August 21, 2025 • 34 mins
In this episode my guest is Janis Showers, founder of The Car Girls, who has spent more than 25 years helping dealerships turn phone calls and customer conversations into lasting relationships and profit.
We dig into why the simplest interaction—the phone call—is still one of the biggest stumbling blocks in 2025, and what that says about the way dealers connect with their customers. Janis shares what she’s seeing inside stores right now: why younger staff avoid the phone, how lease renewals are often handled poorly, and where BDC teams can become the heartbeat of the entire operation.
You’ll hear real examples of what happens when dealerships don’t prepare for appointments, the hidden trust that’s either built or broken at the first hello, and why human connection will always matter more than automation.
If you’ve ever wondered why missed calls keep turning into missed sales—or how your team can be empowered to own the customer experience instead of passing it around—this episode will give you plenty to think about and act on.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
MC (00:00):
This episode is brought to you by FlexDealer.
Hey auto industry, Thanks somuch for joining me on this
episode of the Dealer PlaybookPodcast, joined by Janice
Showers, the founder of the CarGirls.
We're going to be talking abouthow to retain customers, how to
build profit by connecting insmart ways.
Stay tuned, hey Janice.
(00:31):
Thanks for joining me on thedealer playbook.
Janis (00:34):
Hi Michael, thank you for having me, my pleasure.
MC (00:38):
Anytime I get to connect with a fellow country person, I,
I enjoy, I enjoy, I enjoy.
Um gosh, there's so many thingsI want to talk to you about, uh
, and I think I want to starthere.
I mean, you've been now doingthe car girls for over 12 years,
(00:59):
is that right?
yeah, so over 12 years, 12 years, and here we are it's 2025 at
time, recording for all thepeople in the future, and people
still don't know how to talk onthe phone.
And I want to know, I want toknow why we are still answering
(01:23):
the phone.
I see Mars or heavy breathing,or sucking on a breath mint and
and I'm curious right out of thegates.
I think we just need to burythe AI aspect of the
conversation and move on, but Ifeel like man, well, this is
just given way to the whole.
Well, this is why you need anAI answering machine or an
(01:46):
answering service.
But I mean, janice, I justcalled a dealership the other
day and I get it.
I know this is the worst AIwe'll ever be in blah, blah,
blah.
But I called this dealershipand it was like hey, thanks for
calling ABC Motors, I'm your AIagent, how can I help you?
And so I said, said I'm lookingfor service.
(02:10):
And then a seven second pause.
If I understand correctly,you're looking for someone in
service.
Yes, I am.
Can you tell me a little bitmore?
It was the most infuriatingexperience I've ever had in my
life and I worry that we'reusing how poorly the humans are
answering the phones as the usecase for why we need AI
(02:30):
answering the phone, but AIisn't currently doing a very
good job either.
What are you seeing from yourvantage point across the groups
and the dealerships that youwork with?
Janis (02:41):
Do you know that recent stat that came out that you work
with?
Do you know that recent statthat came out I don't know if it
was an ADA, but a study thatwas done that 25% of all calls
maybe don't go unanswered but gomisdirected?
Customer hangs up out offrustration?
I would think that's true.
I phone a lot of dealerships,test a lot of numbers and it is
(03:04):
hard to get through.
I mean, we all know that.
Anyone who's called thedealership understands that, and
I always say this about peoplewho work in dealerships they're
trying their best.
I mean, I spent 25 years in astore.
We want to help customers.
The people there want to helpcustomers, but they're spread
very thin and I think that'spart of the problem.
(03:27):
And also we're seeing that newgeneration come up and they're
afraid of the phone.
I was in a dealership and Iwatched somebody watching the
phone ring.
I mean it's hilarious.
MC (03:41):
I'm like what's wrong with that?
Janis (03:43):
It's not the first time I've been in a dealership, but I
just picked up the phone Goodmorning service, like just
answer it and then we'll figureit out.
And something I'm actuallytraining at a dealership right
now.
I'm training five girls.
They're all brand new to thecar business.
Here I go dragging five womeninto the car business Probably
never get them out.
(04:04):
Here I go dragging five womeninto the car business probably
never get them out.
And again, they're just thatfear of the foam.
So just trying to get over thatand I'm getting them to pump
that foam muscle and then buildthat foam muscle.
It's something we've lost.
They're just all text, all youknow, all computer, and we've
maybe lost some of that humaninteraction and ai certainly
(04:26):
isn't helping I think this kindof, this kind of leads to where
you know, uh, where I'd love toget to with you.
MC (04:36):
But I guess the in-between question before we get there is
why are we afraid of the phone?
Janis (04:43):
well.
I think young, youngergeneration maybe they don't
they're not trained well enoughto how to answer the call.
So that's what I was doing inthis dealership is giving them
some training, and I like peopleon the phone who can act, dance
and sing.
So we have to give them someknowledge to be able to take
(05:04):
ownership of the call.
That's key, and let's stopbouncing people around.
Let's figure out what they need.
Let's call people back, let'semail people back and get them
the information they're lookingfor.
And I think we have to empowerthe people that are in the
stores to get them thatinformation.
Okay, and not like the serviceadvisor, keeping it no, no, I
(05:27):
got it, I'll talk to thecustomer.
More than one person cancommunicate and I think that's
key giving them theresponsibility to own the phone
call and do what's needed,giving them the tools to figure
out.
You know what you know.
For example, we had a vehiclecustomers on the side of the
(05:48):
road.
They're a no start and theyhave to.
You know they've broken down onthe side of the road.
They have to talk to advisor.
No, we need the car towed in.
So that person needs to knowyou know.
Are they under warranty?
Can I give them?
You know the roadsideassistance number.
Can I give them the advice theycould join CAA on the road?
Should I give them our localtow truck?
(06:09):
How close is it?
Can we go out and pick up thecar, like to give them, so they
know?
Okay, you know there's only somany scenarios when somebody
calls in.
It's not like I'm not sayingthere's only one or two.
There could be a customer in adozen different situations, but
we can train a dozen situationsso we can empower the person who
(06:30):
answers the phone to look afterthe customer.
That's what's key.
Let's look after people and notjust bounce them around.
What does the customer need inthat moment?
So again, customer-drivenprocess.
Let's drive the process basedon the customer's needs, and
that starts with listening.
MC (06:52):
This is so interesting to me because inherent in all of that
where you just landed thatplane, with listening, this idea
of really paying attention tounderstand or perceive their
needs, and marrying that tomaybe why we're afraid of the
phone, because we, we.
It's almost like everything hasbecome conflict these days
(07:15):
where a customer's callingbecause and we'll get into this
maybe they're they're, you know,interested in leasing, or
they're they're wanting to getan appraisal, or you know,
whatever it might be, they havetheir motivator, maybe they're a
service client and they havetheir motivator for calling.
But the way that the humanarticulates why they're calling
(07:37):
can sometimes seem like a bigobjection or a big complaint or
a big whatever, and and maybethat's what we're afraid of.
So I want to kind of Maybethat's what we're afraid of.
So I want to kind of and hey,those listening and watching
buckle up because we're about todig in.
(08:10):
I want to talk through some ofthe reasons, points, some of
what your experience has shownyou works really well,
especially keying in on the BDC.
I started with asking you aboutthe answering of the phone
because in my opinion,especially as a marketer, the
best marketing in the world, themost expensive marketing in the
world only works if itintegrates into that dealership
(08:35):
operation effectively.
And by that I suggest to saythat BDC in particular might
actually just be one of the mostimportant departments in the
entire dealership.
We talk so much about profitcenters.
There's variable, there's fixed, there's finance, et cetera, et
cetera, and we emphasizetechnicians and we emphasize
(08:58):
finance, training.
We emphasize all these things,but what about the first
interaction that the customerhas with somebody inside of that
dealership, the person whoanswered the phone, or who
should be picking up the phoneand not just staring at it while
it rings?
From your experience, what aresome of the common reasons why
(09:20):
that phone is ringing?
And then maybe what we can dois get into the challenges that
cause friction in thatcustomer's experience and what
we can do about it.
Janis (09:30):
Sure, for example, you mentioned leasing, let's jump
off there.
So we have leases that arematuring and I like to say most
dealerships are doing a good jobwith their lease portfolio,
with their lease maturity.
But that's not what I see.
I'm answering the phonesinbound for a couple of big
(09:51):
service clients, so I'm taking alot of service calls.
Sales is my specialty, but I doa lot of work in service,
believe it or not.
I hear people saying I haven't,my lease is coming up in a week
and I haven't heard fromanybody.
And we were like you haven'theard from anybody yet it's a
week.
So, like at the very minimum,you know I have a 12 month
(10:13):
leasing expiry process that Iput into place, where we're
contacting the customer,starting at and even farther out
now, especially with crazy usedcar values, that we can get
people out of leases earlier.
So should we be looking at itat 24 and 18 months prior to
(10:34):
expiry, maybe, depending if it'sa vehicle we need, but let's
start it and let the customerdrive that process between that
time that's ticking down betweenyou know that 18 or 12 month
mark and when the lease isexpiring, and let's connect with
the customer, develop arelationship, reconnect with
(10:57):
them.
Maybe their salesperson is goneand that's why nobody's calling
them.
They're an orphan in thedealership.
I love to capture leasingcustomers who come in for
service and are leasing fromanother dealership.
Why wouldn't we, if you havesomebody who's really on the
ball?
I'm following up anotherdealer's lease for renewals
(11:19):
because they're not.
So what I find, though?
Let's say we get that customerto a point, let's even let's say
we call them at the 12th monthmark.
They're ready to come in a yearprior to when the lease is
expiring and I collect somebasic information in that BDC.
We've reached out to thecustomer in terms of how many
(11:42):
kilometers they're driving now,if the vehicle has been in an
accident, what the customer'slooking for.
If the vehicle's been in anaccident, what the customer's
looking for, if you know, arethey considering same vehicle or
model up, model down?
We collect that basicinformation, and then I always
follow up.
When I set an appointment, I'mdriving a customer into the
(12:02):
dealership for a certain date.
Then you know, let's say I setthis appointment four weeks out.
I'll set a reminder.
Let's remind the customer, orthe dealership may be sending a
text.
They get a reminder, and then Ihave a.
(12:23):
I'm going back to check the CRMnext day or late the same day
to check that the customershowed and look for the
salesperson's notes.
Oftentimes I don't see anynotes because the salesperson is
leaving one, so we don't knowand whether I'm, you know, doing
remote BBC or if that's rightin the store.
I mean, how do we know thecustomer showed unless the
salesperson let us know so wefollow up with the customer.
(12:43):
How was your appointment?
Did you get all the informationyou need?
Was everything okay?
Oftentimes what I'm hearing, forexample on this lease
appointment, is that thedealership was not prepared.
Nobody was ready for them.
They came in and they didn'teven know, even though they told
me, how many kilometers theyhad, or were they in an accident
(13:05):
?
The dealership just isn'tprepared for the lease renewal.
And it reminds me Ford used todo an amazing job of this.
Back when Ford had the highestlease retention.
They would have a huddle and Iused to copy them when I worked
for Chrysler, because Chryslerdidn't have much of a lease
retention process.
(13:26):
Ford's was better.
So I copied what Ford was doingand they'd have a huddle with
the used car manager, with thesales manager, with the
salesperson Okay, is this carworth what the buyout is?
Are we planning to send it backto Ford or are we going to buy
it and put it retail it on thelot?
Is there any equity?
(13:47):
What vehicle you, you know dothey want?
Let's look at the notes.
Okay, they're going to modeldown.
You know, they were insomething big.
They're ready for somethingsmaller.
It's been six years.
Maybe they don't want theexplorer.
You know, a bronco, a sport,will do for them.
So let's pull the car out andhave it ready.
(14:07):
Like I just find sales peoplearen't prepared for the
appointments and customers don'tlike it.
Now this is where we get backinto this.
Is it's still going on thisfour hour process in the
dealership?
Why can't the car be ready?
Like Grant Cardone used to say,buying a car has got to be fast
, fun and easy.
Let's pull the car up, let'shave it ready, let's jewel it.
(14:29):
I never mind.
I never see salespeople doingany walkarounds.
Let's have all the terms ready.
I had a customer tell me theydidn't know how many kilometers
I was allowed.
I was like what's my mileage atthis point now?
Oh well, now they're going tolog into the Ford system.
Now they're going to pull upthe lease Now they're going to
look at it.
(14:49):
Oh, give me a minute.
Like I don't want to give you aminute.
I had an appointment set.
You should have this all downon paper and you should know I
was allowed 20,000 kilometers ayear.
I'm looking at a mileagepenalty.
Have that prepared.
Why couldn't we prep somenumbers for this customer?
Have it ready to go so that'swhat I'm seeing.
(15:11):
So, for example, on a leaserenewal I don't see that old
Ford red carpet huddle which Ithought was really good, strong
process.
Prepare for that leasingcustomer.
Have cars ready, numbers ready,let's go.
Cars ready, numbers ready,let's go.
I mean very quickly.
(15:31):
I think you could close thiscustomer and get them right into
a new vehicle and grab thetrade 12 months prior.
Let's get the payout from FordCredit or from you know, and
let's figure out the numbers,what the balance is less the
interest unearned Like.
Do we really have to figurethat out in front of the
customer while they're sittingthere?
Can we not have had, you know,a couple of worksheets ready to
(15:52):
go where we could have presentedthem with some numbers and
ready to go, instead of doingall that when the customer
arrives?
And I've just heard it so manytimes from so many customers.
I walked in there.
They didn't know how manykilometers they're allowed.
They didn't even realize I wascoming.
Oh oh yeah, you're coming intoday.
Like they wanted to be expected.
(16:15):
Like appointment process.
I worked in dealerships in theStates where they had, you know,
the sign board welcome, mr andMrs Jones.
And they grab their second.
They come in, they're waitingfor them.
Let's prepare the receptionistwith a list of today's
appointments so she can greetpeople Instead.
I find dealers are overloadingpeople a little bit.
(16:37):
So I got the receptionist.
She's got the phone in her hand, she's doing licensing and
she's stocking in a dealer tradeand the customer comes up to
her.
She's like huh Instead ofwelcome.
Mr and Mrs Smith.
We've been expecting you, we'rehappy to see you.
Michael, your productspecialist is waiting for you
(16:59):
and he's prepared.
Let's go.
Instead of that, just come inand we look like a mess.
MC (17:08):
Hey, does your marketing agency suck?
Listen, before we hop back intothis episode.
I know you know me as the hostof the Dealer Playbook, but did
you also know that I'm the CEOof FlexDealer, an agency that's
helping dealers capture betterquality leads from local SEO and
hyper-targeted ads that convert.
So if you want to sell morecars and finally have a partner
that's in it with you, thatdoesn't suck visit flexdealercom
(17:31):
.
Let's hop back into thisepisode.
I know what I wrote down here asyou were walking me through
this.
I wrote down a couple of thingsthe importance of building
trust early, and often there'sso many touch points right that
you you just articulated thatcould have either built trust
(17:54):
further or completely destroy itfor the customer.
And then I thought about theimplication of how quickly
technology is evolving and Iwrote down we don't have to
worry about AI putting us out ofa job because we've been slowly
putting ourselves out of a jobfor too long.
And when you think about itthat way, it's like oh wait, and
(18:17):
I don't mean that to soundfacetious, I don't mean it to
sound denigrating in any way.
What I think I'm really gettingat is oh, then that must also
mean that we have the ability toput ourselves into the job, put
ourselves into more work, todevelop out further, to do
something I love.
(18:39):
I loved how you articulated thishandoff to from, from you know,
bdc to the sales professional,because both of those things are
human to human connection,which is something that I
believe so deeply in, that Ibelieve is going to be even more
valuable in a tech augmentedworld that that our human nature
(19:00):
desires to be connected withanother human being, and you
walking me through that makes mesee even deeper how important
that role is going to be thiskind of guest experience
coordinator who makes sure thateverything is ready and prepared
, renewal process.
Get automated?
Janis (19:19):
does the AI automatically send the customer out?
You know half a dozen paymentscenarios on new vehicles.
Yes, um, you know, I I love oneof those, um, that DMS I think
(19:40):
it's DeskIt where you pull yourown lever so you can go in there
and change your term and yourrate.
And you know, is that AI wherethe customer becomes their own
sales manager.
MC (19:55):
Well, maybe there's some aspects of it, but I do think we
might go through a phase ofexploring that deeply and then
we're going to get to a placewhere we're going to do what we
always do.
Can I just talk to somebody?
Because it's just in us.
It's like the robot will nevertrust me, but I want to trust.
(20:16):
My human nature is I want totrust and be trusted.
Robot will never trust me back.
I want to be seen and see.
I want to hear and be heardLike there's so many elements
that trickle down to my today'sthesis, which is as long as
(20:37):
human beings desire to drivevehicles, then we're going to
desire to want to talk tosomebody about.
Janis (20:45):
well, I mean with people ordering their own cars.
So, although you've seen thatwebsite, I feel like you have to
be an engineer how to figureout and you know you're talking
to somebody who had that.
You know, when I was 20 yearsold, I was pulling out the old
dodge truck before it was ram,the old binder.
Let's go to here and let'sstart looking at look, I mean
(21:09):
here in the states.
MC (21:10):
To your point, here in the states with carvana.
Uh, you can go and getpre-approved on carvana, but if
you're not paying attention, youdon't realize you're paying a
29% interest rate on a vehiclethat's already priced above
market.
I'll use a Ford Explorer, forexample.
You can buy a 2018 FordExplorer decked out from a
(21:33):
dealer here in the United Statesfor whatever it is in US dollar
29 grand, 27 grand.
You go on Carvana the exactsame one at a 29% interest rate,
based on your prequal is 36.
You're like wait a minute.
And to your point though, yeah,people can go do that.
(21:55):
Great.
Is there a market for it?
Of course, look at whatCarvana's stocks are doing.
But for those of us who want toknow the nuance, the context of
like but am I getting a gooddeal here?
It's one thing to be lazy andbe like yeah, I guess I'll just
pay 500 on the lease.
It's another thing for a humanbeing to be like wait a minute,
(22:15):
I looked at your deal.
You can actually get the sameone for 275.
You can actually get.
I know these are 90s numbers,but you know what I mean.
It's like-.
Janis (22:25):
That's the buyer.
Beware right.
MC (22:28):
It is a buyer beware scenario that we're in, where,
if I trust too much thetechnology, who do I have to
cross-reference?
Whose experience can Icross-reference against to know
if I'm even getting a good deal?
Yeah, yeah, well, I believe youhave to cross-reference.
Janis (22:41):
Whose experience can I cross-reference against to know
if I'm even getting a good deal?
Yeah, yeah, well, I believe youhave to do your homework.
It's a big ticket item If we'regoing to let AI sell us.
Well, be prepared to pay thetop price and the highest
interest rate.
MC (22:52):
You're going to pay the AI tax On that note you just said
okay, can I just talk tosomebody?
Janis (22:58):
So, let's say somebody is in the middle of some kind of
an online buying process andthey get to a point where, uh,
I'm not sure about my interests.
Right, I'm not sure about this.
I have questions, can I justtalk to somebody?
And they get someone on thephone.
I call it the dreaded phoneappointment, because oftentimes
(23:19):
I mean you talk about are weready to handle the customer
when they're ready to talk to us?
And that can be very hard tomarry up, right, do we have the
person with the tools and theknowledge and the skills to talk
to the client when they'reready to be talked to?
It's connecting these twopeople together.
(23:40):
The sales specialist, somebodyyou know, who has gone to, you
know, jeep school and four-wheeldrive school and understands,
you know, can really figure outwhat the customer needs.
I mean, can we lay it on AIthat the customer's towing, you
know, a 4,500-pound trailer?
(24:00):
Is this vehicle going to do it?
Do they need the trailerpackage?
Do they need the sway bars?
Like you know, I don't knowthat AI is at that, certainly at
that point where we get intosome, you know something that's
as intricate as that.
And then they want to lease it.
And how many kilometers do theyneed in their trade?
And yeah, you know it can bedone.
(24:22):
I don't think we're there yetSomebody's buying a $120,000
truck, like, do we want a littlebit of service?
Well, I guess again, I guessthey're buying the Teslas online
.
But what I was going to say onthe, let's call it the phone
appointment, and I see this witha lot of dealers.
I do business with dealers in,you know, northern Ontario,
(24:47):
where you know there may be acouple hours from the dealership
and they can't just park andit's not 10 minutes away.
And so we set a phoneappointment.
The salesperson is taking an up.
The other guy who was supposedto take the walk-in customer
didn't show up.
He took him.
He's out on a test drive, it'sphone call time.
(25:08):
We don't connect right.
The customer's sitting therewaiting for a phone call.
We don't call them.
So one of the things that I liketo do for best practice, I'd
like to set a nice wide time forthe customer and the
salesperson to connect.
Oftentimes I'll see them set anappointment 10 am or what.
You know what if the guy's outgetting a coffee at 10 am or
(25:31):
someone's in the bathroom at 10am on that day, let's?
You know, I like to spread thatout and say an afternoon, a
morning, let's get an email, atext and let's connect with the
customer that way.
Hey, mr Customer, I'm callingyou in 10 minutes, so I just
don't think there is enough.
What I hear is yeah, I called,nobody answered from the
(25:54):
salesperson, so they didn'tconnect with a call.
I stepped away from my desk fora few minutes.
I didn't connect with a call.
You know, I stepped away frommy desk for a few minutes.
I didn't get a message.
So you know, just that dreadedphone appointment.
And again I find thesalesperson isn't prepared even
for that.
Let's say we did set a phoneappointment because I listen to
(26:16):
calls.
I do a lot of call listening fordealers.
Give them some feedback.
I hate the old let's.
Let me look, let me pull up.
Why do we have?
You know you knew you weregoing to talk to the customer
that morning.
Why couldn't we again havesomething prepared and have some
numbers prepared?
That's what people want and givesome people some information.
(26:39):
Have some numbers prepared,that's what people want and give
some people some information.
You said it's.
You know all the information.
People can do it themselves,but they don't.
They want help.
So let's just give them theinformation and work with them
and create value.
And then create value for themto visit in person and make that
(26:59):
two-hour drive.
Really, that's what it's about.
I'll find a lot of people willcall dealerships.
They want to connect on thephone first to get that vibe.
You know, am I calling theright place?
Do I want to do business withthese people?
Is it the right person?
So they need to sharpen theirphone skills, be ready to make a
connection on the phone thatleads to an in-person visit with
(27:23):
a closed deal, or sell the carover the phone.
I'm fine with that too.
Or oh, this is a new, brand newthing.
Can we go to somebody's house?
I think Clutch is making someheadway with that.
You know I've been to manycustomers' homes and brought a
car and had a coffee at theirkitchen table and made headway
(27:47):
there.
So I think there's room forthat personalized service,
especially with the price ofcars of these days.
MC (27:55):
Yeah, you've said it a few times and I think it's a real
great place to kind of bringfull circle, which is make a
connection.
Not a connection like theyanswered the phone, like make a
connection with that human beingjust paints a really beautiful
portrait of what our industrycould be, which I think people
(28:25):
would desire more and more.
Right.
And then I guess the last thingthat I want to talk about, in
conjunction with what you justsaid about calling and getting
the vibe and having a goodexperience and making a
connection on the phone, is howdo you help dealers then fulfill
the promise of that vibe inperson once the customer shows
(28:49):
up?
Because I think sometimesthat's lacking.
You might have a great BDRwho's doing a great job on the
phone, who's really personable,but then that customer shows up
to the dealership and, like yousaid in your first example,
nobody's prepared and it fallsapart.
Janis (29:01):
I'll tell you what I think I mean who's driving this
business?
A customer, different process.
I'll tell you what I, I themanager, the general manager,
the general sales manager.
Get out of your office, sir.
That's my, or ma'am, this.
Get out of your office, you.
You greet the customers oh,that's a new concept, but that
(29:22):
works.
Welcome each and every customerand then turn them over to the
salesperson.
I love a manager-drivenappointment.
So take control.
Somebody needs to be overseeingthis and we're not just leaving
a customer to the rookiesalesperson who's been there two
(29:42):
weeks.
Hi, mr Customer, welcome.
I'm the general manager here.
It's Michael who's going to belooking after you, but I wanted
to introduce myself and let youknow that I am going to be
involved and make sure that youget the best process possible,
the best experience possible.
So it starts with gettinginvolved.
(30:03):
And you know what I wasthinking about this.
Do you remember the?
Do you know when you go in arestaurant and it's not just one
server?
Or you ask somebody oh, yeah,I'll get your service, I'll get
your server.
You want to?
Oh, excuse me, can we get somewater?
Oh, I'll tell your server.
Or you go by, can I get?
Yeah, absolutely.
(30:24):
And they have the team, the teamconcept, okay, and that's what
I see lacking at the dealership.
A team concept, it's all this.
You know this, this.
Everyone needs a commission andlet's fight for the each
other's customers.
And instead of a team, I'd loveto see where the whole team
(30:47):
looks, is involved and islooking after the customer,
right down from management,right down to the porter.
Everyone is involved and beingkind.
The old Disney lets everyonesay hello to a customer and be
friendly and kind.
Just some kindness, michael.
I don't feel it anymore indealerships.
(31:09):
I thought it would feeldifferent.
You know where everybody is outthere to look after the
customer and make sure they gettaken care of.
MC (31:17):
Yeah, I mean Unreasonable Hospitality is definitely a book
that everybody needs to read inour industry.
And also to your point aboutDisney.
You just made me think of this.
There's actual science herethat nobody can really explain,
which is and I'm going to bringit all together, I promise but
(31:38):
it's the direct correlation ofpeople who give to charity end
up always earning more thefollowing year, and then they
give more and then they end upearning more.
And this has been so documented.
This concept of give, give, give.
And when you were talking aboutthe concept of the server oh no
(32:01):
, well, that's not my table, soI'm not going to, you know
versus the teams that help oneanother.
It's kind of the same conceptin my mind, where it's like,
wait, if I could just get out ofmy own head and realize that,
yeah, that's not my customer,but I want them to have a great
experience.
There's reciprocity there thatis going to pay back dividends
to me.
(32:21):
Maybe I can't articulate theexact one, two, three of it all,
but I know what's going tohappen.
And to your point, janice, whatwould an organization, a
dealership, look like ifeveryone was trained or
understood this concept thatwhen you serve, when you give
when you are kind, it flows backto you tenfold and we can't
(32:43):
explain how it just happens.
You know it just happens.
Well, you've given me so muchto think about.
We're going to have to have youback, because I know you've got
way more information that youwant to share with everybody and
I want to hear it.
But for now we got to put a pinin it.
I'm so glad that we were ableto connect.
How can those?
Yeah?
Janis (33:03):
it's great, great, great to jump on here and talk about
appointments and phone calls anddealers, which is you know.
That's all I do.
I'm into it right up to my eyesand every day I hear different
things.
MC (33:21):
So I can hear it.
Well, thank you.
How can those listening orwatching connect with you?
Janis (33:26):
Oh, you can check out my website.
It's thecargirlsca.
You can find us online.
There's a list of our servicesand you can email us info at
thecargirlsca.
MC (33:40):
Love it.
Janice Showers, thanks so muchfor joining me on the Dealer
Playbook.
Janis (33:44):
Thank you, Michael.
MC (33:45):
Hey, thanks for listening to the Dealer Playbook podcast.
If you enjoyed tuning in,please subscribe, share and hit
that like button.
You can also join us and theDPB community on social media.
Check back next week for a newDealer Playbook episode.
Thanks so much for joining.
This episode is brought to you by FlexDealer.
Hey auto industry, Thanks somuch for joining me on this
episode of the Dealer PlaybookPodcast, joined by Janice
Showers, the founder of the CarGirls.
We're going to be talking abouthow to retain customers, how to
build profit by connecting insmart ways.
Stay tuned, hey Janice.
(00:31):
Thanks for joining me on thedealer playbook.
Janis (00:34):
Hi Michael, thank you for having me, my pleasure.
MC (00:38):
Anytime I get to connect with a fellow country person, I,
I enjoy, I enjoy, I enjoy.
Um gosh, there's so many thingsI want to talk to you about, uh
, and I think I want to starthere.
I mean, you've been now doingthe car girls for over 12 years,
(00:59):
is that right?
yeah, so over 12 years, 12 years, and here we are it's 2025 at
time, recording for all thepeople in the future, and people
still don't know how to talk onthe phone.
And I want to know, I want toknow why we are still answering
(01:23):
the phone.
I see Mars or heavy breathing,or sucking on a breath mint and
and I'm curious right out of thegates.
I think we just need to burythe AI aspect of the
conversation and move on, but Ifeel like man, well, this is
just given way to the whole.
Well, this is why you need anAI answering machine or an
(01:46):
answering service.
But I mean, janice, I justcalled a dealership the other
day and I get it.
I know this is the worst AIwe'll ever be in blah, blah,
blah.
But I called this dealershipand it was like hey, thanks for
calling ABC Motors, I'm your AIagent, how can I help you?
And so I said, said I'm lookingfor service.
(02:10):
And then a seven second pause.
If I understand correctly,you're looking for someone in
service.
Yes, I am.
Can you tell me a little bitmore?
It was the most infuriatingexperience I've ever had in my
life and I worry that we'reusing how poorly the humans are
answering the phones as the usecase for why we need AI
(02:30):
answering the phone, but AIisn't currently doing a very
good job either.
What are you seeing from yourvantage point across the groups
and the dealerships that youwork with?
Janis (02:41):
Do you know that recent stat that came out that you work
with?
Do you know that recent statthat came out I don't know if it
was an ADA, but a study thatwas done that 25% of all calls
maybe don't go unanswered but gomisdirected?
Customer hangs up out offrustration?
I would think that's true.
I phone a lot of dealerships,test a lot of numbers and it is
(03:04):
hard to get through.
I mean, we all know that.
Anyone who's called thedealership understands that, and
I always say this about peoplewho work in dealerships they're
trying their best.
I mean, I spent 25 years in astore.
We want to help customers.
The people there want to helpcustomers, but they're spread
very thin and I think that'spart of the problem.
(03:27):
And also we're seeing that newgeneration come up and they're
afraid of the phone.
I was in a dealership and Iwatched somebody watching the
phone ring.
I mean it's hilarious.
MC (03:41):
I'm like what's wrong with that?
Janis (03:43):
It's not the first time I've been in a dealership, but I
just picked up the phone Goodmorning service, like just
answer it and then we'll figureit out.
And something I'm actuallytraining at a dealership right
now.
I'm training five girls.
They're all brand new to thecar business.
Here I go dragging five womeninto the car business Probably
never get them out.
(04:04):
Here I go dragging five womeninto the car business probably
never get them out.
And again, they're just thatfear of the foam.
So just trying to get over thatand I'm getting them to pump
that foam muscle and then buildthat foam muscle.
It's something we've lost.
They're just all text, all youknow, all computer, and we've
maybe lost some of that humaninteraction and ai certainly
(04:26):
isn't helping I think this kindof, this kind of leads to where
you know, uh, where I'd love toget to with you.
MC (04:36):
But I guess the in-between question before we get there is
why are we afraid of the phone?
Janis (04:43):
well.
I think young, youngergeneration maybe they don't
they're not trained well enoughto how to answer the call.
So that's what I was doing inthis dealership is giving them
some training, and I like peopleon the phone who can act, dance
and sing.
So we have to give them someknowledge to be able to take
(05:04):
ownership of the call.
That's key, and let's stopbouncing people around.
Let's figure out what they need.
Let's call people back, let'semail people back and get them
the information they're lookingfor.
And I think we have to empowerthe people that are in the
stores to get them thatinformation.
Okay, and not like the serviceadvisor, keeping it no, no, I
(05:27):
got it, I'll talk to thecustomer.
More than one person cancommunicate and I think that's
key giving them theresponsibility to own the phone
call and do what's needed,giving them the tools to figure
out.
You know what you know.
For example, we had a vehiclecustomers on the side of the
(05:48):
road.
They're a no start and theyhave to.
You know they've broken down onthe side of the road.
They have to talk to advisor.
No, we need the car towed in.
So that person needs to knowyou know.
Are they under warranty?
Can I give them?
You know the roadsideassistance number.
Can I give them the advice theycould join CAA on the road?
Should I give them our localtow truck?
(06:09):
How close is it?
Can we go out and pick up thecar, like to give them, so they
know?
Okay, you know there's only somany scenarios when somebody
calls in.
It's not like I'm not sayingthere's only one or two.
There could be a customer in adozen different situations, but
we can train a dozen situationsso we can empower the person who
(06:30):
answers the phone to look afterthe customer.
That's what's key.
Let's look after people and notjust bounce them around.
What does the customer need inthat moment?
So again, customer-drivenprocess.
Let's drive the process basedon the customer's needs, and
that starts with listening.
MC (06:52):
This is so interesting to me because inherent in all of that
where you just landed thatplane, with listening, this idea
of really paying attention tounderstand or perceive their
needs, and marrying that tomaybe why we're afraid of the
phone, because we, we.
It's almost like everything hasbecome conflict these days
(07:15):
where a customer's callingbecause and we'll get into this
maybe they're they're, you know,interested in leasing, or
they're they're wanting to getan appraisal, or you know,
whatever it might be, they havetheir motivator, maybe they're a
service client and they havetheir motivator for calling.
But the way that the humanarticulates why they're calling
(07:37):
can sometimes seem like a bigobjection or a big complaint or
a big whatever, and and maybethat's what we're afraid of.
So I want to kind of Maybethat's what we're afraid of.
So I want to kind of and hey,those listening and watching
buckle up because we're about todig in.
(08:10):
I want to talk through some ofthe reasons, points, some of
what your experience has shownyou works really well,
especially keying in on the BDC.
I started with asking you aboutthe answering of the phone
because in my opinion,especially as a marketer, the
best marketing in the world, themost expensive marketing in the
world only works if itintegrates into that dealership
(08:35):
operation effectively.
And by that I suggest to saythat BDC in particular might
actually just be one of the mostimportant departments in the
entire dealership.
We talk so much about profitcenters.
There's variable, there's fixed, there's finance, et cetera, et
cetera, and we emphasizetechnicians and we emphasize
(08:58):
finance, training.
We emphasize all these things,but what about the first
interaction that the customerhas with somebody inside of that
dealership, the person whoanswered the phone, or who
should be picking up the phoneand not just staring at it while
it rings?
From your experience, what aresome of the common reasons why
(09:20):
that phone is ringing?
And then maybe what we can dois get into the challenges that
cause friction in thatcustomer's experience and what
we can do about it.
Janis (09:30):
Sure, for example, you mentioned leasing, let's jump
off there.
So we have leases that arematuring and I like to say most
dealerships are doing a good jobwith their lease portfolio,
with their lease maturity.
But that's not what I see.
I'm answering the phonesinbound for a couple of big
(09:51):
service clients, so I'm taking alot of service calls.
Sales is my specialty, but I doa lot of work in service,
believe it or not.
I hear people saying I haven't,my lease is coming up in a week
and I haven't heard fromanybody.
And we were like you haven'theard from anybody yet it's a
week.
So, like at the very minimum,you know I have a 12 month
(10:13):
leasing expiry process that Iput into place, where we're
contacting the customer,starting at and even farther out
now, especially with crazy usedcar values, that we can get
people out of leases earlier.
So should we be looking at itat 24 and 18 months prior to
(10:34):
expiry, maybe, depending if it'sa vehicle we need, but let's
start it and let the customerdrive that process between that
time that's ticking down betweenyou know that 18 or 12 month
mark and when the lease isexpiring, and let's connect with
the customer, develop arelationship, reconnect with
(10:57):
them.
Maybe their salesperson is goneand that's why nobody's calling
them.
They're an orphan in thedealership.
I love to capture leasingcustomers who come in for
service and are leasing fromanother dealership.
Why wouldn't we, if you havesomebody who's really on the
ball?
I'm following up anotherdealer's lease for renewals
(11:19):
because they're not.
So what I find, though?
Let's say we get that customerto a point, let's even let's say
we call them at the 12th monthmark.
They're ready to come in a yearprior to when the lease is
expiring and I collect somebasic information in that BDC.
We've reached out to thecustomer in terms of how many
(11:42):
kilometers they're driving now,if the vehicle has been in an
accident, what the customer'slooking for.
If the vehicle's been in anaccident, what the customer's
looking for, if you know, arethey considering same vehicle or
model up, model down?
We collect that basicinformation, and then I always
follow up.
When I set an appointment, I'mdriving a customer into the
(12:02):
dealership for a certain date.
Then you know, let's say I setthis appointment four weeks out.
I'll set a reminder.
Let's remind the customer, orthe dealership may be sending a
text.
They get a reminder, and then Ihave a.
(12:23):
I'm going back to check the CRMnext day or late the same day
to check that the customershowed and look for the
salesperson's notes.
Oftentimes I don't see anynotes because the salesperson is
leaving one, so we don't knowand whether I'm, you know, doing
remote BBC or if that's rightin the store.
I mean, how do we know thecustomer showed unless the
salesperson let us know so wefollow up with the customer.
(12:43):
How was your appointment?
Did you get all the informationyou need?
Was everything okay?
Oftentimes what I'm hearing, forexample on this lease
appointment, is that thedealership was not prepared.
Nobody was ready for them.
They came in and they didn'teven know, even though they told
me, how many kilometers theyhad, or were they in an accident
(13:05):
?
The dealership just isn'tprepared for the lease renewal.
And it reminds me Ford used todo an amazing job of this.
Back when Ford had the highestlease retention.
They would have a huddle and Iused to copy them when I worked
for Chrysler, because Chryslerdidn't have much of a lease
retention process.
(13:26):
Ford's was better.
So I copied what Ford was doingand they'd have a huddle with
the used car manager, with thesales manager, with the
salesperson Okay, is this carworth what the buyout is?
Are we planning to send it backto Ford or are we going to buy
it and put it retail it on thelot?
Is there any equity?
(13:47):
What vehicle you, you know dothey want?
Let's look at the notes.
Okay, they're going to modeldown.
You know, they were insomething big.
They're ready for somethingsmaller.
It's been six years.
Maybe they don't want theexplorer.
You know, a bronco, a sport,will do for them.
So let's pull the car out andhave it ready.
(14:07):
Like I just find sales peoplearen't prepared for the
appointments and customers don'tlike it.
Now this is where we get backinto this.
Is it's still going on thisfour hour process in the
dealership?
Why can't the car be ready?
Like Grant Cardone used to say,buying a car has got to be fast
, fun and easy.
Let's pull the car up, let'shave it ready, let's jewel it.
(14:29):
I never mind.
I never see salespeople doingany walkarounds.
Let's have all the terms ready.
I had a customer tell me theydidn't know how many kilometers
I was allowed.
I was like what's my mileage atthis point now?
Oh well, now they're going tolog into the Ford system.
Now they're going to pull upthe lease Now they're going to
look at it.
(14:49):
Oh, give me a minute.
Like I don't want to give you aminute.
I had an appointment set.
You should have this all downon paper and you should know I
was allowed 20,000 kilometers ayear.
I'm looking at a mileagepenalty.
Have that prepared.
Why couldn't we prep somenumbers for this customer?
Have it ready to go so that'swhat I'm seeing.
(15:11):
So, for example, on a leaserenewal I don't see that old
Ford red carpet huddle which Ithought was really good, strong
process.
Prepare for that leasingcustomer.
Have cars ready, numbers ready,let's go.
Cars ready, numbers ready,let's go.
I mean very quickly.
(15:31):
I think you could close thiscustomer and get them right into
a new vehicle and grab thetrade 12 months prior.
Let's get the payout from FordCredit or from you know, and
let's figure out the numbers,what the balance is less the
interest unearned Like.
Do we really have to figurethat out in front of the
customer while they're sittingthere?
Can we not have had, you know,a couple of worksheets ready to
(15:52):
go where we could have presentedthem with some numbers and
ready to go, instead of doingall that when the customer
arrives?
And I've just heard it so manytimes from so many customers.
I walked in there.
They didn't know how manykilometers they're allowed.
They didn't even realize I wascoming.
Oh oh yeah, you're coming intoday.
Like they wanted to be expected.
(16:15):
Like appointment process.
I worked in dealerships in theStates where they had, you know,
the sign board welcome, mr andMrs Jones.
And they grab their second.
They come in, they're waitingfor them.
Let's prepare the receptionistwith a list of today's
appointments so she can greetpeople Instead.
I find dealers are overloadingpeople a little bit.
(16:37):
So I got the receptionist.
She's got the phone in her hand, she's doing licensing and
she's stocking in a dealer tradeand the customer comes up to
her.
She's like huh Instead ofwelcome.
Mr and Mrs Smith.
We've been expecting you, we'rehappy to see you.
Michael, your productspecialist is waiting for you
(16:59):
and he's prepared.
Let's go.
Instead of that, just come inand we look like a mess.
MC (17:08):
Hey, does your marketing agency suck?
Listen, before we hop back intothis episode.
I know you know me as the hostof the Dealer Playbook, but did
you also know that I'm the CEOof FlexDealer, an agency that's
helping dealers capture betterquality leads from local SEO and
hyper-targeted ads that convert.
So if you want to sell morecars and finally have a partner
that's in it with you, thatdoesn't suck visit flexdealercom
(17:31):
.
Let's hop back into thisepisode.
I know what I wrote down here asyou were walking me through
this.
I wrote down a couple of thingsthe importance of building
trust early, and often there'sso many touch points right that
you you just articulated thatcould have either built trust
(17:54):
further or completely destroy itfor the customer.
And then I thought about theimplication of how quickly
technology is evolving and Iwrote down we don't have to
worry about AI putting us out ofa job because we've been slowly
putting ourselves out of a jobfor too long.
And when you think about itthat way, it's like oh wait, and
(18:17):
I don't mean that to soundfacetious, I don't mean it to
sound denigrating in any way.
What I think I'm really gettingat is oh, then that must also
mean that we have the ability toput ourselves into the job, put
ourselves into more work, todevelop out further, to do
something I love.
(18:39):
I loved how you articulated thishandoff to from, from you know,
bdc to the sales professional,because both of those things are
human to human connection,which is something that I
believe so deeply in, that Ibelieve is going to be even more
valuable in a tech augmentedworld that that our human nature
(19:00):
desires to be connected withanother human being, and you
walking me through that makes mesee even deeper how important
that role is going to be thiskind of guest experience
coordinator who makes sure thateverything is ready and prepared
, renewal process.
Get automated?
Janis (19:19):
does the AI automatically send the customer out?
You know half a dozen paymentscenarios on new vehicles.
Yes, um, you know, I I love oneof those, um, that DMS I think
(19:40):
it's DeskIt where you pull yourown lever so you can go in there
and change your term and yourrate.
And you know, is that AI wherethe customer becomes their own
sales manager.
MC (19:55):
Well, maybe there's some aspects of it, but I do think we
might go through a phase ofexploring that deeply and then
we're going to get to a placewhere we're going to do what we
always do.
Can I just talk to somebody?
Because it's just in us.
It's like the robot will nevertrust me, but I want to trust.
(20:16):
My human nature is I want totrust and be trusted.
Robot will never trust me back.
I want to be seen and see.
I want to hear and be heardLike there's so many elements
that trickle down to my today'sthesis, which is as long as
(20:37):
human beings desire to drivevehicles, then we're going to
desire to want to talk tosomebody about.
Janis (20:45):
well, I mean with people ordering their own cars.
So, although you've seen thatwebsite, I feel like you have to
be an engineer how to figureout and you know you're talking
to somebody who had that.
You know, when I was 20 yearsold, I was pulling out the old
dodge truck before it was ram,the old binder.
Let's go to here and let'sstart looking at look, I mean
(21:09):
here in the states.
MC (21:10):
To your point, here in the states with carvana.
Uh, you can go and getpre-approved on carvana, but if
you're not paying attention, youdon't realize you're paying a
29% interest rate on a vehiclethat's already priced above
market.
I'll use a Ford Explorer, forexample.
You can buy a 2018 FordExplorer decked out from a
(21:33):
dealer here in the United Statesfor whatever it is in US dollar
29 grand, 27 grand.
You go on Carvana the exactsame one at a 29% interest rate,
based on your prequal is 36.
You're like wait a minute.
And to your point though, yeah,people can go do that.
(21:55):
Great.
Is there a market for it?
Of course, look at whatCarvana's stocks are doing.
But for those of us who want toknow the nuance, the context of
like but am I getting a gooddeal here?
It's one thing to be lazy andbe like yeah, I guess I'll just
pay 500 on the lease.
It's another thing for a humanbeing to be like wait a minute,
(22:15):
I looked at your deal.
You can actually get the sameone for 275.
You can actually get.
I know these are 90s numbers,but you know what I mean.
It's like-.
Janis (22:25):
That's the buyer.
Beware right.
MC (22:28):
It is a buyer beware scenario that we're in, where,
if I trust too much thetechnology, who do I have to
cross-reference?
Whose experience can Icross-reference against to know
if I'm even getting a good deal?
Yeah, yeah, well, I believe youhave to cross-reference.
Janis (22:41):
Whose experience can I cross-reference against to know
if I'm even getting a good deal?
Yeah, yeah, well, I believe youhave to do your homework.
It's a big ticket item If we'regoing to let AI sell us.
Well, be prepared to pay thetop price and the highest
interest rate.
MC (22:52):
You're going to pay the AI tax On that note you just said
okay, can I just talk tosomebody?
Janis (22:58):
So, let's say somebody is in the middle of some kind of
an online buying process andthey get to a point where, uh,
I'm not sure about my interests.
Right, I'm not sure about this.
I have questions, can I justtalk to somebody?
And they get someone on thephone.
I call it the dreaded phoneappointment, because oftentimes
(23:19):
I mean you talk about are weready to handle the customer
when they're ready to talk to us?
And that can be very hard tomarry up, right, do we have the
person with the tools and theknowledge and the skills to talk
to the client when they'reready to be talked to?
It's connecting these twopeople together.
(23:40):
The sales specialist, somebodyyou know, who has gone to, you
know, jeep school and four-wheeldrive school and understands,
you know, can really figure outwhat the customer needs.
I mean, can we lay it on AIthat the customer's towing, you
know, a 4,500-pound trailer?
(24:00):
Is this vehicle going to do it?
Do they need the trailerpackage?
Do they need the sway bars?
Like you know, I don't knowthat AI is at that, certainly at
that point where we get intosome, you know something that's
as intricate as that.
And then they want to lease it.
And how many kilometers do theyneed in their trade?
And yeah, you know it can bedone.
(24:22):
I don't think we're there yetSomebody's buying a $120,000
truck, like, do we want a littlebit of service?
Well, I guess again, I guessthey're buying the Teslas online
.
But what I was going to say onthe, let's call it the phone
appointment, and I see this witha lot of dealers.
I do business with dealers in,you know, northern Ontario,
(24:47):
where you know there may be acouple hours from the dealership
and they can't just park andit's not 10 minutes away.
And so we set a phoneappointment.
The salesperson is taking an up.
The other guy who was supposedto take the walk-in customer
didn't show up.
He took him.
He's out on a test drive, it'sphone call time.
(25:08):
We don't connect right.
The customer's sitting therewaiting for a phone call.
We don't call them.
So one of the things that I liketo do for best practice, I'd
like to set a nice wide time forthe customer and the
salesperson to connect.
Oftentimes I'll see them set anappointment 10 am or what.
You know what if the guy's outgetting a coffee at 10 am or
(25:31):
someone's in the bathroom at 10am on that day, let's?
You know, I like to spread thatout and say an afternoon, a
morning, let's get an email, atext and let's connect with the
customer that way.
Hey, mr Customer, I'm callingyou in 10 minutes, so I just
don't think there is enough.
What I hear is yeah, I called,nobody answered from the
(25:54):
salesperson, so they didn'tconnect with a call.
I stepped away from my desk fora few minutes.
I didn't connect with a call.
You know, I stepped away frommy desk for a few minutes.
I didn't get a message.
So you know, just that dreadedphone appointment.
And again I find thesalesperson isn't prepared even
for that.
Let's say we did set a phoneappointment because I listen to
(26:16):
calls.
I do a lot of call listening fordealers.
Give them some feedback.
I hate the old let's.
Let me look, let me pull up.
Why do we have?
You know you knew you weregoing to talk to the customer
that morning.
Why couldn't we again havesomething prepared and have some
numbers prepared?
That's what people want and givesome people some information.
(26:39):
Have some numbers prepared,that's what people want and give
some people some information.
You said it's.
You know all the information.
People can do it themselves,but they don't.
They want help.
So let's just give them theinformation and work with them
and create value.
And then create value for themto visit in person and make that
(26:59):
two-hour drive.
Really, that's what it's about.
I'll find a lot of people willcall dealerships.
They want to connect on thephone first to get that vibe.
You know, am I calling theright place?
Do I want to do business withthese people?
Is it the right person?
So they need to sharpen theirphone skills, be ready to make a
connection on the phone thatleads to an in-person visit with
(27:23):
a closed deal, or sell the carover the phone.
I'm fine with that too.
Or oh, this is a new, brand newthing.
Can we go to somebody's house?
I think Clutch is making someheadway with that.
You know I've been to manycustomers' homes and brought a
car and had a coffee at theirkitchen table and made headway
(27:47):
there.
So I think there's room forthat personalized service,
especially with the price ofcars of these days.
MC (27:55):
Yeah, you've said it a few times and I think it's a real
great place to kind of bringfull circle, which is make a
connection.
Not a connection like theyanswered the phone, like make a
connection with that human beingjust paints a really beautiful
portrait of what our industrycould be, which I think people
(28:25):
would desire more and more.
Right.
And then I guess the last thingthat I want to talk about, in
conjunction with what you justsaid about calling and getting
the vibe and having a goodexperience and making a
connection on the phone, is howdo you help dealers then fulfill
the promise of that vibe inperson once the customer shows
(28:49):
up?
Because I think sometimesthat's lacking.
You might have a great BDRwho's doing a great job on the
phone, who's really personable,but then that customer shows up
to the dealership and, like yousaid in your first example,
nobody's prepared and it fallsapart.
Janis (29:01):
I'll tell you what I think I mean who's driving this
business?
A customer, different process.
I'll tell you what I, I themanager, the general manager,
the general sales manager.
Get out of your office, sir.
That's my, or ma'am, this.
Get out of your office, you.
You greet the customers oh,that's a new concept, but that
(29:22):
works.
Welcome each and every customerand then turn them over to the
salesperson.
I love a manager-drivenappointment.
So take control.
Somebody needs to be overseeingthis and we're not just leaving
a customer to the rookiesalesperson who's been there two
(29:42):
weeks.
Hi, mr Customer, welcome.
I'm the general manager here.
It's Michael who's going to belooking after you, but I wanted
to introduce myself and let youknow that I am going to be
involved and make sure that youget the best process possible,
the best experience possible.
So it starts with gettinginvolved.
(30:03):
And you know what I wasthinking about this.
Do you remember the?
Do you know when you go in arestaurant and it's not just one
server?
Or you ask somebody oh, yeah,I'll get your service, I'll get
your server.
You want to?
Oh, excuse me, can we get somewater?
Oh, I'll tell your server.
Or you go by, can I get?
Yeah, absolutely.
(30:24):
And they have the team, the teamconcept, okay, and that's what
I see lacking at the dealership.
A team concept, it's all this.
You know this, this.
Everyone needs a commission andlet's fight for the each
other's customers.
And instead of a team, I'd loveto see where the whole team
(30:47):
looks, is involved and islooking after the customer,
right down from management,right down to the porter.
Everyone is involved and beingkind.
The old Disney lets everyonesay hello to a customer and be
friendly and kind.
Just some kindness, michael.
I don't feel it anymore indealerships.
(31:09):
I thought it would feeldifferent.
You know where everybody is outthere to look after the
customer and make sure they gettaken care of.
MC (31:17):
Yeah, I mean Unreasonable Hospitality is definitely a book
that everybody needs to read inour industry.
And also to your point aboutDisney.
You just made me think of this.
There's actual science herethat nobody can really explain,
which is and I'm going to bringit all together, I promise but
(31:38):
it's the direct correlation ofpeople who give to charity end
up always earning more thefollowing year, and then they
give more and then they end upearning more.
And this has been so documented.
This concept of give, give, give.
And when you were talking aboutthe concept of the server oh no
(32:01):
, well, that's not my table, soI'm not going to, you know
versus the teams that help oneanother.
It's kind of the same conceptin my mind, where it's like,
wait, if I could just get out ofmy own head and realize that,
yeah, that's not my customer,but I want them to have a great
experience.
There's reciprocity there thatis going to pay back dividends
to me.
(32:21):
Maybe I can't articulate theexact one, two, three of it all,
but I know what's going tohappen.
And to your point, janice, whatwould an organization, a
dealership, look like ifeveryone was trained or
understood this concept thatwhen you serve, when you give
when you are kind, it flows backto you tenfold and we can't
(32:43):
explain how it just happens.
You know it just happens.
Well, you've given me so muchto think about.
We're going to have to have youback, because I know you've got
way more information that youwant to share with everybody and
I want to hear it.
But for now we got to put a pinin it.
I'm so glad that we were ableto connect.
How can those?
Yeah?
Janis (33:03):
it's great, great, great to jump on here and talk about
appointments and phone calls anddealers, which is you know.
That's all I do.
I'm into it right up to my eyesand every day I hear different
things.
MC (33:21):
So I can hear it.
Well, thank you.
How can those listening orwatching connect with you?
Janis (33:26):
Oh, you can check out my website.
It's thecargirlsca.
You can find us online.
There's a list of our servicesand you can email us info at
thecargirlsca.
MC (33:40):
Love it.
Janice Showers, thanks so muchfor joining me on the Dealer
Playbook.
Janis (33:44):
Thank you, Michael.
MC (33:45):
Hey, thanks for listening to the Dealer Playbook podcast.
If you enjoyed tuning in,please subscribe, share and hit
that like button.
You can also join us and theDPB community on social media.
Check back next week for a newDealer Playbook episode.
Thanks so much for joining.
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