"We Want To Actively Give Back" — An Independent Dealer On Trust Over Ad Spend | Travis Baldwin, Vice President at Best Deal Auto Sales
Travis Baldwin started detailing cars at his family's independent dealership in 1999. He worked his way up through buyer, sales associate, sales manager, area manager, and eventually VP, all while serving on the board of the Indiana Independent Auto Dealer Association and spending time as a reserve police officer.
Travis joins Michael to talk about something most dealers don't say out loud: that the sign at the ball field and the logo on the billboard might matter less than people think. He shares how his family has built trust in their community through quiet, consistent involvement, like helping an employee buy a house when their credit didn't qualify, without ever looking for credit or recognition in return.
The conversation also gets into the auction buy that changed how Travis does business: a certified unit that showed up with metal in the oil and got relisted with no disclosure. That experience led him to build Dealer Defender, a platform that flags non-disclosed auction returns before they cost the next dealer.
Find Travis on LinkedIn or learn more about his platform at dealerdefender.com.
Michael's takeaway: the dealers who last aren't chasing the next lead source. They're the ones people trust enough to vouch for without being asked.
Timestamps
(00:00) Overachiever Origins
(00:52) Sponsor FlexDealer
(02:18) From Detailer to VP
(05:12) Advocating Independents
(08:27) Competing With Franchises
(10:58) Future Focus Transparency
(13:22) Community Over Marketing
(22:11) Reserve Officer Lessons
(24:20) Dealer Defender Story
(27:43) Outro
Episode Brought To You By FlexDealer
Need Better Quality Leads? FLX helps car dealers generate better quality leads through localized organic search and highly-targeted digital ads that convert. Not only that, they work tirelessly to ensure car dealers integrate marketing and operations for a robust and functional growth strategy.
Watch The Full Episode
Prefer to watch episodes? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and turn on notifications to get full access to our content.
Episode Transcript
(00:00) Overachiever Origins
Michael Cirillo: At what point in your journey do you realize you're an overachiever? You started in the business doing everything, worked your way to VP, then the association, now Dealer Defender. At what point are you like, "I need 400 more hours in every day"?
Travis Baldwin: Well, you know what? My mom and dad are super hard workers. My dad's 73 years old and still comes into the office almost every day. So it's work ethic from mom and dad. They work super hard. I don't see me slowing down anytime soon.
Michael Cirillo: As you look back and reflect on your experience in the business, what are some lessons that have been poignant, that you'd share with anyone making 2026 and beyond their first year in the business? What's the thing where you're like, "Don't do that. Definitely do this"?
(02:18) From Detailer to VP
Michael Cirillo: I'm always curious when I see a note that says somebody's been in the car business for a long time. You started as a detailer, is that right?
Travis Baldwin: You got it. I started as a detailer. Mom and dad started the business in 1999.
Michael Cirillo: 1999, what a good year. We were all worried about Y2K. So you got into the car business through the family business, starting as a detailer. Was that mom and dad saying you had to start from the pavement?
Travis Baldwin: Yeah, you know, I think it was just like any other teen. There wasn't a path where they said, "You've got to be in the car business, we need you here." It was just available to me as an option, and I thought, "I think I could detail cars," so I joined along. I also have three older brothers involved in the business in some capacity. So I decided to try it out, and here we are.
Michael Cirillo: If I read the chronology correctly, it wasn't detailer directly to sales. You did a few things in between, right?
Travis Baldwin: Oh yeah, absolutely. I detailed for years, then started as a buyer at the auction, part time. Auctions weren't five days a week back then, so we'd detail cars and then I'd go join them at the auction. So I was a buyer for some time, then a sales associate, then a sales manager, then an area manager, and then vice president.
(03:53) Rookie Advice: Wear A Lot Of Hats
Michael Cirillo: As you reflect on your experience, maybe specific to independents but transferable across retail auto in general, what are some lessons you'd share with anyone making 2026 their first year in the business?
Travis Baldwin: I'd say be prepared to wear a lot of hats in this business. Whether it's a small quirk going on with a car or something you urgently need to take care of, you're kind of a C or D tech, right? And then a detailer if something needs to be brushed up a bit more. Just anything to make sure the customer has a good experience when they get there.
Michael Cirillo: What's something you think is similar between independent and franchise dealers, and something that's vastly different?
Travis Baldwin: That's a really good question. I don't know if I know how to answer that, because I've never been a franchise guy.
(05:12) Advocating For Independents
Michael Cirillo: I'm particularly interested in how you got involved with the Indiana Independent Auto Dealer Association. You're the voice of the dealers, you're on the board, dealing with regulation and legislation. What are you specifically looking at as an advocate for the independent dealer body that you think more people need awareness around? Independent dealers often get that "scummy used car dealer" cloud hanging over them. What are you doing from an IADA perspective to dispel that?
Travis Baldwin: Something we've done is try to get dealers more prepared. We see a lot of independents come in and out of the space because it might look lucrative, like, "Hey, I could flip a car and make $1,500 or $2,000." But it's so much more than that, and educating dealers on what that looks like, and what they're up against, matters, because we're highly regulated. From the attorney general's office to the secretary of state's office. So along with the secretary of state, we enacted pre-licensing education. Before a dealer ever applies for a license in the state of Indiana, they now go through an education session that lets them know what they're going to be up against, what the regulations look like. It's essentially, "Hey, do you still want to do this?" We've had a lot of success with that, and a lot of dealers come to me with questions all the time. I think a lot of it is just having more support when you belong to an association.
(07:13) Why Join The Association
Michael Cirillo: At what point did you realize you wanted to be involved in the association, and what compels you to get involved?
Travis Baldwin: That's funny, because I remember back in the day, when you first get into sales and get some driving privileges, it was like, "You can't drive that car, it's too cool or too nice." And I thought, "I can't wait until I can just drive whatever car I want off the lot without any flack." You just evolve. I'm 41 now, and I think it's about the people, giving back to the industry and to the people, creating good opportunities for our sales folks, whether it's service, sales, or detail, whatever aspect of the dealership. It's the same thing for the industry. You keep growing that. I think I've got a lot more to give.
(08:27) Competing With Franchise Dealers
Michael Cirillo: Especially in the last six years, you see a lot of franchise dealers moving deeper into used car territory. What are you thinking about, as an independent dealer or from an association level, about continuing to carve out your piece of the pie amid large franchise dealers coming in more deeply?
Travis Baldwin: For us, we concentrate on higher trim level vehicles, a bit higher mileage, around that 75,000 to 100,000 mile range. Really good, well-kept vehicles that are single owners. I think there's just a lot more competition now, especially since Cash for Clunkers took a lot of those vehicles out of the market. It's become so much more competitive out there. Like I've said in previous interviews, you've got to be out there hitting the pavement. It's good to sit behind a computer and click to bid, but at some point we need to put our feet on the ground and get out there, be live in the lane, and really touch and feel these cars. That's really where independents get an edge. Get out there, put in the work, check the cars out, make sure you're buying a really good car for your customer. It also allows you to buy a little deeper, because now I can buy an as-is vehicle with confidence, since I've been out there, touched it, felt it, and know what the car is all about.
Michael Cirillo: In the franchise world there's a lot of M&A activity, large groups buying smaller groups, smaller groups buying single or dual points. Do you see movement from franchise dealers looking to buy independents, or independents looking to expand into franchise territory?
Travis Baldwin: I'd say it's more common for an independent to move into the franchise world. In the state of Indiana, we haven't seen a lot of franchise stores buying independents.
(10:58) The Future Is Transparency
Michael Cirillo: What's the outlook from your perspective on the next few years for independent dealers? What should they really be focused on?
Travis Baldwin: I think at the end of the day it's transparency. That's true in any business, and the human aspect of relationship building with customers, really creating that trust and transparency, is everything.
Michael Cirillo: This is more of a personal question, but I have to ask it. At what point in your journey do you realize you're an overachiever? You bring me back to 1999, Travis just coming into the business. I'm guessing, to your sentiment about your parents, that this work-hard ethic has always been part of your upbringing.
Travis Baldwin: Oh, absolutely. Back in the day I grew up around the baseball fields, because my dad had a full-time job but was also president of the local Jackson Township Athletic Association, which was part of three ball fields. I grew up out there. If you asked my dad, I don't think he'd say he's a guy who gives back a lot, but it's all I've ever seen. I think that's where I get it from.
(13:22) Community Over Marketing
Michael Cirillo: Much of the conversation in retail automotive revolves around getting more leads, better marketing, ad spend, SEO, what's happening with AI. I try really hard to be an advocate for something you just said, which is real, tangible, everyday, practical influence in the community you live in. Can you break apart the actual tangible impact of being involved in a community organization that's doing something other than selling cars? I think dealers so often get misconstrued as "there's our logo on a billboard at the local basketball game." But I'm hearing a deeper level of involvement. What has that done to establish your position in the community?
Travis Baldwin: No, I totally agree with you. I get calls from software companies all the time saying, "Increase your ROI by this percentage," or "get this many more leads." At the end of the day, I really vibe with what you just stated. Those things are all exciting, but I'm very involved with the human aspect of this, getting out in the community and being more involved. There have been employees here who maybe didn't have the best credit situation, or couldn't get a house, that we've really poured into. We've purchased a house and rented it to them, helped with their credit situation until they could get on their feet and get a mortgage on the house themselves. We've been very blessed, and I think it's about being grateful for the opportunities the community gives back to you. It's not like, "Hey, we're doing all this for the community." We don't even like the accolades or the recognition. We don't need the sign at the ball field. We want to actively give back to the community that gives back to us. You want your name out there, but at the same time you just want to do good. I think pouring good out there brings good back to you. Good karma.
Michael Cirillo: We need to double-click on this. You've just introduced a powerful counter-narrative to everything we've been told is absolutely true in 2026, which is, "You've got to be online, or you don't exist." I'm in an office building with multiple other businesses I'd never heard of, who have a stream of business, who will never have a billboard, will never put their logo at the ball field, probably aren't running Google or Facebook ads, probably don't even have a Google Business Profile set up. And they're making moves in their sphere that are growing their business. Where's the line? Isn't being a good person and caring for your community enough? I think too many people struggle in that gray area of, "But then how are they going to know I did the good deed?"
Travis Baldwin: Right, right.
Michael Cirillo: What I'm hearing you say is, do the good deed because the good deed is the good deed.
Travis Baldwin: This is absolutely correct.
Michael Cirillo: And you will be added upon. There's something very biblical about this. Are you faith-based? Is this something that influences you?
Travis Baldwin: I believe in faith, but at the end of the day, no, it's not a faith-based company. We practice doing the right thing.
Michael Cirillo: I hope that lands for those listening, because we get so stuck in the hype of, "If I do this, then I get this." What you're saying is just keep sowing good seeds.
Travis Baldwin: I'll tell you what, it feels a whole lot better.
Michael Cirillo: It is possible, even in this day and age, to just do good and have good return back to you without spending more on ads, without having to, like you said Travis, just care for people. I want to double-click on one more thing before I move on. You turned the dial and focused on everything the community's doing for you, which isn't largely the narrative. How did you arrive at that? It came out of your face so naturally.
Travis Baldwin: Because it is natural.
Michael Cirillo: You're like, "No, they're doing stuff for us."
Travis Baldwin: Absolutely they are. Without them, we don't exist. I'll tell you a quick story. Yesterday I was at a Fraternal Order of Police golf outing over in Warsaw, Indiana. There was another team, and a guy walked by, and the sales manager I was with, Corey, says, "Hey, did you get that check?" And the guy says, "Yeah, I did, thanks a lot, man." He walks away, and I'm like, that's what I love about this. Doing right by people, making sure that what you say, you actually follow up with and do, and making sure that customer's needs are met. Because when you're out and about, you don't have to duck your head. You have good morale with your customers. I think that's the difference. There are bad actors in the auto community who I don't think can say the same thing. They're ducking their head or trying to dodge seeing the person they didn't take care of something for.
Michael Cirillo: I love it, because I've got three teenagers, and sometimes they come home from school talking about someone who did something, and I say, "You have to understand, they've got the ultimate consequence. They have to live with themselves for the rest of their lives." To your point, living in a state of ducking your head and bobbing and weaving, sooner or later you're taking ownership that you created that environment. And what you're expressing, which resonates with me, is this confidence and peace, the consequence of which is you get to live with yourself for the rest of your life.
Travis Baldwin: Yeah, absolutely correct. You said it great.
(22:11) Lessons From The Reserve Police Force
Michael Cirillo: You brought up something else I need to touch on. You're also, or were, a reserve police officer?
Travis Baldwin: I was, yeah. I did do that.
Michael Cirillo: As part of community involvement, what perspective did you gain about business from participating in something like the reserve police force?
Travis Baldwin: You know what, that everybody makes mistakes, and maybe some of those mistakes you've made yourself, you just didn't get caught. Anybody from all walks of life deserves a second chance. They might have even done something you've done that's illegal, you just didn't get caught doing it. Maybe you had a little too much to drink and drove when you shouldn't have. That guy got caught and he's in jail now, but you're not, and you got lucky. So I think the lesson is: treat everybody with respect. Don't act like you're above anybody, because at the end of the day you're probably guilty of some of the same things.
Michael Cirillo: I love it. Those who have been with the show for a long time know I care deeply about this conversation, being involved, doing your part, lifting where you stand, trying to elevate where you stand. Thank you for all that you're doing. For those listening who may be new to the business, this is the playbook: get involved, lift others, and you will have everything that you need.
(24:20) The Dealer Defender Story
Michael Cirillo: As we wind down, you started in the business in '99, worked your way up to VP, family business, board member of the Indiana Independent Auto Dealer Association, reserve police officer, and now Dealer Defender. How did Dealer Defender come into the picture?
Travis Baldwin: Dealer Defender comes into the picture because I got sick of getting burnt at the auction. It really boiled down to one particular vehicle. I purchased a Volvo XC90 for my son, for his first car. I bought it online, green light, silver certified, I believe, though I won't promise that part. It shows up here with a sound in the engine. I get it to service to check it out, and it had metal in the oil, so the engine needed replaced. I filed an arbitration claim, and to make a long story short, I hopped back online, since I was still shopping for XC90s, and saw that same vehicle advertised again, green light, with no announcement of what had happened. Something needed to be done about that, and that's where Dealer Defender was born. We crowdsource data from all the dealers signed up for Dealer Defender, so if a vehicle goes back to the auction, any dealer subscribed to us knows about that vehicle being returned.
Michael Cirillo: When you say crowdsource, dealers sign up, the platform gets access to that data, and then what does it do to verify or ensure that what they're buying is correct?
Travis Baldwin: The arbitration claim actually starts right from our portal. We're able to integrate with any auction process, so you start your arbitration claim and all the details are organized within our platform. For us, with a multi-rooftop location, that means we can all stay organized throughout the arbitration process internally, so whoever needs to know is going to know. At the end of the day, when it's determined that a vehicle is going back to the auction, agreed upon by the auction and the dealer, that goes out to all the users of Dealer Defender: "Here's a flagged vehicle, and here's exactly what's wrong with it and why it was returned to auction."
Michael Cirillo: This ties back into what you said earlier about the key being transparency. Everything feeds back to transparency. I'm seeing the tangible downstream impact of just knowing what's right, and I also see how it ties into the moral and ethical fabric your family has so deeply in the community. Kudos to you guys for that, and for what you're bringing to the table with Dealer Defender.
(27:43) How To Connect
Michael Cirillo: As we wind down, how can those listening and watching connect with you?
Travis Baldwin: You can follow me on LinkedIn, Travis Baldwin, just look me up, or find me at dealerdefender.com.
Michael Cirillo: Awesome, man. Thanks so much for joining me on the Dealer Playbook Podcast.
Travis Baldwin: Thanks so much, Michael.
Thanks for listening to the Dealer Playbook Podcast. If you enjoyed tuning in, please subscribe, share, and hit that like button. Check back next week for a new episode.
