"Billion Miles of Data" — How AI Finds Hidden Profit In A Flat Market | Greg Uland, VP of Marketing, The Reynolds and Reynolds (Copy)
In today's rapidly changing automotive retail landscape, are you positioning your dealership for unprecedented growth or an inevitable decline? Many long-standing car dealerships are facing a market that’s poised to create a “bloodbath for many,” while simultaneously launching others to unprecedented success. The question isn't 'if' the market will change, but whether you're ready to be the catalyst.
Here’s what you’ll get from this episode:
Rethink your time: Understand the critical difference between 'spending' and 'investing' time in your dealership operations and personal life to drive higher returns.
Embrace the catalyst mindset: Discover why you are the biggest factor in your dealership's success or failure, regardless of external circumstances.
Navigate the coming shift: Get a direct, unvarnished prediction of the market forces that will separate the thriving from the struggling in the next 12-24 months.
Future-proof your dealership: Learn what foundational shifts are necessary to compete against major players and maintain relevance in a consolidated market.
Glenn Lundy, President and Founder of the 800% Elite Automotive Club, shares his hard-won insights on the foundational principles that truly move the needle in dealership leadership.
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:24 Invest Time Mindset
02:51 Dealership ROI Meetings
04:16 You Are the Catalyst
05:31 Morning Routines and Control
07:48 Why Stories Before Strategies
09:54 Industry Bloodbath Ahead
12:12 Carvana Franchise Strategy
14:17 Fighting for Opportunity
15:47 Connect and Closing
17:09 Podcast Outro
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Episode Transcript
[0:13] Michael Cirillo:
All right gang, sitting down with my good friend Glenn Lundy. We are here at the Auto Media Marketplace booth, hosted by Auto Media Marketplace and iHeartMedia Automotive. Glenn Lundy is the President and Founder of the 800% Elite Automotive Club and look, he is right here. I can touch him. Thanks for joining me on the Dealer Playbook.
[0:31] Glenn Lundy:
iHeartMedia, bro? That is a big name. That is a big name. Look at you, you are moving up in the world.
[0:37] Michael Cirillo:
The iHeart. Golly, bro, I have come a long way since Vernon, British Columbia.
[0:43] Glenn Lundy:
For real dude. iHeart, that is a big deal.
[0:45] Michael Cirillo:
Hey, you had a packed room yesterday bro. You had a packed room. Tell me though, bring me inside that room because I did not have the credentials to get in that room. I need to know what you told a packed room of people yesterday.
[1:01] Glenn Lundy:
Okay. I told them three stories and three strategies. From those three stories they had a takeaway and from the three strategies they had three things they could actually implement. I cannot give you the whole stories because we do not have time for all that, but I can give you the takeaways from each story if you would like.
[1:23] Michael Cirillo:
Yeah, tell me.
[1:24] Glenn Lundy:
So the takeaway from the first story was never spend time, effort, or energy on everything. Instead, invest time, effort, and energy in anything worthwhile. With an investment we expect a return. When we spend, it is a minus. So let us stop spending time with our kids, spending time on social media, spending time with family. Instead, invest time with kids, invest time on social media, invest time with family. That was one.
[1:52] Michael Cirillo:
That is a mindset hack. Huge. You have talked to me about that before in the past. What does that do to the psyche to say I am not spending time anymore, I am investing it?
[2:01] Glenn Lundy:
Well, once you understand the definition of the words and the power they have over you, to know that the word spend by definition is a minus. And then as a father to say I am going to go spend time with my son, if you are any kind of a father you cannot do it. You know what I am saying? You mentally cannot, because you know it is a minus. So just knowing it is a minus versus invest is a plus changes everything. So now when I invest time with my son, not spend time, someone might spend time with their kid doing what they want to do. Oh, Dad wants to go to Lowe's, want to come spend time with me? An investment would be, hey Joel, what do you want to do? Oh, you want to go play soccer? Okay, let us go. We are going to do what you want to do. So it is an investment with a return on investment versus spending. It just changes everything.
[2:51] Michael Cirillo:
Bring that now into life in a dealership operation. I mean, you have been an executive leader. You have grown a dealership in a small town by 800% over five years. To invest in your team versus spend time with your team.
[3:10] Glenn Lundy:
Yeah, you want to invest in your team, which means you should have the expectation of an ROI from them and they should have an expectation of an ROI from you. So for example, you are going to have a morning meeting. Let us not spend time together in the morning to where it is a minus for them, they do not want to be there, and it is a minus for you because you do not want to be there either. Instead, let us be intentional. Let us make it an investment of time, which means they get a return and you get a return. That requires preparation, that requires planning, that requires intention, versus just deciding we are going to have a meeting every day. Most people do not want to do meetings because meetings are not intentional and nobody is getting anything out of them.
[3:51] Michael Cirillo:
Yeah, that could have been an email.
[3:53] Glenn Lundy:
Exactly. But daily investing in coming together and equipping your team with the tools they need to succeed and inspiring them to be great gets you a return.
[4:07] Michael Cirillo:
That is takeaway number one. Now I understand why your room was packed yesterday.
[4:13] Glenn Lundy:
Oh it was packed. It was great.
[4:14] Michael Cirillo:
Takeaway number two. I need to know.
[4:16] Glenn Lundy:
Takeaway number two was you take yourself wherever you go. Sounds like a fortune cookie, right? You take yourself wherever you go. Basically the intention and purpose behind it is that you understand that going and getting another job is not going to change anything for you. Moving to a different city is not going to change anything for you. Getting a different girlfriend, wife, boyfriend, or husband is not going to change anything either, because you take yourself wherever you go. Now, if you know and understand that you are actually the catalyst for whatever results you are getting in your life, and then you go move to a different city or a different job or a different relationship, you understand that you are the catalyst. The city is not going to solve your problem. The job is not going to solve your problem. A person is not going to solve your problem. You take yourself wherever you go. I learned that through years of getting the same result even though I lived in different places and was around different people. The result was always the same. And once you realize you are the catalyst of all things good and bad in your life, you can start taking control.
[5:31] Michael Cirillo:
And you are big on this. You have your Morning Five, your five morning routines. You are the catalyst makes me think about this idea. You are big into manifestation, big into goal setting. Does that tie into recognizing you are the catalyst?
[6:09] Glenn Lundy:
Yes. You have to go through a lot of these habitual routines that cause you to invest time in yourself in order to believe that you are the catalyst. Someone does not just walk up and say hey, everything that sucks in your life is your fault just so you know. A lot of people never really get to that. But if you invest time with yourself every day doing these morning routines like I do, you start to realize that you have a lot more say in the outcome than you thought you did. Every outcome you play a part in, in some way or another, whether you like it or not.
I am sitting at a stoplight, completely stopped, completely parked. A car rear ends me at 40 miles an hour and blows up the back of my car. Most people's response would be I was completely at a stop. I had nothing to do with it. I was just minding my business, hands at 10 and two, and this person was not paying attention, they were on their phone. But what they forgot is that if they would have left the house two minutes earlier they would not have been at that stoplight. If they would have left two minutes later. If they would have turned left instead of right. If they would have taken a different path. We still play a part. Even though in that particular moment you might not have control, there were a series of events that led you to that moment. And that is really what it means to understand that you are the catalyst. You play a part in every outcome, good or bad, whether you like it or not.
[7:48] Michael Cirillo:
Based on all of the subject matter that we tend to hear about at events like this, what is the motivator for you to bring this message to the dealer audience?
[7:58] Glenn Lundy:
It was really important because in this particular talk I gave them three stories with takeaways followed by three strategies. I have been successful in this business for a very long time. I could have walked on stage and given them six strategies. The likelihood of them executing on those six strategies would probably be slim to none. They would think it was fun and exciting and then twelve minutes later they would be thinking about lunch. But if I start with helping them understand that they are the catalyst behind the change, not the tool and not the strategy, then the strategies I give them actually make an impact. I am not interested in standing on a stage talking to a full room without making an impact, because I need an ROI on my investment of time as well. I love to start with connecting the dots so they understand who is actually in charge, and then we can layer strategies on top.
[9:20] Michael Cirillo:
The root of what matters most in any circumstance, and then tactics.
[9:25] Glenn Lundy:
That is right.
[9:27] Michael Cirillo:
Talk to me about the 800% Elite Automotive Club. You guys are doing some pretty incredible things. Congratulations, you have been accepted into some new programs. You were just hanging out with the minority dealers the other night and I saw all the pictures and I was feeling serious FOMO. Does a Canadian Italian Portuguese guy qualify to be in that room? Because it looked like a lot of fun. What is your sense of where the industry is right now? You are not bringing it back to basics because these are not basic principles you are teaching. They are foundational. They are mission critical. So marrying that to the state of automotive right now, what are you seeing and where are things headed?
[10:19] Glenn Lundy:
I believe things are headed toward a bloodbath for many, and an increase in wealth and success that has been unprecedented in this industry for others.
[10:40] Michael Cirillo:
Like an extreme gap.
[10:40] Glenn Lundy:
Extreme gap. Some are going to die on the vine and some are going to experience unbelievable amounts of growth and success.
[10:50] Michael Cirillo:
Is it an acquisition spree or when you say die on the vine, do they just disappear or do they get acquired?
[10:58] Glenn Lundy:
Walmart came through. When Walmart first started rocking and rolling, 95% of groceries were bought from family owned and operated supermarkets. Walmart came in, people fought against them. Some people let them in, some people did not. Some said buy local, buy local. All of those things happened. Now fast forward and 95% of groceries are bought from a chain, from Walmart. They completely flipped the script. We see that happening now in this industry. The privately owned, the family owned, the small hometown type dealership, if they do not get their volume up and understand the used car game, it is not long before these stores are gone. Everything is more expensive. Floor plan is more expensive. The building is more expensive. Everything is more expensive. And they are still trying to operate selling 40 to 50 cars a month. You just cannot do it. You are trying to go against Carvana selling 40 to 50 cars a month. You are trying to go against CarMax. You are trying to go against Tesla. You are trying to go against Amazon. You are trying to go against Apple selling 40 to 50 cars a month. You just cannot anymore. Volume has to get up.
[12:13] Michael Cirillo:
So I was headed to the airport the other day and I saw my first Carvana CDJR store popping up in Dallas. What is the play? What are they doing?
[12:28] Glenn Lundy:
Interestingly enough I have a thought on this that most people do not agree with me on. I think obviously Carvana has multiple reasons for it, but I think their biggest reason is certified pre-owned. Carvana is known as the used car place. There is a huge market of buyers that cannot afford a brand new car but want a certified pre-owned vehicle because it is basically a brand new car at a lower price point. A lot of dealers do really well with certified pre-owned, but you have to own a franchise in order to certify a pre-owned vehicle. So my belief is they are going to pop up stores in different markets. Obviously there are benefits from having a retail facility on the service side. But more importantly it gives them the power to start certifying pre-owned vehicles, which allows them to charge more. That increases their revenue, increases their stock price, and opens them up to the one market they currently cannot tap into at all. That is basically the last market they cannot touch right now.
[13:37] Michael Cirillo:
They are not even playing chess right now. They are not playing chess, they are not playing checkers. They are playing some other game entirely. Mahjong? And I will say, I do not want anyone to think we are not two guys who are advocates for the dealer body, because we very much are. You would not be going to the lengths you are to facilitate change and I would not be doing this show if we were not advocates for dealers. But I cannot help thinking I am really annoyed I did not buy shares when they went down to around a dollar fifty.
[14:11] Glenn Lundy:
A lot of shares. They are at what, 430 now? 440?
[14:14] Michael Cirillo:
430, 440 something like that. Yeah it is crazy. And that is the thing, I love this industry and I am fearful of what the future looks like.
[14:16] Glenn Lundy:
I love this industry and I am fearful of what the future looks like because a lot of people who are in this industry now, who have been successful in this industry, were given an opportunity when they probably should not have been. When they hired me bro, I would not pass any type of background check for any corporation, I guarantee you. I was down on my luck. Bad credit. Criminal record. All the things. And the auto industry said come on, we will evaluate you based on who you are today and the performance you show up with now, not who you were before. The auto industry has been like that. And a lot of the people who have been very successful across this building were given an opportunity they probably would not have gotten anywhere else. That is going to get squashed out in the future if we keep going in this direction. The more corporate this industry becomes, the more guidelines and regulations, the less opportunity there is for a kid like me who made a few mistakes to completely transform his life. That is who I am fighting for. I am fighting for that young Glenn.
[15:35] Michael Cirillo:
Now I want to throw on a kilt and grab a shield. It really is a battle cry. This is something I love so much about my pal Glenn Lundy, joining me here on the Dealer Playbook at the Auto Media Marketplace and iHeartMedia Automotive booth here at NADA. We are bringing the real talk. Guys, you need to be paying attention because it is changing with or without you. You need to be the catalyst of change. You need to start investing heavily. Glenn, how can those listening or watching connect with you?
[16:12] Glenn Lundy:
Just go to 800percent.life. Everything is there. 800percent, spelled out, dot life.
[16:22] Michael Cirillo:
You need a jingle for that.
[16:25] Glenn Lundy:
We do not have a jingle. We have a slogan though. We rise, evolve, and impact together.
[16:32] Michael Cirillo:
We need Tony With The Keys to do a song for that. We need a jingle. 800percent.life.
[16:40] Glenn Lundy:
We actually do have one from Darien Sanders, my buddy. He did one and it was pretty good. We had a dealership for a little bit so he mixed in some dealership references. We need to get it out there. It was solid.
[16:57] Michael Cirillo:
I heard it. I was there when you played it. You are the man. Bro, thank you for being a great friend. You know I love you. Thanks for joining me on the show.
[17:07] Glenn Lundy:
I love you bro. Thanks for having me.
[17:09] Michael Cirillo:
Hey, thanks for listening to the Dealer Playbook Podcast. If you enjoyed tuning in please subscribe, share, and hit that like button. You can also join us and the DPB community on social media. Check back next week for a new Dealer Playbook episode. Thanks so much for joining.
