, owned them for eight or nine years, and sold them for a sizable profit. I wasn't looking to work again, but my current partner reached out to me with an opportunity to join Gold Coast Cadillac and turn around one of the largest Cadillac stores in the world. He flew in, and I became his partner because I thought highly of him, the franchise opportunity, and the location. It's been a great ride that I'm not yet ready to end. I learned early on that I should never distance myself from my business to the point where I couldn't affect the outcome. You should always be prepared to do the work. In customer satisfaction and engagement, the reason we have so many processes, policies, and procedures is that the individual person's behavior is normally very self-centered. It takes selfless behavior, and I think our culture plays a significant role in this. I'm personally involved and present at work five days a week, and my drive to work is 114 miles one way. "I'm more about people's behavior and what drives it than I am an aficionado of anything else in life." I create as many self-policing mechanisms as possible so that I don't have to micromanage. You'll see my mobile number on a lot of things that I do. It creates a lot of dynamics, not just because the customers can reach me but because it brings enthusiasm to the conversation. My salespeople know that I will only get upset with them if a customer has a problem and they don't have my cell phone number. If a customer calls me, I'll never give a salesperson a hard time. I'll resolve the issue. We focus on building relationships with our customers, and we have low employee turnover rates. When customers know they will see the same employees again, they feel more comfortable and less likely to focus solely on price. We strive to create a sense of familiarity and comfort for our customers. At CXAUTO2023 in June, I will discuss the customer service experience. In today's world, we often overlook the simple human aspect of being the best version of ourselves to people. The goal is to build value into the process. Catch William Camastro live at  CXAUTO2023  in Marina Del Rey, The Ritz-Carlton, California. June 20th - 21st 2023. Head over to   https://tlsummits.com/  for more information and to understand why  CXAUTO2023  is one of the most exclusive and sought-after events in the automotive industry.  -Sponsored Event Marketing-

Reviews

CXAUTO2023 Speaker Spotlight: Ali Fawaz, Dealers United

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I grew up in the shadows of the Ford World Headquarters.  My family has been entrenched in the automotive industry for many years. My father worked for GM for 27 years, and both uncles worked at Ford Motor Company and Chrysler, respectively; we have motor oil running through our veins. After graduating, I moved to Chicago and cut my teeth in digital, that was my first experience working for a dotcom, working in the digital space. I realized immediately that I loved digital. I got my first job in automotive shortly after joining Carlson Marketing, which allowed me to understand the Agency side of that space. We were focused on retail education and training materials for Ford Motor Company, and although I had found myself in the automotive industry, something that was always part of who I wanted to be, I missed the digital aspects of my previous work.  I got lucky and was able to transition to Global Team Blue (GTB), the Tier I agency of record for Ford Motor Company. I was fortunate enough to work on Ford.com and Lincoln.com while learning the Tier I business, branding, and how an OEM operates at that high level. It was an incredible experience that led to me joining FordDirect, who were at the start of leveraging digital tools to drive the customer base for retail dealers. Something they are renowned for today.  “I worked on developing their social media and reputation management program; it was the early days.” Social media was still considered the Wild West when it came to using it for business purposes. Many dealers were wondering whether or not they should engage with their audiences on Facebook. Should they be responding, would responses be seen as confrontational? It was uncharted territory, I came in and helped develop the social media and reputation management program, and when we deployed it, it gave rise to many of the best practices in play today. We toured the country, educating dealers on what they should and shouldn’t do, how to react, how to respond, and what to create. Of course, now we understand that you have to have a social presence. You need to engage with your audience. It’s widely understood that responding to reviews does not have to be confrontational but can instead be used to generate awareness and drive more business into the dealership.  This elevated my knowledge on the Tier III side, the retail dealership side. When I joined FordDirect, I was employee 63, so it was still at the very start of the business. When I left six years later, we had a staff complement of over 450.  I transitioned to a company called Reputation, where I created and led their automotive vertical, which went on to become one of the largest within the organization, in terms of driving revenue. That is what got me into the sales side of the business. “All of these experiences perfectly positioned me in terms of where I am today at Dealers United, heading up sales and strategic partnerships.”  I work with OEMs, agency partners, and dealers at both a group and dealer level. In addition, I have an excellent team that helps educate dealers and create strategies for social media.  Initially, some of the significant changes we saw was the shift in budget allocation from more traditional spending to digital. Some of the clear benefits of separating your marketing spend is that you are able to track and analyze all of the ROI when it comes to digital. The automotive industry may not always be the first to adapt, but when they do, they grasp it fully. As a result, we have seen a massive change in our industry in terms of marketing spend and tractions, and dealers have become masters in this space in terms of how some of them are leveraging opportunities.  Digital retailing can mean many things, and we have seen it take different forms. Whether it is delivering a vehicle to a customer’s house, getting a quote online, making a trade online, or allowing the option of interacting via the website or the digital space rather than requiring the customer to come in and kick tires; this all lays the foundation for the next generation of customers. A generation that does everything online. “We know the average user spends about two and a half hours on social media daily.” CXAUTO2023 is the perfect opportunity for us to engage and understand the power of organized social media. It is not an option to be on social media. It is a necessity. Understanding that a little over 10% of your waking hours are spent looking at your smart device in the palm of your hand means that you need to acknowledge the potential impact and leverage it correctly.  The audience has become fractured. We no longer see Meta as the sole channel but understand that TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, and various others exist and thrive in our space. Facebook inventory ads are no longer enough to be competitive.  There are large audiences not being accessed by single-channel campaigns. We offer multi-channel strategies based on a specialized understanding of the market, and we are running entire strategies, leveraging social media the way it should be used.  Bi-directional communication with your audience leads to engagement. It is so much more than posting display advertising and effectively driving leads, whether upper-funnel, midstream, or low-funnel. It is a whole customer journey campaign that requires targeting your audience with awareness messages crafted with their specific position in mind. This results in conversations with customers and leads being significantly more effective. This is something that distinguishes Dealers United .  Social is our thing.  Catch Ali Fawaz live at CXAUTO2023 in Marina Del Rey, The Ritz-Carlton, California. June 20th - 21st 2023. Head over to   https://tlsummits.com/  for more information and to understand why CXAUTO2023 is one of the most exclusive and sought-after events in the automotive industry.  -Sponsored Event Marketing-

Research & Analysis

3 Years of Hispanic Car Buying Preferences Trends

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In my last article , I touched on a few trends that we are starting to see after 3 years of doing our Hispanic Car Buying Preferences surveys.   This article will dig into the data to see if we can surface more details about the topics I covered in the last post, and add some additional trending data that was not discussed. Please note that in some cases, the data is only available for the final 2 years since we’ve been refining the survey as we go along. Let’s get started! Reputation A dealer or manufacturer’s reputation is critical for their ability to sell in general, and sell to the Hispanic market in particular.   Top 3 Favorite Brands Fortunately for this section, we asked the same question for each of our 3 years conducting our surveys. When we asked our respondents for them to rank their top 3 favorite automotive brands, the said the following: Notice a trend here? Toyota holds the #1 position all three years in a row? Why? Toyota, of all the manufacturers, has a well established history of consistently marketing to the Hispanic community.  Here’s a news article from NPR from back 2011! Spend a moment surfing and you will find this same commitment to multicultural outreach continues to this day. No surprise that Toyota is consistently popular and effective at capturing the Hispanic market. This statement is no disrespect to the other brands, but consistent commitment works. Hispanic Referrals Next in our lineup is a look at the question, “How likely are you to refer a customer to a dealer who speaks in Spanish AND treats you well?”. We asked this question in 2021 and 2022. What we discovered is that the trend dipped down between the two years. In 2021, 79% said that they were Very or Extremely Likely to refer someone if the dealer spoke Spanish and treated them well while in 2022, that number dropped to 68% . What this tells us at this point is that we’ll need to ask the question again in 2023 to see where the responses trend. Advertising and Social Media Now we get to delve into US Hispanics’ attitudes about bilingual advertising, social media, and the search methods they use to hunt for their next vehicle.  Advertising So, when we asked, “How likely are you to visit a car dealer who advertises in Spanish?”, the results were a bit odd over the period, varying unpredictably. However, overall, the data suggests an upward trend, especially with the big jump in 2022 AND if one takes into consideration that the 2020 and 2021 advertising answers might be skewed by COVID related attitudes during that time period. Speculation aside, this is a very important question since it gets to the ultimate question of why dealers who don’t advertise in Spanish should consider doing so. If you just did some messy math and averaged the results over the 3 years, you would see that over half (or roughly 54% ) of the respondents see Spanish language advertising as valuable. That’s still a mighty big chunk of people, especially for dealers who have large Hispanic populations around their dealerships. Conclusion: Outreach = money. Travel Further to a Dealer that Advertised to You in Spanish? Now let’s look at the impact of Spanish language advertising in the community and how it might influence behavior. For 2021 and 2022, we asked shoppers if they would travel further to a dealer who advertised to them in Spanish and the results were significantly different between the two years. For 2021, only 43% gave a positive response, while in 2022, 74% , nearly double, had the same answer. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here you go: 2 Most Popular Social Media Platforms One question that we’ve started to explore is which social media platforms rank highly for Hispanic shoppers. When we asked the simple question, “Which are your two most favorite social media platforms?”, the breakdown showed a consistent pattern between the two years with Instagram in first , YouTube second , (and Facebook third). This data, especially if it is supported in our upcoming 2023 survey, tells us where we might focus our digital outreach when targeting Hispanic shoppers.   Top 2 Online Resources for Doing Research As we all know, everybody uses a range of resources to conduct online research. For Hispanic shoppers, what happened when we looked at the question, “Which online sources are you likely to use when you research buying a car, truck, or SUV? (Check all that apply)”? Since we didn’t ask this question in 2020, we lack it here, but for 2021 and 2022, the data speaks for itself. In short, it is consistent from year to year: Search Engines were first , dealer websites second . What does this mean? Simply put, you should make sure that your website ranks well organically (while taking care in spending some money to boost that ranking). Next, you should make sure that your website is easy to use for Hispanic shoppers. A mix of English and Spanish would be wise, especially if your Spanish copy is customized to the dominant Spanish sub-culture in your area (for example, people of Mexican origin). Do You Want a Test Drive? The test driving data is quite interesting and it merits further study. We asked this question all 3 years and found that there is a big difference between 2020 vs 2021 and 2022. Here’s what the data looks like in a nice little bar graph. As you can see, there is a clear upward trend for Hispanic car shoppers when asked, “How important is it for you to test drive a vehicle before you buy it?”. What’s notable, and not seen in the data here, is that a vast majority of Hispanic women think that a test drive is very important. This should tell your sales people to think about this fact when an Hispanic woman contacts them about purchasing a vehicle.      Buy Online… or Not? COVID, most certainly, accelerated a change in public attitudes and behavior regarding digital retail. Consequently, for 2021 and 2022 we introduced a question so that we could trend Hispanic car shoppers’ attitudes toward online car shopping over time. For both years, we asked, “How likely are you to buy your next automobile online?”. Here’s what we found out: Notice something here that we did differently? The blue column represents 2021 respondents where only 12% said that they were Moderately, Very or Extremely Likely to buy online. The red and orange columns, on the other hand, are 2022 results but separated by one response. For Year 2022, we just included Extremely or Very Likely responses (at 23% ), while Year 2022+ includes all three (jumping to 43% ). We provided the visual distinction so that you could see the difference between those who felt strongly about digital retail in 2022 vs those who were wishy-washy about the subject. Regardless, the data shows us that attitudes started shifting heavily about only car buying from 2021. It also tells us that there is a portion of Hispanic shoppers that will buy online. In 2023, we plan to see how these attitudes shift with income. Now, that will be fun! Data Whisperers Listening to data is important; acting on it is even more important. This is why we love using data to inform our decisions, and those of our customers. All of the trending we see above lacks sufficient data for certainty, but it does whisper to us certain things that are happening in the market.   First, brand reputation is always important, but Toyota does a consistently great job at promoting a good reputation in the Hispanic community while Honda, Chevrolet and Ford compete for lower rankings. The OEM that rivals Toyota will be the one that makes multicultural marketing an everyday part of doing business, not a cool idea to pursue on the side. Second, Spanish language advertising is important to US Hispanics. Even though the positive responses to the question took a dip in 2021, it is clear that a growing majority see it as valuable. And, if you include the very positive behavioral element of whether Hispanics would travel further if a dealer advertised to them in Spanish, advertising becomes even more important. Don’t advertise at your own risk, or to put it differently, don’t let your competitors steal business from you because you’re not advertising to the community. Finally, while covered only lightly above, Hispanic women hold some very strong opinions in contrast to men. We see this in the case of test drives where 100% of women thought that test drives were very important in contrast to roughly half the men. We saw this same division elsewhere on other questions, such as the question about whether an Hispanic shopper would travel a distance to shop from a dealer who marketed to them in Spanish. Again, women held strong with a 100% vote for Very and Extremely Likely while men were much less committed. With all that said, let’s wrap up on this point: The data revealed by the three annual surveys is very important if you want to develop a nuanced marketing message to your local Hispanic community. For 2023, more data is needed to suss out attitudinal trends over time. This means that we’re REALLY looking forward to 2023’s results, with the survey outreach planned to start at the end of this month. Should you wish to contact us about these surveys, or other data, you can find about our services via surgemetrix.com , or contact me via adam.dennis@surgemetrix.com , or 954.507.6468.