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Dec. 16, 2024

When Academia Hits the Showroom: How Ashley DeBoer is Elevating the Dealership Experience

When Academia Hits the Showroom: How Ashley DeBoer is Elevating the Dealership Experience

Ashley DeBoer, the dynamic Vice President at Mint Motors, shares her inspiring journey in the automotive industry as she climbs the ranks in just five years. With a unique blend of academic prowess and practical dealership experience, Ashley is redefining customer experiences and advocating for a more inclusive landscape in the industry. Tune in to discover how Ashley's pursuit of a doctorate is not merely academic but a catalyst for transformative change, bringing fresh perspectives to dealership operations.

The customer experience in dealerships is revolutionizing, and we’re dissecting what it takes to align with evolving consumer expectations. From the rise of online vehicle purchases to the critical importance of post-sale engagement, this episode offers a roadmap for dealerships aiming to foster long-term customer relationships. By uniting sales and service teams and emphasizing leadership that models desired behaviors, dealerships can excel in delivering satisfaction and human connection in a competitive market. 

Ashley also candidly discusses her journey of finding her voice in a male-dominated field and the crucial role of mentorship and networking in advancing women’s careers. Ashley provides actionable insights for creating a diverse and empowered workforce. This episode is a rallying call for women to shoot their shot, leveraging courage and resources like LinkedIn to carve new paths and thrive in a rapidly evolving industry. Join us in fostering a community that champions women's leadership in automotive.

Chapters

00:02 - Empowering Women in Automotive Industry

08:10 - Enhancing Customer Experience in Dealerships

13:10 - Embracing Digital Retailing for Success

20:46 - Advancing Women in Automotive Leadership

25:31 - Exploring Work-Life Balance in Automotive

34:19 - Empowering Women to Shoot Their Shot

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:02.625 --> 00:00:03.827
Welcome to Get In Her Lane.

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I'm your host, jamie, and I have a 25-year career in automotive.

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This is the show where we dive into the unique challenges and opportunities women face in the automotive industry, amplifying her perspective to drive positive change.

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Women influence 83% of car buying decisions, so it's crucial we see more women in leadership roles to shape the future of this industry.

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Let's try to get there together.

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Today.

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I'm thrilled to introduce you to Ashley DeBoer, vice President at Mint Motors, an independent dealership that's bringing fresh thinking to automotive retail.

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Ashley's not only running the day-to-day operations, she's also pursuing a doctorate at the University of Tampa, studying how digital tools can give dealerships a competitive edge, especially when it comes to serving customers more effectively.

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I'm particularly curious about how Ashley's academic approach, her deep dive into research and data, can help us reimagine the customer experience.

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How can these insights truly transform the car buying process and, in doing so, create more opportunities for women to step into leadership roles?

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So if you ever wondered how blending theory with real world practice can move our industry forward, you're in the right place.

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Let's dive in, ashley.

00:01:09.174 --> 00:01:10.664
It's so great to have you on.

00:01:10.664 --> 00:01:11.165
Welcome.

00:01:11.165 --> 00:01:12.933
Thank you so much for having me.

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Why don't you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and your role.

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Yeah, absolutely.

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I got into the car industry about five years ago at the same time COVID was happening, so obviously I had a big transition to get into the market.

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I ended up originally working for a wholesaler who transitioned when all of the auctions shut down and had to transition to a full-time retail.

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So I was in the groundwork of figuring out how do we market, how do we sell, how do we get customers, how do we retain customers, how do we get inventory.

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So it was really amazing.

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I learned everything from data entry to how to do the marketing, to how to set up a service shop.

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So over the last five years I've kind of transitioned from very entry level to marketing director to now I've been VP of sales and marketing and they brought me in as a partner about a year ago now.

00:02:02.325 --> 00:02:17.230
So it's been really awesome to be in charge of a lot of the strategic planning of the company and also building out the company to be really successful for repeat customers, referrals, having a great brand that we're really proud of.

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So that's kind of been a little bit about me.

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I have loved the industry.

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It's kind of like once you get in, I totally understand why people don't leave and there's a lot of opportunities and even connecting with great people like you and all the other people I've met through all the networks.

00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:42.350
Yeah, that's been the best unexpected benefit of doing the podcast is just meeting so many great people and women in the industry and just learning about their stories.

00:02:42.350 --> 00:02:45.986
So how did you get into automotive in the first place?

00:02:45.986 --> 00:02:52.668
Because I feel like that's always the tricky thing with just trying to attract more women in the industry is just that initial.

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How do we get them in?

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Because at least when we get them in then we have a great opportunity to have them stay.

00:03:00.192 --> 00:03:04.650
Then they can understand that it's such a great industry and there's so much opportunity.

00:03:04.650 --> 00:03:05.711
But how did that happen for you?

00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:13.388
So my stepdad he's been my stepdad for about 10 years now, so my entire adult life and he has always owned dealerships.

00:03:13.388 --> 00:03:15.003
So I kind of came in.

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He was like, hey, come work with me, try to help me get some stuff set up.

00:03:18.167 --> 00:03:25.454
And I expected it to be a couple of them, a couple months, and it ended up being a very great career, very lucrative, very fulfilling.

00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:41.343
But that was something that's a really big push for me, because I've been so vocal on social media and going on these podcasts to show hey, you can have a really great career in the automotive industry as a woman and it doesn't just have to be because your dad, your brother or you're a legacy person in the automotive industry.

00:03:41.343 --> 00:03:50.201
And I've been really big on taking people who have no experience in the industry and showing them a pathway to success, whether that's in marketing, whether that's in sales.

00:03:50.201 --> 00:04:12.549
So, yeah, I had family in it, but it's been a big mission of mine to really show people that there is a way to make really good connections and to kind of just jump in and show them with the platform that I do have, whether how small or large it is, that this is a way that they could go and have a really fulfilling career, even though we're kind of the minorities in the mix.

00:04:12.568 --> 00:04:14.937
That's great, I mean, we're definitely aligned in that mission.

00:04:14.937 --> 00:04:29.422
So I'm so happy to have you on, and one of the things that also really intrigued me about you was that you're also taking an academic avenue with automotive and you are working on your doctorate.

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Is that the case?

00:04:31.605 --> 00:04:34.190
Is it done yet, or is it still in process?

00:04:34.911 --> 00:04:36.093
So I'm a year and a half in.

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It's a really big thing that I saw within the industry.

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I got my MBA at the very beginning of getting into the industry and after taking a year or two off I was like I want to go back and get my doctorate in business administration and I'm doing it at the University of Tampa and I'm about a year and a half in at this point of a three-year program and really my focus is figuring out how to apply theory and foundational practices and applying them within the industry.

00:05:03.704 --> 00:05:21.651
I have found that for research, there's a lot of information out there about the car industry but these higher academic thinking and studies that are done, that are super important, are really only being done by a handful of companies like Cox Automotive and some smaller ones or consulting industries.

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So I was like there is such a gap in knowledge between applying these foundational practices and theories into the dealership, from whether that's technology adoption, whether that's developing training programs, whether that's new onboarding practices.

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So I've absolutely loved being at the University of Tampa to learn these high level things and then figuring out how does that actually impact dealerships and how does that impact the bottom line.

00:05:47.351 --> 00:05:49.507
It isn't just a theory at the end of the day.

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I love that work, especially because I feel like there is that gap and coming from the OEM side, where sometimes the OEM knows best hey, if you just did it this way in the dealerships then you would get XYZ result right.

00:06:05.216 --> 00:06:11.750
And sometimes the theory and the academic process doesn't necessarily translate to the real world.

00:06:11.750 --> 00:06:23.028
But if we can get more I guess people thinking this way then maybe we can uncover a bunch of stuff that we're missing, that can truly make the retail process the best that it can be.

00:06:23.468 --> 00:06:30.122
And it's so important too because, like the research that I'm finding, because we're a high involvement purchase buying a car.

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It's one of the highest expenditures that a person can have with their disposable income.

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So I have found they do it in banking, they do it in luxury goods, but there's such a gap for they're not applying it in the automotive industry.

00:06:43.108 --> 00:06:51.300
I don't know if they're scared of it, but they're not getting the consumer behavior and also comparing that with what is actually happening with inside the dealership.

00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:53.245
Okay, so I love this.

00:06:53.245 --> 00:06:54.410
Let's break it down further.

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What do you think needs to be happening inside the dealership so they're doing the things the other industries are doing for the customers?

00:07:02.819 --> 00:07:10.413
The main thing that I was seeing that dealerships really should be focused on doing is the entire customer experience journey.

00:07:10.413 --> 00:07:15.922
So you take the beginning of the sale before they've even maybe interacted with the salesperson, before they've even called in.

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What are they experiencing Then during the entire purchase process of what is their interaction with all the stakeholders when they're trying to buy the vehicle, and then what's happening after they actually buy the after sale portion, and what I'm finding is that they're really missing the two end pieces that make it really important or they're very focused on.

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This is how things should be marketed and this is the brand of what we're trying to convey, but then that's missed when it's actually happening in the sale.

00:07:46.190 --> 00:08:08.654
So maybe they're not getting the same customer experience that they're preaching from the very beginning, because marketing is pushing out this image of a company or an image of how they should be conveying, because it sounds great, it's very appeasing to the eye, maybe it's capturing that customer to call or come in, but then that journey and that experience is not actually being delivered, so it's not meeting their expectations.

00:08:08.654 --> 00:08:10.759
That have been really evolving.

00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:15.959
If you look over the consumer behavior for car buying in the last 10 years, it's really transformed.

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Because if you would have said 10 years ago that people were buying cars without seeing them, they would have said you're kind of crazy, that's been a really big thing.

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And then the other thing is like, after you actually sell the customer, what is that salesperson doing, or what is the entire dealership doing, to stay in front of that customer and keep building those relationships, make sure that they're happy, making sure that they are having that entire customer experience carried out and they're not just okay, you made money off of them and now you throw them to the side.

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50% sometimes of our business is repeat and referral business and that just goes to show when you have, like the post-sale etiquette.

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If you follow up with them, you're staying in touch with them, you're sending them promotions, but also building that relationship with them.

00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:05.452
More likely they're going to when they have kids, they're going to bring them to buy their vehicle.

00:09:05.452 --> 00:09:08.421
When they're ready to trade in, go for the next thing, they're going to come back.

00:09:08.421 --> 00:09:17.580
So I think that sometimes dealerships are thinking short-sighted and they're not thinking long-term of the customer value and how to actually build those relationships out.

00:09:17.580 --> 00:09:18.260
Yes, on so many levels.

00:09:18.280 --> 00:09:19.682
So what do you think the corrective measures are?

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What needs to happen?

00:09:20.302 --> 00:09:27.191
So what do you think the corrective measures are what needs to happen, and is this part of your dissertation as well?

00:09:27.692 --> 00:09:34.500
Yeah, so my dissertation is really focusing on the customer experience strategy inside of car dealerships.

00:09:34.500 --> 00:09:49.488
So I'm looking at different components of digital retailing, but I'm also looking at the different models that show like buying online but picking up in store and those types of things and what other aspects of the customer experience should be adhered to.

00:09:49.488 --> 00:09:53.668
But we're looking at it through the lens of what the customers actually want.

00:09:53.668 --> 00:09:58.803
And then is what the dealerships are doing, actually meeting what the customers want?

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Because sometimes those could be completely different things.

00:10:01.871 --> 00:10:07.789
The dealership is like this is what we should do, this is the cost effective thing to do, but it's not what consumers really want.

00:10:07.789 --> 00:10:19.106
And I say that by having the dealerships developing standard operating procedures and stuff that aren't just to look good but are actually being done.

00:10:19.106 --> 00:10:22.601
If it's too cumbersome for the salesperson, they're not going to do it.

00:10:22.601 --> 00:10:31.020
If it's something that isn't actually being measured or accounted for, they probably are going to take the road of the less resistance and not do it.

00:10:31.020 --> 00:10:45.639
So you have to make it a win-win, because a lot of the research shows, with expectancy theory, if the salesperson feels as though what they're doing is going to benefit them in the long run and they can see the benefits of that, the more likely they are to do it.

00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:51.503
So I've also seen us we write these processes so they know exactly what they should be doing.

00:10:51.503 --> 00:10:55.317
Seen us we write these processes so they know exactly what they should be doing.

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But the top leadership within the dealership should be modeling what it should look like too.

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So I'm the biggest believer and I'm not really asking anybody to do anything I wouldn't be willing to do myself.

00:11:03.402 --> 00:11:05.453
So it's like making those calls.

00:11:05.453 --> 00:11:12.692
Making sure that they have the warm and fuzzies after they've bought a vehicle is really important, and they appreciate the thank you cards that go out.

00:11:12.692 --> 00:11:17.023
They appreciate checking up with them in a month to see how everything's going.

00:11:17.023 --> 00:11:18.572
That's really important.

00:11:18.572 --> 00:11:30.095
And I think when they see those people come back in six months when their neighbor now is coming in and they want to just stop in and say hi, that's super important, because we're all human at the end of the day.

00:11:30.095 --> 00:11:36.504
I think sometimes the car industry or the car dealership forgets that component because so much money is at play.

00:11:36.846 --> 00:11:41.619
Can you give an example of an effective process that's working in the dealership you're in?

00:11:42.139 --> 00:11:46.639
Yeah, A big thing that we started doing is we are a dealership and a service shop.

00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:52.870
So what we've also done is bringing, when they're selling and they're going through the purchase process.

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A big thing is customers want to make sure that they're not buying a vehicle that it has not been serviced, a vehicle that is going to break down the minute that they leave the shop.

00:12:01.221 --> 00:12:13.062
So what we started doing is having our sales manager introducing them to our service manager and having that relationship being built out to then if anything did arise after the sale.

00:12:13.062 --> 00:12:19.272
Now they kind of already feel comfortable with this is the service manager, this is his card directly.

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This is if you need anything in the future.

00:12:21.658 --> 00:12:28.182
It kind of makes the environment more of a team environment versus being so siloed, which I think happens.

00:12:28.182 --> 00:12:36.215
Or then when the customer is following up, say two months, and their engine blows I mean, we sell mechanical items.

00:12:36.215 --> 00:12:41.452
Everybody knows that too, that you can't always control what's going to happen.

00:12:41.452 --> 00:13:01.972
It really matters how you handle the customer and that they feel that they're taken care of, and I think having more people at play or more people that can answer appropriately or provide like the customer service that is needed at that time has been a really important thing, and that's kind of during the purchase process and even the after fact.

00:13:01.972 --> 00:13:10.269
We even have automated emails going out making sure that they're getting connected with service or for anything future service related.

00:13:10.831 --> 00:13:12.857
So you mentioned digital retailing.

00:13:12.857 --> 00:13:14.852
What does that mean to you?

00:13:15.514 --> 00:13:18.541
Yeah, digital retailing is a culmination of different things.

00:13:18.541 --> 00:13:23.981
When I first came on five years ago to the dealership, they didn't even know how to use DocuSign.

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They had never FaceTimed a customer, they had never really done a sale that was outside of, like the locality of Southwest Florida.

00:13:32.278 --> 00:13:48.710
So for me, digital retailing and I take a lot of the information that I learned through Cox Automotive, the digital buying car studies that we've talked about too, and it's really anything that you are doing to connect with the customer that is not happening within the store.

00:13:48.710 --> 00:13:50.111
I look at it as digital retailing.

00:13:50.111 --> 00:13:51.134
That is not happening within the store.

00:13:51.134 --> 00:13:51.975
I look at it as digital retailing.

00:13:51.975 --> 00:14:12.979
So from the very beginning the customer calls in or they're inquiring about a vehicle, I think having an important word track to gain confidence, to show transparency, is really important because you have all these tools, for the automotive software industry is expanding like crazy to accommodate for these tools.

00:14:12.979 --> 00:14:21.614
You have Trade Pending, who does SnapSell, which is videos, and you have Cox Automotive delivering so many different tools to use.

00:14:21.614 --> 00:14:37.855
But I think it's important that the dealership understands the foundation of what's important for digital retailing, because you can have all the tools but if you're not actually doing what the customer wants again, you won't be able to sell them and they'll probably buy local to them.

00:14:37.855 --> 00:15:14.121
So I only bring that up because when they call in having a word track and having the confidence to say we ship all over the country we are 4.8 on Google with over 1000 reviews we must be doing something right, starting with those types of things and then offering more information than they may need that maybe they didn't know was accessible to them, whether that's the window stickers, whether that's sending them walk around personalized videos, which I talk to a lot because it's super important, because they feel as though they're seeing it and you're not trying to hide any of the imperfections, especially when you work in the use space.

00:15:14.121 --> 00:15:15.845
That's been really important.

00:15:16.070 --> 00:15:23.894
And then having optimized digital contracting, whether that's through dealer center, using DocuSign, is stuff we've done.

00:15:23.894 --> 00:15:31.628
But then you have to have safeguards in place to ensure that all the information that you're getting is protected and being secure.

00:15:31.628 --> 00:15:52.197
And then making sure that the entire process you are also staying in touch with them in a way to then set up delivery and make sure that any of their questions are adhered to, because you're playing their eyes and ears also, so taking on that responsibility for salespeople to understand you could now service the entire nation of people.

00:15:52.197 --> 00:16:14.812
If you're excellent at doing digital retailing, you no longer are just with the people who are willing to drive to you and so inspiring the salespeople to see what type of an opportunity it is, because I've seen some salespeople thrive in doing digital retailing and other ones who have really shied away from it, and you can see the difference and pay for them.

00:16:15.453 --> 00:16:20.753
It sounds so easy, but doing it and implementing it and adopting it is a whole other thing.

00:16:20.753 --> 00:16:23.318
What do you think the barriers are?

00:16:23.318 --> 00:16:33.278
Obviously, if it was easy then everybody would be doing it and everybody would have made a lot more advancements in how they're progressing and the customer experience and the whole retail automotive experience.

00:16:33.278 --> 00:16:39.081
What do you think dealerships need to do that maybe are a little bit behind on this, to kind of push themselves forward?

00:16:39.830 --> 00:16:40.952
Yeah, a big thing with that.

00:16:40.952 --> 00:16:47.799
It's so easy to talk about and, especially from a high pedestal, to say this is what you should be doing, this is how this needs to be done.

00:16:47.799 --> 00:17:01.900
But actually, in the groundwork of what actually needs to be done is there's this technology adoption model theory that I use all the time in a lot of my research, and it really talks about the ease of use that has to be there.

00:17:01.900 --> 00:17:14.684
When you look at some of these technologies, like the CRMs, or you look at SnapSell, they've made it to where you just have to click a couple of buttons or the training is much easier.

00:17:14.684 --> 00:17:25.824
What I have seen with adopting any of the technology is using the trainers to be able to come in and actually train and show them how easy it is to adopt it.

00:17:25.824 --> 00:17:29.791
Because I'm working with people who have been in the industry for 40 years.

00:17:29.791 --> 00:17:33.217
Getting them to adopt new technology is tough.

00:17:33.217 --> 00:17:36.401
It's very, very tough, to say the least.

00:17:36.401 --> 00:17:46.936
So you do the ease of use that you're looking for and the people who specialize in it to be able to train and maybe carve out time to ingrain it also in sales training.

00:17:46.936 --> 00:18:03.538
But a big thing that I've learned is once you start showing them that you can increase numbers and you start showing them of like, hey, this is how you do it, and you have people who are willing to try it and do it, because at first they could be very resistant.

00:18:03.638 --> 00:18:11.484
But I think having leadership that's excited and that are have an energy of like, willingness to try new things.

00:18:11.484 --> 00:18:14.367
So so it kind of comes down to a company culture too.

00:18:14.367 --> 00:18:16.498
I've always worked on the independent side.

00:18:16.498 --> 00:18:23.538
I know it's different within franchises, but I know how much it impacts from team leads and from people who sales managers.

00:18:23.538 --> 00:18:29.098
If they're not seeing it modeled in front of them, they're kind of like why would I have to do this?

00:18:29.098 --> 00:18:31.479
Or why would I start using this new technology?

00:18:31.479 --> 00:18:44.143
So the biggest thing has been I've seen when I'm excited and I get people like to see how easy it is for me to do and maybe they shadow me a little bit, then they're willing to do it.

00:18:44.222 --> 00:19:09.771
Now I left today and they were doing a four car deal when I was leaving and they were doing walk around videos and they were feeling way more connected with customers than they ever did before and that person wasn't even stepping in the showroom and so I think it's been a long process to get there, but we can't undermine how important the culture is and the people that you hire and the people that you train.

00:19:10.232 --> 00:19:20.153
And then if you carve out time for training, which is sales training is the largest expenditure for training across industries, so it's very important.

00:19:20.153 --> 00:19:30.571
But if you incorporate this stuff into it, we see benefits all the time, because if you don't evolve, you're going to be left behind if you're not changing and evolving to meet the needs.

00:19:30.571 --> 00:19:35.742
Because now we see the rise of AI with different things, customer service looks different now.

00:19:35.742 --> 00:19:46.349
So the digital retailing that we think of, we think it's the interaction between the salesperson and the customer, but there's also digital retailing for people who want immediate support.

00:19:46.349 --> 00:19:55.025
Nowadays they want to have immediate access to things, so you need to also have a website, have an environment where you can provide that to them.

00:19:55.869 --> 00:19:59.601
What has your experience been as a female in the industry?

00:20:00.450 --> 00:20:07.694
It has been very interesting because, working in my field I work, a lot of our customers are men as well.

00:20:07.694 --> 00:20:11.315
A lot of local businesses buy from us and then we ship all over the country.

00:20:11.315 --> 00:20:27.757
So a lot of times people will think I'm either a secretary which nothing against that but I've been with the company for so long and doing that where they thought I was the owner's executive assistant instead of driving strategy.

00:20:27.757 --> 00:20:33.550
So it's funny to look at it from the realm of the customers coming in and interacting with me.

00:20:33.550 --> 00:20:42.376
But with my salespeople and how long I've been with the company, I'm really somebody that has the mindset of I'm capable of achieving anything.

00:20:42.376 --> 00:20:46.174
If I set my mind to, I can do it and that's modeled in my interactions.

00:20:46.615 --> 00:20:58.971
But now in the last while I've been really trying to pull more women into the space too, because working with women and having that network, I see a different level of creativity happening.

00:20:59.192 --> 00:21:14.595
I see a level of having a nice spin of the creation and the collaboration that takes place and I have found it to be better across the board because when we have diversity and different mindsets coming to the table to when we have diversity and different mindsets coming to the table to have creativity.

00:21:14.654 --> 00:21:37.698
There's different things that I've never looked at, that now my new partner is looking at, and for a long time it was just me kind of listening to the men in the field tell me how things should be, and then over the years I've kind of found my voice and I actually, in this space and for any person in, say, the marketing realm or sales data, speaks for itself at times.

00:21:37.698 --> 00:22:06.762
So being able to present stuff in a way where you are factual, you're driving data, you have numbers to back you up as well, I have found that it really gives a vote of confidence towards myself and it's allowing for space to be created for other women to come up, because some of the men that I've worked with they've never had sales women work with them, they've not had high level executives.

00:22:06.762 --> 00:22:11.738
They'll say, oh yeah, like we have the office managers that they've worked with Right.

00:22:11.758 --> 00:22:14.824
So it's interesting because it has to be a paradigm shift.

00:22:14.824 --> 00:22:18.621
But I also think that not everybody needs to go get their doctorate.

00:22:18.621 --> 00:22:33.663
I'm not advocating for that or higher education, but I also think of I'm somebody who is getting my doctorate and building out the credibility and I've also just received the 40 under 40 award from CBT News Congratulations.

00:22:33.663 --> 00:22:55.185
Yeah, I had to just drop that in there, but I think it's important to bring that up because it just filters in for the credibility component that I don't need any more credibility, but I need to be able to stand up in a room and convey my thoughts and ideas and do it in a meaningful way that actually gets conveyed to them and also brings them in to help make those decisions.

00:22:55.185 --> 00:23:12.787
Because me telling all these men what to do, typically it doesn't take off, but if I can get their feedback and it be a democratic decision, it ends up being a lot better and a lot more like they were making that decision to adopt these new technologies or to adopt these new ideas.

00:23:13.128 --> 00:23:19.537
Well, one day I think this is the goal one day you can stand up there and you don't have to have the doctorate to have the credibility.

00:23:19.537 --> 00:23:24.448
But I know you're doing all the things because you're so passionate about it too, and that's yeah, that's wonderful.

00:23:24.448 --> 00:23:30.049
What have you learned in your research that could help attract and retain more women in the automotive industry?

00:23:30.811 --> 00:23:37.730
A big thing that I have seen, because my original research that I started to work on was women in leadership.

00:23:37.730 --> 00:23:46.906
When I started to look at that and then combined it to the automotive industry, I have spent the last two years really getting more involved with networks and mentorship.

00:23:46.906 --> 00:23:57.834
So the importance of seeing people that look like you or have similar backgrounds to you is really important to order to believe that you can also do it.

00:23:57.834 --> 00:24:10.471
There's a psychology to diversity, but it's also if you see all men all the time or you walk into every car dealership and it's always men that might not think that that's a path for you to take.

00:24:10.471 --> 00:24:32.027
So what I am seeing is the importance of valuing and using the time to join these networks, to be on more speaking podcasts, to reach more people, and that's what the research shows too the importance of having mentorship in order for your career success to not just go into the automotive industry but stay through your mid-career and become an executive.

00:24:32.528 --> 00:24:36.037
So we don't want people to just come into the automotive industry and stay for a year.

00:24:36.037 --> 00:24:46.634
We want people to come in and create a career that they are then powerful and empowered women to be able to make really big change and have their voice heard across the industry.

00:24:46.634 --> 00:24:55.634
So and that was the biggest research that I found that there's a lot of mentorship and behind the scenes interactions that takes place.

00:24:55.634 --> 00:24:57.874
Where I have all men that work together.

00:24:57.874 --> 00:25:02.490
They sometimes will go golfing on the weekends or they'll go grab a beer after work.

00:25:02.490 --> 00:25:18.251
So I've started to really want to connect with other women and sometimes I'll go out with them afterwards too, but I kind of still have to find that line of professionalism and still interacting across the board.

00:25:18.653 --> 00:25:19.256
I fully agree.

00:25:19.256 --> 00:25:25.257
I mean more women in leadership roles in automotive will attract more women, but it's how do we get there faster?

00:25:25.257 --> 00:25:26.982
Because it's just on us.

00:25:26.982 --> 00:25:31.221
I mean, I think we've made a lot of progress, but it's still not where it should be.

00:25:31.221 --> 00:25:43.057
I think, as of where we're at today, I mean, people like you and there's so many other great leaders in the industry are trying to do their part and make waves, but it's just the obstacles and the barriers for preventing it.

00:25:43.057 --> 00:25:45.452
What do you see as some of the biggest ones?

00:25:46.184 --> 00:25:51.708
Some of the biggest ones too is, like I've been saying, is they don't believe that that's a path.

00:25:51.708 --> 00:25:56.105
So what I have seen is more from, like, the OEM side.

00:25:56.105 --> 00:26:05.933
I've actually seen more interactions with college campuses which they could have tabling events they have for the very first time in the last like 10 years.

00:26:05.933 --> 00:26:15.490
I've seen like Northwoods out of Michigan and they have big automotive classes that they're preaching and showing how to actually operate within a dealership.

00:26:15.490 --> 00:26:23.538
I get it, that's the academic side, but that is showing women and showing other people that they can go that path as a career path.

00:26:23.538 --> 00:26:31.886
That isn't just there's a negative persona around used car salesmen or around going to the dealership.

00:26:31.886 --> 00:26:42.471
So you could be on the OEM side or you could be on the dealership side, but there's so many paths that I think are just missed because there's negative connotation with it.

00:26:42.771 --> 00:27:14.077
So I think, changing the paradigm and if any person is on LinkedIn and see the way that some of these top level salespeople, sales managers and general managers interact on there, I think that they would be more empowered and to have a little bit more structure for how that career path goes, versus just being sales-centric, because the data shows that women are typically more nurturing and gravitate towards industries where they're taking care of people, and that's what the data shows that from primary research.

00:27:14.077 --> 00:27:22.307
But that doesn't mean that they want to be absolutely incredible in a sales role if they also got to cater to the nurturing of relationships.

00:27:22.307 --> 00:27:24.512
Because I've even changed.

00:27:24.512 --> 00:27:30.471
We don't have salespeople at our dealership anymore, we have account managers and we're focusing on relationships.

00:27:30.471 --> 00:27:41.337
So I also think that maybe changing the terminology could also make women more excited about taking on roles versus taking on, maybe, a salesperson role.

00:27:41.924 --> 00:27:42.967
Yeah, absolutely so.

00:27:42.967 --> 00:27:43.929
Account manager.

00:27:43.929 --> 00:27:49.907
And then how, what are the work hours and the pay plan like for a position like that?

00:27:50.549 --> 00:27:52.113
So the structure for that.

00:27:52.113 --> 00:27:54.605
We actually have a really interesting dealership model.

00:27:54.605 --> 00:27:57.752
Everybody eats from the same table, from the same pie.

00:27:57.752 --> 00:28:00.806
So our commission structure is a lot different.

00:28:00.806 --> 00:28:11.160
It kind of hinders scalability, but it also is a really good incentives for our team that we do have to work together really well and it holds them accountable.

00:28:11.160 --> 00:28:29.186
But the pay structure for that, what I have seen, would be a commission of gross profit and then there's add-ons for being able to sell service plans or being able to sell extended service, and then we do like shelves and roof racks because we are commercial centric.

00:28:29.186 --> 00:28:30.249
And then how many hours?

00:28:30.328 --> 00:28:32.692
And the hours, which is important.

00:28:32.692 --> 00:28:38.951
We kind of call them country club hours, so 8.30 until 5.

00:28:38.951 --> 00:28:42.740
And then, yeah, and then the weekend.

00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:53.750
If people could only get in on the weekend, then you kind of have to accommodate and meet people where they're needed, Because if you're not making sales, you're not making the company money and you're not making money.

00:28:53.750 --> 00:28:55.835
So that's really important too.

00:28:55.835 --> 00:29:15.906
So it's kind of finding a company that works with the hours because work-life balance if that can be created a little bit better for women, that is a huge barrier, Because if you have children, you're raising a family, you're doing anything to take care of yourself, working from eight to nine every single day, six days a week, seven days a week.

00:29:15.906 --> 00:29:28.083
A franchise might not be the correct answer, but it's finding ways to optimize women but also still give flexibility and work-life balance for them.

00:29:28.083 --> 00:29:37.949
Maybe another way dealerships can really gain good traction and hire even better people than they are now who would be willing to work those hours.

00:29:38.269 --> 00:29:38.951
I fully agree.

00:29:38.951 --> 00:29:55.714
And if I were in that world where I was looking for employment in retail and if they didn't advertise, hey, this is 40-hour work week and it's eight to five, I would immediately rule it out because my assumption would be oh, it's nine to nine and I have to work 70 hours a week.

00:29:55.714 --> 00:29:59.946
So I think that's huge and it's so important to be sending that message out.

00:29:59.946 --> 00:30:05.959
So hopefully there's a chance to attract people, and men or women too, right?

00:30:05.959 --> 00:30:09.413
I mean, everybody wants work-life balance, not just the women.

00:30:09.413 --> 00:30:11.076
I think that's a huge part of it.

00:30:11.885 --> 00:30:16.510
Well, yeah, and the research that I have been finding too is the value and work-life balance.

00:30:16.510 --> 00:30:29.205
You actually get better employees when they feel as though they're able to take care of themselves and do good things outside of work, like that they can go golf on a Saturday if they want to, or they can go hang out with their family after work without being drained.

00:30:29.205 --> 00:30:40.453
So the research is showing that you could have a better employee by doing that, and you're seeing that kind of modeled by some four-day work weeks that some countries or some companies are starting to implement.

00:30:40.453 --> 00:30:47.919
I'm not saying that would be absolutely applicable to the automotive industry, but even scaled down to a certain degree, it could be.

00:30:48.919 --> 00:30:56.594
I found someone on LinkedIn who was advocating and I think her mission is like the four-day work week and I can't remember her name, but I've got to go relook her up.

00:30:56.594 --> 00:30:58.532
I'm like wow, that's a really cool mission.

00:30:59.449 --> 00:31:08.251
So, yeah, maybe one day, yeah, and that's kind of what I've created a little bit for myself in this role too to be able to do my doctorate too.

00:31:08.251 --> 00:31:23.805
So it's like, if you are doing higher education or you have certain things, finding companies that work with you and value you for certain areas, that you can be super successful or work remote, because I do a lot of strategy stuff and a lot of stuff with sales.

00:31:23.805 --> 00:31:32.299
But then there was also a lot of marketing that I'm like I do not need to be sitting in the dealership with all the commotion going on to be really great at what I'm doing here.

00:31:32.299 --> 00:31:39.686
So it's good to find that balance and to work with a company that can see the value that you're doing even if you're not inside the showroom.

00:31:40.307 --> 00:31:58.676
So for your doctorate, as you finish that up what would be, I guess, the biggest goal for the impact for that to have, whether you personally in the industry, or for the dealership you're in, or for the industry overall what is in your head like, wow, this was a huge win.

00:31:59.086 --> 00:32:21.994
Well, I really want to publish my dissertation and use it to have TED Talks books to be able to push more content and resources out into the automotive industry that have that credibility backing it and also could kind of be a roadmap, because as we talk about a lot, it's like, okay, these are great in theory, but how do you apply it and that's really where I'm trying to fine tune it.

00:32:22.296 --> 00:32:51.717
If we could give a roadmap of very successful principles and really successful ways of adopting new technologies in a roadmap to have a great customer experience journey that's really what I'm trying to create and also have a really great consulting practice for dealerships to kind of go in, because you sometimes have this lens of how things are looking but you sometimes need somebody who might specialize in a certain area to be able to say, hey, this is how you should transition this.

00:32:51.717 --> 00:33:06.867
If you were able to support your employees like this or create sales training, because a big part of what the customer experiences and what I'm creating with my doctorate is to then also see if that's matching what sales training is being done in franchise dealerships.

00:33:06.867 --> 00:33:17.169
So if we could figure out how to create better sales training, that is also the relationship building component to deliver in car dealerships across the United States.

00:33:17.169 --> 00:33:25.433
I think we would see greater success and more fulfillment from sales people and then a better experience ultimately for the customer.

00:33:25.714 --> 00:33:29.212
Well, I'm really excited to see your published work one day and where you go with it.

00:33:29.212 --> 00:33:30.115
That's really exciting.

00:33:30.684 --> 00:33:31.788
Yeah, I love it.

00:33:31.788 --> 00:33:41.465
And the sales training is crazy because there's so much sales training that goes into the automotive industry but there's not that much research out about it.

00:33:41.465 --> 00:33:42.809
And what sales training?

00:33:42.809 --> 00:33:50.517
Because you have great people like Tom Hopkins that you might do some of your sales training from, and I know with franchise they have stuff mapped out.

00:33:50.517 --> 00:34:03.069
But maybe that needs to be recreated to kind of be more accommodating for the digital retailing or the different models of we're about to see more direct to consumer, possibly from the OEM to the consumer.

00:34:03.069 --> 00:34:11.405
So how does that look and how is that created and how are the OEMs being trained to actually deliver that and it to be successful?

00:34:11.945 --> 00:34:19.070
Right To wrap up, what would be any advice you would give to women in the industry?

00:34:19.550 --> 00:34:31.088
Some of the greatest research that I found in the very beginning of my studies was that women only apply to jobs or roles when they meet 100% of the qualifications, or 95%.

00:34:31.088 --> 00:34:42.585
However, men apply for jobs even when they only meet 60% of the criteria, and when I read that, I said I am going to shoot my shot for the things that I really want to do.

00:34:42.585 --> 00:35:05.349
That's how I've ended up talking with you today, that's how I've received awards, that's how I got into a program that I was supposed to have 10 years of executive experience in, and if I wouldn't have applied to those things, I wouldn't be living the life that I'm living right now, where I get to travel, I get to have a really fulfilling career, and my biggest advice to women or anybody listening to this, is shoot your shot.

00:35:05.349 --> 00:35:12.215
The worst thing that they can tell you is no, and each no is a new redirect to actually achieve the things that you want.

00:35:12.215 --> 00:35:18.793
So I get chills thinking about it, because it's so important that the answer is always going to be no.

00:35:18.833 --> 00:35:22.789
If you don't apply, if you don't put yourself out there, meet new people.

00:35:22.789 --> 00:35:28.289
If you get the opportunity to go to a networking event, do it, show up, be scared.

00:35:28.289 --> 00:35:35.202
And the last piece was just all you need is 20 seconds of courage picking up the phone and starting to call customers, and need is 20 seconds of courage picking up the phone and starting to call customers and stuff.

00:35:35.202 --> 00:35:38.355
20 seconds of courage and you'll get through it.

00:35:38.355 --> 00:35:43.536
So be brave and show up in the automotive industry, because we have a lot of space for you.

00:35:44.197 --> 00:35:44.958
I love this so much.

00:35:44.958 --> 00:35:47.820
Shoot your shot, be brave and show up.

00:35:47.820 --> 00:35:48.744
Yeah, exactly.

00:35:49.326 --> 00:36:05.755
The last thing was really with my research and with looking into the different data that's out there to be able to make decisions and learn from Cox Automotive All of their studies that are done are probably some of the best that I've seen for them out there.

00:36:05.755 --> 00:36:09.715
Go Cox and then also yeah, it really is great.

00:36:09.715 --> 00:36:31.246
But also LinkedIn is a great resource for a lot of great companies that are up and coming to like car dealership guy and you kind of start learning these different studies and seeing the data to kind of also be exciting for how you want to progress in your career too, Because if you didn't really know about direct to consumer, you didn't know more about the digital retailing.

00:36:31.246 --> 00:36:34.351
There's not just one way to get into the automotive industry.

00:36:34.351 --> 00:36:39.179
There's a lot of different avenues and I think you can be an advocate for that.

00:36:39.179 --> 00:36:50.856
I mean you spent a lot on the OEM side, so it's interesting and just because one might have not have worked as great for you, there could be other opportunities elsewhere.

00:36:51.364 --> 00:36:52.128
Agreed, Ashley.

00:36:52.128 --> 00:36:53.797
This has been so phenomenal.

00:36:53.797 --> 00:36:54.802
Thank you so much.

00:36:54.802 --> 00:36:58.876
If people want to learn more about you or get in touch with you, what would be the best way?

00:36:59.284 --> 00:37:05.619
So definitely you could find me on LinkedIn, Ashley DeBoer, and that's probably the best.

00:37:05.619 --> 00:37:14.413
It'll have my email on there and we can connect and we can create a whole community of people who are killing it in the automotive industry Fantastic.

00:37:14.452 --> 00:37:14.612
Thanks.

00:37:14.612 --> 00:37:15.775
So much, yep.

00:37:15.775 --> 00:37:16.458
Thank you, jamie.

00:37:16.458 --> 00:37:18.552
Thanks for tuning into this episode.

00:37:18.552 --> 00:37:25.929
If you like this humble passion project, please tell your automotive friends about it and leave us a review on Apple or Spotify Until next time.