"Stop Blaming Marketing": The Digital Mistake Costing Dealers Growth | Ashley Cavazos, NCM Associates
What if the reason your marketing isn’t driving growth… is because it was never invited into the strategy conversation in the first place?
That question sits at the heart of this conversation with my good friend Ashley Cavazos, Digital Performance Consultant and Moderator at NCM Associates. We recorded this one live from the NADA show floor in Las Vegas, and within minutes we were digging into something I see happening in dealerships all the time.
Leaders expect marketing to deliver results.
But marketing often isn’t sitting in the room when the decisions that shape those results are made.
In this episode, Ashley and I talk about why that disconnect still exists and what has to change if dealerships want marketing to actually drive growth instead of constantly cleaning up problems after the fact.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:47 Why Marketers Need Seats
03:39 Inventory Firefighting Reality
04:06 Connecting Teams And Journey
06:22 Plan For Failure Points
08:04 Process Before Mindset
08:28 Alignment Beats AI Hype
10:37 Leadership And KPI Clarity
12:12 Advocating With Data Proof
13:18 Contact Info And Closing
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Episode Transcript
Intro
I'm here with Ashley Cavazos, who is the digital performance consultant and moderator at NCM Associates. I'm so excited that we're on the show.
She is a good friend. Welcome to the dealer Playbook.
0:23
*Ashley Cavazos*
Hi, I'm so excited to be here.
0:25
*Michael Cirillo*
Oh my gosh, look at what?
What are we doing here?
Look at this.
I feel like a WKRP in Cincinnati.
0:32
*Ashley Cavazos*
Hello live from NADA in Las Vegas.
0:36
*Michael Cirillo*
Right, we're here at the Auto Media Marketplace booth, they are hosting the dealer playbook, and along with IHeart Media Automotive, I want to get into this with you because when I only got a few minutes with the one and only Ashley Cavazos.
0:54
Why Marketers Need Seats
First of all, I'm so excited for you and your new role.
I, I just got to get that out there.
I'm so excited there.
Glee.
Glee is the word I will use.
But I want to ask you this because…
1:06
*Ashley Cavazos*
I can't even like, stop smiling.
1:09
*Michael Cirillo*
Thank you.
Well, listen and we're all happy about this, but also now I'm really curious.
I mean, here you are.
You've had a very amazing career so far from a marketing perspective.
Now you are the digital performance consultant and a moderator at NCM Associates.
And we know just how much data points and NCM is looking at and how many conversations are happening daily with dealers, with operators, with, you know, many different facets of the dealership.
1:34
So I want to ask you this question, and I know you and I have talked about this before offline, many marketing leaders are being asked to drive growth without a true strategic seat at the table.
And I mean, gosh, I think this goes back to like 5 years where we're like, marketers need to have a seat at the table when the conversations are happening, when the decisions are being made.
1:56
So from your vantage point, what has to change organizationally for that to work?
2:02
*Ashley Cavazos*
You know, I, I love this question because I have been in multiple different facets of, of, you know, my roles in the dealerships from BDC to marketing to digital operations.
And when you are asking your marketing leadership team to drive growth, to drive strategic results, you can't expect them to drive these strategic results if you're not putting them at the strategy table.
2:29
Like at the end of the day, that's that's what it is, right?
So how can you expect these results if they're not a part of that strategy?
And we know where marketing is today.
And if you don't know where marketing is today, it covers every facet of your operation, not just we're not just talking sales and service marketing.
2:45
The customer experience revolves around everything that marketing touches.
We talk about the buzzwords of CDP and, and everything that encompasses, you know, making sure that you have that life cycle of the customer.
But when it comes to inventory, where do we stand for market share?
3:02
Where do we stand financially, right?
Are we in a part where maybe we're going to have budget cuts coming?
How can I plan anything if I'm not sitting at the table just being an EAR?
3:14
*Michael Cirillo*
For me, it's like, well, and, and if I'm the one you're going to blame when things don't go right, then I definitely needed a seat at the table so that I could be a part of the conversation.
Like you said, strategy and what is everybody looking for from a marketing perspective?
3:32
They're like, well, what's the strategy?
And it's like, well, you didn't even include me when you created the thesis of what we're supposed to do.
3:39
*Ashley Cavazos*
Exactly.
3:39
Inventory Firefighting Reality
Or hey, we are overloaded in inventory, our floor plan is through the roof, we need to move X unit, put a plan in place.
But now you brought me in three months into the problem.
3:54
If I had known many days ago, I could have start.
3:58
*Michael Cirillo*
I'm the perpetual cleanup crew now.
4:01
*Ashley Cavazos*
Exactly.
I mean, that's exactly what it comes down.
4:04
*Michael Cirillo*
To we throw on our marketing hazmat suits well.
4:07
Connecting Teams And Journey
And then I'm also thinking about the far reaching impact beyond that.
So maybe you've got a marketing team or you're a marketing professional at the store or maybe you've been given the title marketing director ahead of marketing or whatever.
So you're not a part of that high level conversation where the, the, the direction is set, then you're that, that means you're also not in a conversation with the other people that are going to be responsible for helping.
4:31
Like we always forget about, well, what's the responsibility of the sales team?
What's the responsibility of the fixed team?
What's the responsibility from like everybody in the dealership and how does that contribute?
4:42
*Ashley Cavazos*
I mean honestly, and, and that has been the biggest part of I feel the success of my teams, right?
When I started an automotive, I was a receptionist doing Internet marketing and getting involved in the events and social media, but I had that little touch of it from my past background.
5:00
Then when I moved to Minnesota and I joined Auto Group, I was helping them build BDC's.
And when I got into the BDC's after having that little bit of marketing experience, I would get a lead and I'm like, OK, well where did this lead come from?
How did they get to me?
And So what did I do with e-mail marketing?
5:16
Hey, tell me more about X third party provider, right?
How did that lead come to me?
How did how did they submit their request on the website?
What form did they fill out?
Yeah.
5:30
*Michael Cirillo*
What like what was their journey even before they got to the website?
5:32
*Ashley Cavazos*
Exactly.
And so it was creating that dotted line to the BDC and the sales team that helped improve performance.
But if we're, if we're not working together as a team, and I feel really fortunate because I've been a part of really great organizations that have brought everybody together to sit at the table and talk about the problem.
5:50
And everybody has a piece of, you know, hey, what if we did this?
You hear that feedback, you're like, oh, and then if I do this and then I can train this sales processor, We need to pivot the showroom experience to be like this.
But if you're not, it's not even just having marketing at the table, It's having your whole team together at the table and then you have everybody singing the same song.
6:11
So then what happens?
You're your sales team or service team.
Everybody from the ground level up knows what they need to do because everybody is talking.
6:22
Plan For Failure Points
Do you think it's it's Oh my gosh, I can't even believe this is where you know me.
My brain goes to what's that dude's name that just climbed climbed the.
6:31
*Ashley Cavazos*
Oh my gosh, the Netflix guy.
6:32
*Michael Cirillo*
The Netflix guy that climbed the building and he said something and I want to tie it back to this, he said.
He's actually visualized himself falling to his death.
Oh, like he I know this is really stay with me for a minute.
OK, I, I know it's grim, but you just said every bringing everybody together that needs to be involved.
6:52
From your experience, should we not also consider potential points of failure so that we can come up with our mitigation plan?
7:01
*Ashley Cavazos*
I mean, I'm a, I'm a military kid.
7:03
*Michael Cirillo*
Like, I didn't know that.
Yeah, my.
7:05
*Ashley Cavazos*
Dad is retired vet and when you come from that life, you learn.
I got a face the exit.
I see the exit door.
I know my exit, right?
We are taught at an early age, always think 5 to 10 steps ahead, always be prepared, right?
7:26
And so that's how my brain works.
When we start thinking of introducing a tech, a provider website, whatever it is, I'm already thinking, OK, what's going to go right?
What's going to go wrong?
How do I prepare for that right?
7:41
*Michael Cirillo*
Why do you think, I mean bring me as much into the room now of the conversations you're having with dealers or dealer groups?
Is there any hesitancy to this idea of, wait, you want us to think about points of failure?
8:00
How do you navigate that with them to say like, no, you got to lean into that?
8:04
Process Before Mindset
I mean, I'm going to be honest, it starts with just knowing what your process is 1st.
And that is what I see a lot as I talk to different dealers is they know what's expected to answer Lee.
They know what their OEMs are telling them, but they don't have that process itself.
8:23
And it, it's just getting the groundwork done.
So we have a process.
8:27
*Michael Cirillo*
Right, OK, so now let's talk about process and mindset alignment.
8:33
Alignment Beats AI Hype
What's the biggest mindset shift dealership leaders need to be considering as they're you, you said three to five steps ahead.
What are the the mindset shifts for the next three to five years in order for them to stay competitive with everything that's going on?
I mean, gosh, we're at NADA right now and it's AI this and it's.
8:50
*Ashley Cavazos*
It's AI, everything right?
8:53
*Michael Cirillo*
And AI was his name.
Yeah.
So what's the mindset shift here?
What do you really encourage your dealers to be to be thinking about as you consult with?
9:01
*Ashley Cavazos*
Them and this kind of weaves into what we just talked about, but alignment is a competitive advantage, right?
9:09
*Michael Cirillo*
Is that a?
Is that the title for this episode?
9:13
*Ashley Cavazos*
Alignment is a competitive advantage.
I'm going to say it again.
So when we think about three to five years, right, AI is a buzzword.
Everybody's talking about it.
Every e-mail I received is like, come see our new AI, Look at what we're doing with AI.
9:30
And I don't disagree.
I love AII utilize the heck out of A.
9:36
*Michael Cirillo*
IIIO.
9:38
*Ashley Cavazos*
A i.e.
I/O, right?
However, AI is not going to replace people.
It shouldn't replace people and but there needs to be alignment in that.
So if you're working like I was just talking with, oh gosh, I'm blanking on his name, but we were just talking about how dealerships are using AI avatars.
10:00
*Michael Cirillo*
Right now.
10:01
*Ashley Cavazos*
Right.
Like that's becoming a thing.
I was just at ATI and we were talking.
There was a product that was like total AI showroom experience, customer stands, code.
10:17
No people in the showroom enters their information, verifies who they are going to the showroom.
They have cars there for them to look at.
I mean, there's a lot of things happening, but I think at the end of the day, we still need people involved.
And if they're not aligned and if your teams aren't aligned, it's going to fall apart.
10:34
Like it's just going to fall apart, But like what?
10:38
Leadership And KPI Clarity
I'm like, what really needs to be said or what really needs to be done in order to get that message across the finish it starts.
10:49
*Ashley Cavazos*
At the top it starts at the top.
If your leadership is not your leadership is not one open minded to understanding the value right of what you have to know what every person brings, right?
11:06
If you are assigning somebody to be your CMO or your marketing director, somebody to be your Internet director, your service fix OPS director, your new car director, you have to understand what everybody's role is.
They need to understand what that is of each other.
If they don't know what each other's jobs and responsibilities are, they don't know what their KP is are for each other.
11:26
How can I help you and fix OPS if I don't know what your goals are?
11:30
*Michael Cirillo*
Yeah, Oh my gosh.
I mean, I think about this from even just an HR perspective, like if, if people don't know actually what their role is and what's expected from them, how could I as a leader or could any leadership team have a meaningful discussion with people about where they should be performing?
11:47
And then to your point, having them aligned to the strategic vision that's being set because like, I know you've worked, you've worked in some large dealer groups, you've worked in some really amazing dealer groups.
And now at NCMI mean you know better than anybody how important alignment is to the success of the game, right?
12:12
Advocating With Data Proof
How do you advocate for it if you're not the leader at the top?
12:19
*Ashley Cavazos*
I mean.
12:19
*Michael Cirillo*
Show up ready to fight every time you mean?
12:23
*Ashley Cavazos*
It's really it.
I think it's bringing the case study with from an NCM perspective.
I will tell you as somebody who was head of marketing and running digital operations, going to a twenty group and sitting in that 20 group room and seeing people who did have, you know, we, we just worked with each other, people who had voices, people who didn't.
12:43
We talked together and then you find people who are doing things successfully, honestly, getting them in front of your leader.
Hey, I was at my 20 group meeting and this store is closing 15% Internet and their cost for soda is $250.
I think we should sit and talk with them, right?
12:59
*Michael Cirillo*
Now look at our composite, look at our data, and then look at what we're what we're seeing happening.
13:03
*Ashley Cavazos*
And I think that's how you get that conversation started just from like just the operators I've worked with, they want to know what other people are doing.
It's not just me saying I know this is the right way to go.
You got to have something to back it up.
13:18
Contact Info And Closing
We're here at the Auto Media Marketplace booth.
We are hosting the Dealer Playbook podcast here live from NADA with Auto Media Marketplace and I Heart Media Automotive.
Ashley Cavazos, I want to thank you so much for joining me on the Dealer Playbook and those listening and watching get in touch with you.
13:34
*Ashley Cavazos*
LinkedIn find me on LinkedIn, shoot me a message.
I'd love to chat.
NCM Wokan.
If you're not familiar with it, check it out and we'll talk.
If you liked what I said today, I'd love to chat more about it.
Also, I'm going to do a quick plug, but we are, if you are a marketer, if you don't know, we do have marketing twenty groups.
13:54
We're launching a brand new 20 group called 20 and 4 for brand collaboration strategy for teaming up with foundation data.
It's really exciting, so.
14:05
*Michael Cirillo*
Did we hear it first?
Are we breaking news?
14:07
*Ashley Cavazos*
You're breaking news.
14:08
*Michael Cirillo*
Oh my gosh, it's.
14:09
*Ashley Cavazos*
The first time.
14:10
*Michael Cirillo*
Guys, we are breaking news?
We're.
14:11
*Ashley Cavazos*
Live.
14:12
*Michael Cirillo*
Ashley Cavazos, my good friend, thanks so much for joining me on the dealer Playbook Podcast.
(Outro) 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.
