"Win the Top-of-Mind Battle" - Why Most Salespeople Never Get Remembered | Charles Cannon, GM at BMW West Houston
Everyone’s chasing the next shiny tactic. New platforms. New hacks. New promises. But what if the stuff that actually works… never stopped working?
In this episode of The Dealer Playbook, I sit down with my longtime friend Charles Cannon, General Manager at BMW West Houston, for a real conversation about building a career in this business by doing the simple things consistently, especially when everyone else is distracted.
Charles and I go back almost a decade, to a time when personal branding in automotive wasn’t a buzzword and definitely wasn’t common. We talk about why he decided early on to put himself out there, how that mindset shaped his career, and why community, consistency, and human connection still outperform any shortcut.
In this conversation, we dig into:
Why consistency beats virality every single time
How to use video without overthinking it or trying to be perfect
What it actually means to “stand out” when everyone says they’re doing the same things
The shift from treating this industry like a job to building a real career
Why Charles refers to customers as guests, and how that one word changes everything
How to stay human in a digital-first world that’s craving real connection
Lessons from economic swings, negative reviews, and long-term thinking in the car business
This episode isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things, for the right reasons, long enough to matter.
If you’re tired of feeling like you’re getting lost in the noise, if you want to build something sustainable, or if you just need a reminder that being a real person is still your greatest advantage, this conversation is for you.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:15 Meet Charles Cannon
00:27 Marketing Strategies for Car Dealers
01:08 Charles' Journey Back to Houston
02:20 Building a Personal Brand in the Car Business
05:05 The Importance of Consistency
08:54 Humanizing Sales Through Social Media
12:02 Overcoming Video Marketing Challenges
19:47 Shifting from Job to Career
30:27 Handling Negative Reviews and Customer Relations
31:40 Economic Challenges and Opportunities
34:42 Final Thoughts and Contact Information
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.
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Episode Transcript
(Preview Intro)
0:00
Charles Cannon Returns to Houston, Joins Dealer Playbook
Well, that guy was free.
My name is Charles.
Love me to help you out.
Hi, this is Charles Cannon, your BMW cloud advisor.
One of the benefits of owning at BMW is BMW four years or 50,000 miles completely free maintenance program.
I welcome to BMW.
I'm Charles and you are.
Hey Charles Cannon here, you're BMW client.
0:14
(Intro)
*Michael Cirillo*
Hey there. Welcome back to this episode of the Dealer Playbook Podcast.
Here's a face you've seen before.
You've probably heard this face.
You probably saw him before you even came to the Dealer Playbook.
I'm sitting down with Charles Cannon.
We're going to be talking about how you can dominate your local community by doing some tribe and tested marketing strategies that worked yesterday or today.
0:38
Guess what?
We're going to work tomorrow.
Stay tuned…
(Episode Begins)
Charles Cannon, my man.
Welcome back to the Dealer Playbook podcast.
0:49
*Charles Cannon*
For her to be here again.
0:51
*Michael Cirillo*
You're back in Houston.
0:53
*Charles Cannon*
I am back in Houston.
Yeah, I made the move back from San Francisco to Houston.
My company that owns both dealerships asked me to come back and here I am.
1:03
*Michael Cirillo*
Welcome back to the promised land.
Dude, This is.
Yeah.
This is so exciting.
But now I got to ask you, though, because you know Texas.
I mean, you know Texas very well.
So now that you're back and people say where you from, do you say you're from California?
1:18
Do you or you even go down that road?
You just say you're?
1:21
*Charles Cannon*
Oh, no, no, I, I always help you.
I was born in California, but I I was raised here in Texas, so I'm a Texan.
1:26
*Michael Cirillo*
Yeah.
And and that's also because you wanted to find Realtors that would work with you.
1:31
*Charles Cannon*
Exactly.
Yeah, exactly all.
1:34
*Michael Cirillo*
Right.
Very well, very well.
And you said it's been about six weeks.
1:39
*Charles Cannon*
Yeah, I've been back about six weeks.
I started early July and I've been hitting around around running.
Every day is just a blur.
So much stuff to do, so much stuff to learn, but it's been exciting.
1:50
*Michael Cirillo*
I love you.
1:52
Charles' Early Vision for Self-Promotion in Car Sales
I mean, we met each other or or have at least been on each other's radar now for, I'm going to say almost a decade.
1:59
*Charles Cannon*
Yeah, about that.
2:01
*Michael Cirillo*
And I mean, I remember the reason we connected, you came to us and you're like, hey, I want to build a website for myself because I want to put myself out there.
And I mean, you go back 10 years, maybe it was even longer than that.
Nobody was doing anything to really self promote at that level.
2:16
I mean, there, there were one or two here and there, but it's not like it is now where this whole idea of personal branding and putting yourself out there and really, you know, owning a business within a business, so to speak, or being an automotive preneur, so to speak, was really a thing.
2:32
You've, you've in my mind, you've always kind of been on the forefront of that.
I want to talk to you a little bit about this, this idea or this desire you had to put yourself out there when you were selling before you before you'd kind of climb the ladder into management.
2:49
What was it about you coming into the car business that that planted that seed within you to say, I've got to do something different.
I've got to put myself out there in a way that that I can't be dependent on anybody else.
3:02
*Charles Cannon*
Well, I'll tell you, for me, it was a transition of looking at this as a job versus career.
And so once I really decided this will be my career, I decided to go all in.
I started looking at the people that were successful, you know, at other dealerships across the country.
3:17
I caught it.
Google people kind of see what they did.
I noticed a common theme was that they, they constant follow up of how they took care of their customers and they were constantly in their face, whether it's through gift cards or Christmas cards or anything like that.
So then I started doing some research on that, of how can I consistently get in front of customers because, well, our term goal was to be the, the number one BMW salesperson in the country.
3:40
That was my goal at the time, but I knew I had a big hill to climb in order to get there.
And so I knew I had to be creative in how I got customers in front of me.
And so that's why I was looking at stuff that was for thinking like doing videos and reach out to you about doing a professional website.
So people could, you know, when they Google me, they would say, OK, there's somebody that's professional and he takes his craft seriously.
4:01
And then they're more likely to come to you and and you know, buy a vehicle from you.
4:05
*Michael Cirillo*
I love this because you know, Fast forward to 2024 for those that are listening in the future.
My beard is all white now.
Charles has lost all of his hair.
That's what you but but it's 2024.
You look at this day and age people, I think it's easy.
4:24
This excuse I hear a lot, which is everybody's got a website now, everybody's got a podcast now everybody's running ads now everybody's doing this, that the next thing.
What's your take on this idea of, oh, I'm, I'm just going to get lost in the mix because everybody else is doing it?
4:46
Why Long-Term Consistency Outperforms Viral Marketing Efforts
I would think the key is just being consistent.
There's everybody's going to try stuff, but those same people that try look at where they are three months from now, six months from now, a year from now, 90% are going to drop off because it it takes work and you're not, not going to necessarily see the results immediately.
5:02
And so since some people mentality is if I don't see these other results is not working versus I'm going to think long term and no matter what I'm going to keep doing this.
That's what's going to separate you from the from the rest of the people out there.
5:13
*Michael Cirillo*
How do you remove the emotion from it?
For example, it's easy in the context of, oh, you know what, I'm going to go buy a gold bar at Spot because I know that that will in the long term grow and it will increase my money.
5:29
And I'm like, Oh yeah, great, lock it in a safe.
We're good safety deposit box.
I can sit on that till the day I die.
It's going to be worth so much.
But then when it comes to the context of what we do for a living, it's like everything's got to be so immediate.
We, we, we don't do what you just said and focus on the long term.
5:45
So how do you remove the emotional attachment from this, this perceived constant sense of urgency that we have to get everything right now?
Oh.
5:56
*Charles Cannon*
You still want to do deals today, there's no doubt about that.
But if you're thinking that this is your career, your long term goal is to get multiple customers in front of you from multiple different sources.
So you have to think that way and say, you know what, I'm going to continue to work, I'm continue to prospect, I'm going to continue to work service.
6:12
So then, you know, if whatever reason one source of customers goes down, I said my other sources to get there.
But it's just consistent daily habits of doing what you're supposed to do every single day and you'll see results.
It may take a while, but I promise you, you'll see the result that you want to see.
6:29
*Michael Cirillo*
What I love about this is it ties into something that I don't think we talked nearly enough in this industry about.
You know, you go to the conferences, you go to workshop, seminars, 20 groups, and all of the information is very absolute, meaning all you, all you need to do is a website.
6:48
All you need to do is run ads.
If you're not doing SEO this way, then you're not correct, you'll never win, blah, blah, blah, blah.
But when you contrast that to what you just said, Charles, you said consistency is key.
And I can think about the application in my own life.
7:04
I mean, for example, are there a million in one automotive podcasts out there now?
Absolutely.
The one thing, even some that are probably much larger than this one, which is cool, mazel tov.
But the one thing that nobody can ever take from me is the consistency in doing this over almost 11 years, right?
7:26
But that, that, that is something it doesn't matter.
And from a branding perspective, that consistency plays into a top of mind awareness, which removes this, this feeling we all have or this, this idea that we all have that we need to go viral.
7:48
Consistency to, to what you're talking about is so important because it removes the attachment to the idea of going viral because you're more concerned about the community that's around you.
8:03
And by virtue of that, viral is not a thing.
It's better to have, you know, 10 handshakes than it is 1,000,000 views from China on TikTok, right?
8:15
*Charles Cannon*
100% facts.
Yeah, it's, it's like a drift campaign.
You're costly on their mind.
It's a subconscious thing.
They see you on social media posts and stuff they see they see you out there doing stuff in the community.
You're every time they come to service, you're just saying hi to all with no interior motive of selling a car.
8:33
You just checking in on them and seeing how life's going.
8:35
How to Humanize Sales with LinkedIn & Customer Engagement
You know, one of the things I do is I follow a lot of my customers on on LinkedIn and if I see a job promotion, hey, congratulations on your job promotion.
You know, just little things like that.
It just helps you stand out to them and you're on top of my whatever they have a vehicle that they looking to purchase or or even somebody near in their circle of influence.
8:52
*Michael Cirillo*
You said a combination of two of my favorite words when put in this sequence, and you said stand out.
And the reason I love that word combination is because this is an industry that often is very concerned about what everyone else is doing.
9:12
But it's like, how can you stand out from the pack if you're standing in with the pack, if you're concerned about what everyone else is doing and never looking to differentiate?
And you said something that is so key.
If I could, if we could draw an under score on our screens right now.
9:31
You actually take time, Charles, to follow your customers on LinkedIn and pay attention to them.
What?
9:40
*Charles Cannon*
That's a big deal.
I mean, it's a professional environment.
People are only didn't I?
And I tell my my salespeople all the time.
I said, you know, don't feel uncomfortable following them because if they have a public domain, they want to be followed and worst case they don't want to follow it, they'll just reject you.
It's no problem.
But that's extreme.
9:56
I mean, majority of customers don't mind and they don't mind interacting with you and they get to see a different side of you.
They don't see you as just a salesperson.
They see you as somebody that's personal.
And then you see building up good ratio with them.
Follow them on Facebook and Instagram as well.
I mean, there's nothing wrong with that.
It's, it's social media.
10:11
It's meant to be social and talking, get to know people.
And you know, you'd be amazed how many referrals you get just because of that.
Just again, because you're human, you're not a, the, the eagle salesperson.
You're a human being that has real emotions, real feelings and real life experiences that that would that connect with people.
10:28
*Michael Cirillo*
I want to get your thought on this as it relates to what you just said.
Do you think there's an element at play here where we went so far on digital mediums that we're we're we're kind of coming around back to I need to talk to a real human.
10:45
I need to know a real human.
I need to shake a real human's hand, look them in the eyes, get to know them beyond surface level texting and one word comments on on LinkedIn and Facebook.
You know, the great love it 100 emoji awesome.
11:04
But like people are really starting.
We, we went so far down the digital that people are actually craving real human to human connection.
What's your take?
11:13
*Charles Cannon*
Oh, absolutely, yeah.
You know, one of the things I tell my sales people to do, I encourage them, is, you know, whenever a customer leaves, you know, they didn't buy a vehicle for whatever reason, send them a video message saying, hey, thank you for stopping by.
When they get in their inquiry, I tell them to do the same thing, send a video.
It humanizes you.
And it just allows that extra level of interaction that they won't necessarily get through a text or e-mail.
11:34
And, you know, I tell them it's uncomfortable for some of them because they don't like being face in front of the camera.
But I tell them, you know what, end of the day, you're humanizing yourself and that can make a difference long term.
11:43
*Michael Cirillo*
Can I put you on the spot real quick?
11:46
*Charles Cannon*
Let's go.
11:48
Simple Video Scripts to Conquer Nerves and Connect
You brought up sending them a video a couple of Times Now.
I'm sure you've done so many videos now that you kind of have like a word track that that resonates with you that comes out.
Would you mind sharing that with us so we can, those that are listening or watching can get an example of like, OK, Charles picks up his phone.
12:06
He clicks on the camera and he looks into it and what it, what what's, what's something that you would say?
12:12
*Charles Cannon*
So let's say, for example, a customer left and I couldn't close them on the car.
I would just say, hey, Mr. Customer.
All right, thank you for stopping by here at ABC Motors.
Here's the vehicle that we looked at.
It's still here for you.
I'd love to give you an opportunity again to come by and see it and we can test drive it again.
12:28
Please feel free to reach out to me at blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, something like that or you send out a text if it's their happy birthday anniversary.
Hey Mr. Mr. Smith, happy anniversary on your vehicle.
It's been a year.
I see that you've been here in service recently.
Hope all all is going well.
Boom our of his Internet lead.
12:45
Hey, Mr. Missus Smith, my name is Charles Cannon.
I'm the Internet sales manager here at ABC motors.
I wanted you to put a face with the name.
I want to be personally you go be interacting with.
I see you left inquiry on his nice BMWX 3.
Good news is it's right here.
I point to it.
I start going over the the features on it and just go from there.
13:03
And it's not hard.
You just once you start doing it a few times, you'll get over your nerves.
You'll get over the anxiety that some of you may experience.
And you'll actually, once you start seeing the results, you'll go, oh, this is so easy.
And on another side, I've been telling people this is the way the industry is going.
13:19
And five years from now, this is discovery as normal sitting at an e-mail.
So you must get used to it if you plan being being in this industry for a while.
13:26
*Michael Cirillo*
Yeah, I love the, the using the tools and resources that each of us have at our disposal, right.
There's there are sales pros out there right now with this thing.
They're probably doing the doom scrolling, right?
Looking through reels wondering what, what can I do?
13:44
It's so dead in here and you're saying, hey, I'm going to take some time.
I'm going to go going back to your concept about long term inconsistency.
I'm going to invest time into growing my business and deepening connections that I have with real human beings that goes beyond just, you know, a like or whatever.
14:07
And I'm going to, I'm going to make them Remember Me.
I've been thinking about this recently.
I've been working with, with my pal Glenn, this crazy idea to build a dealership from scratch, having no clue what we're doing.
14:24
And we've learned some interesting things along the way that I, I think under score what you're talking about, which is in order to be different, you have to actually be different.
And different requires effort.
Something as simple as saying, oh, you could do a video becomes a little bit more complex in application.
14:43
We're dealing now with personality type.
So I'm not comfortable on video.
You, you brought up nerves.
What would you say to those that are maybe having those feelings?
They know.
Oh man, I keep hearing those people keep saying I got to do video.
It sounds so simple, but why is it so hard for me to just maybe get over the perfection complex?
15:04
I don't, I don't know.
I don't have better words to articulate it.
I know for myself, I talked to myself how to do a video for months and months because of, you know, this idea of trying to be perfect.
And oh, shoot, I flubbed over my words.
But what would you say to that individual to maybe encourage them and say, hey, no, just just go, hey, does your marketing agency suck?
15:25
Listen, before we hop back into this episode, I know you know me as the host of the Dealer Playbook, but did you also know that I'm the CEO of Flexdealer, an agency that's helping dealers capture better quality leads from local SEO and hyper targeted ads that convert.
So if you want to sell more cars and finally have a partner that's in it with you that doesn't suck, visit flexdealer.com.
15:46
Let's hop back into this episode, you say to that individual to maybe encourage them and say, hey, no, just just go.
15:55
*Charles Cannon*
So you write down the worst case scenario, What's the worst case?
Because you, you get a chance to edit the video for you, Cindy.
It's not like a FaceTime where it's live now you can't do that.
And which I encourage do that as well, but that's, we can talk about that later.
But you just edit it, but don't overthink it.
Just just like you're talking to somebody in person.
16:12
How would you do the video?
And you just do it like that knowing that 90% of people aren't even doing it.
So you're going to stand out.
Even if your video is out the best quality in the world, they're going to just appreciate the fact that you're doing it.
And then you just, you have to just wish for practice.
16:28
And as you practice, you'll get naturally better at it.
And then it'll be just nothing to even think about.
16:34
*Michael Cirillo*
I don't know why I find I find humor.
I find humor in this idea of we live in a world where people tend to not think and then skip right past thinking to overthinking.
16:53
Like they go from not knowing how to think to overthinking and it happens in the blink of an eye.
And you, you just made me think of it as you're saying, just don't overthink it.
Just do it.
It reminds me of of my buddy Paul who says posted is better than perfection because posted.
17:14
And I know you know this and I I know this all too well.
Posted is where the difference lies.
There are millions of people in our industry, hundreds of thousands of which have recorded 8 gazillion videos and never did anything with them because they went right from not thinking to overthinking.
17:37
And what will differentiate us in large part is the posted piece.
Just do it.
You don't speak perfect anyways.
Like pay attention to the conversations you have with your loved ones, your friends, family, buddies, whoever.
17:53
You don't speak perfectly.
You flub over your words, you, you know, all sorts of things.
And I don't, I don't know, I want your take on this because I think that's probably what our customers or potential customers want from us.
18:08
They want to just know they're dealing with a real person.
18:11
*Charles Cannon*
I would say this, if if you're listening this podcast, there's a reason why do the video.
Just get it done.
You'll you'll thank yourself later and you're going to make mistakes.
It's going to happen.
So my last year he So what is just a video, but it will benefit you again, if your job is said, this is a career long term thing that you want to do and not just a job you need to do.
18:35
It is.
You're going to be ahead of the curb and you know it.
It will make you so much more money and income because more customers to come see you because you will stand out in the market.
So don't think, just do.
18:46
Transforming Automotive Sales from a Job to a Fulfilling Career
Let me ask you this in in line with career, not job.
Obviously we know attrition in our industry is crazy, high turnover, employee turnover, all these sorts of things.
We know in recent years, the conversation of culture and its impact on a workplace and happiness and fulfillment is rising up to the surface.
19:08
Still much more work there to do.
But when you say but but, but I think it's safe to say that probably majority of people in our industry are here because it's a JOB, right?
Buried entry is low.
The opportunity to make crazy money is high.
19:28
Where I'm going with this is how do you recommend people shift their mind to think of this as a career where maybe many of the, their outside factors inside of that dealership are treating them like it's a job, you must be here at this time.
19:49
You, you work these hours and you leave at this time.
HR says you got to do this.
I I mean, there's certain things of to, to think like an entrepreneur.
You can't think like an employee.
But your environment is telling you everyday you're an employee.
20:06
How do you break out of that and say Despite that I will think like an entrepreneur you.
20:13
*Charles Cannon*
Know The thing is is you have to find your why what?
What are you trying to accomplish in life?
Is this something that you want to do?
Maybe you're on the wrong part of the bus.
What I mean is, you know, you may be working in service and say, you know what, I'd rather be in sales or vice versa.
20:29
And I have people all the time who transition different apartments because it's just not what their passion is.
And then they, they find the right department, then they take off.
And maybe, you know what, I'm not good on the sell side.
I need to be more on the OEM side.
That happens all the time as well.
So you have to find your niche of what works for you and just go all in.
20:47
Don't, don't leave an option of of, you know, I have one foot in, one foot out because it won't work.
But if you go in and say I'm going to give her my all, I'm going to figure it out and this is what I want to do, then you're fine.
But yeah, this industry is that for the week, if it ain't for you, it's going to cheer you up and speak you out quickly.
21:03
So, you know, it's something that you should.
It's tough to do when it's just a job, I will say that.
21:10
*Michael Cirillo*
Was there ever a time in your past coming into this industry that it was a job before it was a career?
And what flipped the switch for you if so?
21:19
*Charles Cannon*
Oh yeah, it definitely was a job.
I you know, when I got in the industry, it was just something to do to I found a quote UN quote real job.
But you know, after, I will tell you after I got fired as a pre owned manager and I immediately transferred back to the sales floor.
21:35
At that point, I had to decide this is what I want to do seriously or not.
In that point, I took it seriously.
And that's when they transferred to my career, when I took off.
And and you know, that was in 2012 and 12 years, 12 years here were 12 years ago and here I am right now.
21:50
And yeah, I just at that point I took it seriously and said this is what I want to do the rest of my life.
21:55
*Michael Cirillo*
I love it when you look at your circle of influence, the people you, you know that the other parents that have kids, the age of your kids that maybe go to the school, you see them at school drop off you, the people you go to church with, your pure circle, etcetera.
22:14
In your estimation, how many people in your sphere know what you do for a living?
Would you say it's about?
22:24
*Charles Cannon*
Everyone in in in my.
22:27
*Michael Cirillo*
Points leading question, yeah.
22:29
*Charles Cannon*
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I was thinking, yeah, no, everybody does.
Because even if, even if I talk to a person they know me on, they follow me on social media, they know what I do.
22:36
*Michael Cirillo*
How important is that?
What did that look like?
I mean, it, it did it grow organically?
Were there periods where you were the obnoxious car guy that told everybody I sell cars?
Or like, how did that look in application?
Because I, I guess where I'm going with this is I think back to the point about digital.
22:53
And we always think digital about everything.
And oh, I need a website and I need a new logo and I need social this.
And we, we sometimes forget the acres of diamonds sitting right in front of us, like just getting to know our peer circle, our neighbors, etcetera.
23:08
What did that process look like for you?
23:11
*Charles Cannon*
You know, it's when I first started there was this, I had hesitation tell people because it always was a very polarizing conversation with people.
And this is what I was trying to decide.
This is what I wanted to do.
23:27
It was either they had very good stories and they had horrible stories and, and you feel like you were being judged for the whole industry, what they, what they had experienced.
Everybody's had that bad experience as you know, the deal with a car salesperson.
But then you got to the point to where, you know what, I'm not that person and I'm not, I know plenty of other people who aren't those people.
23:45
And there's, there's a great pride in what we do, you know, And so when that my shift shifted for me, yeah, I was quick to tell everybody what I did.
But I, I wouldn't, I was never obnoxious about it.
But, you know, I just made sure it came out naturally in the conversation.
And if I didn't bring it up, then, you know, somewhere around me did, you know, whereas family or my wife or, you know, friends, they all know what I did for a living.
24:06
And I've been doing it so long that they know, OK, He's he's serious about it.
24:11
*Michael Cirillo*
I love that.
I love that it's a a polar, it a polarizing conversation.
You know what I mean?
It's like you sell cars like it.
It's like you're asking them if they're voting for Kamala for crying out loud or voting for Trump for crying out.
24:26
I was like, I this is what I do for a living.
Some dudes taste ice cream for a living.
I sell cars for a living.
And getting to this point, as I'm sure you you did in that, in this kind of transformational moment where it went from job to career, where you realized, dude, there ain't nothing wrong with this career.
24:47
*Charles Cannon*
Exactly.
24:48
*Michael Cirillo*
What's your big beef?
I sell cars.
Get over it.
You had a bad experience somewhere.
Guess what?
Remember the last time you ate a McDonald's?
That was probably a bad experience.
Guess where you going for lunch tomorrow?
McDonald's.
You're going to come back.
25:02
*Charles Cannon*
Exactly.
No, it, it's true and it's just, it's just a mindset.
And I just, I look at it as I get the privilege of putting somebody's second most expensive purchase in our life, typically in a driveway.
And I and I helped over that process and there's nothing more exciting to have somebody.
25:19
So you may have been dreaming about this car my whole life or I've been saving up years to get this particular car or I custom ordered it.
And you know, just seeing that passion, you know, you get great joy that that, you know, few, few things you do for a living can do.
And then also I remind people that is that the industry that makes you evil.
25:35
It's they're human beings and there is human, there is bad people in every industry, no matter what it is, there's there's going to be bad people.
And it's not just because that profession.
So you know, it's just a why I said, and also I will tell you this in the age of Internet and social media and Google reviews and all that stuff, though, a lot of those bad apples and weed themselves out because you can't, you can't do this a long time.
25:56
And, and, and be that, be that kind of salesperson, you'll be kicked out quickly, if not by the dealership, then definitely by control, Rick, they won't come back to you this.
26:06
*Michael Cirillo*
Is why I really think the best online marketing starts offline if it starts with you as the individual knowing your why.
Like you talked about, I know what gets me out of bed in the morning.
I know what motivates me.
I know what I desire, I know what I want to build and I know I'm a good person and I desire to be a positive influence in other people's lives.
26:30
If it starts there, the best marketing you could ever do online will just be an amplification of that message.
Michelle Danogine, a friend of mine, she, she's not in our industry anymore, but she she was the chief marketing officer at Roadster at Brilliant Marketer.
26:51
She said the biggest mistake you can make in marketing is to make promises online that you can't fulfill offline.
And it sounds like everything you've done to build has started from a foundation of offline real world.
27:06
And why people resonate with you online is because when they get to experience you, they realize you're the same person.
And you said, you know, there's there's going to be kind of bad or corrupt or conflicted people in any industry.
27:22
And that's so true.
27:22
Turning Negative Feedback into Growth and Stronger Relationships
I mean, we get so caught up, Charles, I feel like, oh man, we got a negative Google review.
You know who else got a negative Google review?
Everyone.
There's not one business on this planet who has not received a negative Google review.
Why are we so hung up on negative Google review when if we had a foundation to draw back to, which is posit good person choosing to have a positive impact in the world, that I can go and use that reason to contact this person and set them.
27:54
Set it straight to have them experience my how we deal with conflict and how there's a silver lining to everything and how we can take care of them.
Do you think money just gets in the way sometimes?
Like it's like, oh, but money's on the line.
28:10
They wanted to return the car and they was going to.
I'm going to see the spiff removed from my paycheck.
And is it as easy as that?
Is it as easy as money corrupts us?
Is what what steers us down the wrong path?
28:24
*Charles Cannon*
Either that is a one of the reasons, yeah, I can't tell you, unfortunately, how many times we have customers that'll leave a bad Google review because and they'll tell you a front, hey, if you don't give me formats from a car and leaving back Google review.
And it's and again, not all cases, but there's an extreme view that they know how to play the game.
28:42
And it's unfortunate that that's the way some people are.
I can't say how many people just they'll leave bad Google reviews for you.
And it's not even they never even did business with you.
Yes, you have those extreme people.
And unfortunately, it is one of those things that people look at when they look at a dealership that can make a huge difference where they do business with you, with you or not is your Google review versus another store and somebody's at 4.8 stars or somebody's at 4.4 stars.
29:07
And that could sway up.
So yeah, it can cost you money.
29:11
*Michael Cirillo*
It reminds me of the comedian Chris D'elia.
He has a stand up bit where he's like, you know, I'm always so I'm always so amused by people that come to my stand up show and then leave and the they heard one bit that they didn't like or that offended them and then then they go and leave a bad review about the show.
29:32
And he's like, you know what I think is so crazy about that?
We're joking.
It's all made-up.
We don't believe what we're saying.
Wait, it's a joke.
Like, you know, in other words, kind of this like get over yourself.
29:48
But when you think about it, everybody gets negative reviews.
How you deal with them, how you use them as an opportunity to to show people who you really are and that you really do care, I think is a is a huge differentiator.
30:04
I'm sure you've gotten negative reviews in your career.
How do you deal with those conflicts?
30:11
*Charles Cannon*
You know, when when I get those negative reviews, I'll look out and say, OK, was this a genuine situation?
If so, you know, I always make sure to call out to call the customers myself and, and, you know, apologize about the experience and you know, I'll give them my side of the story.
And, you know, sometimes the customers after we talk to them, they'll say, you know, you're right and over moving view.
30:30
Others will leave it on.
But you know, we look at there's opportunity to get better.
And you know, I call the customer, if nothing else and tell them thank you for the feedback and you know, we'll use this as an opportunity to I need coaches specific teammate or get better in particular situation.
30:46
You know, we'll we'll take care of it and address it.
Hopefully doesn't happen again.
30:50
*Michael Cirillo*
It's like a, it's like a well trained athlete, you know, because they get negative feedback all the time from their coaches.
You did this wrong, you did that, blah, blah, blah.
What separates the the amateurs from the pros is the pros, I think approach it with the mindset you just articulated, which is I'm going to use it as an opportunity to get better.
31:10
*Charles Cannon*
Yeah, you don't take it personal.
You know, they're usually not attacking your character.
They're just attacking the situation.
You just have to be the face of it.
So you just have to address it.
31:19
*Michael Cirillo*
OK.
I got one last question for you here before we wind down.
You've seen lots of economic ups and downs in your career, in particular with the season that we're in.
There's still some weird supply chain stuff and some from some OEMs. Interest rates are crazy.
31:41
Integrity in Sales: Treating Customers as Valued Guests
Inflation is nuts.
Income levels have not matched to the level of inflation.
People can't buy houses this that and the next thing.
And now we're facing thousand dollar, 1300 dollar $1500 car payments.
31:59
How do you take that as an opportunity?
What, how does Charles Cannon look at the circumstances right now and lean in what, what are some of the things you're thinking about?
Well.
32:10
*Charles Cannon*
For me only see, because I've been through the OA crisis, I've been through all these crazy situations and each time I look at it as a glass half full versus half NT, I said, you know, there are certain segment of the population that aren't affected, you know, by these big swings and downturns.
32:28
There are smarter with their money, so you just have the professional and you know, give them reasons why they should buy from you at the time.
Even their payments going up, OK, it's going up, but this is what you're getting ABC123 versus you keeping your vehicle and you need to buy warranty and your next, you know, if you look at the next few years how much you're going to spend on maintenance, you're going to spend an extra $200 anyway.
32:49
So you'll also get something new and stuff like that.
So these are conversations that you have intelligently with guests, but you do it with integrity and you know you're doing for the right reasons.
And if it's not the right time, you tell me this isn't the right time.
But yeah, that's just reality.
Everything's going up in price.
33:06
And I just tell my guys, just concentrate on one customer at a time and interact with one guest at a time.
Give them the best experience ever and you know everything will take care of itself at the end of the month.
33:17
*Michael Cirillo*
OK, I lied.
I have one more question because now I've heard you use the word twice in the same sentiment.
You refer to your customers as guests.
How does that change your mindset and how you work with them?
33:32
*Charles Cannon*
Well, actually I learned that in my time with Lexus.
They, they say treat everybody like guests like you would have guessed in your home and it just changes things because how would you treat a guest in your home?
You welcome me and we'll open arms.
You give them the best experience.
You make sure the environment is clean and comfortable for them to want to naturally do business with you versus if they're just a customer, it's kind of that impersonal thing, IE like, you know, being a salesperson that doesn't follow them on social media versus you being on social media with them.
34:01
It humanizes you and helps.
But that national relationship that that they want ultimately, because I tell people all the time they there, there are a lot of people, they just want to find that one car salesperson and just deal with them forever.
They don't want to have the cost and go shop around and, and different things like that.
But in order for you to do that, you have to build that relationship and make them trust you to get to that point that it takes time.
34:23
*Michael Cirillo*
I love a man.
This is so much fun.
You're always a wealth of information.
I love your wisdom from experience.
How can those listening and watching get in touch with you and connect?
34:34
Final Wisdom and How to Reach Charles Cannon
Well, you can follow me on all the social medias Instagram, CL Cannon, three look up on LinkedIn, Charles L Cannon or my website charleslcannon.com and have have more information on there.
34:45
*Michael Cirillo*
Charles Cannon, thanks so much for joining me on the Dealer Play With podcast.
34:49
*Charles Cannon*
Thanks my friend, always good to be on here.
34:51
*Michael Cirillo*
(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.
