Off Topic & Everything Else

# Summary MikeHaeg poses a question to the DealerRefresh community about mentors and heroes, citing Seth Godin's distinction that mentors are personal relationships while heroes are public figures—both providing valuable inspiration and motivation. Community members share their own mentoring experiences, including subi101's career advancement under Joe Webb's guidance and ddavis's formative relationship with his Vietnam commanding officer, illustrating how mentorship has directly shaped their professional and personal development. The emerging insight is that meaningful mentorship creates a mutual sense of obligation and responsibility that drives professional growth and success in the automotive industry.

Kelly Wilson, a former lurker turned active community member, expresses gratitude for the DealerRefresh forums, crediting the platform with launching her rewarding career and genuine friendships in the automotive industry. The thread celebrates the community's founders and moderators for maintaining a unique space where dealers and vendors can exchange ideas freely without aggressive sales pitches, with replies from Jeff Kershner, Joe Webb, and Alex Snyder reflecting on the platform's 5-10 year history and its value to the industry. The underlying message emphasizes how intentional community management and a collaborative culture can transform a professional forum into a trusted network where people form lasting relationships.

Rick Buffkin announces the seasonal return of McDonald's McRib sandwich and encourages forum members to take advantage of the limited-time offering during their lunch breaks. The post includes a link to McDonald's promotional page with reasons to try the sandwich and generates minimal engagement, with only one brief reply from another member acknowledging the announcement. The thread is a lighthearted off-topic post celebrating a recurring fast-food promotion among automotive professionals.

Members of the DealerRefresh community express gratitude to founder Jeff Kershner and fellow contributors for creating a vendor-neutral forum where automotive professionals can share knowledge, seek advice, and candidly discuss industry challenges. Multiple posters highlight how the community has been invaluable for professional development—enabling both experienced dealers to vent and learn from peers, and less experienced members to build foundational knowledge from seasoned voices. The thread underscores DealerRefresh's value as a rare, dealer-focused resource that has fostered genuine peer-to-peer support rather than vendor promotion over its nearly 9-year history.

A dealer frustrates over intrusive weekend emails and in-person visits from their OEM district sales manager demanding daily business updates, marketing spend details, and appointment numbers. Responders validate the complaint as excessive micromanagement while acknowledging the DSM is under pressure to hit district goals, with most recommending the dealer comply to maintain a good relationship despite the inefficiency. The consensus is that the OEM should leverage existing data systems rather than burden dealers with manual reporting on basic sales fundamentals they already understand.

A Toyota dealership in Auburn is running a promotional gimmick offering free cars to customers who purchase vehicles before the Iron Bowl (Alabama vs. Auburn rivalry game) if Auburn shuts out Alabama. The original poster notes this is an extremely unlikely promotional outcome, given Alabama's dominant #1 ranking and Auburn's weak recent performance. The thread essentially highlights an aggressive but low-risk marketing stunt by a dealership betting on a nearly impossible sports result.

# Summary Ryan Leslie from DealerRater's team is promoting Movember, a fundraising initiative for men's health awareness where participants grow facial hair throughout November, and shares a photo of his company's team members participating. The thread receives light engagement with colleagues joking about their own beard-growing attempts and asking for updates on Ryan's progress. The post highlights a charitable cause gaining traction among automotive industry professionals on the forum.

# Summary Jerry Thibeau launches a scathing critique of Digital Dealer conference organizer Mike Roscoe, alleging that he's systematically cut costs and reduced vendor perks while maintaining high profitability (~$1.8M annually), treating vendors as second-class citizens despite them being the primary revenue source. The thread escalates when Roscoe reportedly threatens legal action against forum publishers for the negative posts, prompting Thibeau to declare his willingness to fight back, while other participants acknowledge both Roscoe's historical contributions to the industry and the value of competitive pressure driving event quality. The key insight is that vendor-focused conferences operate in a gray area where organizers balance profitability with attendee value, and that legal intimidation tactics can backfire against legitimate criticism in online communities.

# Summary A dealership Internet Manager describes a high-volume salesman who generates significant revenue but refuses to follow dealership processes, helps other staff, or share customer opportunities—effectively hogging floor ups and stealing leads from colleagues. The consensus among respondents is that management won't remove a 20+ car producer despite the cultural damage, so the original poster faces an unwinnable situation: either accept the behavior or leave the dealership for a better environment. Multiple replies suggest the "superstar" may be less exceptional than he appears (burning through prospects with poor closing ratios) and that his high volume doesn't justify the team dysfunction he creates.

# Summary DealerSocket's marketing team sent automotive professionals a creative direct mail package containing pencils and a video critiquing a competitor's product, prompting discussion about the effectiveness of competitive marketing tactics. While the video itself received negative feedback for being ineffective, the physical pencil giveaway was widely praised as creative and memorable marketing that successfully grabbed attention and generated interest. The broader consensus was that creative tangible marketing (like the pencils) works well, but direct competitor attacks come across as unprofessional and can backfire on the company's reputation.

# Summary DealerRefresh members discuss TrueCar CEO Scott Painter's keynote appearance at the 2013 JD Power Automotive Marketing Roundtable, viewing it as an opportunity for him to address dealer concerns and defend his company's practices amid an FTC investigation. The conversation centers on whether TrueCar's business model has harmed dealers through price competition and whether the FTC investigation signals potential collusion concerns. The thread highlights dealer skepticism about TrueCar's alignment with their interests versus consumer advocacy, though no clear resolution or conclusion emerges from the limited responses.

# Summary Joe Pistell asks automotive dealers and managers to catalog all digital tasks required to operate their dealership, organizing responses around five categories: CRM, Inventory, Advertising, Merchandising, and IT. The thread aims to create a comprehensive inventory of daily digital workload that dealership staff handle across these operational areas. The implicit premise is that this list will likely reveal a surprisingly complex and time-intensive collection of tasks that most dealers probably don't fully quantify.

# Summary DealerRefresh members discuss what causes end-of-month chaos at dealerships, with responses ranging from humorous coping mechanisms to more analytical perspectives. The key insight emerges from Jeff Kershner's experienced take: much of the month-end scramble is self-inflicted, caused by sales managers rejecting deals for the first three weeks only to desperately chase those same customers at month-end after they've purchased elsewhere. Other contributors note that vendors should respect dealers' end-of-month bandwidth, and that the chaos, while stressful, reflects healthy showroom activity.

# Summary Dealership professionals discuss implementing iPads for service inspections and sales processes, sharing recommendations for protective cases (Griffin Survivor, InCase, Apple Smart Case) and addressing security concerns. The discussion reveals that dealerships using iPads for customer-facing sales presentations and paperwork—termed "under glass"—report increased professionalism, faster deal closures, and improved customer engagement, particularly when using multimedia content like OEM videos to demonstrate vehicle features. The key insight is that iPads can significantly enhance salesperson effectiveness and customer perception when properly integrated into dealership workflows.

# Summary A used car dealer with 40 years of combined experience seeks advice on structuring investor deals for a $600K capital raise to grow inventory, having already invested $300K personally with projected first-year monthly profits of $45K. The core question is what return percentage or deal structure (equity vs. debt) would be fair to offer outside investors while retaining sufficient capital for reinvestment.

# Summary A dealer shares a photo of a business named "Cost Plus 20%" that advertises a fixed 20% markup, prompting discussion about whether this pricing model is realistic or potentially misleading. Responses question what "cost" actually means in the formula and express skepticism that such a thin margin (20% gross) would be sustainable for automotive parts and service operations, with some suggesting the business name may be covering up deceptive pricing practices.

A sales rep from an import dealership asks about transitioning to an Internet Sales Manager (ISM) role at a Ford dealership in Ontario on a commission-only basis. Experienced forum members emphasize that ISM responsibilities vary dramatically by dealership—ranging from pure sales to managing staff, websites, CRM systems, and vendor relationships—and stress the critical importance of clarifying the exact job description and expectations before accepting. The key consensus is that he should research the dealership's digital infrastructure, lead sources, and CRM capabilities while negotiating a clear role definition focused on sales performance given the commission-only structure.

DealerRater, a sponsor of the forums, ran an iPad giveaway contest requiring participants to watch a video testimonial from a successful dealership and submit their name, title, and a specific sales figure to enter. The first drawing was won by an Internet Manager from North Florida Lincoln-Mercury, and a second drawing was announced for late August with an online survey entry form. The thread includes friendly banter between the original poster and another forum member, demonstrating the casual, collegial tone of the community.

# Summary The thread discusses how vision and business philosophy—rather than surface-level tactics like low prices or fast shipping—drive extraordinary success, using Amazon and Jeff Bezos as the primary example. Participants argue that authentic, remarkable experiences and innovative thinking matter more than short-term profits, suggesting automotive dealers could apply these principles to their own businesses by focusing on the customer experience rather than marginal competitive advantages.

# Summary A frustrated dealer describes encountering repeated customer demands for "best price" offers during the sales process and seeks advice on handling this common negotiation tactic. The responses suggest that dealers should leverage pricing tools and software to educate customers on fair market value while explaining the added value of thorough vehicle reconditioning and clean histories, positioning higher prices as justified rather than defensible.

# Summary An Internet Sales Director with 3+ years of telesales experience seeks alternative career paths in automotive beyond the traditional sales-to-GM track, expressing interest in BDC consulting, training, and marketing/technology roles. Respondents suggest he has strong skills for consulting work and point out that opportunities exist in automotive software, marketing, and vendor companies, though one commenter notes his apparent lack of interest in traditional management may indicate consulting is a better fit than climbing the dealer hierarchy. The key insight is that non-retail automotive careers in consulting, technology, and marketing represent viable alternatives for professionals wanting to escape dealership sales stress while leveraging their existing skillsets.

# Summary A salesman frustrated his manager by checking his phone to find used cars matching a customer's criteria ($11k, under 50k miles) from their 160-200 vehicle inventory, prompting the manager to demand he memorize the lot instead. The thread reveals split opinions: some argue salespeople should familiarize themselves with inventory through lot walks and daily reports, while others criticize the manager for poor leadership and advocate for using systematic tools (inventory lists, desking software) to match customers with appropriate vehicles efficiently. The consensus leans toward a balanced approach combining general lot knowledge with practical systems rather than expecting salespeople to memorize an entire inventory.