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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF LOUISIANA INDEPENDENT AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION
DEALER SPOTLIGHT
NEW CPO DEALER DAVE ROPPOLO PAGE 08
DALLAS, TEXAS Permit No. 2079
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
MANAGEMENT MATTERS | BY DAVE ANDERSON
HOW EFFECTIVE LEADERS HANDLE MISTAKES
Strategies to Help You Master this Important Skill I recently filmed a DVD program for my online training platform on the topic of handling mistakes, and the response was even more robust than normal. I believe that’s because handling mistakes – ours and others’ – is such an ongoing, realworld leadership responsibility that affects everyone, both at work and at home. How you handle mistakes also goes a long way in determining the level of trust, buy-in, connection, and positive impact you can have on your team. Here are some thoughts and strategies to help you master this important leadership skill.
HOW TO HANDLE YOUR OWN MISTAKES Admit a mistake as quickly as possible. Waiting to acknowledge a mistake gives the perception you’re either oblivious to what you’ve done, or you may be looking for a way out of taking responsibility. As a result, delayed confessions allow a hiccup to become a cover-up, and then a conspiracy. This perception will break trust and build disgust among the ranks. Don’t try talking yourself out of something you behaved yourself into. Own it. You don’t have to make a big deal out of it, just own it. The objective is to bring closure to a mistake quickly so you can focus on moving forward. As an aside, if you admit an error, don’t marginalize your effort by making an excuse for it. Own it. This models a positive leadership example your team will pick up on. Leaders with bloated egos or gross insecurities never manage to execute this first step. They wrongly believe admitting a mistake makes them look weak when the opposite is true. Admitting mistakes requires strength, and earns respect because others know how difficult it would be for them to do the same thing in your situation. Learn from the mistake, then don’t repeat it. This well-known quote sheds insight onto this point: “You can never make the same mistake twice because the second time you make it, it’s not a mistake, it’s a choice.” Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant offered sound advice along these lines when he said, “When you make a mistake admit it, learn from it, don’t repeat it.” The reality is anyone who tries new things, seizes the initiative, and makes decisions is going to make mistakes. We all do “stupid” things from time to time. But the key to growth is doing “new” stupid things, not the same old stupid things. Doing the same stupid things indicates you are unaware, unteachable, undisciplined, or worse. Doing new stupid things demonstrates you’ve left your comfort zone, tried something different, and now have an opportunity to learn what didn’t work so you can get it right next time. Teach others from your mistakes. This builds trust, connection, and bondedness with team members. John Maxwell put it well: “If you want to impress others, talk about your successes. But if you want to impact them, talk about your mistakes.” Get over it and move on. Continuing to rehearse, rehash, or blame yourself for the mistake is a mistake that compounds the original mistake. If you’ve admitted it, learned from it, and adjusted because of it, move on to gaining new ground.
HOW TO HANDLE THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS Don’t get personal. Focus on the issue without getting personal with the individual that caused the issue. There’s a big difference between calling an action idiotic and calling someone an idiot. Attack the performance. Coach the performer. Address a mistake in direct, professional terms, without unnecessary drama or exaggeration. Again, be direct and professional, but also be conversational. There’s no need to pile on by injecting unnecessary hype or drama with statements like, “I can’t believe you could do something so insipidly foolish and careless! If ignorance is bliss you must be the happiest man on earth!” Focus the person on solutions, not scapegoats. An employee mistake is an unparalleled coaching opportunity. Look at it as a teaching tool, not a battering ram. Help the person think for themselves and take ownership concerning what they could have done better and how they’ll improve next time. Asking questions like: “What should you have done better, or instead?”, “What do you recommend we do from here?”, and “What did you learn and how can you ensure you don’t repeat the error?”, are nonconfrontational, collaborative ways to help the person grow by causing them to think and commit to act. When confronting a mistake, don’t rattle off their rap sheet of past unrelated mistakes. Again, this is a coaching opportunity, not an indictment. You’re not proving a case in court – you’re addressing and correcting a behavior. Keep the main thing the main thing. Rehashing past, unrelated mistakes is debilitating and distracts from the matter at hand. Engaging in “rap sheet rehearsal” will also break trust and credibility if you do the same with family or friends. It’s a recipe for ending up miserable and alone in your life. Encourage the person to take another shot. Making mistakes can cause others to procrastinate, become passive and lose their killer instinct, especially when a mistake is handled improperly. It’s a shame when this happens, because mistakes are a part of the growth process. When someone stops trying, both they and the organization miss out and fail to cash in on the mistake’s benefits of learning from the errors, learning a better way, and growing as a person. In such cases all they, and we, pay is the price for the error and never get the payoff the price could have brought. Dave Anderson is president of LearnToLead.
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INSIDE INSIDE
INDUSTRY NEWS | BY USED CAR NEWS
03........................How Effective Leaders Handle Mistakes 06............................ Designing a Superior Meet and Greet 08.............................................................. Dealer Spotlight 10............................................ NIADA Government Report 12................................Combating Dealer Margin Declines 13............................................................... Industry Trends 14................................Annual Social Media Policy Review
WHAT’S NEW
NIADA ACQUIRES NABD
NIADA has acquired the National Alliance of Buy Here-Pay Here Dealers. The acquisition was finalized in December. Look for details in upcoming NIADA publications. See you at the NIADA/NABD convention June 18-21 in Orlando!
ADVERTISERS INDEX
SPIREON WINS AWARD
Enterprise Service of the Year
Spireon Inc. announced the company’s FleetLocate solution earned the silver award for Enterprise Service of the Year in the 2017 Best in Biz Awards. Spireon’s FleetLocate solution provides real-time visibility to the location, activity and status of remote vehicles, assets and drivers to improve utilization and operational efficiency. The solution is used by thousands of companies of all types and sizes, from local plumbing and HVAC businesses to the largest transportation companies in the U.S. FleetLocate has garnered mass appeal due to its simple, yet powerful, user interface that supports mixed fleets of vans, trucks, trailers, containers, and more, all within the same web dashboard or mobile app.
AmTrust Financial............................................................9 DAA Dealers Auto Auction, LLC.....................................5 Lake Charles AA..............................................................7 LA’s 1st Choice AA.......................................................IFC Manheim.......................................................................11 NextGear Capital...........................................................12 STARS GPS....................................................................13 Texas Direct Auto Auction............................................15 VAuto................................................................Back Cover
BOARD MEMBERS PRESIDENT Robert Perry Doug Perry Wholesale Cars 311 N. 4th Street Monroe, LA robertperry2010@yahoo.com 318-343-8611
Jacob Warren Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction 18310 Woodscale Rd. Hammond, LA 70401 jacob@lafcaa.com 985-345-3302
OFFICE
VICE PRESIDENT Matt Pedersen Lake Charles Auto Auction 2435 E. Broad St. Lake Charles LA 70601 matt@lcautoauction.com 337-433-8664
Donald Mendoza Don’s Wholesale 6902 Johnston St. Lafayette, LA 70503 mendozadonald@yahoo.com 337-210-5000
For information on how to become a member please contact Dwayne Tambling: louisianaiada@gmail.com or 877-513-6275.
NIADA HEADQUARTERS
NATIONAL INDEPENDENT AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION WWW.NIADA.COM • WWW.NIADA.TV 2521 BROWN BLVD. • ARLINGTON, TX 76006-5203 PHONE (817) 640-3838 The Open Road is published bimonthly by the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association Services Corporation, 2521 Brown Blvd., Arlington, TX 76006-5203. Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, TX and at additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NIADA State Publications, 2521 Brown Blvd., Arlington, TX 76006-5203. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Open Road or NIADA. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as members of NIADA, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured. Copyright ©2018 by NIADA Services, Inc.
STATE MAGAZINE MGR./SALES
Troy Graff • troy@niada.com EDITORS
Jacinda Timmerman • jacinda@niada.com Andy Friedlander • andy@niada.com MAGAZINE LAYOUT
Christopher Hanley • chris@niada.com PRINTING Nieman Printing
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dwayne Tambling Dwayne Tambling Auto Brokers 46001 Hwy # 22 St. Amant, LA 70774 225-675-3675 SECRETARY Daniel Guinn Guinn Auction Company, Inc. 1635 Thibodeaux Rd. Jennings, LA 70546 daniel@guinnauctions.com 337-368-7713 TREASURER Chuck Hill Lake Charles Auto Auction 2435 E. Broad St. Lake Charles LA 70601 chuck@lcautoauction.com 337-433-8664 BOARD MEMBERS Scott Ledet Ledet’s Auto Sales PO Box 1505 Gonzales, LA 70737 scottledet@ledetsautos.com 225-644-2886
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David Albritton Redline Motorcars, LLC 605 Cypress Street West Monroe, LA 71291 dcalbritton@gmail.com 318-605-3655
Kevin Reeves Dixieland Autoplex 15600 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70819 kevin@dixielandautoplex.com 225-248-6519 Rudy Martinez Ponce Imports, Inc. 6060 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge LA 70806 rudymp@cox.net 225-927-4346 Ricky Donnell Best Stop Auto Sales LLC 3591 Front St. Winnsboro LA 71295 Bsas03@yahoo.com 318-435-6565
Jeff Hernandez Airline Automart Inc. 4520 Airline Hwy Baton Rouge LA 70805 airlineautomart@yahoo.com 225-357-1597
Matt Chiasson Greater Shreveport/Bossier Auto Auction 1315 Grimmett Dr. Shreveport, LA 71107 mattautoauction@att.net 318-573-5562
Scott Rabeaux Rabeaux Auto Sales 6882 Johnson St. Lafayette, LA 70593 srabeaux@yahoo.com 337-991-9100
Walter Warren Tint City Auto 1410 W. Thomas St. Hammond LA 70401 tintcity1972@yahoo.com 985-969-0940
Eric Stroderd My Dealer Supply 850 Kaliste Saloom Rd. Lafayette, LA 70508 877-427-1238
Joel Couvillion Joel’s Auto Sales 5517 Coliseum Blvd. Alexandria, LA 71303 hotbyjoel@yahoo.com 318-442-3448
Tuesday at 9:00am 877.232.0259
Wednesday at 2:00pm 615.217.2848
Thursday at 9:00am 423.499.0015
Thursday at 9:00am 901.480.4250
Thursday at 9:30am 251.348.8855
RETAIL READY | BY JUSTIN M. OSBURN
DESIGNING A SUPERIOR MEET AND GREET Crafting and Reviewing the Play Recently I was on an airplane and the lady next to me struck up a conversation. She asked what I did for a living and I told her I consulted independent auto dealers. She became very inquisitive about the car business. She quickly offered her fear of car shopping and told me about her recent experience that turned into a nightmare. I asked her what emotions she felt when thinking about driving onto a car lot to purchase a vehicle. She said, “Fear of being screwed.” This information is nothing new. However it is the building block of how critical an effective meet and greet can be to our prospects. An additional BHPH fear from the prospect is fear of getting turned down. Our first impressions and ability to gain trust set the sales process up for success or failure. While there are certainly dealerships full of sales professionals who open with a competitive meet and greet, there are some that struggle to offer a consistent and superior greeting to prospective buyers. Why? Why do some nail it time and time again while others struggle to get even one sales professional on the team to conduct a first-class meet and greet? Here are a few steps your dealership can take to improve the overall execution of the meet and greet on the lot, right now! Leadership must decide the expectations of the meet and greet. Team members do not usually wake up each morning and say, “Self, today I am going to have a horrible day and do everything I can to be disruptive and not follow my manager’s instruction.” Actually, most team members come to work each day willing to follow great leaders and the tactics that produce results. A pitfall easy to overlook is no structured script or direction for the sales team to learn, practice and perfect their meet and greet. A critical step to improvement is the leadership deciding, with clarity, how the meet and greet should be conducted and then teaching and coaching the team members to replicate that vision with repetition and practice. Consider regular, short sales meetings each morning. This gives the leadership an opportunity to see who is at work, who is not, who is late and who came dressed for success as well as get a pulse of the team’s attitude for the day and offer some quick and structured practice. Coach the sales department on how to run “the play” of meet and greet. When team members are confused or
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A PIT FA L L E ASY T O OV ERLOOK IS NO S T RUC T URED SCRIP T OR DIRECTION FOR THE SALES TEAM TO LEARN, PRACTICE A N D P E R F E C T T H E I R M E E T A N D G R E E T. don’t know what to do, it’s human nature to do nothing, to stand still in the confusion. This is very apparent when a sales team member demonstrates hesitance to take an “up.” They are not sure what to do. You could fire them, or yell, or, worse, quietly remain bitter toward them as you both drown in failure. An alternative approach is to coach them how to run “the play” of meet and greet laid out in the first step. Then, rehearse it with them until they demonstrate perfect practice. If a mystery shopper walked on to your lot today and was greeted by the sales team, what would it sound like? Evaluate what works and does not work. If there is a well-crafted meet and greet plan and the team is demonstrating perfect practice, leadership should consistently encourage feedback on what parts of the play work and which parts could be improved. In football, a coach draws up a play and shows it to the team, then they practice all week and run the play in the next game. Certainly it doesn’t end there. The coach and the team are interested if the play resulted in big yardage, short yardage or even a loss of yards. They watch film after the game to review how the opponent responded to the play and what parts worked or did not work. If the play lost yards, it is not necessarily
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scrapped. Perhaps the blocking assignments need tweaking, a different player needs to touch the ball or the play needs to be run in a different situation. Once leadership at the dealership has drawn up a meet and greet, shown it to the team and rehearsed it, there should be a review with the team after it is has been used to see if it needs to be tweaked, changed up and/or improved. What are the results? What is the goal of a meet and greet and how do leadership and the team know if it was a successful play or not? The goal of a meet and greet should be to offer a great first impression, open up the ability to build rapport and ultimately move the prospect to the next step in the sales process. What is the next step? Can your leadership and team answer that question, consistently? Tip: A great opening question: “Hi, my name is Justin. Have you been to our dealership before or is this your first time?” I’d love to hear creative plays your team is running on the meet and greet. Typically a sincere and prepared opening has great results. For a few more opening questions that work, email me at justin@niada.com. Justin Osburn is a moderator, consultant and trainer for NIADA Dealer 20 Groups, offering more than a decade of experience in retail and Buy Here-Pay Here executive management.
DEALER SPOTLIGHT
DAVE ROPPOLO
Newest CPO Dealer in Louisiana
Dave Roppolo, current owner of Skyline Imports, has been in the used car business since the early 1990s. He started out rebuilding salvage title cars purchased from insurance salvage auctions and eventually began inhouse financing through the rent-to-own program in Louisiana around 2001. Dave continued in-house financing through 2010 when he transitioned into full retail with indirect lending. The current Skyline Imports facility was built around the same time. It sits at the corner of Florida Blvd. and Gloria Drive in Baton Rouge. Skyline Imports carries a large variety of late model cars, trucks and SUVs. They offer several financing options for customers with any type of credit along with bumperto-bumper service contracts. The facility recently began offering certified pre-owned units. Skyline Imports prides itself on maintaining one of the nicest, most modern and cleanest pre-owned independent car lots in the Baton Rouge area. A crew of two full time salesmen, a full time finance manager and a full time mechanic helps Dave keep things moving along. The dealership is open 9am-5pm weekdays and 9am-2pm on Saturdays. Check them out online at skylineimports.com.
ACCELERATE
| BY GWC WARRANTY
CRAFTING YOUR AUCTION GAME PLAN Be Ready for Game Day The auction is every independent dealer’s game day. The adrenaline. The sounds of anxious buyers pacing and analyzing every vehicle before it heads down the lane. But just like the best athletes prepare for each contest, the best dealers never head to auction without a game plan. Know where to go. Don’t be afraid to stray from your home field. Trying an online auction or one that’s a bit farther from you can help you score a deal. In each of these instances be sure to consider the cost of travel, transportation and delivery when deciding on a car’s overall value. Don’t go it alone. Your vehicle acquisition is only as good as the team you’re on. If you have a great eye for what to look for in a vehicle, bring along someone who can keep an eye on the budget. Conversely, if you have a grasp on the finances, bring along someone who can give an honest opinion about what it would take to get a vehicle lot-ready.
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Never show your hand. It’s important to hide your emotions and never tip your pitches when it comes to winning at auction. Don’t get too excited when bidding for a vehicle and don’t get too disappointed if you miss out on one. Both reactions can tip off savvy buyers who can use that emotion against you. Have an eye for the odometer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates upwards of 450,000 vehicles have altered odometers. Keep an eye on a vehicle’s mileage and look for red flags. If a car has low tire tread and bad brakes with under 20,000 miles, it
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might be a sign something’s afoot. Don’t discount repo cars. When a driver unwillingly gives up a car, it might still be in great shape. Bank-owned repo vehicles could be a solid opportunity for a home run of a deal since banks are usually motivated to get the vehicle off their books. Stick to your game plan. Treat your auction budget like a salary cap. Set a spending target and don’t stray from it. There’s always another auction and another chance to find the right purchase for your lot.
WASHINGTON UPDATE | BY SHAUN PETERSEN
NIADA GOVERNMENT UPDATE
Latest Government Issues and Activity
NIADA IS YOUR VOICE IN WASHINGTON D.C., ADVOCATING FOR INDEPENDENT DEALERS, THE USED VEHICLE INDUSTRY AND SMALL BUSINESS. HERE’S A LOOK AT THE LATEST NEWS AND NIADA EFFORTS REGARDING LEGISLATIVE, REGULATORY, PAC AND GRASS ROOTS ACTIVITIES.
LEGISLATIVE President Trump discussed his legislative priorities for 2018 during a weekend retreat with Republican congressional leaders early last month at Camp David, and among the top items on that agenda is a bill addressing the nation’s infrastructure. While the focus of that bill will be improving America’s roads, bridges and airports – with a price tag in the hundreds of millions of federal dollars – it could also serve as an opportunity for some lawmakers to bring up an issue that would have a huge effect on independent vehicle dealers: recalls. On several occasions in the past, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has attempted to attach his proposal to ban the sale of all vehicles subject to an open recall to a “must-pass” bill. While none of those attempts have been successful, thanks in large part to the efforts of NIADA and our members, the infrastructure bill provides another likely opportunity for Senate Democrats to attempt to introduce the socalled “Blumenthal amendment” – especially after more than 3 million more cars were recently added to the massive recall for faulty Takata airbags. NIADA and other auto industry stakeholders will stay on top of the situation. NIADA supports the goal of having all recalled vehicles repaired, but opposes Blumenthal’s overbroad proposal, which does not help achieve that goal
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but instead sharply decreases the trade-in value of consumers’ vehicles. REGULATORY The White House won another key battle for control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last month when U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly rejected CFPB deputy director Leandra English’s request for an injunction that would have installed her as the bureau’s acting director. The ruling leaves White House budget director Mick Mulvaney – President Trump’s choice – in place as acting CFPB director until Trump names a permanent successor to Richard Cordray, who left the CFPB in November to run for governor of Ohio. In his decision, Kelly wrote English’s lawsuit to win control of the CFPB is “not likely to succeed.” English is expected to appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Kelly had previously denied a request by English for a restraining order to block Mulvaney’s appointment. English’s suit claims she is the rightful acting director because the Dodd-Frank Act, which created the CFPB, says the deputy director assumes that position in the director’s absence. The President cites his authority through the Federal Vacancies Reform Act to appoint an official already confirmed by the Senate in another capacity to also serve as the bureau’s acting director. While that’s being sorted out, Mulvaney
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moved forward by naming House Financial Services Committee staff director Kirsten Sutton Mork the CFPB’s new chief of staff, a position English held before Cordray named her deputy director hours before his resignation in an effort to install her as his temporary successor. Mork’s previous boss, Financial Services Committee chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), is reportedly one of the candidates Trump is considering as permanent CFPB director. GRASS ROOTS With the beginning of the new year, state legislatures throughout the nation are opening their sessions for 2018. This year, 46 of the 50 states will hold regular legislative sessions. As always, NIADA is keeping a close eye on key proposed legislation at the state level that affects independent dealers and the used vehicle industry. One issue to watch this year is simmering in California, where state Sen. Hannah Beth Jackson is reportedly considering introducing a bill to ban arbitration agreements in vehicle sales contracts. The IADA of California, with support from NIADA, is working with the state’s new car dealers association to oppose that potential legislation. Others include bills addressing debt and collections issues, which are expected to pop up in a number of states after several state legislatures proposed
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rate caps in 2017, as well as attempts to ban the sale of used vehicles under an open recall and unworkable restrictions on the use of GPS and starter-interrupt devices. NIADA has a record of recent success in fighting harmful legislation at the state level, including the defeat of an overreaching Buy Here-Pay Here bill in Oregon and the removal of severely restrictive provisions of a New Jersey GPS bill. PAC NIADA treasurer Scott Allen and I represented the association at a luncheon held by Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) to thank supporters who have contributed to her congressional campaign. Granger’s campaign has been the recipient of past contributions from the NIADA-PAC fund, earning the association’s support for her efforts to reform the CFPB – she cosponsored a bill to repeal the bureau’s 2013 indirect auto lending guidance. She is a member of the influential House Appropriations Committee. Invitations such as those are a direct result of the PAC’s activities and offer NIADA leadership unfiltered access to legislators, advancing NIADA’s advocacy efforts by allowing us to educate members of Congress about the issues important to our members and to continue to build relationships with Washington’s key decision-makers. Shaun Petersen is NIADA’s senior vice president of legal and government affairs.
MANAGEMENT MATTERS
| BY DALE POLLAK
COMBATING DEALER MARGIN DECLINES Selling and Servicing with Greater Efficiency
How many dealers figured they’d make up for ever-smaller margins in new and used vehicles by selling more cars in 2017? If you asked the question in a room full of dealers, I suspect most, if not all, hands would be in the air. “You make up your gross in volume” is the age-old rule of thumb in the car business. But what if the thumb is broken and the rule doesn’t fit anymore? That’s the situation in today’s retail automotive market. In June, the National Automobile Dealers Association reported dealers are seeing declines in two important places – on the gross and net profits they realize when they retail new and used vehicles, and in the overall number of vehicles they actually retail. Gross/net profits: NADA reported gross profit as a percentage of new vehicle selling price dropped to 5.9 percent in the first half of 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. For used vehicles, the gross as a percentage of the sales price dropped to 12 percent. Meanwhile, the net profit per new vehicle retailed fell 74 percent to minus-$396 and the net profit for each used vehicle retailed fell nearly 50 percent to $112. Retail sales: In the first half of 2017, dealers averaged 449 new vehicle retail sales, up just two vehicles from the same period a year prior. Used vehicles had a slight drop, averaging 358 retail sales, down from 362. Those dealership data points suggest dealers who believe they can retail their way to improved profits are probably kidding themselves in the current market. If that strategy worked, shouldn’t we see decidedly different numbers from NADA? The data amounts to a call to action. Dealers need a better way forward that doesn’t rely simply on selling more cars to make more money. Similarly, cutting expenses won’t provide dealers sufficient relief from the combined pressures of margin compression and a softer sales environment. The best way forward rests with increased operational efficiencies. Dealers simply have to find a way to sell and service customers with greater efficiency and lower costs. The good news here is that most dealers have three areas of longstanding inefficiency that, if addressed, can
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help them achieve the higher levels of operational efficiency, productivity and profitability they need to thrive in the years ahead. Human capital: Dealers continue to suffer from an average annual turnover of 67 percent in sales and 40 percent across their operations. Those figures suggest a high level of dissatisfaction. You can only wonder how many deals are lost or bad decisions made on any given day because the hearts and minds of dealership employees aren’t in the game. Dealers who have tackled this inefficiency have formalized their hiring processes around key personality traits and cultural fit and have moved away from the traditional practices of commissionbased pay and uncertain work hours. Inventory: I see signs of inventory inefficiency every day. If I had to summarize the problem, I think it’s fair to say up to a third of dealers’ vehicle inventory is effectively dead capital. Those are over-age vehicles that haven’t sold, and they’re preventing dealers from reinvesting that capital in more profitproductive units. Of course, there are a multitude of reasons behind such inventory inefficiencies but they all point to the same underlying need for more investmentminded inventory decisions. Dealers need to do a better job of assessing each vehicle’s retail prospects before they own it, then work more diligently to retail every unit more quickly, before its ROI and front-end gross effectively disappear. Technology: Dealers have invested sizable sums in technologies that should help their sales associates and service technicians work more productively and profitably. Yet sales associates still average about 10 retail sales per month and technicians about 40 hours per week – averages that haven’t changed in nearly 40 years. The statistics suggest solutions providers can and should do a better job of helping dealers achieve greater use of their tools, which would help dealers realize the promise of increased efficiency and profitability the technology and tools are intended to produce. Those three areas of opportunity don’t represent an end-all, be-all list. But they do offer starting points for dealers to push back against margin compression and a softer market, and gain back some of the profitability that seems to dissipate with each passing year. Dale Pollak is the founder of vAuto and an executive with Cox Automotive. This column originally ran on his blog. For this story and all his posts, visit www.dalepollak.com.originally ran on his blog. For this story and all his posts, visit www.dalepollak.com.
ACCELERATE
| BY GWC WARRANTY
5 INDUSTRY TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2018 Breakdown of Industry Outlook It’s a new year, which means a fresh start and new look at the automotive industry. We’ve read all the latest analysts’ reports and have a breakdown of where the industry is heading in what many believe is a promising year for the automotive industry.
economic, regulatory and environmental factors haven’t impacted the industry too much in either direction. In fact, about half of all used car segments saw gains at the end of the year, meaning smart inventory selection will pay off in early 2018. Late-Model Supply Through November, J.D. Power Valuation Services reported a 4.4 percent year-over-year volume increase for latemodel vehicles. Combine that with the
fact 22.9 percent of new vehicle sales were leases, and it shows an availability boom that can stick around through 2019. CPO Sales For the seventh straight year, Certified PreOwned sales set record marks. And while this figure only encompasses manufacturer CPO programs, that doesn’t mean independents can’t reap the rewards. Offering an aftermarket CPO program will help you level the playing field and cash in on the trust customers place in CPO vehicles.
Used Car Sales Year-over-year statistics don’t tell the entire story when looking at December of 2017 – because December 2016 was an industry record – but looking at the year as a whole, the numbers look great. At year’s end, Edmunds estimated used car sales totaled 38.8 million, a number the entire industry can certainly live with. Dealer Sentiment Cox Automotive regularly releases its dealer sentiment index, which gauges how independent dealers are feeling about the current market. Independents scored 52 in the fourth quarter, which continues a trend of promising scores. Most encouraging is that fewer independents are now reporting “limited inventory” as a factor holding back their businesses. Used Car Pricing Year-over-year used car prices at the end of 2017 almost broke even with the previous year – a positive sign that www.louisianaiada.com February/March 2018
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SOCIAL MEDIA
| BY KATHI KRUSE
ANNUAL SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY REVIEW Why It Is a Best Practice It’s 2018 and you know what that means – it’s time to assess and realign things for the new year. Do you have a social media policy in place for your dealership? If so, how often do you review it?
PROTECTING COMPANY ASSETS It’s a good business practice to regularly assess company assets. Public or private, a dealership’s market value or equity is based directly on the assets it retains. Assets both tangible – such as cash, property and buildings – and intangible – such as your digital reputation, policies and procedures, and social media presence – are directly responsible for a store’s market value. Social media policy falls under the intangible asset category, and reviewing your policy on an annual basis is a best practice. Just as a regular review of expenses and operations results in many benefits, so does a social media policy review. WHY DO AN ANNUAL SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY REVIEW? There is often a lot of angst and fear around social media, and an annual review takes some of the sting out. You can’t control everything, but with a good policy in place and regular reviews, you’ll leave a lot less to chance. Reaffirm company guidelines for employee use of social media. When hired, each employee should have signed an acknowledgment of receipt of the company’s social media policy. A process to conduct annual reviews of company policy on everything is always a good idea but it’s crucial for social media. Why? Because social media changes often and a dealership’s social media policy should change along with it. It’s an insurance policy in the event of a social media crisis. We’ve seen enough social media debacles at Kruse Control in the past nine years to know it’s not a matter of if, but when it could happen.
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Are you prepared should it happen to you? First, it should be determined and documented what a social media crisis is. Having a company-wide plan in place will empower you to act quickly and effectively when a crisis begins. Instead of wasting time debating how to handle things on social media, you’ll be prepared to take action and prevent the crisis from growing out of control. It helps avoid legal trouble and exposed liabilities. There’s a lot of pressure for dealers to communicate online today. It’s easy to overlook that social media brings certain responsibilities to mitigate liability. Some of the places a dealer could get into trouble are: • Using work without permission. • Defaming competitors. • Promises not kept. • User privacy. • Contest violations. Pro Tip: The use of social media increases the risk of accidentally committing libel, slander, copyright infringement and privacy invasion. All those tweets and posts can lead to lawsuits, but a general liability insurance policy can help. It includes protection for “advertising injury,” meaning claims from your competitors that you badmouthed them in an ad. It safeguards against accidental leaks of confidential information. Social media is a growing security risk as a source of data leaks and misinformation. Vigilance and training are crucial to minimizing risks for individuals and the company. Employees using personal electronic devices discuss all sorts of work-related topics on social media – both during and outside of work hours and locations. As a result, confidential data can leak directly. Another security concern about social media – which continues to make headlines – is criminals can exploit social media to rapidly disseminate “fake news” and other forms of misinformation. Such devious tricks impact more than just politics. They can be used to manipulate stock prices, harm personal or business reputations, or even cause people to take actions that harm innocent parties while helping criminals. In Kruse Control’s clients’ customtailored social media policies, we
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spell out the consequences that come from accidental leaks of confidential information. We determine where risks lie and recommend actions to prevent them. It protects a company’s digital reputation. Businesses around the world ranked damage to their reputation or brand, magnified by social media, as their top risk management concern, according to Aon’s 2017 Global Risk Management Survey. Warren Buffet said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” That is especially true today, as highprofile crises including cyber attacks, product recalls and damaging social media posts become more prevalent. In the current environment, protecting reputation and actively managing risk can take on strategic importance. Yet for many organizations, managing reputation presents challenges. Many dealers do not have a written process exclusively for reputation management. Truthfully, until social media showed up, you didn’t really need it. Reputation management was left to the marketing and PR people. Today, every employee is a marketer. A review of social media policy will support ongoing efforts to build and protect a company’s digital reputation by spotlighting internal practices and processes. It keeps HR in the loop on marketing. More and more, dealers are using social media as a recruiting tool. With the addition of “social selling” into the sales process, it’s easy to see that HR is fast becoming a necessary participant in the social media marketing process. There’s a trend toward hiring employees who already have a current social media following because they are influencers and are often seen as subject matter experts, especially if they’re in sales positions. A review of social media policies and procedures should include an update on how HR folds into social media and outlines its stake in decision-making around social media. Kathi Kruse is an automotive social media marketing expert, blogger, consultant, author, speaker and founder of Kruse Control Inc., which coaches, trains and delivers webinars focused on integrating social media and online reputation management into dealership operations. She can be reached at kathi@krusecontrolinc.com.
LIADA AUCTION MEMBERS ADESA Shreveport
7666 Greenwood Road Shreveport, LA 71119 318-938-4400 Phone 318-938-7623 Fax www.adesa.com Sale Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Alexandria Auto Auction 515 N 3rd Street Alexandria, LA 71301 318-484-9672 Phone 318-484-9699 Fax www.alexandriaauction.com Sale Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
America’s Auto Auction Baton Rouge
3960 Blount Road Baton Rouge, La 70807 225 778 3737 www.auctionbroadcasting.com Sale Thursday
Louisiana’s 1st Choice AA 18310 Woodscale Road Hammond, LA 70401 985-345-3302 Phone 985-343-5735 Fax www.lafcaa.com Sale Tuesday at 8:45 a.m.
Long Beach Auto Auction 8494 County Farm Road Long Beach, MS 39560 228-452-2030 Phone 228-452-9588 Fax www.lbautoauction.com Sale Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. 1611 St. Mary Street Scott, LA 70583 1-337-237-5620 Phone Sale Thursday at 10:00 a.m.
Manheim Mississippi
1826 Almeda Genoa Rd. Houston, TX 77047 281-819-3600
Bayou State Auctions, LLC
Manheim New Orleans
134 ½ Galbert Rd Lafayette, LA 70506 337-289-9191 Sale Tuesdays at 5:30pm
Brown’s Auction Co.
61077 St. Tammany Slidell, LA 70460 985-643-2061 Phone 985-643-2122 Fax www.manheim.com Sale Wednesday at 9 a.m.
6249 Hwy 190 Mid-South Auction Eunice, La 70535 1657 Old Whitfield Road Phone: 337-457-4919 Jackson/Pearl, MS 39208 www.brownsauction.com 601-956-2700 Phone Sale is quarterly (call for more 601-956-5603 Fax information). www.midsouthaa.com Sale Tuesday at 9 a.m. Greater Shreveport-Bossier 8000 Highway 80 Mike McTurner Dealers Shreveport, LA 71119 136 Gregory Drive P O Box 29590 Monroe, LA 71202 Shreveport, LA 71149 318-343-8200 Phone Phone: 318-221-3362 318-343-8259 Fax www.gsbautoauction.com www.dealersautoauction Sale Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. monroe.com Sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. Insurance Auto Auction 29000 Frost Road Oak View Auto Auction Livingston, LA 70754 13451 Florida Blvd 225-686-9197 Phone Baton Rouge, LA 70815 225-686-8197 Fax 225-272-5139 Phone www.iaai.com 225-272-5314 Fax Sale Monday at 9 a.m. www.oakviewautoauction.com Sale Friday at 10 a.m. Lake Charles Auto Auction 2435 E Broad Street Z66 Auto Auction Lake Charles, LA 70601 66 N Mingo 337-433-8664 Phone Tulsa, OK 74116 337-436-7197 Fax Phone: 918-794-0660 www.pedersenandpedersen.com www.z66aa.com Sale Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Sale Friday at 11:30 a.m.
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Membership ($400.00 yearly dues.)
Manheim Lafayette
7510 U S Highway 49 Hattiesburg, MS 39402 601-268-7550 Phone 601-579-7202 Fax www.manheim.com Sale Thursday at 9 a.m.
America’s Auto Auction Houston
privileges. ($400.00 yearly dues.)
February/March 2018
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*Auction Discount Coupon Books worth $4,050.00 available to LIADA members. Coupons can be redeemed at the following participation auctions.
LIADA DEALER SERVICE PROVIDERS ADVERTISING DETAILING Jose Upholstery Auto Sweet Jose Delgado Christopher Lentz 4776 Fairfields Ave. lenny@autosweet.com Baton Rouge, La 70802 3240 W. Henderson Rd. Phone:225-316-4575 Columbus OH 43220 Phone: 614-448-9089 M M Topshelf Detailing & Recon Lonnie McCauley ATTORNEY lmccauley@eatel.net Tureau & Tureau, APLC 4452 Jeffery Dr. Ralph Tureau & Steven Tureau Baton Rouge, LA 70816 steven@tureaulawfirm.com Phone: 225-603-4600 12320 Hwy 44 Suite 3C Fax: 225-622-5994s Gonzales, LA 70737 Phone: 225-647-8529 FINANCES Fax: 225 647-8530 First Consumers Financial, LLC Bob Chedville AUTO PARTS bob@fcfcarloan.com AutoZone 14580 Florida Blvd. Derlyn Odom Baton Rouge, LA 70819 deryln.odom@autozone.com Phone: 225-272-9009 6517 airline why Nationwide Acceptance Metairie LA, 70003 Martin Less 228-990-5669 mless@nac-loans.com Pull A Part 3435 N Cicero Ave. Toby Thompson Chicago IL 60641 Baton Rouge, LA 70814 Phone: 800-622-7605 Phone: 225-247-9160 Preferred Loans LLC BODY SHOP Shana Quick Custom Colors preferloans@eatel.net Pete McKnight--Billy Rapp 12241 Roddy Rd. customautocolors@gmail.com Gonzales, LA 70737 11550 Cloverland Ave. Phone: 225-644-0304 Baton Rouge, LA 70809 Fax: 225-644-6862 Phone: 225-752-5947 Reynolds & Reynolds/AppOne Fax: 225-752-5940 Michael Riley michaelriley@reyrey.com BUSINESS SERVICES Davenport Business Services LLC 4150 2nd St. South Suite 550 St. Cloud MN 56303 David Davenport david@davenportbusinessservices.com Phone: 877-277-6631 X 57628 14 Concord Place Westlake Financial Services Gulfport, MS 39507 Rob Wilson Phone: 228-547-9219 4751 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90010 CREDIT CARD SERVICES dealers@westlakefinancial.com Applied Merchant www.westlakefinancial.com Jeff Gallo Phone: 888-8YES-YES jgallo@appliedmerchant.com 26775 Malibu Hills Rd. FLOOR PLAN Calabasas, CA 91301 AFC Phone: 800-236-2179 Tim Ormiston 1610 A St. Mary St. DEALER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Scott, La. 70583 Dealer Market Exchange timothy.ormiston@autofinance.com Holly Jonsson www.Afcdealer.com holly@dmx.io Phone: 337-593-8992 B5 Calle Tabonuco AFC Guaynabo PR 968 Michael Meyers Phone: 970-749-0851 Michael.Meyers@autofinance.com Frazer Computing Inc. 18310 Woodscale Rd. help@frazer.com Hammond La. 70401 P.O. Box 569 Phone: 877-739-0218 Canton, NY 13617 Phone: 1-888-963-5369 Automotive Finance Corporation Fax: 1-888-963-3366 Cassie Lasley 106 Village St. Suite 1 DEALER SUPPLIES / FORMS Slidell, La 70458 My Dealer Supply Company Office: 985-288-6431 Eric Stroderd Cell: 504-235-4264 ericstroderd@mydealersupply.com Cassie.Lasley@AutoFinance.com 311 A West University www.AFCDealer.com Lafayette, LA 70506 CarBucks Floor Plan Phone: 877-427-1238 Brandon Ziebarth Romano Promotions LLC www.usecarbucks.com Megan Romano 381 Halton Road megan@romanopromo.com Greenville, SC 29607 42062 Gardens Blvd Phone: 225-819-6747 Hammond, LA 70403 NextGear Capital Phone: 985-634-8274 Stuart LaBauve slabauve@nextgearcapital.com Phone: 225-620-1660 Fax: 866-550-8694
GLASS/WINDSHIELD
MARKETING
Babin’s Auto Glass Inc. Brent Babin babinsautoglass@eatel.net 13283 Airline Hwy. Gonzales, La 70737 Phone: 225-647-1369
Interactive Financial Marketing Group Travis Weisleder dealerinfo@interactivefmg.com 1509 West Main St. Richmond, VA 23220 Phone: 804-225-1880
GPS
PAINT TOUCHUP & INTERIOR REPAIR
Position Plus GPS MasterMatch Andy Seckinger Eddie Krueger aseckinger@spireon.com eddielsufan@yahoo.com 950 Market St. 1104 Pine St. Suite A Shreveport, LA 71107 Monroe LA 71207 563-581-7693 Phone: 318-322-2886 SVR Tracking SECURITY SYSTEMS Zanita Phillips Integrity Audio Visual LLC Zphillips1225@gmail.com Steve Clay 950 N. Market St. Steve@Integrity-av.com Shreveport, LA 71107 39089 South Angel Court Phone: 318-286-6297 Gonzales, LA 70737 225-235-1528 INSURANCE & BONDS Affordable Insurance Solutions RENTAL CAR Janis Fallaw Enterprise Rental Car agentj0912@aol.com 3545 N 1-10 Service Rd., Ste. 101 751 Hwy 51 Metairie, LA 70002 Madison, MS 39110 Phone: 504-454-1717 Phone: 601-856-9447 Carmouche Insurance Inc. 516 N. Burnside Ave Gonzales, LA. Phone: 225-647-8552 Charles Carmouche charles@carmoucheinsurance.com Crossland Insurance Agency Andrew Arceri andrew@crosslandins.com 1101 Hwy 90 E. New Iberia, LA 70560 Phone: 337-367-6035 Dwight W. Andrus Insurance Bonnie Dozier bbd@andrus.com P.O. Box 60970 Lafayette, LA 70598 Phone: 337-981-7300 Insurance & Bonds, LLC John Sonnier 9131 Interline Ave. #10-B Baton Rouge, LA 70809 Jsonnier60@gmail.com Phone: 225-922-3700 S. Brown Associates 150 River Rd. M3 Montville, NJ Phone: 973-270-2270 US Agencies Low Cost Insurance Sharon Miller Sharon.Miller@confiegroup.com 440 Third St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Phone: 225-615-0957 Fax: 225-987-5144 US Agencies Low Cost Insurance Kenneth Champagne kchampagne@usagencies.com 440 Third St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Phone: 225-408-8492 Fax: 225-987-5144
TRANSPORTATION
Masney Auto Transport Inc. Greg Hedges page@masney.com 831 Maguire Rd. Ocoee FL 34761 Phone: 407-877-8882 VEHICLE HISTORY
Carfax Kathy Collins kathycollins@carfax.com Phone: 703-934-2664 5860 Trinity Pkwy Centreville, VA 20120 WARRANTY
AUL Corp Shelton Green Shelton@sadrinc.com 704 Hickory Ave. New Orleans, LA 70183 Phone: 504-722-8123 CTR Warranty, LLC Ken Rugg 319 North 3rd St. Monroe, LA 71201 Phone: 318-323-6385 Ferrell Dealer Services RENT TO OWN 18016 Shadow Creek Ave. Seadra Inc. Baton Rouge, LA 70816 John Garner Phone: 225-978-5111 john@seadraonline.com fspruell@gmail.com 10555 Lake Forrest Blvd. GCWS, LLC New Orleans LA 70127 Rock Brunet Phone: 504-241-0211 rockbrunet@gmail.com 101 Shumard Dr. TIRES Lafayette LA 70508 Cooper Tire and Rubber Company Phone: 337-258-2998 Michael Wertz mtwertz@coopertire.com GWC Warranty 820 Rivers CreekLn. James W. Hester Little Elm, TX 75068 jhester@gwcwarranty.com Phone: 567-525-2765 40 Coal St. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 TITLE – NOTARY Phone: 225-771-9766 Dealertrack Registration Protective Solution LLC and Titling Services Rick Cole Processed by Auto Title Express rcmarketingllc@me.com Amy Casey 4211 Sterlington Rd. 3445 Causeway Blvd Suite 103 Monroe, LA 71203 Metairie, LA 70002 Phone: 877-697-2533 7 locations throughout Louisiana! Go.dealertrack.com/LA PWI Contact Sales: 888.346.3087 Sharon Coleman sharon@warrantys.com Express OMV PO Box 278 Brooke Barnett Orwigsburg, PA 17961 Phone: 225-243-6925 Phone: 800-548-1121 485 Florida Blvd. Denham Springs LA 70726 Southern Auto Dealer Resources LeBlanc Auto Title Company 704 Hickory Ave. 1116 E. Cornerview St. Harahan, LA 70123 Gonzales, LA 70737 Shelton Green Phone: 225-644-4591 sheltongreen3@aol.com Fax: 225-644-8207 Phone: 504-466-88002 hopeleblanc@eatel.net TOWING & RECOVERY
Smart Tow Kevin Rembert 3045 Rosenwald Rd. Baton Rouge, LA 70807 kevinpremert@yahoo.com Phone: 225-356-3002 Fax: 225-356-3222
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MANAGEMENT GAMEPLAN | BY SCOTT BERGERON
BURNING TRACKS TO INSUFFICIENT SALES PERFORMANCE DATA How to Successfully Integrate a KPI Tracking System
As your flight prepares to take off, how would you feel if you knew the pilots were only handling some of the items on their pre-flight checklist? While not a literal matter of life and death as it could be on an airliner, dealerships crash and burn every year because they fail to track critical sales performance data on every salesperson. Many focus on the number of done deals without tracking how many sales may have been left on the table. Insufficient daily tracking of such key performance indicators as number of clients contacted, number of test drives, and number of callbacks can make a vast difference in a dealership’s annual revenues. KPIs are the critical information needed to maximize time and make course corrections before molehills turn into mountains. It also can make a major difference to someone’s career and a dealership’s employee retention. If not held to a high accountability protocol, a salesperson can fail to make the grade and move on. Much like a football team without high performance standards that are constantly reviewed and improved, an entire sales team can flounder. There’s nothing worse than getting to the end of the month and realizing someone isn’t getting a paycheck, or is getting one they can’t live on. It’s bad for the rep, management, and the dealership as a whole. You need to know right away when someone is missing their numbers. Despite all these reasons to develop comprehensive KPIs and require each sales team member to be accountable to them, it often doesn’t happen. Why not? Reasons – or excuses – include the following: • Lack of time. Most of us feel overwhelmed much of the time. “One more thing,” even if it can make the difference between dealer success and failure, can feel like too much. • Lack of willingness. Particularly in smaller, independent dealerships, “seat of the pants” is the prevailing sales philosophy. Freewheeling sales teams exhibiting typical instinctive entrepreneurial traits succeed or fail based mostly on personality, charm, and intuition. While these are all important strengths, it’s vital to complement them with reliable adherence to objective tracking standards. Using the football analogy again,
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the greatest players possess a healthy dose of talent coupled with strict adherence to objective measurements and observations. Dealer sales reps are no different. • Lack of follow through. Sometimes a dealership – and its employees – will become enamored with a “shiny new technology toy” to set up and track KPIs that may be bundled into a CRM. However, much like a young child getting a new toy, after the initial glow fades so does the follow through. The KPI tracking system gets relegated to the shelf, where it gathers dust instead of valuable information. • Lack of decisiveness. In other cases, the problem is inability to decide what KPI system to use because there are so many choices that decision-makers have a “deer in the headlights” type reaction trying to assess the best solution for them. They default to making no decision at all. • Lack of patience. Some KPI systems can be unwieldy to set up and implement. They can disrupt normal routines, require a lot of handholding, and generally be a pain to use. This is not the recipe for success. • Lack of budget. This is often the biggest challenge. While some KPI solutions are extremely cost-effective, others – particularly the largest and most well-known – require a substantial money commitment. Often, it’s just easier to justify not using the system because of cost. What is the best way to find and integrate a KPI tracking system, and use it consistently? • Research options. Unlike some technologies that are very complex and costly, KPI tracking solutions can be very economical, easy to use, and simple to complete on a daily basis. This isn’t rocket science. Look for the key criteria you need, then marry those criteria to a system that meets your needs. • Make it a habit. High-producing leaders promote success by making sure everyone on the sales team knows what is expected of them. Regular inspection processes ensure the sales machine is firing on all cylinders. Tracking and reviewing everyone’s KPIs every day, then making changes as needed to improve numbers, must be a commitment made both by management and individual team members. • Use it as a teaching and coaching tool. With this objective data, sales managers can help individuals improve their performance. If a salesperson isn’t entering the data, a manager can go directly to the person and find out why, then provide direction to make sure it happens. It can be a case of forgetting, a cry for help, or even defiance of the whole system. Top performers especially may avoid completing their daily tracking because they believe they’re above it and the rules don’t apply to them. But they should. • Make it fun, as much as possible. KPI tracking can be done as salespeople go
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T O P P E R F O R M E R S E S P E C I A L LY M AY AV O I D C O M P L E T I N G T H E I R D A I LY TRACKING BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THEY’RE ABOVE IT AND THE RULES D O N ’ T A P P LY T O T H E M . B U T T H E Y SHOULD. through the day on their smartphones, tablets, laptops, or desktops, in real time. The entire process can take as few as five minutes to finish – so it’s not like completing mounds of paperwork for a homicide investigation. • Make it a regular monthly appointment. In addition to daily tracking and adjusting, schedule an end-of-month session to review KPI statistics, goals, and desired changes based on the results. To make it even more compelling for individuals to comply, sales managers can review each salesperson’s results with the entire team present. This “peer pressure” can help make sure everyone is accountable, and allows top achievers a showcase for their good work. Remember, it’s about way more than the number of done deals. Former dealer executive Scott Bergeron is the founder and principal at Daily Gameplan (www.dailygameplan.com), a sales team performance company. Daily Gameplan’s “Red Book,” cloud-based CRM, and direct consulting have been used in thousands of dealerships throughout the United States. Bergeron can be reached at 303.918.3169 or scott@dailygameplan.com.