The centerpiece of the education at the BHPH Dealer Forum was the dealer-led roundtables.
Led by some of the nation’s top dealers, Jack Carter, Turn & Burn Motors, Conyers, Georgia; Nick Markosian, Markosian Auto, Taylorsville, Utah; Alan Lindsey, iGo Group, Columbia, Kentucky; Ben Libby, Highway Motors, Chico, California; Rich Barnard, Tio Chuy’s Auto Sales, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Russell Moore, Top Notch Used Cars, Conroe, Texas; and Steve Jordan, AutoVida, Lancaster, Texas; the roundtables gave dealers the opportunity to exchange ideas on sales, collections, marketing, recruiting employees, reconditioning vehicles and other hot industry topics.
“I enjoyed sitting and discussing business with everyone. You try to pick up one thing here and there to help you,” said Jefferson Manvone of Avenue Motors in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. “The whole reason of being here is to help you become a more profitable business. It was a great experience.”
Each of the roundtables presented their best ideas from the dealer-led roundtables during the closing session.
Megan Jones of Ace Auto Sales in Fyffe, Alabama, explained how to sign up with insurance providers to receive digital notices of customers canceling coverage.
Lecoeur Charles of Mission Auto Sales in Miami, Florida, shared his experience of finding employees on carcareers.com.
Ryan Jones of Ace Auto Sales in Fyffe, Alabama, presented his text prompts to increase responses from customers who are behind on payments.
Michael Maguire of Sansone Jr’s Windsor in East Windsor, New Jersey, described an employee incentive program to purchase vehicles for inventory.
Ben Goodman of Byrider explained how to use Chat GPT and AI for developing role playing scripts for employee training.
Blake Ingram of Auto City in Dallas, Texas, told dealers to analyze their data to recognize problem sellers and vehicles along with the good ones.
Matt Nibarger of Prime Auto USA in Jackson, Tennessee, informed dealers on how he’s developed relationships with a local trade school where he’s sending problem vehicles for repairs and subsequent training for his service staff.
The audience selected Meg Jones and Ingram as the providers of the best ideas. The two will receive registrations and hotel rooms for the 2025 NIADA Convention and Expo at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
“These are all good ideas and probably if implemented will pay for this trip a million times,” said Luke Godwin of Godwin Motors in Columbia, South Carolina, who hosted the final session with his Independent Dealer podcast partner Jeff Watson of 4 Seasons Auto in St. George, Utah. “The reason we go to these conventions, it’s about taking something home that matters and moves the needle. These things don’t cost you. If you do it right, these things will pay 20 times over.”
