👍 Confidence To Share

TOGETHER WITH

Naming the reasons something has gone wrong is a required talent in a team, but naming the reasons things are going right is too.

Shoutout to insightful leaders for identifying the bad and shining a light on the good, no matter how small.

Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, & Chris

AUTOMOTIVE

Inspiring Consumer Confidence

Cox reported a 2.7% dip in wholesale used vehicle value from April to May, leading prices to their lowest point at -11% year over year.

It is the second consecutive month of decline. This decline is expected to continue as new inventory levels improve and high-interest rates price customers out of the market.

Despite the drop, retail used vehicle prices increased by 0.8%.

The whole thing has customers feeling bummed out.

So how does a dealer sell to wary customers? With consumer confidence down pretty far from its 2019 and 2021 height, the onus falls to dealers to display the qualities customers need before they can spend their hard-earned money.

An article on Auto Success had good suggestions for giving customer interactions the best chance of producing a fruitful relationship.

1. 💪Control What You Can: Make processes consistent, refined, and aligned with the shopper's preferences.

2. 🤝Establish Trust: Consumers have some trust issues. Foster transparency to build trust.

3. 😎Differentiate Your Brand: Stand out from your competition.

4. 🕵️‍♀️Provide Detailed Information: Share as much data as possible about the vehicles you sell.

5. 🏄‍♂️Adopt a Low-Pressure Approach: Most car shoppers respond best to salespeople who act as facilitators.

6. 💻Leverage Data in Sales Process: Use window sticker data and service records to inform customers and justify prices.

7. 🪡Integrate Systems: Ensure all data is in your management software for quick and easy access.

Telling it like it is – By focusing on what you can control and standing out, your team will thrive even in low-confidence markets.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

We're coming to Atlanta, and we hope to see your there! 👀

Join us on June 14th at the Buckhead Theater for a night on the town ASOTU style! 😎

Gather with industry members from around the city, state, and country.

Get a look at the pilot episode of a docu-series sharing real stories of retail auto and its people, "More Than Cars."

Participate as an audience member in automotive's only late-night talk show, "Live Tonight with ASOTU."

It's going to be one for the history books, friends. 📚

But why read about it later? Come and see for yourself! 🤗

TOGETHER WITH GRAMMARLY

Every Word Counts

There is a monster in “you're” closet.

Did you run and check your closet? Or, are you hung up on the wrong form of the word "your"? It's ok. It threw us off too.

Grammarly frees your writing from typos and muddy language. Ensure every email, ad campaign, social media post, website copy, or persuasive video captions land when you want it every time.

Check out Grammarly today.

AUTOMOTIVE

Motor Morsels: Google is my Co-Pilot, Sweet Home Alabama, Affordable Plus, New York V Kiaboyz

🤖🧑‍✈️🚗

The 2024 Acura ZDX from Honda will be their debut EV and the first to sport Google's built-in native integration. That means Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Play, and even tailored features like optimized EV recharging routes, are all standard features. Honda's EV strategy is flexing hard, powered by partnerships and now Google.

Emo song Idea: Someday, it will be impossible to feel lost, even when we want to. 🖤

🎸🚛🤠

Genesis is eyeing a fresh start in the US! All versions of its best-selling GV70 will soon be assembled at a $300M upgraded facility in Montgomery, Alabama. From 2024, expect all American-bound GV70s to proudly roll off the Alabama production line, boosting Genesis' stake in the US market with a dash of homegrown allure.

"A new start in Alabama" sounds like a rock-artist-gone-country's debut album.

💰🔋🕷️

Volvo's EX30 is a big step toward the brand's goal of going electric by 2030 and being affordable today. Unveiled in Milan, this tiny titan has an entry price of around $38,500, making EV ownership a more realistic dream for many (unlike those "spiders can drive cars" dreams we usually have). Already available in parts of Europe with the choice of cheaper, shorter-range lithium iron phosphate or pricier, longer-range nickel manganese cobalt batteries, customers can select the range and cost that is right for them.

Remember when $38K was the price of an affordable car and a $20K down payment on a house?

👨‍⚖️🥷🤓

New York has joined the Dunking-On-Huyundai party. You already know the KiaBoyz challenge has the brand's vehicles getting snatched up like discount pizza at a ninja turtles convention. Now, New York City is serving them a hot slice of litigation. Accused of enabling a "car theft epidemic" by not including standard anti-theft devices, these automakers are learning that saving a slice can cost the whole pie.

Something about New York always makes me think about Pizza which always makes me think about Ninja Turtles... I'm not apologizing. Just letting y’all know -Chris

CULTURE

Twitch Gets Twitchy

📢 Twitch, the streaming giant known for gaming and (now) social faux pas, decided to play around with streamer livelihoods, releasing an 'overly broad' ad policy that enraged its users. 😬

Before releasing an update, the streaming platform seemed prepared to ban in-stream sponsorships unless Twitch received a kickback from the deal. ♟️

They backpedaled faster than a king between rooks, pledging to rewrite their rules. Yet, the furious response remains. 🚴‍♀️

Telling it like it is – This wouldn’t be the first kingdom toppled by greed but it is the first checkmated by Fortnite players. 🤑

Quick Hits

• S&P 500 breaks 4200 magic economy points. 12% up for the year. 📈

• Apple sets the “duck” free. 🦆

• Mushroom houses are a thing, apparently. Its creators seem like “Fun Guys.” 🍄

History

• 1948: The first car with a Porsche badge debuts. 🎩

• 1949: George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is published.📖

• 1978: Naomi James brakes the solo round-the-world sailing record in 272 days. The previous record was 274 days.⛵️