The Front Door Problem: How to Stop Losing Customers Before They Even Say Hello

The front door is a symbol of opportunity. In retail automotive, it is quite literally the entrance through which new business arrives. Yet too often, customers walk through that door unnoticed or unacknowledged, and the opportunity evaporates. In business terms, it is a leak in the pipeline. In human terms, it is a first impression lost.

Every industry has its version of the front door problem. In hospitality, it is the unattended reception desk. In professional services, it is the unanswered email. In digital commerce, it is a confusing checkout page. The specifics differ, but the impact is universal: the relationship ends before it even begins.

Fixing this problem is not about adding complexity, but about committing to attentiveness. In dealerships, that may mean a staffing model that ensures someone is always ready to greet. In digital channels, it may mean chat functions or smarter automation that responds immediately. The principle is the same—clients should never wonder if they are welcome.

First impressions carry disproportionate weight. A prompt, sincere greeting can make a customer feel valued before a single product is discussed. Conversely, a delay or oversight communicates indifference, even if unintentional. Leaders who fail to address this blind spot will find themselves investing heavily in marketing only to lose customers at the threshold.

Technology can help, but it cannot replace discipline. Cameras, alerts, and AI can notify teams of arrivals, but if the culture does not emphasize hospitality, the tools will not matter. The most successful organizations train their people to treat every new interaction as the most important of the day.

The front door, literal or figurative, is a test of leadership focus. Businesses that control that first impression win loyalty quickly. Those that do not will always wonder why their pipeline leaks, unaware that the answer walked out before they even said hello.

AI at the Dealership: Replacing Routine, Elevating Experience

The conversation around artificial intelligence often begins with fear. Will it replace jobs? Will it strip the human element from industries that depend on relationships? In reality, the best use of AI in retail automotive is neither replacement nor reduction, but elevation. By handling routine tasks, AI frees human talent to focus on the experiences that truly require judgment, creativity, and empathy.

For dealerships, the routine tasks are easy to identify. Appointment scheduling, basic financing questions, inventory inquiries, and service reminders are all predictable. They demand speed, accuracy, and consistency—qualities that AI excels at. By allowing AI to serve as the first point of contact, businesses eliminate friction and give clients instant answers without long wait times.

The role of the sales or service professional, then, becomes sharper and more valuable. When a client arrives in the showroom or service lane, the conversation can immediately shift to what matters: understanding needs, building trust, and creating a personalized plan. The human interaction is not diminished, it is elevated by removing the clutter.

In luxury, speed alone is not enough. Clients expect a blend of efficiency and intimacy. AI can manage the former, but only humans can deliver the latter. The combination is where businesses set themselves apart. A client who receives instant confirmation of their appointment and then a warm, attentive welcome in person will remember both elements as part of a single seamless experience.

Leaders should not fear the “handoff” between AI and humans. Instead, they should design it intentionally, ensuring that every digital interaction flows smoothly into a personal one. Done right, the client never feels the seams. They simply experience the brand as efficient, responsive, and human.

The future of luxury retail is not one where machines replace people, but one where machines support people. AI becomes the digital front door, greeting guests with speed and clarity. People remain the heart of the experience, offering connection, understanding, and trust. Together, they create an ownership journey that feels both modern and timeless.

Why Delivery Bays Should Never Smell Like Razor Blades

The delivery of a vehicle is one of the most important moments in the ownership journey. It is the culmination of anticipation, research, and financial commitment. That moment should feel like a stage set for a memorable performance. Yet too often, the details are overlooked, and what should be pristine becomes cluttered. Razor blades left behind from sticker removal, old license plate frames tossed aside, or even empty water bottles send a silent but damaging message: the details don’t matter here.

Luxury clients notice everything. They don’t just see the car, they see the stage it’s presented on. A stray piece of trash or a cluttered workbench is more than an oversight—it is an erosion of trust. If care wasn’t taken with the environment, what does that suggest about the unseen details of the product or the service behind it?

The power of presentation is underestimated in many industries. A hotel room with a smudge on the glass, a financial advisor with disorganized paperwork, a restaurant with fingerprints on the menus—all of these break the illusion of care. It is not the flaw itself that does the damage, but the implication that excellence is negotiable.

Maintaining pristine delivery bays is not simply about cleanliness, it is about signaling value. The environment tells the customer, “We care about your experience down to the smallest detail.” It affirms that their investment was respected and that the moment was prepared for them alone. That kind of intentionality builds trust in ways that glossy brochures never can.

The lesson carries across industries. Every business has a “delivery bay” moment—the point where the product or service is handed to the client. Leaders should ask themselves: what does that moment say about our standards? If it feels ordinary, or worse, careless, the final impression will undo much of the goodwill built along the way.

Excellence in delivery is not complicated, but it requires discipline. When teams are trained to see every client interaction as a stage, and every stage as a reflection of the brand, the result is powerful. A clean, prepared, and thoughtful environment transforms a transaction into a memory. And in the luxury world, memories are what sustain loyalty.

Luxury Leadership: What Car Dealerships Can Teach Every Industry About Client Experience

Luxury leadership begins with the recognition that a product alone does not define the experience. A handcrafted automobile is an incredible feat of design and engineering, but if the client’s interaction around it feels ordinary or transactional, the magic evaporates. The best luxury businesses know this truth and engineer every touchpoint to confirm the customer’s decision to invest.

At a dealership, this can be seen from the very first moment of contact. The greeting, the attentiveness, the way the client is guided through decisions—each step is designed to be seamless. It is less about persuasion and more about stewardship. The client is buying more than a car, they are buying the reassurance that their ownership journey will be as refined as the vehicle itself.

This principle extends well beyond automotive. In hospitality, finance, or healthcare, leaders face the same challenge: how to translate product or service into enduring trust. A customer who feels truly cared for is not comparing line items, they are comparing how you make them feel. Luxury leadership is about curating that feeling with precision.

One of the most overlooked elements of luxury experience is consistency. Any brand can deliver a moment of excellence. True luxury is when excellence is the baseline. That requires leadership to prioritize systems that eliminate variability in client care, so that every visit, every phone call, every delivery feels elevated.

Technology has amplified this expectation. Clients now compare every interaction to the most seamless experience they’ve had, whether in a dealership, on a shopping app, or at a five-star hotel. Leaders who understand this do not fear the comparison—they embrace it, building organizations that anticipate needs across all platforms.

At its heart, luxury leadership is not about exclusivity, it’s about intentionality. When businesses commit to crafting an ownership journey with the same care as the product itself, they unlock loyalty that no marketing campaign could ever buy. The result is simple: a client who feels both valued and proud to belong to your brand.

High Performance at Work, High Presence at Home

The higher you climb professionally, the harder it becomes to stay grounded personally. But what’s the point of winning if you’re never really present?

I’ve learned that presence is the real currency of connection—especially with my kids. They don’t care how many units we delivered or how many meetings I took. They care whether I’m paying attention, whether I show up, whether I put the phone down.

I don’t always get the balance right. No one does. But what I’ve realized is that being intentional at home takes the same kind of focus and clarity that drives success in the office. It means saying no sometimes. It means holding the line on family rituals. And it means recognizing that leadership doesn’t end when you walk through your front door.

Being a great father and husband isn’t in conflict with being a strong executive. It strengthens it. And that kind of alignment? That’s real success.

What Cycling Taught Me About Leadership

When you're climbing a hill with nothing but your legs, your breath, and your mindset, things get real—fast.

Cycling has always been more than a hobby for me. It’s a practice in consistency, discipline, and strategy. The lessons I’ve learned on the road show up constantly in the office. Great cyclists don’t go full throttle on every mile. They know when to lead, when to conserve energy, and when to make their move.

The same holds true for leadership. You don’t build high-performance teams by pushing everyone at full speed all the time. You build them by pacing with intention, knowing your team’s strengths, and recognizing the moments that matter most.

The road doesn’t lie. It teaches you patience, humility, and how to suffer well. And it reminds me that leadership, like riding, is earned every single day.

The Luxury Mindset – Why Experience Beats Everything

In an industry obsessed with inventory and incentives, it’s easy to forget that luxury isn’t just a product. It’s a feeling.

What separates a luxury brand from a premium one? It’s not just the price tag or the prestige. It’s the experience. True luxury begins the moment a client first interacts with your brand and is reinforced at every touchpoint along the way.

In today’s market, where options are abundant and loyalty is fleeting, experience has become the last true differentiator. It can’t be commoditized, copied, or discounted. Whether you're selling cars, real estate, or ideas, delivering a luxury experience means obsessing over the details—how you're introduced, how you follow up, how you make people feel throughout the journey.

Luxury is no longer just about the product. It’s about how the customer feels in your presence. The brands—and professionals—that win will be the ones who understand that people don’t just buy what you sell. They buy how you make them feel.

We're Back!

Between a packed calendar, some big changes behind the scenes, and the daily rhythm of leading a performance-driven sales organization, I stepped away from the blog longer than I intended. But the pause wasn’t without purpose. Sometimes, the best moves come after a moment to recalibrate, refocus, and return with a clearer vision—and that’s exactly where I’m at.

So consider this the restart. I’ll be using this space to share thoughts on leadership, automotive industry trends, personal growth, and the art of balancing ambition with presence—on the bike, at the track, and around the dinner table with my family. There’s a lot ahead, and I’m excited to bring you along for the ride.

Thanks for sticking around. Let’s shift into gear.

Auto Dealer Live Episode Recap

Yesterday's episode of Auto Dealer Live had over 1,300 views from people who tuned in to watch a very spirited debate on direct mail! I was very glad to participate in this debate and share my $0.02 on the subject.

Didn't get a chance to follow along? Watch the video here!

Thanks to David Villa, and the other participants on a great chat! Thoughts? Leave them in the comments!

AutoDealer Live! Episode 308

I'm super excited to be invited on Episode 308 of Auto Dealer Live! We'll be talking direct mail this Thursday 1/25. Pop over to the Auto Dealer Live Facebook page at 2:30 CST to tune in.

 https://www.facebook.com/autodealerlive/?fref=mentions …

See you then!

Come See Me @ Digital Dealer 24

Has your dealership website started looking like your messiest salesperson's desk? We've welcomed too many cooks into the kitchen online and our websites have become optimized for everyone BUT our customers.

Coming to Digital Dealer 24 this April in Orlando? Stop by and see my session, Just Who IS Your Website Designed for? Optimize Your Website for Your Customers While Keeping the Focus on Your Bottom Line on Tuesday 4/10 at 1:25pm.

See you at #DD24 !

Sunflowers to Roses 2017

For the last 4 years I've had the amazing privilege of riding in the Sunflowers to Roses charity bike tour. Benefitting Cancer Action, proceeds from the ride go towards supporting Kansas City area cancer patients. Each year my employer, Soave Automotive Group, has fielded both the largest team in terms of riders and the overall highest donation amount for a team.

This year I'm taking my commitment to S2R one step further. As of February, I was proud to join the board of directors for Sunflowers to Roses, with the specific purpose of using my digital marketing skills to grow the ride in both riders and dollars raised.

It's going to be a busy summer leading up to the ride, but we're on track for this S2R to be the best ever. 

For personal and professional contacts willing to donate, you can checkout my donation page here.

Taking a 10-Day Media Timeout

It may seem odd for a professional who works almost entirely in digital media to need a break, but over the past months it's become more obvious that I need to disconnect. Rather than going to a beach somewhere I've decided to just take a 10-day vacation from social/digital mediums themselves. Hopefully by doing so, I can:

Prove Myself Wrong - Admittedly, I'm skeptical that I can even do this. With such an ingrained habit of checking social media and digital news during down time, I will be fighting my subconscious. 

Reduce Negative Influences - Those hanging around Twitter lately can definitely relate that the platform has become a negative echo chamber following the election. While I definitely support the points of view, the constant flow of negative news outside my control has to be impacting me at some level. Hopefully taking a break can give me a more positive outlook.

Added Focus at Work - I've scheduled my media vacation during launch week for a new CRM system at our dealerships. The result of a year long evaluation and signup process, it's a critical week for work and focusing on the main thing should be the main thing.

Gauge Dependence - Since I've been immersed in the technology for so long, I'm not really sure how i'll handle it. Will I be craving it after 24 hours? Will I simply just miss it? We'll see soon!

Whether it gives me a temporary calm or long term piece of mind, who knows, but wish me luck!

Why I Love Wednesdays

It’s just after 5 in the evening as I right this ode to Wednesdays, one of my all-time favorite days of the week. Why do I love Wednesdays you ask? Well...

No Meetings

I intentionally keep Wednesdays completely meeting free. I have no regularly scheduled meetings, nor do I usually accept requests for meetings. Thus, it’s a day for non-stop grinding. With no meetings, Wednesday is a nuclear weapon to my to-do list.

Mid-Week Perspective

While I don’t think the hustle should be limited to M-F and that weekends aren’t just for disconnecting, Wednesday does serve as a mid-week waypoint to evaluate how I’m doing on my weekly goals, and to recommit to accomplishing them by week’s end.

That’s it!

By keeping the day free to work and using it as a pause for reflection, Wednesday has become one of the best days of the week. 

The Disease of Busy

I'm not sure exactly how it happened but at some point in the last 10 years everyone became super busy. Maybe it's a combination of smartphones bringing work home with us or social media's intrusion into our personal time, but at some point everyone caught the disease of busy.

Look at your day, do you consider it to be "busy"? Now ask yourself to define that word.

What does "busy" mean to you? Does it mean that you have lots of meaningless meetings planned with no set agenda or assigned action items? Do you spend your day putting out fires and avoiding your goals? If this describes your definition of "busy", it's time to get cured.

Busy is an excuse. It's a veiled attempt to sell others that you are working really hard, but in reality is your defense mechanism to avoid being open to new projects and opportunities. It's a way for you to avoid confronting your real problems of poor time management and fear of new opportunities.

Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Pharrell, these are all highly productive people who could legitimately considered busy. Do you think you're busier than they are? Or are you just filling your time.

Like any disease, you cannot be cured unless you admit that you have it. While the tips below represent ways to begin your fight for productivity, none of them will help if you don't take step one:

Admit that you aren't busy.

Once you've admitted it, the road to busy-ness recovery starts here. Here are some steps to begin life as your new not-busy self:

1. Stop checking email constantly. Limit it to a couple hours per day.
2. Avoid meaningless meetings that lack an agenda or a clear set of action items. Don't be in them just so you won't "miss something".
3. Map out how you spend your day. Are you using your time effectively. Re plan your schedule and block out time to specifically work on projects and goals.
4. Say yes more often. Take on more work and/or help out more coworkers on what's challenging them. You may even help them become less busy.
5. Avoid negativity. Avoid the busy people who complain they never have enough time and avoid those who don't want to help themselves.

These are just a couple examples, but will set you down the path to be less busy. That said, none of them will help unless you admit you've caught the disease of busy.

Delegating for Beginners

In a fast paced work environment it can often times be easier to take care of an issue or unrelated task rather than rely on others. I've found that I take on such tasks myself for one of two reasons: I'm either worried that it won't be done as well as I think I would do it, or training someone else to fix it would take much longer than if I did it myself.

Get Over Yourself!

The belief that you're the only one who can do something the right way is the first step in developing contempt for your coworkers and team. The first step towards showing a co-worker that you trust them is to give them an added responsibility or duty. The next item you delegate may be the next time you discover that one of your team is much better at that type of task than you.

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

By inundating ourselves in minutiae we lose sight of the primary projects and goals we are constantly working towards. By shifting focus to do an unrelated item, we may "save" the time it would take to train someone, but we mortgage our future deadlines in exchange.

Give Yourself Confidence

There are lots of managers that are scared to take a day off (let alone a vacation) because they are afraid of what will happen in their absence. Most of these concerns center around their fears that the team will be unproductive or that a problem will arise that only they can handle. By delegating issues regularly on days when you are in the office, you'll give yourself more confidence and piece of mind on the days you aren't.

Start Small

If the concept of delegation scares you, start with a smaller and frequently occurring item, like running a report. As you develop more comfort with delegation, gradually increase the size and complexity of the task. 

Check In

Follow up with the team member you delegated to. Ask for feedback and de-construct how they did it, offering feedback when needed. Avoid being critical or commenting on how you would do it, and let them find their own ways to get the item done.

While those are just a few tips on delegation for beginners, it's important for managers to recognize that the avoidance of delegation can cause major projects to fall by the wayside and can have a disastrous impact on employee engagement. By becoming more comfortable with delegation, managers can give more attention to goals and give greater empowerment to their teams to grow and succeed.

3 Tips to Get Control of Your Inbox!

At one point email was heralded as a modern miracle. The ability to instantly communicate without a phone call had the promise of improving personal effectiveness. Fast forward 20+ years later and for many email represents their largest daily headache. Managers can feel as though email represents a constant obligation and a never-ending to-do list. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be so, using these handy tips:

• Limit Email Exposure: By checking email only 1-2 times per day, for only 1 hour at a time, you can free up your time for long term projects and more meaningful discussions. Note: If there are people that may need you for an urgent item or a system that needs your attention at sporadic intervals, have them call you or setup a text alert.
• Don't Use Email as a To-Do List: By using your inbox as a to-do list, new emails will constantly disrupt your workflow. This method will also ensure that you rank items by recency instead of importance, as most people have their email setup to show newest at the top. This will lend undue weight to fake emergencies from your co-workers. Try using a note taking program like Evernote to keep an actual to-do list (or heck, use a piece of paper).
• Don't Feel Compelled to Respond: If an email is of an "FYI" nature, or is something that you were just CC'd on, avoiding adding your unnecessary 2 cents can save you the drama of an endless email and reply chain thread. Instead, make a note and ask someone in person later if you have a question.

By using these three tips, you can cut down on your attachment to your inbox and free up more time to be productive. Have other great tips? Post them in the comments below!

Mobile Email Marketing Tips

With a massive consumer shift in mobile usage the battleground for email marketing has shifted from the desk to the palm. With more consumer checking email on mobile devices, it's critical that marketers shift their strategy to optimize for smaller devices and quicker decisions.

These few tips can dramatically improve the success of your email campaigns in the hands of the mobile shopper:

1. Simple Design: Keep it clean! Limit your text, use simple and high contrast images, and make sure you've got big, thumb sized call to action buttons!
2. Use the Preview Text: By putting text at the top (even in a camouflaged color or a very small font), you can own the "preview text" that falls under the subject line in many mobile inboxes!
3. Mobile Destination: Confirm that the page you're sending viewers to is also mobile optimized!
4. Proof It: Make sure that you're proofing your email on mobile and making sure that as a consumer it is easy to use and that the link/CTA button works smoothly.
5. Test It: Mobile browsing habits may vary by audience, so make sure to test your email on portions of your list during different times of day and days of the week. You may find that people checking their phones before bed on Monday night is your perfect time, or that
6. Check Results and Improve: Email marketing is a never ending experiment, so it's critical that you look at unsubscribes, clicks, and views to make your emails even more effective!

While there are many more ways to optimize your emails for mobile, the steps above can help you increase results with your mobile customer!

Hiring for Success

In recent years the topic of talent acquisition has been a major one in the retail automotive business. Dealers are scrambling to attract new employees and convince younger applicants that the car business isn't as slimy as some stereotypes would have them believe. Here are some tips to attracting and hiring workers that will provide long term success for your organization.

1. Hire Enthusiasm, Train Skills - While it may be more attractive to pick up a new salesman or service advisor with "experience", consider that you may also be acquiring their bad habits and preconceived notions of what does and does not work. By hiring someone with enthusiasm and training the necessary job skills, you can mold an employee into exactly what you want them to be. This may take more work and effort at the beginning, but will definitely payoff in the ned.
2. Be Flexible - The expectation of 60+ hour work weeks is no longer a reasonable request for an employee in any dealership. Newer employees may be more open to shorter or more flexible schedules in exchange for more reasonable wages. Also consider being more flexible to new hires on if they need to leave early for a family emergency or take a day off for some mental health.
3. Provide a Path - Before hiring a position, ask yourself what the career path options look like in your organization. Can you provide multiple paths with at least 1-2 levels of promotion from the current role? If not, work on this aspect first before hiring. That way you can go over it in the interview or offer process, giving the new employee confidence that they are making the right decision.
4. Explain the "Why"! - The new job-seekers today aren't just seeking wages, but a purpose in life. By hiring employees solely motivated by money, you shouldn't be surprised when that's reflected in your CSI scores. Explain the deeper ways that the role you're provide helps you customers and your community. Adding meaning will provide more engaged employees and increase retention.

By following these key points you can hire new employees for success!

Controlling Your Day

In a busy work environment it can be easy to get into work with the best possible intentions and leave having accomplished none of the things you set out to do including work on longer term projects. I've found that these few tricks below have kept me on track and allowed me to better focus my time. 

  Start Right

 The way you start your day will determine your momentum for the rest of it. When I get into the office, the first things I do are:

1. Coffee (Mandatory) 
2. Do One hard task that I would love to put off. 
3. Browse daily reports and KPIs. 
4. Do one lap of the store and visit employees, seeing what they need. 

Do you notice what's missing? Email.  I take a much different approach to email management. 

Email Management 

As I noticed I don't check email first in the AM. Here's my rules for email to keep it from killing my productivity: 

• Limit the time you check email. I usually check email from 11-12 and 4-5. This insures it isn't open all day and that it doesn't prioritize recent to-dos over important ones. Note: All of my supervisors and co-workers know that if there is a legitimate emergency, just call or text me. 
• Don't Use the Inbox as a To Do List -  I used to have the habit of keeping to-do items in my main inbox. The problem is that this can put undue emphasis on recent emails as a priority and will usually get me off track. That's why I usually keep a deepest to do list in Evernote. 
• The Power of Non-Response -  Unless I'm being asked a direct question or the email is to me only, I don't usually respond. Having the last word can perpetuate an email thread unnecessarily. 

Avoid Meaningless Meetings 

 There is a tendency in the workplace to try and attend every single meeting so you don't miss out or are in the loop on everything. The second I adopted a policy of only value added meetings, I added 4 hours to my weekly special. Plus, people call me all the time to pop into those old meetings if they have something relevant to me.

While there are lots of other little things that get me through the day in a productive way, those three main concepts have greatly improved my effectiveness and reduced anxiety.

What do you do to stay in your lane?