Today I'm joined by John Hiester, Dealer Principal at John Hiester Automotive Group.
In this conversation, we discuss how video and AI are transforming sales and F&I coaching, why Hiester moved toward salaried “product specialists,” and how diversification—from parts distribution to real estate—creates new stability beyond vehicle sales.
This episode is brought to you by:
1. Lotlinx - Meet LotGPT, your AI Inventory Strategist built exclusively for car dealers. Fluent in your market, your dealership, and your inventory, LotGPT analyzes live inventory, real-time market supply, and shopper demand to surface risk and opportunity VIN by VIN. It reveals competitive insights, shopper behavior, and pricing dynamics, and even identifies underperforming VDPs with merchandising recommendations to boost conversion without cutting price. Put LotGPT to work for your dealership today, totally free, @ here.
2. Openlane - The world’s best online dealer marketplace for used cars, bringing you exclusive inventory, simple transactions, and better outcomes. If you’ve never used OPENLANE before, or it’s been a while since you have, you’re eligible to earn up to $2,500 in buy or sale fee credits. Learn more @ here.
3. CDG Recruiting - Hire top dealership talent, fast. From sales managers to GMs and C-suite execs, we’ve placed over 1,000 roles across auto retail. Ready to scale without the hassle? Visit @ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ to get started.
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Topics:
04:20 Videoing F&I added $600 per deal instantly.
08:20 Videotaping transactions unlocked $600 more per deal.
11:50 "You get what you settle for".
16:45 Carvana buying dealerships is just competition.
19:15 Beating big metro stores from a tiny town.
24:10 Daily red-yellow-green sheets drive accountability.
27:30 Taking cars to customers instead of waiting.
29:20 Stealing college grads from Apple with a program.
44:50 The employee who almost quit and stayed.
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