Mopar Masters Guild Magazine January - February 2023 NADA Edition

From the Desk of MMG President Joe McBeth

Join the MMG - Get Involved!

The Mopar Masters Guild recently held our 31st Annual Mee ng in Dallas and what a great event it was!

We had three days packed full of great exchanges of ideas and encouragement to help us grow and maintain our business as well as we got the opportunity to meet with our suppor ng vendors. We also had a great mee ng with some of the top execu ves from Mopar. More about our event in this edi on of our newsle er.

We also had some fantas c events a er hours that helped us all get to know each other be er and grow our friendships. We work hard but we also know how to play hard!

I want to personally thank everyone that was involved in our mee ngs and hope you got as much out of this as I did. I have been involved in the guild for over twenty years now and every year I con nue to learn and grow. We should all never stop trying to grow and help each other.

With the new trends we have facing us in our dealerships we need to grow our membership and par cipa on in our mee ngs. I encourage all parts and service managers that are not ac ve members or that haven’t attended our mee ngs in the past that you consider joining our guild. Your involvement is needed and welcomed. The more ideas and informa on that we share with each other just makes us stronger.

We will be having our first of two 20 Group mee ngs this spring with MBA Dealer Services . I hope you will be a ending these mee ngs as well. There will be more coming soon on this so please stay tuned.

Spring is right around the corner. With spring comes a new season that always seems to put everyone in a better place. I hope you all have a great start to 2023 and look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Joe McBeth - jmcbeth@thedallaspdc.com

President - Mopar Masters Guild - Parts Director - Dallas DCJR

If you are interested in joining the Mopar Masters Guild, please visit their website to see if your dealership qualifies to become a member. h ps://moparmastersguild.com/membership/

Mopar Masters Guild Meets in Dallas for 31st Annual Meeting

Stellan s Dealerships’ Service & Parts Managers Share Ideas and Informa on on Today’s Growing Challenges

Mopar Masters Guild members and their guests arrived on Tuesday January 24th, 2023 in Dallas. Our homebase for this year’s event would be The The Hotel Crescent Court.

Once we were all se led and checked in, we met in the lobby at our hotel at 5:30pm, and walked across the street to a our recep on room.. This venue allowed us the opportunity to catch up on what has gone on since last year’s 30th Anniversary event. It was great to see everyone again, although we did miss seeing a few members and their wives who have since re red from this adventure we call business! We enjoyed a great evening with a nice assortment of appe zers and drinks along with our meal. Here are some pictures of that event:

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Wednesday January 25th, 2023

We all met bright and early to enjoy a great buffet breakfast before moving across the hall to our mee ng room.

Kicking off the morning mee ng, President Joe McBeth from Dallas DCJR began with, “Welcome to the 31st Annual MMG mee ng here in Dallas. We have a few new faces here this year, we have a few Guild members who have re red and le this business behind but we forge ahead and con nue to do business by our mo o, The exchange of informa on by like sized dealers in a non-compe ve environment.”

“I’ve been worried about standing up here in front of you all for the past couple of months. I just want to make sure we have open discussions like we always have. We all have a lot going on right now in our businesses. It’s been a challenge for us all, not only in our parts and service departments but also in our sales department and in our dealerships. We, at Dallas DCJR are fortunate to have our general manager, Chris Chiv, a ending these mee ngs along with my team. He can see what challenges all of us because whatever happens in our service and parts departments can make or break the profitability of the whole dealership. Many organiza ons are beginning to realize that and here with our Mopar Masters group, we can get ideas on how we all can help us be more profitable,” con nued McBeth.

“We will spend today brainstorming in this room amongst all of us. Tomorrow and Friday, we will be entertaining our Suppor ng Vendors throughout the next 3 days so we ask everyone to share the dialogue with our vendors who support us financially which allows us to present these mee ngs to you all. Our Vendors are the reason we are able to have these mee ngs at these hotels and also allows us to do the things we do. Without their support, this doesn’t happen. Support them if you can. Use their products if you can. Fortunately, we have a lot of great vendors who have products that allow us to be more profitable. Listen to them. Ask ques ons. Get involved and make them feel welcome.”

We also will be welcoming our friends from Mopar on Thursday. This will be a great opportunity to have them in front of our group to ask ques ons and seek some answers to the challenges we all have faced over the last several months. We were very fortunate at our Dallas dealership to have Steve Yandura stop by during the Southeast Business Conference that was held recently. We met and discussed several of the hot topics that have been going on recently. Look, we all have concerns so please be ready to have open dialogue with Mopar, let’s keep It professional and make sure they feel welcomed. These are the people we need to talk to. They are very aware of the changes we have gone through and how they’re affec ng our profitability. Let’s bring our ideas forward. We will be going throughout the room shortly so we can gather topics we can discuss with Mopar. We look forward to hearing what you all have to offer.”

McBeth then introduced the current Officers of the Mopar Masters Guild:

 President - Joe McBeth - Dallas DCJR

 Vice President - Cody Eckhardt - Larry Miller CDJR

 Treasurer - Chris Hojnacki - Milosch’s Auto Palace

 Secretary - James Jaeger - Bosak Motors

We then moved onto the presenta ons from the Secretary and the Treasurer.

of

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by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

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Secretary Cody Eckhardt then gave everyone a copy of the Minutes of last year’s 30th Annual Mee ng which was held in Las Vegas. Treasurer Chris Hojnacki then presented the Financial Report for the past year. These reports were mo oned to be accepted, seconded and the mo ons were carried.

We then went around the room for introduc ons. Those in a endance were:

ANDYREED reeda2@autonation.com

KRISTIARNOLD karnold@bettenhausenauto.com

SUSANMCDANIEL smcdaniel@billluke.com

JIMJAEGER jjaeger@bosakmail.com

TEDHAWKINS thawkins@browningautogroup.com

RICKSTEWART rstewart@commonwealthdodge.com

AARONAUSTIN aaustin@commonwealthdodge.com

CASEYBROWN caseybrown@covertauto.com

JOHNRUSSO jrusso@dallasdodge.net

JOEMCBETH jmcbeth@thedallaspdc.com

CHRISCHIV cchiv@dallasdodge.et

DEANTAYLOR dtaylor@dependabledodge.com

BOBWITTIG wittigbob@msn.com

ALANYANCEY ayancey@hayesauto.com

RANDYROGERS randy@huffines.net

LOUISOSUNA Louis.osuna@huffines.net

KENTCOGSWELL dodgecity889@yahoo.com

STEVE AUSENCIO sja@jackpowell.com

ROBERTCHATWIN rjchatwin@lhmauto.com

CODYECKHARDT ceckhardt@lhmauto.com

CHRISHOJNACKI chrishojnacki@palacecj.com

DONKINKLE donkinkle@palacecj.com

JOHNWALTEREIT palaceparts@gmail.com

DONCUSHING dcpubnews@gmail.com

STEVEHOFER shofer@parkchryslerjeep.com

RICKCUTAIA rick.cutaia@hendrickauto.com

CROSBYLONG clong@scoggindickey.com

AMYALBUS aalbus@scoggindickey.com

IANGROHS igrohs@millsautogroup.com

DANHUTTON dhutton@obrienauto.com

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

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We all, for the most part, are dealing with the same issues and struggles. What processes are you implementing at your dealership to help deal with everyday challenges.

 Dealing with the changes with Mopar

 Hiring processes

 Training processes

 Efficiency

 Automa on of parts invoices

 Customer understanding

 Customer service

 Retaining employees

 What’s working for you?

 Dealer Rewards

 Streamlining Packing Slips w/new so ware

 Business system efficiencies (CDK/R&R)

 Referrals

 Pay plans

 Labeling/scanning

 Receivables

 Reconciling

 Promo on from within

 Team Building

 Pay plans ed to customer sa sfac on

 Use of consul ng firms

 Keeping employees engaged

 Making employees feel appreciated

 Trying to keep the “fun” aspect on the drive

 PTO

 VOR’s

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 Wholesale parts

 MSO’s

 Fascia Cores

 Warranty Labor

 Warranty parts

 Cost of doing business

 Business prac ces that drive bad behavior

 Changing the way we do business

 Long term outlook

 How do you place value on your service?

 Inventory depth

 Retail Service

 Interview processes

 Marke ng/Adver sing for Service

 Fuel pricing – Are you charging?

 Credit tracking

 Wholesale Credit Processes

 Dealer Council

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

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The sharing was endless, as always. As you can see, most of our day was spent discussing challenging informaon, discussing ideas and sharing solu ons along with sugges ons on how to face these issues head-on. Being a member of the MMG opens opportuni es that you otherwise may struggle to find. Imagine, a network of over 30 people in this room that you can con nue to reach out to for ideas and answers.

This concluded our mee ngs for Day 1 and Joe made a mo on to adjourn. Members enjoyed a night out in Dallas, on their own.

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Thursday January 26th, 2023

The ladies all joined in having a fabulous breakfast at what now has become a yearly event, the Ladies’ Brunch. Our wives/significant others all met at the hotel lobby for a limo ride to the brunch, which was held at the Mercat Bistro!

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

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Back at our hotel mee ng space, Joe brought our mee ng to order and a er some brief discussions we welcomed our first Tier 1 Suppor ng Vendor Presenta on of the day, Reynolds & Reynolds represented by:

 Jason Sideris – Vice President

 Jeff Adams – Senior Manager, Product Management

 Shannon Brown – Vice President of OEM Partnerships

Jason thanked us for the opportunity and men oned the R&R Vendor Commi ee mee ng that was recently held in R&R’s new building in Tampa, FL.

They covered:

 Rediscovering Reynolds

 New rebranding of the company

 New Reynolds logo

 Building stability in working with customers

 OEM Involvement

 More flexibility

 Reinves ng back in the business

 Link Create Credit Memo to Previous CM’s

 Print Return Codes on Invoices

 Tracking results

 Customized Automated Messages

 ReconTRAC

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Jason then opened up the floor for discussions

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Following a short break, we welcomed CDK Global represented by:

 Steve Wyzkowski, Director, OEM Sales

 Dave Duncan – Manager of Product Management

 Don Zogg – Sr. Product Marketer – Fixed Ops

 Brooke Wilson – Product Marketer

Presented by the team was:

 Des na on Sales Tax

 AGRCT Report

 CDK Hailer Parts Delivery rides

 CDK PartScan Scanners

 Automa c RO Fee

 Copy Parts Setups

 Special Order Parts

 Full Customer View

 Research & Insights

 Service Shopper Study

Members had discussions on CDK’s offerings.

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Now, of course, our usual disclaimer!

As we have talked about many, many mes during the existence of the Mopar Masters Guild, any informaon that is obtained via the newsle er will not offer a complete and concise picture of what went on at our mee ngs. We stress the importance of a ending these mee ngs and invite everyone who meets the Mopar Masters Club criteria to join the Mopar Masters Guild, a end these mee ngs and enjoy the wealth of knowledge and informa on that is presented and shared. Our coverage of Vendor presenta ons, Mopar Execuves’ presenta ons and dialogue will only lightly touch upon what was presented.

The interac on with Execu ves from Mopar is one of the reasons that Mopar Masters Guild members a end this mee ng. Our coverage with Mopar here is just highlights of our interac on since we feel that par cipaon is needed at this mee ng to enjoy the full benefit of what is offered.

We then met with Mopar. Represen ng Mopar this day was:

 Steve Yandura – VP – Mopar US & Field Opera ons Stellan s

 Dus n Pedley – Global Business Development Manager; Independent A ermarket

 Jim Sassorossi – Director – Fleet Services & Parts Opera ons

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We all enjoyed some great open conversa on with Steve and his team.

A few items we discussed:

NDC Recap

2022 Review

Supply Chain Update

Mopar Rewards Enhancements

BProauto

Before we went into our open discussions, it just happened to be Steve Yandura’s birthday. We brought in a cake with lit candles and gave Steve a nice rendi on of Happy Birthday! Pre y nice way of opening up to discussions with our friends from Mopar.

The MMG would like to thank Steve, Dus n and Jim for taking me from their busy schedule to meet with us to share their informa on, listen to us and share lunch with us all.

A er lunch, we returned to our mee ng room to con nue with presenta ons. Continued on Page 15

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

Our next Tier 1 Vendor presenta on was from OEConnec on represented by:

 Gary Coveyou – Vice President – Na onal Accounts

 Jon Palazzo – General Manager

 Chris Smart – Director – Product Management

 Bob McDonald – General Manager

 Bill Harry – Na onal Account Manager

Mee ng Topics that were discussed:

 RepairLink Buyer Engagement

 Parts eCommerce Workflow

 VIN Scrubbing

 CDK Integra on

 Inventory Informa on

 Integra on and Dealer Timeline

 PSXLink Enhancements

 Trax Pro

 Why OPS & OEC?

 CollisionLink Performance Update

 CollisionLink Plus – Shop Enhancements

 VIN Recall No fica ons

 RepairLink update

Gary and his team then fielded many ques ons about the OEConnec on products.

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exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

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Next up was another long me Tier 1 Vendor, Snap-On Business Solu ons represented by:

 Dan Stedem – Global Accounts Manager

Discussion Topics:

 Tech Reten on

 wiADVISOR – Workspace

 Pay Structures

 Tools and Equipment

 StarParts

 EPC

Dan then ranked the Top 5 pieces of So ware, by its importance to your Opera on:

10. Identafix

9. Foretellis

8. All Date – all techs, all advisors have subscrip ons?

7. Text2Drive

6. PSX

5. RapidRecon

4. OpsTrax/OEC/CCC

Dan’s presenta on was followed by discussion around the room.

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3. MPI

2. DMC

1. EPC

Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

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Our final presenta on of the day was another long me partner of the MMG, Tier 1 Vendor, Elite Extra represented by:

 John Ward – Owner & Founder

 Jim Ward – VP, Chief Sales Officer

Their presenta on included:

 A Look Back

 2009 Launched “Rou ng and Dispatch”

 Elite EXTRA joins MMG as a Vendor, Summer of 2012

 Massive Growth

 New HQ groundbreaking (Friday the 13th – Just before COVID! Forces closure!)

 Post Pandemic Growth

 What to expect from Rou ng & Dispatch

 Key Features

 Connect with Third Party Fleets for Fast Delivery

 The Delivery Network

 Simplify and automate Your Returns Process

 Inefficient Returns = Lost Revenue

John and Jim thanked the guild for their me and made me for quesons and any concerns.

This ended our second day of mee ngs and presenta ons. We adjourned for the day, and everyone prepared for our Cocktail Recep on that was being held that evening.

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Our annual Mopar Masters Guild Cocktail Recep on has always been the one night during our mee ngs that everyone looks forward to. Each year the guild tries to secure a venue that everyone will not only talk about but will provide the comfort and excitement of being away from daily business. Together with our peers, industry execu ves and suppor ng vendors in a relaxed atmosphere, and thanks, once again to our extraordinary Event Planner, Jillian Vance, Founder & CEO of Apogee Event Agency, this year’s event was held at The Backyard, in Dallas. A fantas c me was had by all. Enjoy the pictures!

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

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Our Supporting Vendors: Support those who support you

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

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Friday January 27th, 2023

As we moved into the last day of our mee ng, we all enjoyed sharing stories from the previous night’s event during breakfast.

Most of the morning was spent con nuing the topics of our first day. There were plenty of discussions around the room from everyone with sugges ons, ideas and thoughts of how to deal with many issues we are con nuing to face daily.

A er a short break we welcomed our Tier 2 Vendors. We gave each of our Vendors a few minutes to introduce themselves before moving into a separate room that we had set up for the Tier 2 Vendor Fair.

First up was our exclusive media partner, Endeavor Business Media (Fenderbender, Ratchet+Wrench and many more leading brands throughout our industry!) represented by:

 Chris Messer – Vice President/Publisher

 Ma Harper – Regional Sales Manager

 Melody Todd - Senior Account execu ve

Chris introduced his team that accompanied him on this trip. “I have enjoyed a great rela onship with the Mopar Masters Guild for the past 13-14 years and these mee ngs are certainly a highlight for me. We were acquired in June by Endeavor Business Media. Founded with entrepreneurial spirit in 2017 and making our first acquisi on in 2018, Endeavor has now grown to over 80+ media brands, 40 conferences & exhibi ons and 700+ employees from over 21 strategic acquisi ons that posi on the company as the largest B2B media company in North America.

“We’re the exclusive media partner of the Mopar Masters Guild,” says Messer. “We’ve been a Suppor ng Vendor for a long me, and we appreciate the partnership.

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

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Ma Harper and Melody Todd then presented the following:

 Custom Print Adver sing with sizes ranging from 1/6th all the way to 2 pages!

 Fully Customer Created for each customer

 Compe ve rates

 Mopar Mul Dealer Adver sing

 RepairLink Mul Dealer Adver sing

 Online Adver sing through FenderBender.com and/or RatchetandWrench.com

 Ads are geo-targeted

 Retargetubg Adver sing

 Added Value – Bonus Online Exposure

 Searchable through Google

Chris, Ma and Melody fielded ques ons and provided solu ons for us to get the word out to our customers.

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exchange of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

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Next up was Katzkin Leather represented by:

 Doug Johnson – Director of OEM Development

Doug men oned that his me in front of the group would be more of a discussion rather than a presenta on and asked ques ons as he showed the following:

 Business overview

 Sales History 2017-2022

 Sales by Business Center

 Jeep Upfit Sales History

 2023 Plan

o Na onwide Sales Support

o Simple Messaging

o Installa on Training

o Event Support – Select Markets

o Accesory Rewards

o How to work “the plan”

o What would you do?

o Customizable Sell Sheet

Great ideas from Doug and good feedback from the dealers in the room.

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Our next presenter was Ac vator Dealer Solu ons. They were represented by:

 Marci Trares – Vice President, Client Services

 Jeff Ornell – Sales Director

 Bobby Gaudreau - Senior Opera ons / VP Sales & Marke ng

Agenda:

 Market Challenge: Disorganized Data

 Ac vator’s Value & Advantage

 Ac vator’s Methodology: Evolu on of Tech

 Ac vator’s Pla orm Summary

 Open Discussion

Take your personalized marke ng engagement to the next level with Ac vator Pro. Ac vator is the behaviordriven marke ng solu on that finds customers, builds deeper engagement, leverages the latest technology, and promotes dealership efficiency to increase sales and service drive revenue. Guided by our marke ng experts with years of automo ve experience and built using the latest technology, Ac vator’s Performance Managers and Marke ng Coordinators manage and optimize your marketing efforts.

A er these presenta ons, we then moved into where the Tier 2 Vendors were set up to interact with every member, offering their products for us to see. The Tier 2 Vendors also joined us for lunch.

A er lunch we con nued our discussions President Joe McBeth made a mo on to adjourn the 31st Annual Mee ng of the Mopar Masters Guild.

Thank you all for your a endance and we look forward to seeing many of you next year at our 32nd Annual Mopar Masters Guild Mee ng. Dates and loca on soon to be announced!

Submi ed by Don Cushing

of information by like sized dealers in a non-competitive environment.

MMG Visits AER Powertrain Plant in Carrollton, TX

AER Sales and Manufacturing has been in business since 1942. It is the world’s largest engine remanufacturer and is a Tier 1 supplier to FCA US LLC (Sellan s). And now, AER, along with partner, Fred Jones, are the new na onal Mopar Powertrain Network.

The Mopar Powertrain Network has 34 warehouses na onwide, fully stocked with Mopar Powertrain products to serve your needs! It also offers excellent sales support with a team of 31 dedicated sales reps to help you grow your business and, in many cases, can provide same-day delivery and drop ship capability.

A small group of The Mopar Masters Guild members were invited to tour the AER offices and Powertrain Plant in Carrollton, TX in January right before our big mee ngs began.

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Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

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The hospitality was awesome right off the bat with some good ole southern barbeque and fried okra (and iced tea of course)..my absolute favorites! This fabulous lunch was served in the AER showroom with the most spectacular car collec on you could imagine! Every one of those cars had an interes ng story behind it and I thoroughly enjoyed them all!

A er lunch, we went over to the plant where they remanufacture the powertrain units. We all put on our headsets and received a play by play on every step it takes to rebuild the units to perfec on. Each area has their own exper se and processes and before the parts are passed on to the next team, they are scanned and signed off on, then on to the next step…right down to packaging.

AER operates two manufacturing facili es in Carrollton and manages over 70,000 square feet of manufacturing floor space.

AER now manufactures for Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Chrysler, Nissan, Subaru and Volvo.

If you have not had an opportunity to tour this facility, I highly recommend it. It really makes you realize all of the minute details and quality control that goes into manufacturing one unit.

A big THANK YOU to Dave Carroll and his team from AER Sales for the hospitality and support of the Mopar Masters Guild!

Submi ed by Susan McDaniel

Bill Luke CDJR

KruiswykAER206-487-6054Sales Representative

NO California, NV

Eric StracenerFJE480-861-9414Sales Representative estracener@fred-jones.com AZ, NV, NM

Evan PruittAER513-596-3188Sales Representative evanpruitt@aermfg.com OH, IN, KY

Frank DemmaAER816-728-4970Sales Representative frankdemma@aermfg.com IL, WI

Andrew GoldsteinAER857-272-9405Sales Representative andrewgoldstein@aermfg.com MA, NH, ME, RI, VT

James KammerdienerFJE678-848-4257Sales Representative jkammerdiener@fred-jones.com GA, SC

Jay GulickFJE661-440-8417Sales Representative jgulick@fred-jones.com L.A. NORTH

Joe TommieFJE205-542-6249Sales Representative jtommie@fred-jones.com AL, FL, TN, KY

John GutkowskiAER973-919-3901Sales Representative johngutkowski@aermfg.com CT, NY

John MarchianoAER201-965-1422Sales Representative johnmarchiano@aermfg.com NJ, PA

Keith BennettFJE985-789-2704Sales Representative kbennett@fred-jones.com OK, ARK, NO TX

Keith BennettFJE985-789-2704Sales Representative kbennett@fred-jones.com MS, LA

Kelvin KnaffAER816-918-4401Sales Representative kelvinknaff@aermfg.com KS, MO, NO ARK

Kristine RettosFJE704-450-5476Sales Representative Krettos@Fred-jones.com NC, VA, TN

Pat O'BrienAER651-767-2062Sales Representative patobrien@aermfg.com MN, NE, ND, SD, WI, IA

Robert MartinezAER801-520-6432Sales Representative robertmartinez@aermfg.com UT, ID, MT, WY

Scott ShieldsAER618-713-4871Sales Representative scottshields@aeermfg.com IA, IL, MO, IN

Shawn CollierAER210-300-5727Sales Representative shawncollier@aermfg.com TX-San Antonio

Sherree DyeFJE213-631-1876Sales Representative sdye@fred-jones.com L.A. South

Todd WilkersonAER734-679-3451Sales Representative toddwilkerson@aermfg.com MI, OH, IN

Virgil ChmabersAER281-898-8599Sales Representative virgilchambers@aermfg.com

Vin PrabhakaranAER469-900-7208Sales Representative vinprabhakaran@aermfg.com NY, VT, NH, ME

Bill TaylorAER540-419-4882National Trainer billtaylor@aermfg.com National Trainer

Dave CarrollAER801-699-3263Vice President & COO davidcarroll@aermfg.com National Customer Service888-237-0001

Drop Ships888-237-0001 dropships@aermfg.com

Core Pick up888-237-0001 chryslercores@aertmfg.com

AER SALES INC. YOUR MOPAR POWERTRAIN EXPERTS

Did you know AER….

1. Has 30 Powertrain Sales experts to help you with all your Powertrain needs.

2. Aerorders.com allows you to check availability, print invoices or credits, and provide order tracking information.

3. Does not require an allowance or offsetting order to return product purchased within the last 12 months. (Item must be a current part number in sellable condition)

4. Offers a no-cost dropship program. We will ship directly to your customer from one of our 30 warehouse locations.

5. Provides quarterly incentives to encourage dealers to stock powertrain and related parts.

6. Offers over 16 product and sales educational classes at no cost to the dealer.

The View From My Office

With Kat Monteiro

Happy New Year!

I hope everybody enjoyed the holidays and are ready for a fantas c 2023.

Rick and I just ended our first year of re rement. It has been quite the adjustment but I have to say we are enjoying life and having the chance to spend me with friends and family, just like we wanted to do. Of course, Rick is s ll working part me and s ll loves it! And what he loves even more is the fact that he can work from anywhere.

I was a happy camper because we spent from Thanksgiving till just after Christmas up at the coast house in Mendocino. This is truly my happy place. I did not want to come home The beauty of it is that we can go back whenever we want. That›s a pre y awesome feeling.

I hope everybody had a fantas c me at the NADA conven on in Dallas. I really missed y’all! The morning everybody was flying out, I called Barbara Allred and I asked her, “ Do you feel as weird as I do not going?” Her and Paul have been to every single Mopar Master Guild mee ng at NADA, never missing one. So we had a good conversa on and talked about how weird it was to not be packing up and going to meet everybody. The mes they are changing.

The view from my office this edi on is from Costa Rica! Marvin Wintham organized a trip to come back to Costa Rica and try to relive a trip they took 11 years ago to the same place. We are in the most beau ful villa that looks over the ocean from the top of the hillside. We have quite the crew here and I can’t wait to tell you all about it in the next issue. So I’m sending a few pictures of the friends that we get to spend this wonderful week with. I’m sure you will recognize them.

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Enjoy this li le teaser and in the next issue I will tell you about our week here. This right here is what the Mopar Masters Guild has gi ed us, great friendships that will last a life me and it’s pre y amazing because we’re from all over the country ge ng together in Costa Rica.

The states we have covered are California, Nebraska, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Chicago, Illinois, and Texas. Crazy right? Until next time...........

[WHITE PAPER] THE REVERSE LOGISTICS HASSLE DIVING INTO THE CHALLENGES OF LAST MILE PRODUCT RETURNS

THE CUSTOMER COMPONENT

WRITTEN BY: COLTON WARD | ELITE EXTRA

SATISFACTION

THE EMPLOYEE COMPONENT

RETURNS POLICY ABUSE

TRAINING AND EXPERTISE

DELIVERY/RETURN BALANCE

THE INVENTORY COMPONENT

The Changing Automotive Landscape CONSUMER PREFERENCES IN SERVICE

We conducted a survey of consumers who had service work completed at a dealership to better understand their preferences toward online and digital offerings in fixed operations.

Customers who actually used this option: Available Option

Customers who prefer this option:

What does this mean for your dealership? When comparing consumer preferences to actual behavior, there appears to be a divide. Consumers continue to prefer more digital options in service such as text and email links, photo and video evidence, and additional forms of check-in and check-out using self-service technology.

The dealership that meets these new preferences is likely the dealership that will beat out the competition, increase customer satisfaction, and drive service profits.

For more insights on the changing automotive landscape, download the full report at reyrey.com/report

Navigating High-Stress Communication

Whether you’re speaking to an angry customer, dealing with an insurer, or going over sensi ve subjects with employees in the shop, it’s best not to jump into those conversa ons without prepara on.

There are mes when it’s necessary to face issues head on, and a tough conversa on is needed. Don’t fret— an expert in the area of workplace communica on has some key strategies so that you feel confident before jumping into that stressful talk.

The Backstory

The American Psychological Associa on, which regularly surveys Americans on their stress levels and stressors, iden fied top sources of stress in 2022 that most can relate to: rising costs of goods, supply chain issues, and global uncertainty. Before you even have that conversa on at work, the other person might be pre y stressed already.

“I also think that some people just don’t handle stress very well, and I think in the United States, we seem to have a crisis of capability of managing our own stress, because we’ve all been stressed in so many different ways that our resiliency can be affected,” says Claudia St. John, president of Affinity HR Group.

St. John has worked with automo ve shop owners for years as a human resources partner, and she knows how stressors can affect customers and employees in the shop se ng. Approaching those conversa ons with care is the key to finding solu ons that will take a bit of that stress away.

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The Challenge

Most shop owners know when they’re ge ng into a stressful conversa on, but why is that?

“How do we know that we’re in a situa on that is charged?” St. John says. “Usually it’s a situa on where the stakes ma er, the outcome ma ers and where there’s a difference of opinion and a degree of uncertainty.”

When you have a disagreement with a colleague or need to address discipline with a staff member, the key challenge is that you see a problem that needs to be addressed, and you hope to bring the other person closer to a solu on.

The Solu on

O en, it’s not necessary to jump right into a tough conversa on, St. John says. You can have a preliminary chat about the tough conversa on to set the stage and create some an cipa on. This can help defuse some strong emo ons that could happen when you catch someone off guard.

Once the se ng is right, St. John has an acronym to get into the right headspace. It is FRIEND.

F—Find your due north

R—Ready your emo ons

I—Inspect your stories

E—Establish safety

N—Navigate your story

D—Develop and document

First, find your due north. St. John says that the first prepara on is to determine what outcomes you want from the conversa on, and an cipate that it might involve some compromise.

“By finding your due north, it’s not really knowing the conversa on has to result in this,” St. John says. “But what would you be willing to accept? At the end of the day, what would you be sa sfied with?”

Second, ready your emo ons. Outcomes tend to be poor in stressful conversa ons when emo ons cause one or both par es to act or speak rashly. Take a deep breath, take a walk and an cipate that you want to remain calm.

Next, inspect your stories. By this, St. John means that you want to be open-minded to how the other party perceives the situa on. The stories you tell yourself about another person’s mo va on might not prove true, and you might get a response that you didn’t an cipate. You don’t need to avoid assump ons, but be ready to have them challenged or changed.

Establish safety for the next step. This has to do with how you set up the conversa on. Picking the right place and the right me helps to ensure that everyone involved knows what is happening and that no one is caught off guard.

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Navigate their story. This is a reminder to offer the other party the chance to speak and to listen to their point of view.

“Really listen to what their interpreta on is,” St. John says. “And be open to what their stories are and how they see a situa on.”

Finally, develop and document. Finding an outcome doesn’t always mean coming to a finite conclusion or reaching a direct plan of ac on.

“Some mes you’re developing an understanding,” St. John says. “We’re just going to con nue to talk on this and work on this. In the case of an employee and supervisor, usually it’s not a one and done.”

The underlying goal is to bring both par es closer to the same understanding, and hopefully everyone will be on be er foo ng going forward. Other mes, there might be a final conclusion or ac on, and a well-executed conversa on will leave everyone knowing why the ac on was taken.

The A ermath

Even if an outcome isn’t posi ve for the other party, you can s ll forge a stronger rela onship with a customer or co-worker by taking respec ul steps toward high-stress conversa on. The prepara on and care taken shows that you respect the situa on and the other person.

“The cri cal conversa ons can shi a rela onship from conflict to building trust,” St. John says. “They can actually improve rela onships.”

It’s not always easier with me, either. St. John says she’s seen new managers who are great in these stressful situa ons and long me managers who handle those situa ons poorly. It’s more about the prepara on and execu on.

The Takeaway

The key to success in these fluid situa ons is to be aware of your assump ons and be open to understanding.

“A huge piece of this is emo onal intelligence,” St. John says. “The first thing about emo onal intelligence is self-awareness, recognizing that you’re in an emo onal state and not going to engage.”

Once you’ve got a be er handle on your emo ons, it’s important to understand that it might not always be “my way or the highway.” Different people experience the same situa ons in different ways. St. John says that we aren’t always in the same boat. We might be in the same storm, but in different boats and in different areas of the storm.

“If there’s one takeaway that I would encourage readers to try to embrace, it’s to be empathe c,” she says. “Really try to an cipate what the other person is going through, seen or unseen.”

Source: Ar cle by Ma Hudson. Reprinted with permission of www.fenderbender.com A division of Endeavor Business Media

Ferrari, Dodge fine-tune artificial noise for EVs

Stellan s and Ferrari are be ng customers will s ll want to keep making noise with EVs.

High-performance car fans love the roar of V-8 and V-12 engines. But as vehicles using these powertrains start making way for electric vehicles, automakers including Stellan s and Ferrari are be ng customers will s ll want to keep making noise with EVs.

When Stellan s unveiled its Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept in August, the muscle-car brand debuted an industry-first exhaust system for EVs.

“No, Dodge has not found a way for an electric car to pump equal parts engine noise and CO2 into the air,” Car and Driver wrote. It designed a system to amplify the near-silent hum of electric motors into “a 126-decibel cacophony worthy of the SRT badge.”

Ferrari too is working on a way to create distinctive noises tied to the actual performance of an EV powertrain, enabling drivers to not just feel but also hear realistic vehicle feedback

Analysts at Oddo BHF last month flagged that the supercar maker had filed for a patent for its device, which could go into its first full-electric model coming in 2025.

While the company has declined to comment on the device specifically, CEO Benede o Vigna believes sound will be essen al to any Ferrari, including those powered by ba ery.

“I have no doubt that our electric powertrains will give clients the same thrills” as combus on engines, Vigna said in an interview.

“The point is how to extract the best emo on from the use of this technology, giving something unique to the clients.”

Automakers have long fine-tuned the pitch that is emi ed from their combus on engines, to the point that car buffs can name that tune when a par cular genera on Ford Mustang rolls up or dis nguish between a Lamborghini or Buga roaring by.

Unsurprisingly, enthusiasts with strong feelings about how a marque or model should sound have been unsparing in their early assessment of the Dodge concept’s mountain lion-like audio profile.

Brand boss Tim Kuniskis told Motor Trend and Road & Track that much of the ini al feedback about the Charger Daytona SRT Concept’s growl was nega ve, and that Dodge will keep refining it.

The dis nct sounds brands such as Dodge and Ferrari are working on are much higher stakes than Tesla’s gimmicky “Fart Mode” that’s good for a laugh and li le else.

Performance automakers will have their work cut out for them en cing customers to switch to a new type of drivetrain likely to render vehicles even more expensive.

Because EVs can barely be heard when going slowly, regulators in Europe, the U.S. and China have been requiring that they come with a built-in sound system that alerts bicyclists and pedestrians.

Automakers have a bit more room to maneuver with different sounds when EVs go faster and emit more re and wind noise.

Some have even turned to crea ve outsiders to give their vehicles a sonic edge.

Jaguar tapped electronic musician Richard Devine to design sounds for its first full EV, the i-Pace.

Volkswagen hired Leslie Mandoki, a German-Hungarian music producer who has worked with Phil Collins and Chaka Khan, for the ID 3.

BMW teamed with Oscar-winning film score composer Hans Zimmer — his works include Hollywood blockbusters Gladiator and The Lion King — to create special noises for its EVs, including a spaceship-like hum when powering up.

“Ever since the industrial revolu on and we have had combus on engines, the sound of ci es — the sound of our lives — have been dictated by that,” Zimmer said in a video on the project.

Source: Autonews.com

like sized dealers

2 0 2 3 M o p a r M a s t e r s G u i l d 2023 Mopar Masters Guild

Officers:

O

f f i c e r s & C o m m i t t e e s

Officers & Committees

OEConnection

President - Joe McBeth - Dallas DCJ – Dallas, TX

Vice - Pres - Cody Eckhardt - Larry Miller DCJR - Sandy, UT

Secretary – Jim Jaeger – Bosak Motors – Merrillville, IN

Treasurer – Chris Hojnacki – Milosch’s CDJR – Lake Orion, MI

Executive Committee - All Officers Including:

Dan Hutton - Tom O’Brien DCJR - Greenwood, IN

Alan Yancey - Hayes CDJ - Alto, GA

Rick Cutaia - Rick Hendrick DCJR – Charleston, SC

Steve Hofer – Park Chrysler Jeep – Burnsville, MN

Susan McDaniel – Bill Luke CJD – Phoenix, AZ

Guild Committees

Nada 2022 Planning

Jill Vance - Apogee Event Agency

Don Cushing - MMG Magazine

Finance Committee

Chris Hojnacki - Milosch’s CDJR – Lake Orion, MI

Susan McDaniel - Bill Luke CJD – Phoenix, AZ

Don Cushing – MMG Magazine

Newsletter/Website/Social Media

Don Cushing – MMG Magazine

Vendor Committees

Reynolds & Reynolds

Rick Cutaia - Rick Hendrick DCJR – Charleston, SC (Co-Chair)

Susan McDaniel – Bill Luke CJD – Phoenix, AZ (Co-Chair)

Joe Handzik - Bettenhausen Auto - Tinley Park, IL

Randy Rogers - Huffines CJDR - Plano, TX

Kent Cogswell - Jack Phelan CDJR - Countryside, IL

*David Kiser - Spartanburg CDJR - Spartanburg, SC

*Chris Hojnacki - Milosch’s CDJR – Lake Orion, MI

CDK Global

Joe McBeth - Dallas DCJ – Dallas, TX (Chair)

Ian Grohs – Stateline CDJR – Fort Mill, SC

Mick Padgeon - Fred Beans Parts - Doylestown, PA

Cody Eckhardt - Larry Miller DCJR - Sandy, UT

Robert Chatwin - Larry Miller DCJR - Sandy, UT

Dan Hutton - Tom O’Brien DCJR - Greenwood, IN

*Steve Hofer – Park Chrysler Jeep – Burnsville, MN

*Jim Jaeger - Bosak Auto Group - Merrillville, IN

Dan Hutton - Tom O’Brien CJD – Greenwood, IN (Chair)

Joe McBeth - Dallas DCJ – Dallas, TX

Jim Jaeger - Bosak Motors - Merrillville, IN

Chris Hojnacki - Milosch’s CDJR – Lake Orion, MI

*Steve Hofer – Park Chrysler Jeep – Burnsville, MN

Snap On Business Solutions

Cody Eckhardt - Larry Miller DCJR - Sandy, UT (Chair)

Randy Rogers - Huffines CJDR - Plano, TX

*Steve Hofer – Park Chrysler Jeep – Burnsville, MN

AER Manufacturing

Robert Chatwin - Larry Miller DCJR - Sandy, UT (Chair)

John Waltereit - Milosch’s Palace CDJR - Lake Orion, MI

Ted Hawkins - Cerritos Dodge - Cerritos. CA

Chris Hojnacki - Milosch’s CDJR – Lake Orion, MI

*Josh Gouldsmith - Gladstone CDJR - Gladstone, MO

*Joe Handzik - Bettenhausen Auto - Tinley Park, IL

Vendor Chairs

Susan McDaniel - Bill Luke CJD – Phoenix, AZ

Cody Eckhardt - Larry Miller DCJR - Sandy, UT

*Alternate

The