The Get More Frank Podcast

Hosted by Frank J Lopes

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May 2026

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About the show

Frank J. Lopes is the author of “7MS- The 7 Minute Setup” which was recently featured by FORBES in "Top Investments To Make in 2021". Frank is also a highly sought-after Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach, Sales Strategist, and is the President of Strong30 Training Technologies & Vice President of FB Digital and Forrest & Blake Marketing & Advertising- two of the hottest companies serving the Retail Automotive sector. Frank has also been interviewed and quoted in Automotive News, Forbes, Fast Company, INC and other national publications.

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May 27, 202610 min

Most Valuable Moment: AI in Car Dealerships: Dealer Owners, GMs, and Strong Stores Need to Hear This with Trent Cannon

AI in car dealerships is not just a technology topic. It is a retail automotive execution issue. In this Most Valuable Moment from LIVE with Lopes Season 8 Episode 5, Frank J. Lopes and Trent Cannon break down what AI really means for dealer principals, dealership owners, general managers, GSMs, sales managers, BDC managers, internet directors, marketing directors, fixed ops leaders, and anyone operating inside the retail car business. The real question is not whether AI will replace every salesperson, BDC agent, or dealership employee. The real question is what happens when strong dealerships use AI correctly while average stores keep running the same old broken process. Slow lead response. Weak dealership BDC follow-up. No long-term lead handling process. Abandoned digital retailing activity. Poor customer communication. Missed sold customer follow-up. Missed unsold showroom follow-up. Missed equity mining opportunities. Missed service declined work follow-up. Managers still hiding behind “we’ve always done it this way.” AI will not magically fix bad operators. It will not repair poor leadership. It will not turn lazy follow-up into a real sales process. It will not make a weak BDC strong by itself. But AI can make good operators dangerous. Frank and Trent discuss how automotive AI can help car dealerships move faster, work more opportunities, improve dealership BDC workflow, strengthen internet lead handling, support long-term follow-up, reduce abandoned digital retailing activity, improve customer communication, support fixed operations, and create a better dealership experience. This episode gets into the part of AI that actually matters to operators: How do dealerships use AI without replacing the human side of the business? Where should the BDC spend its time? What follow-up is getting missed every day? How can AI support sold customers, unsold showroom traffic, old leads, equity mining, service declined work, F&I product follow-up, and digital retailing? Why will strong stores benefit faster than weak stores? This is not a robots-replacing-people conversation. This is a dealership management conversation. This is a BDC strategy conversation. This is a lead handling conversation. This is a retail automotive leadership conversation. The best dealerships are not looking at AI as a replacement strategy. They are looking at it as an enhancement strategy. Better speed. Better consistency. Better follow-up. Better customer communication. Better use of the people already inside the store. That is why dealer owners and GMs need to pay attention. AI will not save weak stores, but it can make strong stores much harder to compete with. This Most Valuable Moment covers: AI in car dealerships Automotive AI Retail automotive technology Dealership BDC strategy Internet lead handling Long-term follow-up Digital retailing in car dealerships Abandoned online shoppers Sold customer communication Unsold showroom follow-up Equity mining Service follow-up F&I product follow-up Customer experience Dealership management Fixed operations The future of the car business Why strong dealerships may become harder to beat Questions answered in this episode: How will AI impact car dealerships? Should car dealers be afraid of artificial intelligence? Will AI replace BDC agents or salespeople? How should dealers use AI in the dealership BDC? Can AI improve dealership lead handling? Can AI help with long-term follow-up? Can AI reduce abandoned digital retailing activity? Can AI support equity mining and service follow-up? How should dealer owners and GMs think about AI? What does AI mean for the future of retail automotive? This is the Most Valuable Moment from LIVE with Lopes Season 8 Episode 5 with Trent Cannon, featured on The Get More Frank Podcast. Host: Frank J. Lopes Guest: Trent Cannon Series: LIVE with Lopes Podcast: The Get More Frank Podcast Segment: Most Valuable Moment Presented by: CarNow

May 26, 202649 min

AI in Car Dealerships: Should Dealers Be Terrified? Trent Cannon on Retail Automotive’s Future - LIVE with Lopes on The Get More Frank Podcast

AI in car dealerships is not coming someday. It is already changing retail automotive, dealership BDC strategy, digital retailing, lead handling, customer communication, fixed operations, and the way strong stores compete. In this episode of The Get More Frank Podcast, Frank J. Lopes brings LIVE with Lopes Season 8 Episode 5 to the podcast feed with special guest Trent Cannon for a straight dealership conversation about one big question: should car dealers be terrified of AI? The answer is not simple fear. The real threat is not artificial intelligence replacing every person inside the dealership. The real threat is what happens when disciplined dealerships use AI correctly while weak stores keep running the same broken process, weak follow-up, slow response times, poor customer communication, and reactive management. AI will not magically fix bad operators. It will not repair poor leadership. It will not make a weak BDC strong by itself. It will not turn lazy follow-up into a real sales process. But AI can make good operators dangerous. Frank and Trent break down how automotive AI can help car dealerships move faster, work more opportunities, improve dealership BDC follow-up, strengthen long-term lead handling, reduce abandoned digital retailing activity, improve customer communication, support fixed operations, and create a better dealership experience. This episode covers AI in car dealerships, automotive AI, retail automotive technology, dealership BDC strategy, internet lead handling, long-term follow-up, digital retailing in car dealerships, abandoned online shoppers, sold customer communication, unsold showroom follow-up, equity mining, service declined work follow-up, F&I product follow-up, customer experience, store process, dealership management, fixed operations, and the future of the car business. Frank also shares a real dealership example of installing an AI solution for prospecting and long-term follow-up, including shoppers coming into the store asking for the AI by name after texting with it about trading their vehicle. The core takeaway: AI should be viewed as an enhancement strategy, not a replacement strategy. The best dealerships will use AI to create more speed, focus, consistency, and opportunity. The weakest dealerships will keep hoping the market saves them. Frank and Trent also discuss why digital retailing may make a comeback, how AI could reduce abandonment in the online car buying process, and why shoppers may need a better guided experience before they become real showroom opportunities. This is not a robots-replacing-people conversation. This is a retail automotive execution conversation. Questions answered in this episode: How will AI impact car dealerships? Should car dealers be scared of artificial intelligence? Will AI replace dealership BDC agents or salespeople? How can AI improve dealership lead handling? Can AI help with long-term follow-up? Can AI reduce abandoned digital retailing activity? How should dealers use AI in the BDC? How can dealerships use AI for equity mining, service follow-up, and sold customer communication? Why will strong dealerships benefit faster from AI? What does AI mean for the future of retail automotive? This episode is for dealer principals, general managers, GSMs, sales managers, BDC managers, internet directors, marketing directors, fixed ops leaders, automotive vendors, and anyone trying to understand how AI will impact the future of the car business. The question is not whether AI is coming to retail automotive. It is already here. The real question is whether your dealership is going to use AI as a tool for better execution, or ignore it until your competitors are too far ahead. Episode: LIVE with Lopes, Season 8 Episode 5 Podcast: The Get More Frank Podcast Host: Frank J. Lopes Special Guest: Trent Cannon Presented by: CarNow

April 21, 20261 hr 7 min

AI Is Killing Car Dealership Deals: How Bad Deal Sheets, Out-the-Door Quotes, and ChatGPT Are Costing Dealers Sales, Trust, Gross, and Lead Conversion

In this episode of the Get More Frank Podcast , Frank Lopes breaks down one of the biggest shifts happening in retail automotive , car sales , dealership sales process , BDC , internet sales , variable operations , and automotive marketing right now: AI is now the third voice in the deal . That is one of the core arguments throughout the webinar transcript, which explains that today’s car shoppers are using ChatGPT , AI search , and other AI tools before, during, and after the dealership conversation to evaluate pricing, question fees, compare offers, and decide whether a dealership looks trustworthy. If your dealership is still sending weak, vague, cluttered, confusing, or outdated deal sheets, this episode explains why that is becoming a major problem for car dealerships , dealer principals , general managers , GSMs , sales managers , BDC managers , internet sales managers , salespeople , BDC reps , and automotive marketers . The presentation repeatedly argues that AI is not creating distrust in the deal, it is exposing distrust that already exists. When the deal sheet looks sketchy, the dealership looks sketchy. This episode covers AI in automotive retail , ChatGPT and car buying , car dealership deal sheets , out-the-door price quotes , dealership pricing transparency , automotive lead conversion , BDC and internet sales process , car dealership negotiation , customer trust in car sales , AI-proof deal sheets , dealer marketing , digital retailing , dealer website pricing , and gross profit vs worksheet presentation . Frank walks through how AI reacts when a dealership sends numbers with missing APR , blended rebates , unclear fees , heavy doc fees , undisclosed add-ons , vague labels, or pricing that does not match what is shown on the dealership’s own website. In the webinar examples, AI flags those issues directly, questions them, and in some cases tells the customer what to say next or when it may be time to walk away. That is a major shift for car dealership sales , internet lead handling , BDC follow-up , desking , negotiation , and sales process management . The episode also explains why this is not just a desk problem. It is a full dealership growth , lead handling , and marketing conversion problem. If the dealership spends money on Google Ads , Meta ads , third-party leads , SEO , SEM , automotive digital marketing , website traffic , and lead generation , but then sends a bad worksheet that kills confidence, marketing did its job and the deal sheet failed. That connection between traffic, trust, transparency, and conversion is a major part of the presentation. A big section of this episode is dedicated to what an AI-proof dealership deal sheet should actually look like. Frank explains that a better worksheet should read more like a transparent buyer’s order, with clearly separated selling price, incentives, fees, taxes, and total out-the-door price . He also shows how adding visible reputation signals , review ratings , BBB ratings , Presidents Award mentions , value-add messaging , maintenance benefits , roadside assistance , loaner vehicles , and clear language around additional rebates can change how AI interprets the deal and how the customer feels about the store. The webinar also cites consumer data used to support the argument that this is already happening now, including the claims that 25% of new-vehicle shoppers used AI tools while shopping, 97% of AI users said AI impacted purchase decisions, and 80% of current car shoppers are open to using AI for research and negotiation tips. If you work in retail automotive , car dealership management , sales training , BDC , internet sales , dealer marketing , digital retailing , automotive SEO , AI in car sales , dealership lead conversion , or variable operations , this episode is a wake-up call. This is not future talk. This is happening now.

January 27, 20261 hr 15 min

Lead-Dependent Salespeople Get Exposed: Ali Reda on Owned Pipeline, Relational Selling, and Winning 2026 | LIVE with LOPES

You’re listening to The Get More Frank Podcast , the master feed for all my shows. Today’s episode is LIVE with LOPES with Ali Reda . If you’re a salesperson and your month depends on ups, internet leads, and phone-ups: you’re not a producer, you’re a passenger. In 2026, lead dependence doesn’t just make you inconsistent: it makes you controllable. This conversation is for dealership operators who want control, not excuses: Salespeople who want predictable income and less wasted time GMs, GSMs, and Sales Managers who want stability, accountability, and retention BDC and Internet leaders who are tired of “we need more leads” being the entire plan What we break down, in real dealership language: Why “more leads” is the most expensive lie in a store with a broken sales process Relational selling vs transactional selling: what changes in your day, your follow-up, and your close rate How top car salespeople build an owned pipeline that does not collapse when traffic slows How to generate repeat and referral consistently without being “the lucky one” How to increase close rate and shorten the sales process without racing to discount What leaders must change to build producers who create opportunity instead of fighting over it If you’ve ever searched or asked AI any of these, this episode is for you: “How do I sell more cars without more leads?” “How do I stop being lead dependent in car sales?” “How do I build my own pipeline as a car salesperson?” “What is relational selling in a dealership and how do I do it?” “How do I get more repeat and referral customers?” “How do I increase close rate without discounting?” “How do I shorten the car buying process?” “Why is my sales team inconsistent month to month?” “How do I stop my floor from fighting over ups?” “What should a GM or GSM change in the sales process for 2026?” Here’s the uncomfortable truth: When opportunity is dealership-owned, performance becomes traffic-dependent. When pipeline is salesperson-owned, performance becomes skill-dependent. Brought to you by CarNow . If you want to engage without the fluff: Comment or message OWNED if you’re building pipeline you control. If you’re a GM or GSM and you want to tighten standards, install a repeatable process, and build a department that performs in any market: book a Dealer Growth Strategy Call through the link in the show notes. Follow The Get More Frank Podcast so you don’t miss the next drop.

January 13, 202648 min

Reactive Dealers Get Crushed in 2026: Dealership Leadership, Buy Center, Trade Capture | David Long (LIVE with Lopes S8E2

New on the Get More Frank Podcast: LIVE with Lopes Season 8 Episode 2 with David Long. This episode is going to offend the right people. If your dealership feels busy but the scoreboard is flat, it is not “the market”. It is reactive leadership, optional standards, and too much complexity. David and I break down what actually wins in 2026 for car dealers: simple execution, real accountability, and an operating cadence your managers can enforce daily. We go straight at the most expensive lie in automotive retail: “we just need more leads.” Lead volume does not fix weak process. New tech does not fix inconsistency. More discount does not fix lost trust. The fix is boring and it works: role clarity, standards with consequences, fast and consistent lead handling, and disciplined follow up. If your store is chaotic, adding more opportunities just exposes the chaos faster. Then we get into inventory acquisition and trade capture. If you want to buy more used cars, increase trade ins, and stop living off walk in traffic, incoming phone calls, and internet leads, you need a real buy center, not a hobby. We talk appraisal volume, appraisal follow up, private party acquisition, trade acquisition, and why the wrong person running acquisition turns a buy center into a money leak. If your acquisition plan is “we’ll do it when we have time”, you do not have a plan. We also hit the silent killers inside most stores: Too many priorities, too many meetings, too many exceptions, too many “special cases”, too many handoffs, and nobody owning the outcome. That is how leads get missed, trades get lost, customers get ghosted, and managers stay “busy” while gross and momentum slide. If you are a Dealer Principal, GM, GSM, UCM, Sales Manager, BDC leader, Internet Manager, or Marketing Manager, you will hear exactly why stores lose opportunities even while spending big money on marketing and advertising: slow response time, unclear ownership, inconsistent standards, and a sales process that changes depending on who touches the deal. People ask questions like: Why do dealerships lose leads? Usually it is speed, consistency, and follow up, not “lead quality”. How do I increase trade ins? Increase appraisal volume, tighten follow up, and track trade capture like a real KPI. What is a buy center? A dedicated acquisition operation, staffed and managed like a business, built to buy cars from consumers and maximize trade capture. How do I improve dealership performance fast? Simplify the operating cadence, assign ownership, and enforce standards daily. If you have been searching for any of this, this episode is built for you: dealership leadership training, dealer growth strategy 2026, reactive vs proactive dealership management, dealer accountability, sales management standards, automotive retail operations, BDC best practices, lead handling process, lead response time, appointment setting process, internet sales process, CRM discipline, dealership KPIs, buy center strategy, how to build a buy center, how to buy more used cars, used car acquisition strategy, private party acquisition, trade capture strategy, trade in appraisal process, appraisal follow up process, inventory acquisition, and dealership operating cadence. Quick self audit before you listen: Are your standards written and enforced, or just talked about? Does every lead have one owner, or five “helpers”? Do you measure trade capture and appraisal volume weekly, or guess? Is your buy center run by an A player, or whoever is available? Does your store run on one simple cadence, or a thousand exceptions?

January 6, 20261 hr 19 min

AI Is Shopping Your Dealership, Trust Beats Price | Brian Kramer | LIVE with Lopes S8E1:

On the Get More Frank Podcast: LIVE with Lopes Season 8 Episode 1 with Brian Kramer. AI is already “mystery shopping” your dealership 24/7. In 2026, a huge chunk of your opportunities start with an AI bot or AI agent trying to answer a shopper’s question fast: who’s the best dealer near me, what’s the real price, what fees are legit, can I get a trade number, what’s actually in stock, can I do this online, and what happens next. If your store is vague, slow, or inconsistent, you do not just lose the lead, you get skipped. Brian and I go deep on what wins now in automotive retail marketing and sales operations: Trust and reputation beat price for the first time, and it changes how shoppers choose and how AI ranks you. Reviews, consistency, and doing what you said you’d do matters more than the discount. Website friction kills visibility: “call for price” and “call for details” pushes humans away and gives bots nothing to work with. Clarity converts, ambiguity leaks traffic. Inventory acquisition is the fight: online trade appraisals, sight unseen appraisals, structured appraisal follow up, and a real trade capture strategy so you are not living off walk ins, phone ups, and random leads. Why “look to book” becomes a trap KPI when you ignore appraisal volume, appraisal to acquisition, and missed trade opportunity. Acquisition is the scoreboard. Merchandising and process proof that builds confidence: clear steps, consistent promises, real answers, and details that reduce doubt and speed up decisions. AEO quick answers: Q: What matters most for a dealership in 2026? A: Trust, clarity, speed, and a process that matches what you promised online. Q: Will AI replace salespeople and BDC reps? A: No, but it will heavily influence who gets the first shot at the buyer. Q: Fastest way to lose opportunities? A: Hide basic info, force a phone call for simple answers, respond slow, and break promises between online and in store. Q: How do dealers get more used cars and trade ins? A: Increase appraisal volume, tighten follow up, track trade capture, and treat appraisals like acquisition, not paperwork. Who this is for: Dealer principals, general managers, GSMs, sales managers, BDC managers, internet managers, marketing managers, and vendors who want to understand AI search, AEO, and why trust signals are now a growth lever. Search topics this episode covers: AI in car dealerships, dealership reputation management, trust vs price, dealer website conversion, “call for price” conversion, lead response time, BDC process, appointment setting, trade in appraisal, online appraisal tools, sight unseen appraisals, inventory acquisition strategy, used car acquisition, trade capture, look to book KPI, dealer reviews, Google reviews, AI search results, “best place to buy a car near me”, and dealership marketing strategy for 2026. Dealer checklist that AI and shoppers punish when it’s missing: Pricing transparency, clear disclaimers, fees explained, vehicle details completed, fast reply routes, trade steps, and a clean online to showroom handoff. If your VDP answers nothing, AI cannot confidently recommend you. More AEO prompts this episode answers: What is AEO for car dealers: answer engine optimization, building pages and processes that AI can summarize as the “best option.” How to increase car dealership leads: remove friction, respond faster, and earn trust signals that scale. Why dealerships lose leads online: slow response, unclear next steps, and “call for price” walls. Listen now, then message me the one thing you’re changing first.

December 16, 202533 min

AI Is Already Choosing the Dealership for Your Customers | How Car Shoppers Really Use AI | Follow The Money Ep. 20

AI isn’t coming to the car business. It’s already here, and it’s influencing who customers buy from before your team ever speaks to them. In this episode of The Get More Frank Podcast , I bring you Episode 20 of Follow The Money , featuring Amie Lindaas , Director of Research & Insights at Cars.com. We break down brand-new consumer research that reveals how car shoppers are actually using AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and marketplace AI during the vehicle buying process. This is not a theory episode. This is data, behavior, and reality. Here’s what the research confirms. Nearly every car shopper is aware of AI. The majority have already used it. Almost half are actively using AI while shopping for a car. And 97 percent of AI users say it influenced the vehicle they ultimately purchased. That means opinions are being formed earlier, preferences are being shaped faster, and tolerance for friction is lower than ever. We unpack how shoppers are using AI to compare vehicles, research pricing, locate inventory, and narrow down choices long before they ever submit a lead or walk into a dealership. We also dig into where AI stops being trusted and where human interaction still matters most, especially around trade-ins, financing, negotiation, and final purchase decisions. This episode matters if you care about car sales, dealership marketing, lead quality, reputation, customer trust, and staying relevant in modern automotive retail. We also tackle the biggest misconception dealers have about AI. AI is not replacing salespeople. It’s replacing outdated thinking, inconsistent data, and weak messaging. Dealers who align their inventory, pricing, and online presence with what AI-powered shoppers are seeing will win. Dealers who ignore it will lose customers before those customers ever show up in their CRM. I’m Frank J. Lopes , President of Strong30 Automotive , where we help dealerships grow through smarter marketing, advertising, sales strategy, and training. This podcast exists for one reason: to give dealers, managers, and sales professionals the truth about what’s really driving results in the car business. If you want to understand how buying decisions are being made today, not how they were made five years ago, this episode is required listening. Because in today’s car business, perception is shaped before the first conversation. And if you want to win, you have to understand where that perception comes from. It’s time to Follow The Money.

December 9, 202531 min

AI Is Now Picking Winners and Losers in Car Shopping: How Natural Language, Search Behavior, and Buyer Intent Are Rewriting the Rules of Automotive Retail - Follow The Money Episode 19

AI isn’t just influencing the car business, it’s actively deciding which dealerships today’s shoppers trust, consider, and buy from. In this episode of Follow The Money , Frank J. Lopes sits down with Matt McDonald of Cars.com for a deep dive into how AI search, natural language queries, buyer intent modeling, and modern automotive shopping behavior are transforming the entire retail landscape. Today’s consumer doesn’t begin with a specific make or model. They begin with real problems and natural language questions like: “I have three kids, two dogs, a long commute, I want something safe and efficient, what vehicle is best for me, and where should I buy it?” AI translates these concerns into recommendations that match lifestyle, budget, safety priorities, emotional triggers, and trust signals. This shift is reshaping the buyer journey from the very first search all the way to the dealership they ultimately choose. If you work in automotive retail, digital marketing, BDC operations, sales leadership, or dealership strategy, this episode is essential listening. You’ll learn how AI interprets customer intent, compares dealership data, evaluates inventory quality, analyzes reviews, and surfaces the stores that deliver accuracy, transparency, and strong buyer confidence. You’ll understand why outdated merchandising practices, weak descriptions, missing features, or inconsistent customer experiences now directly affect how often your dealership appears in AI powered recommendations. This conversation breaks down: • How AI interprets natural language and customer intent • Why buyers now begin undecided on make and model • What signals AI uses to determine dealership trust and relevance • How lifestyle, budget, safety, and emotional needs shape recommendations • Why accurate merchandising and strong data quality matter more than ever • How reputation signals and review sentiment influence visibility • Why traditional search funnels are collapsing into faster, more direct journeys • What dealerships must fix to stay competitive in the new search environment • How AI models evaluate inventory descriptions, photos, features, and transparency • Why customer confidence is becoming the key differentiator in 2025 automotive retail You’ll also hear real insights from current consumer behavior: the rise of conversational search, the shift away from dropdown menus, the rapid acceleration of AI guided research, and the growing expectation that a shopper’s first question—spoken or typed—will produce a personalized, confident, context-aware answer. If your dealership is not optimized for this type of search behavior, you are already losing visibility, leads, and market share to stores that are. If you’ve ever wondered why a competitor appears more often in search, how AI determines relevancy, how shoppers evaluate dealership trust, or how to show up in natural language vehicle queries, this episode gives you the clearest roadmap available. You’ll learn what AI sees, how it interprets your digital footprint, and what steps you must take to be included in the conversations happening inside the AI powered platforms your customers already use every day. The stores that embrace AI aligned merchandising, accurate inventory data, strong reputation management, and customer focused communication will take the biggest leap forward in 2025. The stores that ignore these shifts will slowly disappear from search visibility, lose buyer consideration, and wonder where their leads went. Follow The Money brings you the truth behind the trends shaping automotive retail. New episodes every Tuesday. Stay sharp, stay ahead, and follow the money.

November 11, 202555 min

Is the Sky Falling in Automotive? Q3 Data, AI, and the Truth About the 2025 Car Market with Brian Kramer | Follow The Money Ep. 18 | The Get More Frank Show | Automotive Insights for Dealers & GMs

The car business feels broken right now. Showrooms are quiet. Sales teams are restless. Managers are asking the same question: “Is it slow out there, or is it just us?” Everyone’s looking for answers — but the truth isn’t in the rumors or social media posts. It’s in the data. In this premiere episode of Follow The Money (Ep. 18) on The Get More Frank Show , I sit down with Brian Kramer , EVP at Cars Commerce , to break down the Q3 automotive market data that every dealership leader needs to hear before heading into Q4. We’re not talking about feelings — we’re talking about facts. 📊 Inside This Episode: Why the car business feels slower than it really is — and what the Q3 data actually shows The truth about new and used car demand in the current U.S. market How dealerships are misreading “slow” showrooms and missing opportunities Why the $30K–$49K price band is the new battleground for both dealers and buyers How AI (like Carson from Cars Commerce ) is already shaping shopper behavior and search visibility Why 88% of buyers haven’t decided where they’ll buy — and how to win before they walk in The secret that’s quietly destroying used car gross and how to fix it Why reputation, reviews, and culture are the most valuable marketing you have in 2025 This isn’t doom and gloom. It’s clarity. It’s truth. It’s what every Dealer Principal, GM, GSM, Sales Manager, and Salesperson needs to understand to lead with confidence and control. 💡 The Reality: The data says: ✅ Demand is stable. ✅ Inventory hasn’t crashed. ✅ Prices are holding steady. So if the market isn’t broken — what is? It’s not the market. It’s mindset. Dealers who adjust process, embrace technology, and lead with transparency are thriving. Those who keep chasing the old playbook are falling behind. In this episode, we’ll expose why your gut might be lying to you — and how data, AI, and reputation can flip your dealership back into growth mode. 🎯 What You’ll Learn: How to lead your sales team when emotion and fear are high How to price and position inventory where buyers are actually shopping Why transparency and speed are now your top two profit levers How to prepare your dealership for the next wave of AI-driven car shopping What every GM should be focusing on before Q4 begins This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to understand what’s really going on in the retail automotive world right now — from affordability and pricing trends to AI’s role in dealership operations . If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “It just feels slow,” this conversation will show you why that feeling doesn’t match reality. Because in today’s car business, success doesn’t come from how you feel — it comes from what you know and how fast you act. So buckle up. This is the conversation the industry needs to hear. It’s time to stop guessing, stop complaining, and start following the money. 🎙 Hosted by Frank J. Lopes — President of Strong30 Automotive , the company that provides the best marketing, advertising, strategy consulting, and sales training in retail automotive. Frank has worked with hundreds of dealerships nationwide, helping them grow traffic, leads, and gross with data-backed strategies and high-performance sales execution. If it doesn’t grow the store, he doesn’t recommend, execute, or teach it. #CarSales #AutomotiveRetail #DealershipMarketing #CarsCommerce #GetMoreFrank #Strong30Studios #FollowTheMoney #AutoIndustry #UsedCars #CarDealership #AutomotiveLeadership #Strong30Automotive #CarBusiness #DealershipTraining #AutomotivePodcast #FrankJLopes

September 23, 202528 min

Profit Is Made at Acquisition: Why Dealers Must Think Like Used Car Operators | Follow The Money

Too many dealers still believe profit is made on the sale. The truth is profit is made the moment you acquire the car. If you buy wrong, you’re already on a one-way road to margin destruction. While you’re sitting at the desk hoping to “retail out of a bad buy,” CarMax and Carvana have been rewriting the sourcing playbook, eating away at your margins, and taking the future of retail automotive right out of your hands. In this episode of Follow The Money , host Frank J. Lopes (President of Strong30 Automotive) sits down with Kevin Kershner of Accu-Trade to break down exactly why profit is not made at the sale, why acquisition-first thinking is the only path forward, and how every dealership needs to start running like a used car powerhouse that also sells new. Kevin and Frank don’t hold back. They expose how outdated appraisal strategies, slow processes, and poor sourcing decisions destroy gross before a vehicle even hits the lot. They also reveal how acquisition-first operators win by turning cars quickly, sourcing smart, and making it easy, transparent, and fast for customers to sell their vehicles. You’ll learn in this episode: Why profit is won or lost at acquisition, not when the deal is inked The biggest mistakes draining dealership gross and how to stop them How to source smarter and stop buying inventory wrong Why transparency in appraisals wins both customer trust and long-term retention How CarMax and Carvana changed the rules while most local dealers looked the other way Why every new car store must be run like a used car operation in order to survive Key Takeaways for Dealers, GMs, and Sales Leaders: Stop relying on “retail out of it” thinking — it no longer works Protect your gross by making smart acquisitions up front Build staying power by turning inventory quickly and profitably Meet customers where they are with simple, fast, transparent appraisal processes Use data the way big-box competitors do to identify demand and pay the right money for the right car Frank and Kevin also discuss the mindset shift that separates winners from losers in today’s retail automotive world. Dealers who continue to think of themselves as “new car stores that also sell some used” will be left behind. Dealers who embrace acquisition-first thinking, who adopt used car strategies, and who build their culture around sourcing smart will thrive over the next decade. This conversation isn’t just theory — it’s practical advice from two leaders who live in the trenches of retail automotive. If you’re a dealer principal, general manager, GSM, or sales manager , this episode is a wake-up call. The old playbook is dead. The new one starts with acquisition. Follow The Money is the podcast built for retail automotive leaders who are ready to grow, adapt, and dominate. Every Tuesday at 9AM, host Frank J. Lopes brings you straight talk and hard-hitting conversations about dealership growth, leadership, advertising, marketing, sales, and culture. No fluff, no filter, all facts. Retail Automotive, Car Dealership Growth, Automotive Leadership, Dealership Margins, Inventory Acquisition, Car Sales Training, Used Car Dealers, New Car Dealers, CarMax, Carvana, Accu-Trade, Strong30 Automotive, Frank J Lopes, Follow The Money Podcast, Dealership Culture, Sales Management, Automotive Sales Strategy, Gross Profit Protection.