October 14, 2024 • 23 mins
Mike Van Ryn and Ariah Daniels join this week's episode to preview the Zeigler Auto Group Product Knowledge Championship Series set to kick off this Wednesday at Subaru Schererville.
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Ariah Daniels (00:05):
You can feel people's passion for what they
do and what they love. And whenthat shows through, you can
easily sell anything.
Sam D'Arc (00:16):
Welcome everyone to the Driving Vision Podcast
brought to you by the ZiglerAuto Group. I'm your host, Sam
Dark. Be sure to subscribe tothe podcast. Like it if you do,
and leave a comment. Hey, teamZigler and our friends of the
Driving Vision podcast.
So we're here today in studio,Zigler Studios, with 2 of my
favorite people over the last 2week. No. I'm just kidding. In
(00:36):
general. So Araya Daniels, headof training development, Zigler
Auto Group.
Araya, welcome.
Ariah Daniels (00:41):
Hello, Sam.
Sam D'Arc (00:42):
And, of course, we got Mike Van Ryn, VP at Talent
Development. And we're here totalk about something that's
become a tradition across theZiegler Auto Group. So I'm gonna
ask you guys a question. Let'ssee if who can get this. What
are the numbers?
5 I'm gonna give you threenumbers, four numbers, and you
guys write this down. Tell mewhat this has to do with the
price of tea in China. 500, thenumber 27, the number 5, and the
(01:09):
number 1. The number 500, whichis a big number, 27, 5, and 1.
Araya, you're smiling.
You know the answer. This is
Ariah Daniels (01:16):
I know the answer to this, Sam. So What is it?
Currently currently, we havearound 500 sales professionals,
sales consultants in theorganization. So across our, all
40 locations with over 2,500plus employees, about 500 sales
professionals. 27 is a prominentnumber.
(01:37):
Mike, do you wanna share why 27?
Mike Van Ryn (01:39):
Well, that's because we hosted 27 separate
product knowledge competitionsindividually across the ZAGG in
the last few days.
Sam D'Arc (01:49):
So, Mike, before you go into that, though, a a
product knowledge presentationis old school or is new school
for an old school idea, which isa walk around. Right? So it's
the thing I sold Saturns for along time, and Saturn had a
plastic car. And with everysingle customer, we spent a lot
of time walking around the car,beating that car up, talking
(02:10):
about it, connecting with thecustomer on that car. And that
old art is still importanttoday.
And we do it. What's the averagelength of each walk around that
you listen to, Mike?
Mike Van Ryn (02:23):
Well, we gave each individual competitor a 10
minute time limit. So we cutthem off at 10 minutes and, it's
amazing what they could pileinto that 10 minutes. And, Ryan,
I learned a lot over the lastfew weeks.
Sam D'Arc (02:37):
It's amazing to me, Ryan, like, 10 minutes 27, you
heard the same thing over andover and over and over. And in
so doing, you sort of becomeexperts, at this. So I'm gonna
ask you a question. Why does anauto group like the Ziegler auto
group role play something likewalking around a car with a
(03:00):
customer? Like, it's not real.
Like, focus on the real stufffor crying out loud. Why do a
role play?
Ariah Daniels (03:07):
Well, role playing, Sam, is where you get
better. Right? So in a part ofour process is to craft and
teach our customers the productthat they're buying. Right? And
so the important piece of roleplaying comes in to practice
delivering that productknowledge to our customers and
(03:28):
crafting that so that they candeliver as much information and
crucial hot buttons to thecustomer that help leave them
feeling educated when theypurchase a vehicle with us.
So product knowledge competitionis a great way for sales
professionals to showcase thoseskills, which is great.
Sam D'Arc (03:48):
So it's interesting. It's one part information. It's
equal part connection with thatcustomer. Right? It's learning
how to connect with them so youcan create that ultimate
automotive experience.
So you can help them find thatright car, and you can't just
like, it takes practice to dothat, just like an actor would
practice in, before they, beforethey film a movie. So, Mike,
(04:11):
step us out back a little bit.How would you describe what this
product knowledge champ or,process is that the Ziegler Auto
Group has done every year forthe past past many years?
Mike Van Ryn (04:20):
Well, it started off very small, and I believe it
was back in the day where we hadabout only 9 stores in 2 states.
And, it was actually, AaronZiegler, Dan Scheid, our CFO,
and myself. We were the 3judges, and we did the thing in
one day. And, it's evolvedgreatly from there. Now,
bringing in, you know, 27competitors from all of our
(04:40):
locations throughout 4 states.
So it's been a bit of awesomecompetition. But like I like
Araya said, like you said, Sam,it's it's all about honing our
craft, getting better, for eachother, challenging each other.
Right. With our productknowledge. And then also for our
customers to deliver thatultimate automotive experience
for our customers.
So it's been neat to see howit's evolved over the years.
Sam D'Arc (05:00):
Araya, I thought we bring back the old school today.
So we do 27 presentations, plus5, plus 1, at 10 minutes each.
Aaron, Dan, and Mike will lockthem in a room, and we'll just
let them pick the winner. Canyou imagine how long that would
take? That would
Mike Van Ryn (05:14):
be great.
Ariah Daniels (05:15):
It'd be a long be a long day, Sam.
Sam D'Arc (05:17):
Yeah. So Mike, Mike, you mentioned how many years?
How many years has this gone on?So this is actually our
Mike Van Ryn (05:23):
we're just finishing up our 13th year,
believe it or not. Lucky 13.
Ariah Daniels (05:28):
Mhmm.
Sam D'Arc (05:28):
And it is a lucky 13 here in 2024 because Right.
We've see you've seen somereally, really good
presentations. You've seen someincredibly creative ways to
connect with a customer. Beforewe talk about those, after
having seen 27 presentations,you probably have seen some
pretty funny things. Alright?
Anything funny stick out to you?
Ariah Daniels (05:49):
We've had some ones over the years, Sam. And
one that, I remember a couple ofyears ago, we had actually
someone do a presentation on aproduct that we sell called
ZGuard, which is a protective,coating on the interior and
exterior of the vehicle. And hedoused an entire bottle of water
(06:10):
on himself to showcase what itwas like basically to protect
your investment, which was kindof funny. So that that one
always sticks out to me.
Sam D'Arc (06:21):
That's pretty good. I like that. Mike, what what's
been the most creative thatyou've seen? Well, I
Mike Van Ryn (06:26):
won't say the most creative because we've had so
much creativity over the years,but I will share a few of the
highlights. We've seen fire.We've seen skeletons, cowboy and
cowgirl hats, sunglasses. We'veseen people's favorite snacks
and drinks, and then we've alsoseen a plethora of different
sporting equipment throughoutthese, vehicle presentations. So
(06:48):
it's been a lot of fun.
Sam D'Arc (06:49):
Mhmm. You know what? It strikes me. We always talk
about back to the basics andbasics are delivering to every
customer what they're owed,which is a world class
experience. And in today'sworld, that world class
experience is tough because as ahuman being, you have to repeat
something over and over and overand over and over and over.
Right? And it's it it it occursto me. You just saw 27 of the
(07:14):
same thing, basically. You'redoing what sales consultants do.
What advice do you give to yoursales consultant that's like 10
cars into a month?
And they're like, for that 11thper customer, that 12th, that
20th, that 30th, should I stilldo a product walk around? Should
I still engage in the process?
Ariah Daniels (07:32):
Oh, absolutely. Right? So huge part of that
process and what we what Mikeand I have seen even this year
is the ones who do the best arethe ones who have done their
research and connected with thecustomer on a personal level. So
getting to know what their hotbuttons are, what are the things
that they are really valuing intheir vehicle that they're
(07:55):
purchasing and looking forward.So when they really hone in on
those hot buttons during theirproduct knowledge, walk around,
they're able to really gain moreinterest and engagement from
their customer because theircustomer is those are the things
that are important to them.
Right? So it makes that thatbuying process and the
(08:15):
purchasing process even morewonderful for them because
they're learning about how thatvehicle is gonna benefit them.
And so those are those arethat's kind of the biggest thing
that we see is the connectionthat you build with that
customer. You're able tounderstand what those hot
buttons are for them and hit onthose.
Sam D'Arc (08:31):
Mike, as Araya was describing that connection, you
gave her a thumbs up, and thenyou scratched your chin. I've
never seen you scratch your chinin all these years. So what were
you thinking is in that momentwhen you gave the thumbs up and
then scratched your chin?
Mike Van Ryn (08:42):
Sam, did you just tell me I'm getting old?
Sam D'Arc (08:44):
No. No. I've just never see I've never seen you do
this before. It was awesome.
Mike Van Ryn (08:49):
No. That was great. Or I hit the nail on the
head with that. Right? And I'lladd one more thing to it.
It it it's about energy. And youcan feel that energy, and it's
very contagious. And the energythat we have inside ourselves
can be translated to ourcustomers and from our products
too. Right? When we'repassionate and excited about our
products, the customers can feelthat and experience it.
(09:10):
And by the way, if you'redelivering a vehicle, if you've
already sold it, you're kind ofreselling it to a customer and
Yeah. Giving them that ultimateautomotive experience. And then,
by the way, you're gonna getreferrals from those customers
because you've done such a greatjob.
Sam D'Arc (09:24):
You know, it's interesting. Subaru is a
factory. They actually have aprocess around this. So customer
will buy a car, they leave, andSubaru actually has a process
where they reimburse theirretailers to bring that customer
back to the store for a seconddelivery. It's so important that
they knew exactly what theybought, and they get the best
value out of that introduction.
You know, it's interesting. Youthink about the business world
(09:48):
out there today. And in a lot ofways, it's a mess. When you look
at some of these basicprocesses, I'm gonna give you an
example. I'm gonna give you 2examples, and then I'd be
curious to hear what yourthoughts are on this.
So we're so reliant ontechnology. Sometimes we think
technology can replace the humanelement. So two examples. I
pulled up to Starbucks this weekto get a coffee, and the dude
(10:10):
behind Starbucks, I don't know alot about coffee and what goes
behind it. But the dude atStarbucks is like, our brewer is
down.
I'm like, the brewer? You'reStarbucks. It's all you do. What
do you mean your brewer is down?Like, are you are you are you
closed?
He's like, no. No. No. You canhave tea. You can have we have,
like, we have, like, breakfastsandwiches, and I got a
breakfast sandwich because I waslooking for oatmeal, which is
(10:32):
terrible at Starbucks, and abreakfast sandwich.
But, like, how do you fail atthat? Another example here in
town, there's a workout facilitycalled d one, and I've been
there many times to work out,just drop in, and they have a
functional issue acceptingpayment. Every time you go in
there, they're like, our paymentsystem's down. Our Apple Pay is
(10:52):
down. The mind body app doesn'twork.
So here's my question. That wasa long build up. Unless you have
examples of this, because Ithink this is where we excel.
Were there examples in thesewalk arounds where there were
failures in system or process orunderstanding or maybe how they
thought things would go? Andmembers of our team had to adapt
(11:14):
in that moment Mhmm.
And overcome the lack of aresource. Maybe the coffee
machine was broken or maybe thepayment system was broken and
still deliver that ultimateexperience because that's part
of the difference with us.Right? Were there any moments
where those participants roseabove a failure to deliver in
the role play?
Ariah Daniels (11:31):
Yeah. Absolutely. And Mike is probably thinking of
a few that came up this year.You know, we have, a a few times
where the sales professional isis sharing the knowledge behind
the technology inside thevehicle. So, like, in the
instrument cluster Yes.
Understanding how to Bluetooththe phone to to the vehicle.
(11:53):
Right? Like, in times where itdidn't work or maybe they're
just the Bluetooth wasn'tworking to see that person pivot
so well and make it professionaland kind of add some humor to,
like, oh, hey. You know, this istechnology. We'll figure it out
together kind of thing.
There's, the ones that we sawthis year did a great job just
pivoting and being able to stillmake it a great experience with
(12:15):
the customer. That's just aprime example.
Mike Van Ryn (12:18):
Yeah. One particular instance, comes out
and it's, one of our sales,specialists was showing us how
to, about the towing capabilityand pull it off, like, the cover
on the tow hitch, and then hecouldn't get it back on right
away, but he just, like, keptflowing right through and, did a
nice job. Sometimes you don'teven know if something goes
(12:38):
wrong because they're suchprofessionals. Right? And they
just adapt on the fly.
And I think getting yourcustomer involved as much as you
can, you know, show show acustomer how something works,
then actually have them do it.So show first, then do. It is a
great, great way for us to getour customers involved.
Sam D'Arc (12:54):
So is there a connection between that
adaptability and that ability toimprovise and being successful
in selling or business orwhatever? Like, I think about,
like, a coffee shop that can'tmake coffee up, workout facility
that can't get paid. Right? Likeis the ability to pivot. How
important is the ability topivot?
We talk we talk about grit.Right? We talk about resilience.
(13:16):
How how important is that,Araya, in in our business?
Ariah Daniels (13:19):
You know, well, there's a, I think a twofold to
that question because I think ithelps you be a little bit more
relatable to your customer too.Like just to customers to say
like, hey, we're not perfect. Weknow that this technology isn't
perfect. So just to be able torelate to people and knowing
like you've got that connectionthat way. But on the flip side,
when things do go wrong and whenthings don't go as smooth as
(13:41):
you've planned, being able topivot during those times is just
crucial to success anyways.
Right? Like, anything that yougo through professionally or
personally, right? You're ableto, come out on the other side
when you've learned how to pivotthrough those things and the
product knowledge competition,there's things that happen in
every single one of them thatmaybe the sales professional
(14:02):
wasn't quite ready to havehappen and it does. And then
they've got to learn to pivotand they do a great job at doing
it. So
Sam D'Arc (14:09):
yeah. Do you think maybe that need to pivot is part
of the reason why some peopledon't do a great product
presentation? Like technology ispretty intimidating. Right? If
Bluetooth doesn't work, and I'musing that as an example, I
don't know what goes wrongnowadays, but there's so much
that could go wrong when you'retrying to show how perfect a car
is.
There's so much technology. Iwonder if that's part of the
(14:30):
reason sometimes if peoplearen't practicing this, maybe
that's part of the reason why weavoid it. Because sometimes we
avoid naturally things we don'tunderstand. Right?
Ariah Daniels (14:39):
Mhmm.
Sam D'Arc (14:39):
Alright. I have a question. So thinking about
buying situations, I know youboth like to buy stuff because
I've seen what you all do in theworld in the day day to day. You
like to buy stuff. Thinkingabout a buying experience you've
had over the past several years,is there one that stands out
where someone really described aproduct, feature benefit,
(15:03):
advocated for a service in sucha way where you really
connected, and it opened you upto the potential of something
that you never, a, thought youneeded or maybe you didn't fully
appreciate.
Like, you were truly educated,and in the process, you
connected. Any examples?
Ariah Daniels (15:19):
I've got one and it's an it's an easy one and
it's become a part of my dailyroutine and you guys won't be
surprised to hear this but, myprotein supplement, my protein
supplement that I drink daily issomething that I have drink
daily for the last 4 years of mylife. Oh, what's wrong? So it's
called Recover Through Body, andit's it's 20 grams of protein to
(15:41):
add right after I'm done withthe workout. And, just have
learned about the product, butsomeone sold it to me. And I
believed a 100 percent in thethe quality of the ingredients,
and it's all that I use rightnow to, to supplement protein.
So yeah.
Sam D'Arc (15:58):
I love it, Mike. No surprise.
Mike Van Ryn (16:00):
One that comes to mind for me, Sam, is and you and
I have golf together. You know,I I love golf is, And
Sam D'Arc (16:06):
you know I don't. No. I love golf. I love I love
trying to golf, but I'm not agreat golfer.
Ariah Daniels (16:11):
I love trying to golf.
Mike Van Ryn (16:13):
I mean, I can go I can really go anywhere and buy a
buy a golf club or a set of golfclubs that I want, but I always
go to Maple Hill in the GrandRapids area. And it's because
they tailor that experience, tome, and I know the people over
there. And, a lot of timesthey'll say, this is my favorite
club or these are the top 2 thatI think would fit your game. So
(16:33):
anytime somebody gives me, like,their favorite, I, like, take
that to heart. And we had a fewof our experts in the last week
or so that said, hey.
These are my favorite tires thatare on this vehicle. This is my
favorite feature. Right? Thingslike that go a really long way
and hold a lot of credibility.
Sam D'Arc (16:50):
Alright. And you know what's interesting? Sales is one
thing, but genuinelyauthentically advocating for
something you truly believe inis completely another. I think
it's a total talent and traitwhen salespeople find out enough
about the product to really getexcited about it. And my example
aligns with that.
So I work with our Subaru storesa little bit, and I recently had
(17:11):
the opportunity to go to a newretailer orientation with
Subaru. And if you ever get thechance, Subaru is unlike any
other franchise out there. Sooutside looking in, you're kinda
like, it's a little strange.It's not, you know, it's not
BMW. It's not Mercedes Benz.
Like, it's a it's a it's adifferent culture. It's a very
specific narrow culture. I wentto this new retailer orientation
(17:35):
where they spent the time toconnect and explain basic stuff,
and then they top it off with atour of the plant. I'm gonna go
out on a limb. Coolest plant inthe face of the planet.
Like, their ability to delivervehicles without defects and to
continually get better usingthis kaizen process, which I
think was started by Toyota,second to none. And they got me
(17:59):
to believe, and they connectedwith me simply by taking the
time to walk me through it andallow me to have that
experience. And you know what'sinteresting is we talk about
this, and you did this 27presentations. A lot of that
explanation and connecting isabout love. Right?
Because time ultimately is love.You showed love to our 27
(18:21):
finalists, and 5 will do, nextweek. We'll talk about that in a
minute. How does love play arole in what you do day to day,
but also what our salesconsultants do as they connect
with their customers.
Mike Van Ryn (18:32):
First off, I think you've been hanging out with our
Subaru stores a little too much.Way
Sam D'Arc (18:36):
too much.
Mike Van Ryn (18:37):
But second is, Bobby, when somebody, when
somebody loves what they do, andis passionate about a product,
you can feel it. Again, back,back to the energy being
contagious. So, you know, if youlove what you do, people,
people, people can see that. So,I love what I do in my role. I
(18:59):
love investing, in our teamsacross the ZAG, and then also
seeing top performers, win.
And, it's just a lot of fun. Itgives me some personal
satisfaction even looking atwhere we started and where we're
at today. And even, you know,seeing people like, Araya and
where she started and whereshe's at now. So I I just love
that part of my job, and, Ithink people can see that and
(19:21):
feel that.
Ariah Daniels (19:22):
I'm just yeah. To just ditto what Mike just said,
you can feel that. Right? Youcan feel people's passion for
what they do and what they love.And when that shows through, you
can easily sell anything.
Right? You can sell sellanything that you believe in and
that you love yourself. Yeah.
Sam D'Arc (19:38):
And and it's part no matter what we do in the world,
we are all salespeople. Alright.So let's talk about this. Next
week, we're gonna crown achampion, the 2024 product
knowledge champion. Last year,it was Devin Rainwater who,
after he won, went on to havehis best month ever.
This year, we're we're, tell usa little bit about the event,
this year, Araya, and what wecan expect next, Wednesday
(19:59):
night.
Ariah Daniels (19:59):
Yeah. So next Wednesday, October 16th, we'll
be kicking off what's our topfive finalist competition and
award celebration. So we'llbring together those 27 people
who competed to celebrate themfor representing their store
and, beating out everyone elseon their team back at their
their store. And then we'regonna take the top 5 finalists.
(20:21):
So from the the top 5 out ofthose 27 walk arounds that Mike
and I did, they're comingtogether.
We're gonna give them 5 minutesto deliver a presentation to,
their customer, and, they'regonna compete on whoever does
the best walk around for thatevening and then crown a number
(20:42):
1.
Sam D'Arc (20:43):
And our winner last year put our largest GM not
largest. He used to be largest.He's he's not anymore, but
largest GM into a little EVvehicle. And he he may have had
bourbon nearby so that there maybe some bribery that goes on
with this, that goes on withthis event. But we will be live
streaming at beginning Wednesdaynight, 6:15 CST.
(21:05):
You can see it, either throughthe driving vision podcast.
There'll be a link at theZiegler YouTube page and also on
the team Ziegler Facebook. Andthere's an element of this, the
people's choice, which is you asa, audience, a viewing
livestream audience are able tolog in, and you can vote for who
you think, did the best job ofconnecting authentically with
(21:25):
the customer and advocating forthe vehicle they're selling.
Mike, anything you wanna addabout what we're gonna see
Wednesday night?
Mike Van Ryn (21:32):
It's gonna be a high level of competition, and
you're gonna see, winners outthere who have won for their
store and won for the entireauto group competing against
each other. And you're gonnalearn a lot too. So if you're
tuning in, get a pen, get apaper, jot down some word
tracks, jot down some notes tohelp you get better if you're in
a sales role with, with anyorganization.
Sam D'Arc (21:55):
Awesome. Well, nobody competes like the Zigler Auto
Group. We compete to becomebetter, and this is a great
example of that. We did say loveway too many times on this
podcast, so I take it all backexcept for the fact that it
truly shows that you care whenyou're willing to spend as much
time with a customer as our,sales professionals do on a
daily basis. So, Araya, give usour closing word, and then we'll
(22:17):
wrap.
See everybody there Wednesdaynight beginning 6 15 central at
Subaru Sherryville or online.Look forward to seeing you team
Ziegler. Araya.
Ariah Daniels (22:25):
Yeah. I'm gonna just say good luck to our top 5
competitors, and congrats to the27 that represented their store.
We're really looking forward toseeing how the competition
unfolds this year. It getstougher and tougher every year.
So top 5, go connect with yourcustomer, go practice, go role
play with others in your store,and best of luck.
Sam D'Arc (22:58):
A special thanks to Mike Van Ryn and Ryan Dean for
contributing to this week'spodcast. Until next week, how
are you driving vision today?
You can feel people's passion for what they
do and what they love. And whenthat shows through, you can
easily sell anything.
Sam D'Arc (00:16):
Welcome everyone to the Driving Vision Podcast
brought to you by the ZiglerAuto Group. I'm your host, Sam
Dark. Be sure to subscribe tothe podcast. Like it if you do,
and leave a comment. Hey, teamZigler and our friends of the
Driving Vision podcast.
So we're here today in studio,Zigler Studios, with 2 of my
favorite people over the last 2week. No. I'm just kidding. In
(00:36):
general. So Araya Daniels, headof training development, Zigler
Auto Group.
Araya, welcome.
Ariah Daniels (00:41):
Hello, Sam.
Sam D'Arc (00:42):
And, of course, we got Mike Van Ryn, VP at Talent
Development. And we're here totalk about something that's
become a tradition across theZiegler Auto Group. So I'm gonna
ask you guys a question. Let'ssee if who can get this. What
are the numbers?
5 I'm gonna give you threenumbers, four numbers, and you
guys write this down. Tell mewhat this has to do with the
price of tea in China. 500, thenumber 27, the number 5, and the
(01:09):
number 1. The number 500, whichis a big number, 27, 5, and 1.
Araya, you're smiling.
You know the answer. This is
Ariah Daniels (01:16):
I know the answer to this, Sam. So What is it?
Currently currently, we havearound 500 sales professionals,
sales consultants in theorganization. So across our, all
40 locations with over 2,500plus employees, about 500 sales
professionals. 27 is a prominentnumber.
(01:37):
Mike, do you wanna share why 27?
Mike Van Ryn (01:39):
Well, that's because we hosted 27 separate
product knowledge competitionsindividually across the ZAGG in
the last few days.
Sam D'Arc (01:49):
So, Mike, before you go into that, though, a a
product knowledge presentationis old school or is new school
for an old school idea, which isa walk around. Right? So it's
the thing I sold Saturns for along time, and Saturn had a
plastic car. And with everysingle customer, we spent a lot
of time walking around the car,beating that car up, talking
(02:10):
about it, connecting with thecustomer on that car. And that
old art is still importanttoday.
And we do it. What's the averagelength of each walk around that
you listen to, Mike?
Mike Van Ryn (02:23):
Well, we gave each individual competitor a 10
minute time limit. So we cutthem off at 10 minutes and, it's
amazing what they could pileinto that 10 minutes. And, Ryan,
I learned a lot over the lastfew weeks.
Sam D'Arc (02:37):
It's amazing to me, Ryan, like, 10 minutes 27, you
heard the same thing over andover and over and over. And in
so doing, you sort of becomeexperts, at this. So I'm gonna
ask you a question. Why does anauto group like the Ziegler auto
group role play something likewalking around a car with a
(03:00):
customer? Like, it's not real.
Like, focus on the real stufffor crying out loud. Why do a
role play?
Ariah Daniels (03:07):
Well, role playing, Sam, is where you get
better. Right? So in a part ofour process is to craft and
teach our customers the productthat they're buying. Right? And
so the important piece of roleplaying comes in to practice
delivering that productknowledge to our customers and
(03:28):
crafting that so that they candeliver as much information and
crucial hot buttons to thecustomer that help leave them
feeling educated when theypurchase a vehicle with us.
So product knowledge competitionis a great way for sales
professionals to showcase thoseskills, which is great.
Sam D'Arc (03:48):
So it's interesting. It's one part information. It's
equal part connection with thatcustomer. Right? It's learning
how to connect with them so youcan create that ultimate
automotive experience.
So you can help them find thatright car, and you can't just
like, it takes practice to dothat, just like an actor would
practice in, before they, beforethey film a movie. So, Mike,
(04:11):
step us out back a little bit.How would you describe what this
product knowledge champ or,process is that the Ziegler Auto
Group has done every year forthe past past many years?
Mike Van Ryn (04:20):
Well, it started off very small, and I believe it
was back in the day where we hadabout only 9 stores in 2 states.
And, it was actually, AaronZiegler, Dan Scheid, our CFO,
and myself. We were the 3judges, and we did the thing in
one day. And, it's evolvedgreatly from there. Now,
bringing in, you know, 27competitors from all of our
(04:40):
locations throughout 4 states.
So it's been a bit of awesomecompetition. But like I like
Araya said, like you said, Sam,it's it's all about honing our
craft, getting better, for eachother, challenging each other.
Right. With our productknowledge. And then also for our
customers to deliver thatultimate automotive experience
for our customers.
So it's been neat to see howit's evolved over the years.
Sam D'Arc (05:00):
Araya, I thought we bring back the old school today.
So we do 27 presentations, plus5, plus 1, at 10 minutes each.
Aaron, Dan, and Mike will lockthem in a room, and we'll just
let them pick the winner. Canyou imagine how long that would
take? That would
Mike Van Ryn (05:14):
be great.
Ariah Daniels (05:15):
It'd be a long be a long day, Sam.
Sam D'Arc (05:17):
Yeah. So Mike, Mike, you mentioned how many years?
How many years has this gone on?So this is actually our
Mike Van Ryn (05:23):
we're just finishing up our 13th year,
believe it or not. Lucky 13.
Ariah Daniels (05:28):
Mhmm.
Sam D'Arc (05:28):
And it is a lucky 13 here in 2024 because Right.
We've see you've seen somereally, really good
presentations. You've seen someincredibly creative ways to
connect with a customer. Beforewe talk about those, after
having seen 27 presentations,you probably have seen some
pretty funny things. Alright?
Anything funny stick out to you?
Ariah Daniels (05:49):
We've had some ones over the years, Sam. And
one that, I remember a couple ofyears ago, we had actually
someone do a presentation on aproduct that we sell called
ZGuard, which is a protective,coating on the interior and
exterior of the vehicle. And hedoused an entire bottle of water
(06:10):
on himself to showcase what itwas like basically to protect
your investment, which was kindof funny. So that that one
always sticks out to me.
Sam D'Arc (06:21):
That's pretty good. I like that. Mike, what what's
been the most creative thatyou've seen? Well, I
Mike Van Ryn (06:26):
won't say the most creative because we've had so
much creativity over the years,but I will share a few of the
highlights. We've seen fire.We've seen skeletons, cowboy and
cowgirl hats, sunglasses. We'veseen people's favorite snacks
and drinks, and then we've alsoseen a plethora of different
sporting equipment throughoutthese, vehicle presentations. So
(06:48):
it's been a lot of fun.
Sam D'Arc (06:49):
Mhmm. You know what? It strikes me. We always talk
about back to the basics andbasics are delivering to every
customer what they're owed,which is a world class
experience. And in today'sworld, that world class
experience is tough because as ahuman being, you have to repeat
something over and over and overand over and over and over.
Right? And it's it it it occursto me. You just saw 27 of the
(07:14):
same thing, basically. You'redoing what sales consultants do.
What advice do you give to yoursales consultant that's like 10
cars into a month?
And they're like, for that 11thper customer, that 12th, that
20th, that 30th, should I stilldo a product walk around? Should
I still engage in the process?
Ariah Daniels (07:32):
Oh, absolutely. Right? So huge part of that
process and what we what Mikeand I have seen even this year
is the ones who do the best arethe ones who have done their
research and connected with thecustomer on a personal level. So
getting to know what their hotbuttons are, what are the things
that they are really valuing intheir vehicle that they're
(07:55):
purchasing and looking forward.So when they really hone in on
those hot buttons during theirproduct knowledge, walk around,
they're able to really gain moreinterest and engagement from
their customer because theircustomer is those are the things
that are important to them.
Right? So it makes that thatbuying process and the
(08:15):
purchasing process even morewonderful for them because
they're learning about how thatvehicle is gonna benefit them.
And so those are those arethat's kind of the biggest thing
that we see is the connectionthat you build with that
customer. You're able tounderstand what those hot
buttons are for them and hit onthose.
Sam D'Arc (08:31):
Mike, as Araya was describing that connection, you
gave her a thumbs up, and thenyou scratched your chin. I've
never seen you scratch your chinin all these years. So what were
you thinking is in that momentwhen you gave the thumbs up and
then scratched your chin?
Mike Van Ryn (08:42):
Sam, did you just tell me I'm getting old?
Sam D'Arc (08:44):
No. No. I've just never see I've never seen you do
this before. It was awesome.
Mike Van Ryn (08:49):
No. That was great. Or I hit the nail on the
head with that. Right? And I'lladd one more thing to it.
It it it's about energy. And youcan feel that energy, and it's
very contagious. And the energythat we have inside ourselves
can be translated to ourcustomers and from our products
too. Right? When we'repassionate and excited about our
products, the customers can feelthat and experience it.
(09:10):
And by the way, if you'redelivering a vehicle, if you've
already sold it, you're kind ofreselling it to a customer and
Yeah. Giving them that ultimateautomotive experience. And then,
by the way, you're gonna getreferrals from those customers
because you've done such a greatjob.
Sam D'Arc (09:24):
You know, it's interesting. Subaru is a
factory. They actually have aprocess around this. So customer
will buy a car, they leave, andSubaru actually has a process
where they reimburse theirretailers to bring that customer
back to the store for a seconddelivery. It's so important that
they knew exactly what theybought, and they get the best
value out of that introduction.
You know, it's interesting. Youthink about the business world
(09:48):
out there today. And in a lot ofways, it's a mess. When you look
at some of these basicprocesses, I'm gonna give you an
example. I'm gonna give you 2examples, and then I'd be
curious to hear what yourthoughts are on this.
So we're so reliant ontechnology. Sometimes we think
technology can replace the humanelement. So two examples. I
pulled up to Starbucks this weekto get a coffee, and the dude
(10:10):
behind Starbucks, I don't know alot about coffee and what goes
behind it. But the dude atStarbucks is like, our brewer is
down.
I'm like, the brewer? You'reStarbucks. It's all you do. What
do you mean your brewer is down?Like, are you are you are you
closed?
He's like, no. No. No. You canhave tea. You can have we have,
like, we have, like, breakfastsandwiches, and I got a
breakfast sandwich because I waslooking for oatmeal, which is
(10:32):
terrible at Starbucks, and abreakfast sandwich.
But, like, how do you fail atthat? Another example here in
town, there's a workout facilitycalled d one, and I've been
there many times to work out,just drop in, and they have a
functional issue acceptingpayment. Every time you go in
there, they're like, our paymentsystem's down. Our Apple Pay is
(10:52):
down. The mind body app doesn'twork.
So here's my question. That wasa long build up. Unless you have
examples of this, because Ithink this is where we excel.
Were there examples in thesewalk arounds where there were
failures in system or process orunderstanding or maybe how they
thought things would go? Andmembers of our team had to adapt
(11:14):
in that moment Mhmm.
And overcome the lack of aresource. Maybe the coffee
machine was broken or maybe thepayment system was broken and
still deliver that ultimateexperience because that's part
of the difference with us.Right? Were there any moments
where those participants roseabove a failure to deliver in
the role play?
Ariah Daniels (11:31):
Yeah. Absolutely. And Mike is probably thinking of
a few that came up this year.You know, we have, a a few times
where the sales professional isis sharing the knowledge behind
the technology inside thevehicle. So, like, in the
instrument cluster Yes.
Understanding how to Bluetooththe phone to to the vehicle.
(11:53):
Right? Like, in times where itdidn't work or maybe they're
just the Bluetooth wasn'tworking to see that person pivot
so well and make it professionaland kind of add some humor to,
like, oh, hey. You know, this istechnology. We'll figure it out
together kind of thing.
There's, the ones that we sawthis year did a great job just
pivoting and being able to stillmake it a great experience with
(12:15):
the customer. That's just aprime example.
Mike Van Ryn (12:18):
Yeah. One particular instance, comes out
and it's, one of our sales,specialists was showing us how
to, about the towing capabilityand pull it off, like, the cover
on the tow hitch, and then hecouldn't get it back on right
away, but he just, like, keptflowing right through and, did a
nice job. Sometimes you don'teven know if something goes
(12:38):
wrong because they're suchprofessionals. Right? And they
just adapt on the fly.
And I think getting yourcustomer involved as much as you
can, you know, show show acustomer how something works,
then actually have them do it.So show first, then do. It is a
great, great way for us to getour customers involved.
Sam D'Arc (12:54):
So is there a connection between that
adaptability and that ability toimprovise and being successful
in selling or business orwhatever? Like, I think about,
like, a coffee shop that can'tmake coffee up, workout facility
that can't get paid. Right? Likeis the ability to pivot. How
important is the ability topivot?
We talk we talk about grit.Right? We talk about resilience.
(13:16):
How how important is that,Araya, in in our business?
Ariah Daniels (13:19):
You know, well, there's a, I think a twofold to
that question because I think ithelps you be a little bit more
relatable to your customer too.Like just to customers to say
like, hey, we're not perfect. Weknow that this technology isn't
perfect. So just to be able torelate to people and knowing
like you've got that connectionthat way. But on the flip side,
when things do go wrong and whenthings don't go as smooth as
(13:41):
you've planned, being able topivot during those times is just
crucial to success anyways.
Right? Like, anything that yougo through professionally or
personally, right? You're ableto, come out on the other side
when you've learned how to pivotthrough those things and the
product knowledge competition,there's things that happen in
every single one of them thatmaybe the sales professional
(14:02):
wasn't quite ready to havehappen and it does. And then
they've got to learn to pivotand they do a great job at doing
it. So
Sam D'Arc (14:09):
yeah. Do you think maybe that need to pivot is part
of the reason why some peopledon't do a great product
presentation? Like technology ispretty intimidating. Right? If
Bluetooth doesn't work, and I'musing that as an example, I
don't know what goes wrongnowadays, but there's so much
that could go wrong when you'retrying to show how perfect a car
is.
There's so much technology. Iwonder if that's part of the
(14:30):
reason sometimes if peoplearen't practicing this, maybe
that's part of the reason why weavoid it. Because sometimes we
avoid naturally things we don'tunderstand. Right?
Ariah Daniels (14:39):
Mhmm.
Sam D'Arc (14:39):
Alright. I have a question. So thinking about
buying situations, I know youboth like to buy stuff because
I've seen what you all do in theworld in the day day to day. You
like to buy stuff. Thinkingabout a buying experience you've
had over the past several years,is there one that stands out
where someone really described aproduct, feature benefit,
(15:03):
advocated for a service in sucha way where you really
connected, and it opened you upto the potential of something
that you never, a, thought youneeded or maybe you didn't fully
appreciate.
Like, you were truly educated,and in the process, you
connected. Any examples?
Ariah Daniels (15:19):
I've got one and it's an it's an easy one and
it's become a part of my dailyroutine and you guys won't be
surprised to hear this but, myprotein supplement, my protein
supplement that I drink daily issomething that I have drink
daily for the last 4 years of mylife. Oh, what's wrong? So it's
called Recover Through Body, andit's it's 20 grams of protein to
(15:41):
add right after I'm done withthe workout. And, just have
learned about the product, butsomeone sold it to me. And I
believed a 100 percent in thethe quality of the ingredients,
and it's all that I use rightnow to, to supplement protein.
So yeah.
Sam D'Arc (15:58):
I love it, Mike. No surprise.
Mike Van Ryn (16:00):
One that comes to mind for me, Sam, is and you and
I have golf together. You know,I I love golf is, And
Sam D'Arc (16:06):
you know I don't. No. I love golf. I love I love
trying to golf, but I'm not agreat golfer.
Ariah Daniels (16:11):
I love trying to golf.
Mike Van Ryn (16:13):
I mean, I can go I can really go anywhere and buy a
buy a golf club or a set of golfclubs that I want, but I always
go to Maple Hill in the GrandRapids area. And it's because
they tailor that experience, tome, and I know the people over
there. And, a lot of timesthey'll say, this is my favorite
club or these are the top 2 thatI think would fit your game. So
(16:33):
anytime somebody gives me, like,their favorite, I, like, take
that to heart. And we had a fewof our experts in the last week
or so that said, hey.
These are my favorite tires thatare on this vehicle. This is my
favorite feature. Right? Thingslike that go a really long way
and hold a lot of credibility.
Sam D'Arc (16:50):
Alright. And you know what's interesting? Sales is one
thing, but genuinelyauthentically advocating for
something you truly believe inis completely another. I think
it's a total talent and traitwhen salespeople find out enough
about the product to really getexcited about it. And my example
aligns with that.
So I work with our Subaru storesa little bit, and I recently had
(17:11):
the opportunity to go to a newretailer orientation with
Subaru. And if you ever get thechance, Subaru is unlike any
other franchise out there. Sooutside looking in, you're kinda
like, it's a little strange.It's not, you know, it's not
BMW. It's not Mercedes Benz.
Like, it's a it's a it's adifferent culture. It's a very
specific narrow culture. I wentto this new retailer orientation
(17:35):
where they spent the time toconnect and explain basic stuff,
and then they top it off with atour of the plant. I'm gonna go
out on a limb. Coolest plant inthe face of the planet.
Like, their ability to delivervehicles without defects and to
continually get better usingthis kaizen process, which I
think was started by Toyota,second to none. And they got me
(17:59):
to believe, and they connectedwith me simply by taking the
time to walk me through it andallow me to have that
experience. And you know what'sinteresting is we talk about
this, and you did this 27presentations. A lot of that
explanation and connecting isabout love. Right?
Because time ultimately is love.You showed love to our 27
(18:21):
finalists, and 5 will do, nextweek. We'll talk about that in a
minute. How does love play arole in what you do day to day,
but also what our salesconsultants do as they connect
with their customers.
Mike Van Ryn (18:32):
First off, I think you've been hanging out with our
Subaru stores a little too much.Way
Sam D'Arc (18:36):
too much.
Mike Van Ryn (18:37):
But second is, Bobby, when somebody, when
somebody loves what they do, andis passionate about a product,
you can feel it. Again, back,back to the energy being
contagious. So, you know, if youlove what you do, people,
people, people can see that. So,I love what I do in my role. I
(18:59):
love investing, in our teamsacross the ZAG, and then also
seeing top performers, win.
And, it's just a lot of fun. Itgives me some personal
satisfaction even looking atwhere we started and where we're
at today. And even, you know,seeing people like, Araya and
where she started and whereshe's at now. So I I just love
that part of my job, and, Ithink people can see that and
(19:21):
feel that.
Ariah Daniels (19:22):
I'm just yeah. To just ditto what Mike just said,
you can feel that. Right? Youcan feel people's passion for
what they do and what they love.And when that shows through, you
can easily sell anything.
Right? You can sell sellanything that you believe in and
that you love yourself. Yeah.
Sam D'Arc (19:38):
And and it's part no matter what we do in the world,
we are all salespeople. Alright.So let's talk about this. Next
week, we're gonna crown achampion, the 2024 product
knowledge champion. Last year,it was Devin Rainwater who,
after he won, went on to havehis best month ever.
This year, we're we're, tell usa little bit about the event,
this year, Araya, and what wecan expect next, Wednesday
(19:59):
night.
Ariah Daniels (19:59):
Yeah. So next Wednesday, October 16th, we'll
be kicking off what's our topfive finalist competition and
award celebration. So we'llbring together those 27 people
who competed to celebrate themfor representing their store
and, beating out everyone elseon their team back at their
their store. And then we'regonna take the top 5 finalists.
(20:21):
So from the the top 5 out ofthose 27 walk arounds that Mike
and I did, they're comingtogether.
We're gonna give them 5 minutesto deliver a presentation to,
their customer, and, they'regonna compete on whoever does
the best walk around for thatevening and then crown a number
(20:42):
1.
Sam D'Arc (20:43):
And our winner last year put our largest GM not
largest. He used to be largest.He's he's not anymore, but
largest GM into a little EVvehicle. And he he may have had
bourbon nearby so that there maybe some bribery that goes on
with this, that goes on withthis event. But we will be live
streaming at beginning Wednesdaynight, 6:15 CST.
(21:05):
You can see it, either throughthe driving vision podcast.
There'll be a link at theZiegler YouTube page and also on
the team Ziegler Facebook. Andthere's an element of this, the
people's choice, which is you asa, audience, a viewing
livestream audience are able tolog in, and you can vote for who
you think, did the best job ofconnecting authentically with
(21:25):
the customer and advocating forthe vehicle they're selling.
Mike, anything you wanna addabout what we're gonna see
Wednesday night?
Mike Van Ryn (21:32):
It's gonna be a high level of competition, and
you're gonna see, winners outthere who have won for their
store and won for the entireauto group competing against
each other. And you're gonnalearn a lot too. So if you're
tuning in, get a pen, get apaper, jot down some word
tracks, jot down some notes tohelp you get better if you're in
a sales role with, with anyorganization.
Sam D'Arc (21:55):
Awesome. Well, nobody competes like the Zigler Auto
Group. We compete to becomebetter, and this is a great
example of that. We did say loveway too many times on this
podcast, so I take it all backexcept for the fact that it
truly shows that you care whenyou're willing to spend as much
time with a customer as our,sales professionals do on a
daily basis. So, Araya, give usour closing word, and then we'll
(22:17):
wrap.
See everybody there Wednesdaynight beginning 6 15 central at
Subaru Sherryville or online.Look forward to seeing you team
Ziegler. Araya.
Ariah Daniels (22:25):
Yeah. I'm gonna just say good luck to our top 5
competitors, and congrats to the27 that represented their store.
We're really looking forward toseeing how the competition
unfolds this year. It getstougher and tougher every year.
So top 5, go connect with yourcustomer, go practice, go role
play with others in your store,and best of luck.
Sam D'Arc (22:58):
A special thanks to Mike Van Ryn and Ryan Dean for
contributing to this week'spodcast. Until next week, how
are you driving vision today?
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