High Performance at Work, High Presence at Home

The higher you climb professionally, the harder it becomes to stay grounded personally. But what’s the point of winning if you’re never really present?

I’ve learned that presence is the real currency of connection—especially with my kids. They don’t care how many units we delivered or how many meetings I took. They care whether I’m paying attention, whether I show up, whether I put the phone down.

I don’t always get the balance right. No one does. But what I’ve realized is that being intentional at home takes the same kind of focus and clarity that drives success in the office. It means saying no sometimes. It means holding the line on family rituals. And it means recognizing that leadership doesn’t end when you walk through your front door.

Being a great father and husband isn’t in conflict with being a strong executive. It strengthens it. And that kind of alignment? That’s real success.

What Cycling Taught Me About Leadership

When you're climbing a hill with nothing but your legs, your breath, and your mindset, things get real—fast.

Cycling has always been more than a hobby for me. It’s a practice in consistency, discipline, and strategy. The lessons I’ve learned on the road show up constantly in the office. Great cyclists don’t go full throttle on every mile. They know when to lead, when to conserve energy, and when to make their move.

The same holds true for leadership. You don’t build high-performance teams by pushing everyone at full speed all the time. You build them by pacing with intention, knowing your team’s strengths, and recognizing the moments that matter most.

The road doesn’t lie. It teaches you patience, humility, and how to suffer well. And it reminds me that leadership, like riding, is earned every single day.

The Luxury Mindset – Why Experience Beats Everything

In an industry obsessed with inventory and incentives, it’s easy to forget that luxury isn’t just a product. It’s a feeling.

What separates a luxury brand from a premium one? It’s not just the price tag or the prestige. It’s the experience. True luxury begins the moment a client first interacts with your brand and is reinforced at every touchpoint along the way.

In today’s market, where options are abundant and loyalty is fleeting, experience has become the last true differentiator. It can’t be commoditized, copied, or discounted. Whether you're selling cars, real estate, or ideas, delivering a luxury experience means obsessing over the details—how you're introduced, how you follow up, how you make people feel throughout the journey.

Luxury is no longer just about the product. It’s about how the customer feels in your presence. The brands—and professionals—that win will be the ones who understand that people don’t just buy what you sell. They buy how you make them feel.

We're Back!

Between a packed calendar, some big changes behind the scenes, and the daily rhythm of leading a performance-driven sales organization, I stepped away from the blog longer than I intended. But the pause wasn’t without purpose. Sometimes, the best moves come after a moment to recalibrate, refocus, and return with a clearer vision—and that’s exactly where I’m at.

So consider this the restart. I’ll be using this space to share thoughts on leadership, automotive industry trends, personal growth, and the art of balancing ambition with presence—on the bike, at the track, and around the dinner table with my family. There’s a lot ahead, and I’m excited to bring you along for the ride.

Thanks for sticking around. Let’s shift into gear.

Auto Dealer Live Episode Recap

Yesterday's episode of Auto Dealer Live had over 1,300 views from people who tuned in to watch a very spirited debate on direct mail! I was very glad to participate in this debate and share my $0.02 on the subject.

Didn't get a chance to follow along? Watch the video here!

Thanks to David Villa, and the other participants on a great chat! Thoughts? Leave them in the comments!

AutoDealer Live! Episode 308

I'm super excited to be invited on Episode 308 of Auto Dealer Live! We'll be talking direct mail this Thursday 1/25. Pop over to the Auto Dealer Live Facebook page at 2:30 CST to tune in.

 https://www.facebook.com/autodealerlive/?fref=mentions …

See you then!

Come See Me @ Digital Dealer 24

Has your dealership website started looking like your messiest salesperson's desk? We've welcomed too many cooks into the kitchen online and our websites have become optimized for everyone BUT our customers.

Coming to Digital Dealer 24 this April in Orlando? Stop by and see my session, Just Who IS Your Website Designed for? Optimize Your Website for Your Customers While Keeping the Focus on Your Bottom Line on Tuesday 4/10 at 1:25pm.

See you at #DD24 !

Sunflowers to Roses 2017

For the last 4 years I've had the amazing privilege of riding in the Sunflowers to Roses charity bike tour. Benefitting Cancer Action, proceeds from the ride go towards supporting Kansas City area cancer patients. Each year my employer, Soave Automotive Group, has fielded both the largest team in terms of riders and the overall highest donation amount for a team.

This year I'm taking my commitment to S2R one step further. As of February, I was proud to join the board of directors for Sunflowers to Roses, with the specific purpose of using my digital marketing skills to grow the ride in both riders and dollars raised.

It's going to be a busy summer leading up to the ride, but we're on track for this S2R to be the best ever. 

For personal and professional contacts willing to donate, you can checkout my donation page here.

Taking a 10-Day Media Timeout

It may seem odd for a professional who works almost entirely in digital media to need a break, but over the past months it's become more obvious that I need to disconnect. Rather than going to a beach somewhere I've decided to just take a 10-day vacation from social/digital mediums themselves. Hopefully by doing so, I can:

Prove Myself Wrong - Admittedly, I'm skeptical that I can even do this. With such an ingrained habit of checking social media and digital news during down time, I will be fighting my subconscious. 

Reduce Negative Influences - Those hanging around Twitter lately can definitely relate that the platform has become a negative echo chamber following the election. While I definitely support the points of view, the constant flow of negative news outside my control has to be impacting me at some level. Hopefully taking a break can give me a more positive outlook.

Added Focus at Work - I've scheduled my media vacation during launch week for a new CRM system at our dealerships. The result of a year long evaluation and signup process, it's a critical week for work and focusing on the main thing should be the main thing.

Gauge Dependence - Since I've been immersed in the technology for so long, I'm not really sure how i'll handle it. Will I be craving it after 24 hours? Will I simply just miss it? We'll see soon!

Whether it gives me a temporary calm or long term piece of mind, who knows, but wish me luck!

Why I Love Wednesdays

It’s just after 5 in the evening as I right this ode to Wednesdays, one of my all-time favorite days of the week. Why do I love Wednesdays you ask? Well...

No Meetings

I intentionally keep Wednesdays completely meeting free. I have no regularly scheduled meetings, nor do I usually accept requests for meetings. Thus, it’s a day for non-stop grinding. With no meetings, Wednesday is a nuclear weapon to my to-do list.

Mid-Week Perspective

While I don’t think the hustle should be limited to M-F and that weekends aren’t just for disconnecting, Wednesday does serve as a mid-week waypoint to evaluate how I’m doing on my weekly goals, and to recommit to accomplishing them by week’s end.

That’s it!

By keeping the day free to work and using it as a pause for reflection, Wednesday has become one of the best days of the week. 

The Disease of Busy

I'm not sure exactly how it happened but at some point in the last 10 years everyone became super busy. Maybe it's a combination of smartphones bringing work home with us or social media's intrusion into our personal time, but at some point everyone caught the disease of busy.

Look at your day, do you consider it to be "busy"? Now ask yourself to define that word.

What does "busy" mean to you? Does it mean that you have lots of meaningless meetings planned with no set agenda or assigned action items? Do you spend your day putting out fires and avoiding your goals? If this describes your definition of "busy", it's time to get cured.

Busy is an excuse. It's a veiled attempt to sell others that you are working really hard, but in reality is your defense mechanism to avoid being open to new projects and opportunities. It's a way for you to avoid confronting your real problems of poor time management and fear of new opportunities.

Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Pharrell, these are all highly productive people who could legitimately considered busy. Do you think you're busier than they are? Or are you just filling your time.

Like any disease, you cannot be cured unless you admit that you have it. While the tips below represent ways to begin your fight for productivity, none of them will help if you don't take step one:

Admit that you aren't busy.

Once you've admitted it, the road to busy-ness recovery starts here. Here are some steps to begin life as your new not-busy self:

1. Stop checking email constantly. Limit it to a couple hours per day.
2. Avoid meaningless meetings that lack an agenda or a clear set of action items. Don't be in them just so you won't "miss something".
3. Map out how you spend your day. Are you using your time effectively. Re plan your schedule and block out time to specifically work on projects and goals.
4. Say yes more often. Take on more work and/or help out more coworkers on what's challenging them. You may even help them become less busy.
5. Avoid negativity. Avoid the busy people who complain they never have enough time and avoid those who don't want to help themselves.

These are just a couple examples, but will set you down the path to be less busy. That said, none of them will help unless you admit you've caught the disease of busy.

Delegating for Beginners

In a fast paced work environment it can often times be easier to take care of an issue or unrelated task rather than rely on others. I've found that I take on such tasks myself for one of two reasons: I'm either worried that it won't be done as well as I think I would do it, or training someone else to fix it would take much longer than if I did it myself.

Get Over Yourself!

The belief that you're the only one who can do something the right way is the first step in developing contempt for your coworkers and team. The first step towards showing a co-worker that you trust them is to give them an added responsibility or duty. The next item you delegate may be the next time you discover that one of your team is much better at that type of task than you.

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

By inundating ourselves in minutiae we lose sight of the primary projects and goals we are constantly working towards. By shifting focus to do an unrelated item, we may "save" the time it would take to train someone, but we mortgage our future deadlines in exchange.

Give Yourself Confidence

There are lots of managers that are scared to take a day off (let alone a vacation) because they are afraid of what will happen in their absence. Most of these concerns center around their fears that the team will be unproductive or that a problem will arise that only they can handle. By delegating issues regularly on days when you are in the office, you'll give yourself more confidence and piece of mind on the days you aren't.

Start Small

If the concept of delegation scares you, start with a smaller and frequently occurring item, like running a report. As you develop more comfort with delegation, gradually increase the size and complexity of the task. 

Check In

Follow up with the team member you delegated to. Ask for feedback and de-construct how they did it, offering feedback when needed. Avoid being critical or commenting on how you would do it, and let them find their own ways to get the item done.

While those are just a few tips on delegation for beginners, it's important for managers to recognize that the avoidance of delegation can cause major projects to fall by the wayside and can have a disastrous impact on employee engagement. By becoming more comfortable with delegation, managers can give more attention to goals and give greater empowerment to their teams to grow and succeed.

3 Tips to Get Control of Your Inbox!

At one point email was heralded as a modern miracle. The ability to instantly communicate without a phone call had the promise of improving personal effectiveness. Fast forward 20+ years later and for many email represents their largest daily headache. Managers can feel as though email represents a constant obligation and a never-ending to-do list. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be so, using these handy tips:

• Limit Email Exposure: By checking email only 1-2 times per day, for only 1 hour at a time, you can free up your time for long term projects and more meaningful discussions. Note: If there are people that may need you for an urgent item or a system that needs your attention at sporadic intervals, have them call you or setup a text alert.
• Don't Use Email as a To-Do List: By using your inbox as a to-do list, new emails will constantly disrupt your workflow. This method will also ensure that you rank items by recency instead of importance, as most people have their email setup to show newest at the top. This will lend undue weight to fake emergencies from your co-workers. Try using a note taking program like Evernote to keep an actual to-do list (or heck, use a piece of paper).
• Don't Feel Compelled to Respond: If an email is of an "FYI" nature, or is something that you were just CC'd on, avoiding adding your unnecessary 2 cents can save you the drama of an endless email and reply chain thread. Instead, make a note and ask someone in person later if you have a question.

By using these three tips, you can cut down on your attachment to your inbox and free up more time to be productive. Have other great tips? Post them in the comments below!

Mobile Email Marketing Tips

With a massive consumer shift in mobile usage the battleground for email marketing has shifted from the desk to the palm. With more consumer checking email on mobile devices, it's critical that marketers shift their strategy to optimize for smaller devices and quicker decisions.

These few tips can dramatically improve the success of your email campaigns in the hands of the mobile shopper:

1. Simple Design: Keep it clean! Limit your text, use simple and high contrast images, and make sure you've got big, thumb sized call to action buttons!
2. Use the Preview Text: By putting text at the top (even in a camouflaged color or a very small font), you can own the "preview text" that falls under the subject line in many mobile inboxes!
3. Mobile Destination: Confirm that the page you're sending viewers to is also mobile optimized!
4. Proof It: Make sure that you're proofing your email on mobile and making sure that as a consumer it is easy to use and that the link/CTA button works smoothly.
5. Test It: Mobile browsing habits may vary by audience, so make sure to test your email on portions of your list during different times of day and days of the week. You may find that people checking their phones before bed on Monday night is your perfect time, or that
6. Check Results and Improve: Email marketing is a never ending experiment, so it's critical that you look at unsubscribes, clicks, and views to make your emails even more effective!

While there are many more ways to optimize your emails for mobile, the steps above can help you increase results with your mobile customer!

Hiring for Success

In recent years the topic of talent acquisition has been a major one in the retail automotive business. Dealers are scrambling to attract new employees and convince younger applicants that the car business isn't as slimy as some stereotypes would have them believe. Here are some tips to attracting and hiring workers that will provide long term success for your organization.

1. Hire Enthusiasm, Train Skills - While it may be more attractive to pick up a new salesman or service advisor with "experience", consider that you may also be acquiring their bad habits and preconceived notions of what does and does not work. By hiring someone with enthusiasm and training the necessary job skills, you can mold an employee into exactly what you want them to be. This may take more work and effort at the beginning, but will definitely payoff in the ned.
2. Be Flexible - The expectation of 60+ hour work weeks is no longer a reasonable request for an employee in any dealership. Newer employees may be more open to shorter or more flexible schedules in exchange for more reasonable wages. Also consider being more flexible to new hires on if they need to leave early for a family emergency or take a day off for some mental health.
3. Provide a Path - Before hiring a position, ask yourself what the career path options look like in your organization. Can you provide multiple paths with at least 1-2 levels of promotion from the current role? If not, work on this aspect first before hiring. That way you can go over it in the interview or offer process, giving the new employee confidence that they are making the right decision.
4. Explain the "Why"! - The new job-seekers today aren't just seeking wages, but a purpose in life. By hiring employees solely motivated by money, you shouldn't be surprised when that's reflected in your CSI scores. Explain the deeper ways that the role you're provide helps you customers and your community. Adding meaning will provide more engaged employees and increase retention.

By following these key points you can hire new employees for success!

Controlling Your Day

In a busy work environment it can be easy to get into work with the best possible intentions and leave having accomplished none of the things you set out to do including work on longer term projects. I've found that these few tricks below have kept me on track and allowed me to better focus my time. 

  Start Right

 The way you start your day will determine your momentum for the rest of it. When I get into the office, the first things I do are:

1. Coffee (Mandatory) 
2. Do One hard task that I would love to put off. 
3. Browse daily reports and KPIs. 
4. Do one lap of the store and visit employees, seeing what they need. 

Do you notice what's missing? Email.  I take a much different approach to email management. 

Email Management 

As I noticed I don't check email first in the AM. Here's my rules for email to keep it from killing my productivity: 

• Limit the time you check email. I usually check email from 11-12 and 4-5. This insures it isn't open all day and that it doesn't prioritize recent to-dos over important ones. Note: All of my supervisors and co-workers know that if there is a legitimate emergency, just call or text me. 
• Don't Use the Inbox as a To Do List -  I used to have the habit of keeping to-do items in my main inbox. The problem is that this can put undue emphasis on recent emails as a priority and will usually get me off track. That's why I usually keep a deepest to do list in Evernote. 
• The Power of Non-Response -  Unless I'm being asked a direct question or the email is to me only, I don't usually respond. Having the last word can perpetuate an email thread unnecessarily. 

Avoid Meaningless Meetings 

 There is a tendency in the workplace to try and attend every single meeting so you don't miss out or are in the loop on everything. The second I adopted a policy of only value added meetings, I added 4 hours to my weekly special. Plus, people call me all the time to pop into those old meetings if they have something relevant to me.

While there are lots of other little things that get me through the day in a productive way, those three main concepts have greatly improved my effectiveness and reduced anxiety.

What do you do to stay in your lane? 

 

How Automakers Can Involve Dealerships Now in Their Autonomous and Shared Service Plans

 

With the 2017 North American International Auto Show came a focused discussion on both the success of shared car services like Uber and autonomous vehicles, two areas that seem destined to combine at some point in the not-so-distant future. 

Caddilac revealed the creation of Book,  a subscription service allowing a customer to pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited use of the automaker's lineup. Ford's Chairman Bill Ford remarked that shared services could provide a revenue stream "Unlike they have seen". Add that to GM's sizable investment in Lyft and it's clear that automakers are hedging their bets on a shared vehicle future. 

All of this is leading to claims that OEMs are planning products and services that are in direct competition with the current retail sales model, a prospect that concerns many of their franchised dealers.

Rather than face massive revolt later, manufacturers can start by including their dealers now. Here are some ideas...

Dealerships as Sign-Up Centers: 

While the telecom industry is a mobile focused area, in person stores are still utilized to give subscribers a place to experience the products and sign up for service. Creating a plan for utilizing the existing footprint will give dealers a share in the future (when paired with incentives for subscriptions). 

Dealerships as Service Centers 

This idea may be a little obvious as Dealerships already represent the service network for existing OEMs, but there are steps that can be taken now to prepare them for the change in customer expectations. Planning for vehicles that drive themselves into the dealership for work and how to manage that business is one step and developing methods to replace down subscription vehicles is another.  Service departments will also have to plan on how to expedite service on these vehicles as they will be in more frequently and excessive downtime will impact profitability of the subscription model.

 The Pre-Owned Problem

Witt shared efficiency and autonomy, vehicles will be constantly transporting customers to and from their destinations with minimal downtime. This means that vehicles will accumulate mileage extremely quickly and exceeding the markets current definition of average miles. This will create a huge supply of hike mileage late model cars that Dealerships can help with via used car operations. 

There is no doubt that self-driving cars and subscription services are going to change how consumers use vehicles in the future and how smoothly automakers integrate their current dealer network will likely determine the winners and losers of this new frontier.

CPR for Aged Inventory

We've all been there, staring at a car that several months ago seemed like the perfect acquisition, with a great profit potential and the promise of a short lot life.  

Now look at it, 100+ days old, with not a crack of the door by a prospective buyer. The time has taken its toll with a film of dirt and failure that's causing your sales team to ignore it completely. 

Here are just a few things you can do to re-merchandise the car and put a renewed focus on getting it sold: 

1. Clean It Up! Whether it's going to auction or someone's home may not be clear at this point, but it will likely need another detail. See if you can negotiate a "re-detail" cost with your vendor or internal department to make these more affordable.
2. Re-Photograph: By now it might be a completely different season outside and the original photos were clearly not doing the job. Have the car re-shot, but give it to someone with an artistic flair and buy them lunch for the favor! 
3. Comments! Does "1OWNER, PW, PL, CLN CARFAX!" Say anything meaningful about the car? Consider re-writing the comments with more fun and excitement. Go one step further and pair these photos and comments together for a kick-ass blog post. That post will be great to display on... 
4. Social Media: I'm not a proponent of using social media to promote a different vehicle every day, but if you've got a good mix of informative and relevant content going, the occasional vehicle won't hurt you. Consider boosting the post and giving it a little more distance in your area. 
5. Talk About It! Mention the vehicle specifically in the next sales meeting, covering its highlights and the reasons you bought it in the first place. A good part of the staff may have just forgot it.

If none of these have an impact, auction may be the way to go. That said, these added steps may help save a few good cars for a great new home. 

Being a Good Bad a News Taker

Probably the single most important skill I've picked up over the last few years is how to be good at taking bad news. This single skill has reduced my workplace stress, made me a more effective manager, and kept me more focused on major projects thhen temporary distractions.  While I'm still perfecting this skill, here are some thing I do to improve my ability to take bad news:

Take a Minute to Process 

 Chances are that if you're hearing a bit of bad news that it's unexpected. The 5 minutes after hearing the news will completely set the tone for how you handle the situation. So, take a moment to breathe, process the info, and ask questions for more detail. 

If you can do something about it, don't worry about it. 

If it's something that is within your power to fix, find comfort in that simple fact. While you may not have a solution right away, knowing you'll eventually find one can provide immediate calm. 

If you can't do something about it, don't worry about it!   

If it's something you can't control, you've got a choice here: You can let it completely ruin your day or work process, or you can suck it up and keep going. Don't waste your time worrying about something you can't control.

Be the Calm 

Your team is going to look at you for leadership during crisis, so it's important to broadcast a calm demeanor and avoid causing alarm or stirring the pot. The second your team sees you complain, the second that it becomes part of the culture. 

Work it Backwards 

If it's a problem that can be solved, take a methodical approach and avoid jumping to gut conclusions. Work it slowly and from a perspective of future prevention. 

By becoming a better handler of difficult news you'll be able to keep your team running smoothly and reduce your own stress levels

What do you do to take bad news well?

Managing OEM Initiatives

For marketers that manage dealer groups with multiple franchises, or even those who only have a single brand represented, it can be hard to balance our own campaigns and initiatives with those proposed by our OEMs. Whether it's new prospect process adjustments, website guidelines, or marketing adjustments, it can feel like we're hampered or downright weakened by directives from the manufacturer.

By following a few guidelines we can manage that stress and do our best to make the best of our relationships.

1.  Open Mind - It can be easy for every new program or set of guidelines to elicit an eye roll. While this may be a result of past experiences, try to evaluate each time individually and logically.
2. Data-Focused -  When rolling out a new OEM directive, make sure to identify what measurements need to be used to evaluate the success of the change and establish baseline values of those before making the change. Then after measuring those items after, you can develop a more logical opinion of the impact those changes made. 
3. Clear Communication -  Whether positive or negative, make sure you're sharing your findings with your factory representatives so that they can pass it along up the chain.  
4. Choosing Your Battles -  In the scheme of things, it's important to maintain perspective. Going along with minor changes and monitoring results without protest can allow you to save up for a situation where an OEM program does need to be addressed.

Staying open, measuring outcomes, and communication can all help reduce your stress levels when implementing new OEM programs and allow you to have a more meaningful communication process with your brands.