We meant to cover four topics. We covered one. In our defense, it was Jeep’s fault.

Jeep had an ugly third quarter: down 20% overall, the Compass down 62%, and the Wagoneer S moving a heroic 146 units. The Wrangler was the only model that grew, which we credit entirely to Jon walking into a dealership. Ram had a good quarter, which wrecked our “everyone’s broke” theory, since nothing says belt-tightening like buying a more expensive truck. Then we argued about the economy, blamed the government for trying to force-feed everyone EVs, agreed hybrids are the grown-up answer, and let Nick tell the story of driving his 4xe through a river like it was a war story.

Then Jon told the story that ate the episode. He ran his Wrangler through KBB just to see the number, and two dealers actually read the lead before they called him. We stopped the show to applaud. After that it went downhill. The Jeep store’s BDC texted to ask where he was for an appointment he’d already rescheduled, because their CRM and DMS aren’t on speaking terms. On the new date, service finished his oil change, tire rotation, and recall in under an hour. Ashley from the BDC never came down. Then she texted him: “Where were you?” Your people are too efficient, Ashley.

That turned into a full sermon: sales and service living in separate silos, why the best CRM is the one you actually use, a drive-through scanner that inspects and appraises every car in the service lane, a guy who sold 20 cars a month without leaving the service drive, and why the end-of-month deal is mostly a myth pushed by salespeople who are three cars behind. Bottom line: a bad process you stick to beats a great one you ignore.

We also teased Paramount and Skydance maybe moving to Nashville, a Watergate rabbit hole, and weird drinks, including the canned electrolytes Nick loves and his wallet hates. And Nick wants to buy his next Jeep from Carvana, if Nissan ever lets go of his lease.

Key Topics

• Jeep sales trends and model performance

• Economic factors influencing vehicle sales

• Electric vehicle market and government policies

• Dealership operations and customer experience

• Technology integration in automotive sales

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to automotive sales trends and industry insights

03:59 Economic influences on vehicle purchasing behavior

07:55 Electric vehicles and market demand fluctuations

09:57 Hybrid vehicles as a practical solution for consumers

11:58 The future of EVs and hybrid technology in the auto industry

14:00 Dealership operations, customer follow-up, and sales strategies

15:58 The importance of integrated technology and CRM systems

17:47 Customer experience in service and sales departments

19:55 The significance of effective lead management and follow-up

22:04 Emerging automotive technologies and tools for dealerships

24:03 Market trends, pricing, and the impact of new models

26:09 The role of dealership culture and process adherence

28:03 Future industry developments and strategic insights

29:59 Innovative tools like vehicle inspection systems and data analytics

32:00 The importance of training and technology adoption in dealerships

34:01 Customer engagement, sales tactics, and closing strategies

35:58 End-of-month sales strategies and customer relationship management

37:58 The value of good customer follow-up and service experience

40:03 Upcoming topics: industry mergers, market shifts, and more

42:01 Fun discussions on unique drinks and industry anecdotes