📖 Class is in Session

Saturdays are no longer just for refreshing emails! Starting today we will be talking to Chris and Kristi (our writers) every week on a special audio-only episode of The Automotive Troublemaker podcast. We want to make sure and recap one or two of the really neat stories about dealers they ran into throughout the week, and maybe even provide some more context for them.

You can check out The Automotive Troublemaker literally wherever you get your pods!

Keep Pushing Back-Paul & Kyle

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT

Chris Singleton: Trainer, Author, and Making the Industry Work for Everybody

We spoke with Chris Singleton about his experience in the industry. He shared his background, experiences, and insights about the industry's future. Here's a recap of our conversation:

Chris, welcome, and thank you! I won't waste your time; let's jump right in. How did you get into the automotive industry?

Well, I got into the industry after seeing an ad in the paper that said you could make $2,000 a month. I had sold Kirby vacuum cleaners and Cutco kitchen knives door-to-door, and I even detailed cars. So I started detailing cars and thought, "Let me see if I can apply all of the sales skills I learned from door-to-door sales to the automotive industry." So I got in and have been hooked ever since.

How many years have you been in the industry?

Since 2006, so 17 years.

When did you move into the COO position?

January of this year. Before that, I was the Executive General Manager at an individual store. And before that, I owned a sales training company for six years, traveling the world to train some of the top dealerships and even people outside the automotive industry. I also wrote a book called "All Is Fair in Love and Sales" that became a bestseller and allowed me to travel and do those things.

As the COO, do you feel like you're utilizing the same skills that you built over the previous years, or has it been a significant change for you?

It was a natural progression. Owning a sales training company and being an Executive General Manager allowed me to learn organizational restructuring and implement processes. Of course, as a COO, I have to do all that but also manage the structure and processes on a day-to-day basis for the entire retail operation.

What is an essential rule you bring into the training aspect of your work?

Training is not a one-size-fits-all. You have to learn your audience and ask thought-provoking questions or make powerful statements at the beginning of the training to open their minds and hearts, allowing them to listen to you.

Where do you see yourself and the industry heading in the next couple of years?

My objective is to be part of something much bigger than me and help as many people with aspirations to be dealers become dealers, especially those marginalized or disenfranchised. We aim to create the largest minority-owned dealer group with people of all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds, and genders leading it.

As for the industry, it is going towards transparency, electrification, and individuality. The buyers dictate how they want to be sold to, and we must listen as an industry to make the adjustments.

CONTENT RECAP

Weekly Roundup ICYMI

• Griffis Motors donates a Jeep Compass in support of the Nashoba Central Rockets baseball team. ⚾

• Rochester’s Pirate Toy Fund receives a Hot Wheels-inspired van from Van Bortel Subaru. 🏴‍☠️

• Preston Automotive Group teams up with the Baltimore Ravens to tackle childhood hunger. 🏈 

• Vintage cars outpace art, wine, and watches in value over the past decade. 📈

• General Motors revealed its final gas-powered vehicle, the 2024 Buick Envista. 🌘

• The US Treasury announces which EV models are eligible for tax credits. 💰

• Yer a TV series, Harry! 🪄

• ChatGPT can be a helpful tool for folks with ADHD. 🛠️

• The viral hit “Heart on My Sleeve” uses AI to simulate Drake and The Weeknd. 🤖 

Podcasts

Check The Automotive Troublemaker podcast homepage this morning for a special treat featuring your two favorite ASOTU email writers, Kris and Chris! 👋

CAPTION CONTEST

That Face When...

It’s Paul’s turn to be memed, y’all! Think “that face when” thoughts, and let us know what you think Paul’s expression says to you.

Some examples from the crew:

• TFW you text someone in the same room and wait for them to notice how funny you are.

• TFW your wife asks if you hit an armadillo in her car.

• TFW you just got tickets to ASOTU CON at the Troublemaker discount.

• TFW your uncle brings up politics at Thanksgiving.

• TFW your kid is looking for the leftover birthday cake and only you know where it is.

SOMETHING FUN

1909 Baker Electric

The YouTube group Donut Media dropped a video showing off the oldest still-functioning electric vehicle.

No, not a 2010 Nissan Leaf.

A 114-year-old 1909 Baker Electric. The vehicle, borrowed from Jay Leno, was produced between 1913 and 1917 and had a range of 80 miles on a single charge and a top speed of 25 mph. That's over 3 hours of travel at speeds just above a school zone at dismissal!

Of course, if you know about EVs today, you may guess one of the Baker's limitations - charging. It took about 48 hours to fully charge the battery. Which is plenty of time to do olde timey stuff like wear 3-piece suits to the park, make and eat butter, or smoke the pack of cigarettes your doctor gave you to clear up your cold.

TRIVIA

Samsung FTW!

Last week, we tasked you all to answer the question: "Which tech giant briefly sold cars in the 1990s?" We received a record number of responses ending in a tie between Samsung and IBM.

Well, congratulations to those of you who correctly guess Samsung! 🎉

Their car division was first established as Samsung Motors in 1994 and they began selling cars in 1998. After facing hardships due in large part to the East Asian financial crisis at the time, they were ultimately absorbed by Renault in 2000.