Advertise on podcast: Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick, powered by CBT News

Panos Kotselas, Senior Director of Payment Operations at myKaarma, joins Inside Automotive to explain how dealerships can manage credit card surcharge compliance across state lines and payment channels. In the first installment of a three-part series, Kotselas discusses how varying state laws and card network requirements affect dealer groups, why employee training matters and how clear payment processes can protect the customer experience. Why surcharge rules become more complex as dealer groups expand across multiple statesThe differences between credit and debit card surcharge requirementsHow myKaarma’s rules engine helps dealerships maintain compliance across online and in-person paymentsHow remote and on-site training prepare employees to explain surcharges and address customer questionsWhy transparency helps prevent payment surprises and improve customer confidenceHow alternative payment options, including buy now, pay later, can support customers with different payment needsInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Andrew LaCivita, founder of milewalk Academy and author of Signal Strength, joins Inside Automotive to discuss how dealership leaders can communicate more clearly, build trust with their teams and keep employees aligned around shared goals. LaCivita explains how a few practical communication habits can help dealers deliver clearer updates, explain difficult decisions and create an environment where employees feel comfortable speaking honestly. How to prepare mentally before important conversations and consider the listener’s perspectiveHow the CAR technique, context, action and result, helps teams deliver concise status updatesHow “what, so what, now what” clarifies decisions, their importance and the next stepsWhy explaining the reasoning behind difficult decisions builds understanding and trustHow consistent leadership encourages employees to share concerns and honest feedbackWhy clear expectations, structured meetings and effective training help teams stay alignedInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Dejuan Ross, Group Vice President and General Manager of the Lexus Division at Toyota Motor North America, joins Inside Automotive to discuss Lexus’ growth priorities for 2027. Following a record-breaking 2025, Ross outlines the brand’s sales outlook, inventory strategy, electrification plans and efforts to help dealers protect profitability while navigating affordability challenges. Lexus’ projected sales growth from 2026 into 2027How a multipath powertrain strategy balances hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVsWhy disciplined inventory levels help dealers manage costs and profitabilityHow Lexus is addressing affordability and higher lease paymentsOpportunities in fixed operations and certified pre-owned vehiclesWhy dealer confidence and investment are central to Lexus’ growth plansInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Sean Gardner, Instructor and Sales Trainer at the Joe Verde Group, joins Inside Automotive to explain how dealerships can turn “just looking” shoppers into buyers. With customers visiting fewer dealerships before making a purchase, Gardner emphasizes the importance of treating every showroom interaction as a sales opportunity and following a consistent process from the first conversation through the vehicle demonstration and close. Why “just looking” can signal a serious buying opportunityHow to build rapport and uncover customer needs without rushing the saleWhy a thorough vehicle presentation and demonstration matterHow to guide customers toward a decision while addressing questions and objectionsWhy ongoing sales training can improve performance and dealership grossHow dealers can generate more value from existing showroom trafficInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Tim Batchelor, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Open Road Capital, joins Inside Automotive to discuss how equity partnerships give dealership owners an alternative to selling their businesses outright. The model can help family-owned dealerships navigate succession challenges, provide liquidity to owners seeking financial diversification, and give established operators access to capital for acquisitions while preserving their role in the business. How partial equity sales can resolve family ownership and succession challengesWhy dealership owners may seek liquidity without giving up their business entirelyHow equity partnerships can help operators acquire additional dealershipsWays capital partners can help dealership managers become ownersHow OEM relationships and governance agreements shape partnershipsWhat the Herrin-Gear partnership reveals about succession and employee continuityInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Dave Mondragon, Founder and CEO of AutoTrust Dealer Alliance, joins Inside Automotive to explain how dealer-owned group purchasing can help franchise dealerships reduce operating costs while building long-term equity. By combining purchasing volume across hundreds of rooftops, AutoTrust aims to give independent dealer groups the negotiating power typically available to larger public groups and private equity-backed organizations. How pooled purchasing can reduce costs across software, parts, payment processing and other categoriesWhy a dealer-owned cooperative offers benefits beyond vendor discountsHow AutoTrust members build equity while retaining control of their individual dealershipsThe potential savings from reducing addressable operating expensesHow lending programs can create additional value for participating dealersWhy a growing network increases collective purchasing powerInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Chris Saraceno of Kelly Automotive Group and David Kain of Kain Advisory join Inside Automotive to remember former Ford executive Jim O’Connor, who died Sept. 25 at age 83. After more than four decades at Ford, O’Connor became known for his close relationships with dealers, shaped in part by his experience running a dealership himself. How O’Connor’s time as a dealership general manager shaped his approach to retailWhy dealers developed such a strong connection with O’ConnorHis role in navigating major changes within Ford’s retail strategyThe leadership lessons O’Connor shared with dealers and employeesHow he remained involved with Kelly Automotive Group after retiring from FordO’Connor’s contributions to FordDirect and Ford’s digital initiativesInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Gerrick Wilkins, Founder and CEO of Omega Advisors, joins Inside Automotive to discuss dealership valuations, M&A, strategic divestitures and the factors shaping future earnings. With more than 25 years of experience, Wilkins explains why buyers and sellers need to look beyond historical performance and consider risk, market conditions, brand strength and operational opportunities. Why future earnings and risk matter in dealership valuationsHow brand strength and market position affect store valuesWhere buyers are finding opportunities across OEM brandsHow AI could influence dealership operating costs and future earningsWhy strategic divestitures are creating opportunities for smaller dealer groupsHow OEM approval and employee considerations influence transactionsInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

RevDojo Founder and CEO Kyle Disher returns to Inside Automotive for a live test of dealership phone skills, putting real cash on the line to see whether salespeople can turn shopper inquiries into appointments. During three mystery-shop calls, Disher offered escalating cash prizes, reaching $1,000, but none of the salespeople secured an appointment or received a manager callback. What three missed appointments reveal about dealership call handlingHow salespeople can turn an unavailable vehicle into a showroom opportunityThe call guide RevDojo uses to move shoppers toward an appointmentWhy order-taking can cause salespeople to lose control of the conversationHow managers can help recover calls that end without an appointmentApplying the same follow-up process to internet leadsInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Protomiq CEO Jorge De Castro joins Inside Automotive to discuss the company’s evolution from TradePending’s trade-in widget into an intelligence-driven platform designed to help dealers turn digital customer signals into showroom opportunities. Now serving more than 5,000 dealerships across the U.S. and Canada, Protomiq combines data from multiple consumer touchpoints to help sales teams identify buyer intent, affordability and the right time to engage. Why TradePending rebranded as ProtomiqHow TradeIQ, PaymentsIQ and OfferIQ work together to identify buyer intentUsing digital behavior to understand affordability and purchase readinessWhy the closing window matters once a shopper engagesHow transparent pricing and trade values can build trustProtomiq’s plans to bring intent data into fixed operationsInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

David Spisak, CEO of Disruptive Growth Solutions, joins Inside Automotive to examine the compliance and legal risks emerging as dealerships rapidly adopt AI. From unsupervised chatbots and sensitive customer data to vendor selection and AI-ready infrastructure, Spisak explains why dealers need stronger safeguards before putting new technology into operation. Why dealers are adopting AI faster than they understand the risksHow unsupervised AI tools can create legal and financial exposureThe risks of entering customer and dealership data into external AI platformsWhy dealers need a structured process for evaluating AI vendorsWhat infrastructure and data access agentic AI actually requiresSteps dealers can take to establish AI policies and controlsInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Hunter Giambra of Hurricane IT Solutions and Andy Graff of ComplyAuto join Inside Automotive for the final installment of a three-part series on dealership cybersecurity and compliance. The conversation explores why compliance requires ongoing attention and how dealers can better manage employee activity, vendor access, data security and changing regulatory requirements. Why dealership compliance cannot be treated as a one-time exerciseHow recurring training and annual reviews help address evolving requirementsThe risks associated with vendor access to dealership customer dataData processing agreements and vendor risk assessmentsHow employee activity can create cybersecurity vulnerabilitiesHow dealers can evaluate their current IT and compliance environmentInside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Gary Ng Wai of CarJiffy joins Tom Jamali, President of Carhub Automotive Group, and Peter Heasty of Baker Tilly Dealer Acquisitions to examine how dealers can turn online shoppers into completed transactions. On Inside Automotive, the guests discuss how Carhub sold more than 60 vehicles online through CarJiffy in four months, generating approximately $2.9 million in incremental revenue, including deals completed after showroom hours. After-hours sales: How Carhub converted late-night website traffic into completed vehicle transactions.Digital transactions: Why moving beyond payment estimates and lead forms can shorten the path from online shopping to a deal.Dealer results: How Carhub used CarJiffy to sell more than 60 vehicles and reach customers as far as 3,000 miles away.Sales integration: How salespeople can use digital quotes, bills of sale, live chat, and video trade appraisals to support customers.Dealership value: Why digital transaction capabilities could become increasingly relevant to dealership operations and valuation.Omnichannel retailing: How customers can move between online and in-store steps without having to restart the buying process.Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

David Christ, Group Vice President and General Manager of the Toyota Division at Toyota Motor North America, discusses the automaker’s product strategy, strong dealer demand, and expanding electrified lineup. On Inside Automotive, Christ covers the redesigned RAV4, Toyota’s multi-pathway approach to powertrains, affordability, tight inventory, fixed operations, and the role of digital retailing in the dealership experience. Product momentum: How the redesigned RAV4 is contributing to Toyota’s strong retail performance and tight inventory.Electrification: Why Toyota continues expanding its mix of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, BEVs, and fuel-cell vehicles.Affordability: How Toyota is maintaining lower price points across its lineup as vehicle affordability remains a challenge.Inventory: What tight supply looks like across Toyota’s lineup, including high-demand models such as the RAV4 and Grand Highlander.Fixed operations: Why an aging vehicle fleet could create additional opportunities for dealership service and parts departments.Digital retailing: How Toyota’s SmartPath technology connects online vehicle research with the in-store buying experience.Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.

Dealerships face growing cybersecurity and compliance demands, but Hunter Giambra of Hurricane IT Solutions and Andy Graff of ComplyAuto explain why having policies and technology in place does not always mean a dealership is protected. In part two of a three-part Inside Automotive series, they examine common security gaps, why dealerships attract cybercriminals, and how IT security and regulatory compliance can work together. Security vs. compliance: Why dealerships need to address both their technical defenses and regulatory obligations.Everyday vulnerabilities: How unsecured documents, shared passwords, unlocked terminals, and personal email use can expose customer information.Cybercrime risks: Why dealerships are attractive ransomware targets and how operational disruptions can affect critical store functions.Integrated protection: How Hurricane IT Solutions and ComplyAuto divide responsibilities between technical security and regulatory compliance.Employee training: Why ongoing education and required compliance training are important parts of a dealership’s security posture.Management visibility: How disconnects between dealership leadership and day-to-day practices can leave important vulnerabilities unnoticed.Inside Automotive with Jim Fitzpatrick is powered by CBT News, your go-to source for the latest news, trends, and insights in retail automotive. Subscribe for more interviews with top industry leaders, dealership innovators, and experts shaping the future of automotive. For more content, visit CBTNews.com and follow us on your favorite podcast platform.