Welcome to Leadership in the Dealership — an Upstart podcast where automotive innovation meets insightful conversations. We help dealers improve their customer and employee experience by tapping into the minds and experiences of the industry’s top leaders. We’ll also explore cutting-edge trends shaping the auto industry across digitization and customer experience, both online and in the showroom. Ready to meet your hosts and catch a sneak peek of what's to come? Check out the trailer. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Upstart. Any content provided by the hosts or guests is for informational purposes only and is based on their own experiences and perspectives.
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October 28, 202625 min
Used EVs Are Getting Cheaper. Should Dealers Pay Attention?
New EV demand may be cooling, but the used electric vehicle market could offer dealerships a different opportunity. Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer explore how lower used-EV prices, returning leases and changing buyer expectations could create opportunities for dealers willing to understand the market. From battery warranties and vehicle condition to charging access and range anxiety, they discuss what it takes to confidently stock, sell and support used EVs. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN • Why the used EV market deserves attention • Where dealerships may find used EV inventory • What to check before buying an EV at auction • How battery health and warranties influence resale • Why matching the right buyer to the right EV matters • How sales teams can address charging and range concerns • When a hybrid may make more sense than a fully electric vehicle The goal isn't to convince every customer to go electric. It's to recognize where used EVs fit into your inventory strategy and your customers' needs.
October 14, 202622 min
The Hidden Cost That Could Kill Your Next Car Deal
Your customer found the car. The payment fits their budget. Everyone is ready to close.Then the insurance quote comes back.In this episode of Leadership in the Dealership, Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer tackle a cost that can catch buyers off guard and put an otherwise good deal at risk: auto insurance.Danielle shares how upgrading her vehicle took her monthly insurance premium from $300 to $700. They also explore why newer vehicles can cost more to insure, how technology and repair costs affect premiums, and what dealers can do to avoid last-minute surprises.In this episode: Why insurance should be part of the conversation before F&I How rising premiums can affect vehicle affordability Why newer vehicles with advanced technology can cost more to insure What questions salespeople should ask earlier How to help buyers consider the total monthly cost of ownership Why offering alternative vehicles can help save a deal How to keep insurance from becoming a last-minute roadblock The car payment is only part of the equation. Make sure your customers know what they're getting into before they get to the finish line.Subscribe to Leadership in the Dealership for more real conversations about dealership operations, financing and the customer experience.#LeadershipInTheDealership #AutoInsurance #CarDealers #AutomotiveRetail #DealershipSales
September 30, 2026Episode 6518 min
One Process Doesn’t Fit Every Buyer
Not every customer who walks into your dealership wants the same buying experience. One buyer has researched the vehicle, knows their credit and wants to get in and out. Another may be buying their first car and needs someone to guide them through every step. So why put both through the exact same process? Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer break down how dealerships can adapt the sales experience to the customer in front of them without throwing out the process entirely. They get into: • How to recognize different types of car buyers • When to speed up the sales process and when to slow it down • The questions salespeople should ask before deciding how to sell • Why forcing traditional steps can push a ready buyer out the door • How payment, price and financing priorities change by customer • Why lender flexibility matters when a buyer does not fit the traditional box • How Upstart Multi-Multi can show offers across up to five vehicles on a soft credit pull • How giving customers more options can help preserve the deal The goal is not to abandon your dealership process. It is knowing when to adapt it to the person you are trying to serve. Subscribe to Leadership in the Dealership for more real conversations about automotive retail, financing and the customer experience. #LeadershipInTheDealership #Automotive #CarSales #CarDealers #AutomotiveRetail #Upstart
September 16, 2026Episode 6415 min
Remove Financing Friction From Your Car Deals
The customer found the car. The numbers work. Your salesperson has momentum. Then financing hits the brakes. Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer break down how Upstart can help dealers remove friction from the financing process, starting before the customer even walks into the showroom. From starting the credit process online and reducing data re-entry to exploring offers across up to five vehicles, they walk through ways dealers can keep more options open without sending the customer back to square one. They also get into: • How a soft credit pull can help start the financing conversation earlier • How multi-vehicle offers can keep a deal alive when the first vehicle does not work • Faster decisioning and flexible deal structuring • How dealers can adjust terms and add products within the offer • Financing options for older and higher-mileage inventory • How automated verification can reduce additional calls and waiting • The training and support dealers receive when launching Upstart If the customer is ready to buy, make it easier to get them to the keys. Subscribe to Leadership in the Dealership for more real conversations about automotive retail, financing, technology and the customer experience. #LeadershipInTheDealership #Automotive #AutoFinance #CarDealers #Upstart
September 2, 202635 min
What If Buying a Car Could Actually Be Easy?
What would it take to make buying a car actually feel easy? Amanda Gordon, founder and CEO of GoJo Auto, has built her dealership around that question. Instead of accepting long waits, unnecessary handoffs and disconnected systems as part of buying a car, she has focused on creating a faster, more personal experience for her customers. In this episode of Leadership in the Dealership, Amanda joins Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer to talk about what that looks like in practice, from understanding the story behind a buyer’s credit score to simplifying the financing experience with Upstart and building a dealership around relationships, access and respect for the customer’s time. Amanda explains that GoJo uses an A-to-Z process that keeps customers with one person throughout the transaction and averages about two hours per deal. They also get into the bigger problems still creating friction for dealers, including technology that does not communicate across systems and processes that add steps instead of removing them. Plus, Amanda shares the leadership lessons behind building GoJo Auto, co-founding the Women of Color Automotive Network (WOCAN) and serving as president of the Colorado State Dealer Board. IN THIS EPISODE: • Why customers do not hate buying cars, but may hate the way they are asked to buy them • What a credit score can miss about the person behind it • How strong lender relationships can help dealers serve more buyers • Why disconnected dealership systems create unnecessary friction • How GoJo Auto approaches the buying and financing experience • Why Amanda’s team turns to Upstart for simplicity • How WOCAN is creating opportunities for women in automotive • What Amanda has learned from more than two decades in the industry Amanda’s vision for where automotive should be five years from now is refreshingly simple: that it’s easy. Subscribe to Leadership in the Dealership for real conversations about the people, technology and ideas moving automotive forward. #LeadershipInTheDealership #Automotive #CarDealers #AutomotiveRetail #CustomerExperience
August 19, 2026Episode 6220 min
Too much tech? How to Audit Your Dealership Tech Stack
How do you know if your dealership has too many technology platforms?If your team is re-entering the same customer information into multiple systems, chasing data across disconnected tools or paying for platforms that overlap, your tech stack may be creating more work than it solves. Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer break down how dealerships can take a closer look at the systems they already have before adding the next shiny tool.They get into CRM hygiene, integrations, F&I, digital retail, AI and why a tool can be great on its own but still create friction if it does not communicate with the rest of your stack. They also discuss why AI should be layered onto clean processes and reliable data, not used as a shortcut around broken ones. In this conversation: How to audit your dealership tech stack Why data re-entry is a sign your systems are not working together How disconnected tools can cost your team time and money What to ask vendors before adding new technology Why CRM data quality matters When AI actually belongs in your dealership workflow How to spot duplicate tools before you pay for another one Before you add another platform, make sure you know what your current stack is actually doing for you. Subscribe for more real conversations about dealership operations, technology and leadership from Leadership in the Dealership. #Automotive #CarDealers #DealershipTechnology #CRM #ArtificialIntelligence
August 5, 202626 min
When Something Goes Wrong, Everything Matters
Every dealership has problems. A delivery gets delayed. A repair takes longer than expected. Financing changes. A customer leaves frustrated. The dealerships customers remember are not the ones that avoid those moments. They're the ones that know how to recover from them. In this episode of Leadership in the Dealership, Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer break down what great customer recovery actually looks like. Through real stories and firsthand experiences, they discuss why communication, transparency and follow-through often matter more than getting everything right the first time. They cover: • Why customer recovery starts before the complaint • How simple communication can prevent negative reviews • What dealers can learn from Carvana's customer experience • Why giving customers options builds trust • The mistakes that turn small problems into lost customers • How transparency creates long-term loyalty No dealership gets it right every time. The difference is what happens next. 👇 Subscribe for more conversations that help you build a better dealership. #Automotive #CarDealers #CustomerExperience #DealershipLeadership #LeadershipInTheDealership
July 22, 202619 min
TikTok Is the New Car Salesperson
Who's Influencing Your Customers First? Most buyers don't start their car search at a dealership anymore. They're spending hours on TikTok learning what to ask, what to avoid and how to negotiate before they ever step onto your lot. Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer break down why social media has become one of the biggest influences on the car-buying journey, and what dealerships can do to stay part of the conversation. The stores earning trust today aren't just waiting for customers to find them. They're showing up where customers are already looking. You'll learn: Why TikTok has become a search engine for car buyers How Gen Z researches dealerships before visiting Why dealer-created content matters more than polished ads How transparency impacts your online reputation Practical ways dealerships can connect with today's buyers Whether you're a dealer principal, general manager, sales leader or marketer, this conversation offers practical strategies for earning trust in a world where customers are more informed than ever. 👍 Like this video if you enjoyed it. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes of Leadership in the Dealership every week. #LeadershipInTheDealership #Automotive #CarSales #Dealership #AutoRetail #TikTokMarketing #GenZ #DigitalMarketing
July 8, 202619 min
More Profit or More Sales? What Actually Wins?
Every dealership wants to make more money. But is the smartest move maximizing profit on every deal or moving more inventory? In this episode of Leadership in the Dealership, Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer break down the strategy behind gross versus volume and why the best operators know when to switch between the two. They discuss: • When it makes sense to maximize gross • When volume becomes the smarter play • How inventory and OEM incentives should shape your strategy • Why holding out for more profit can sometimes cost you money • How affordability is changing the way dealerships buy and sell inventory • What today's market means for both dealers and car buyers The best strategy isn't picking one side. It's knowing when the market tells you to change. 👍 Like, subscribe and let us know in the comments: Are you Team Gross or Team Volume? #LeadershipInTheDealership #Dealership #Automotive #AutoRetail #CarSales #FandI #DealerStrategy
June 24, 202615 min
The Motor Oil Supply Risk You Should Be Watching
Everyone is talking about gas prices. But what if the bigger risk is motor oil? In this episode of Leadership in the Dealership, Danielle Mills Walden and Phillip Greer discuss how global supply disruptions could impact synthetic oil, service departments and the products dealers rely on every day. They get into: • Why motor oil and gas prices are not the same conversation • How supply disruptions can impact service departments • What dealers should be doing now to prepare • Why fixed ops may feel the effects before anyone else • How to communicate with customers during periods of uncertainty • What service leaders should be watching in the months ahead This isn't a prediction about where gas prices go next. It's a conversation about preparedness. Because when a key service-lane product becomes harder or more expensive to source, the dealers who plan ahead will be in a much better position than the ones reacting later. 🎧 Like, subscribe and let us know what topics you'd like us to cover next. #LeadershipInTheDealership #Automotive #Dealership #FixedOps #ServiceDepartment #AutoRetail #Cars #MotorOil #AutomotiveIndustry
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