What the Fixed Ops?! (WTF?!)

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning welcome David Long, founder of David J. Long Coaching & Performance, creator of Pandemic of Positivity, and author of Step Zero, for an inspiring conversation about leadership, personal growth, accountability, and the mindset that separates great leaders from everyone else.

David shares his incredible journey from addiction, homelessness, and recovery to becoming one of the automotive industry's most respected leadership coaches. He explains why lasting success doesn't begin with better processes or new technology—it starts with what happens before every decision: your mindset, your energy, your attitude, and your approach. Drawing from nearly four decades of personal growth and leadership experience, David reveals why "Step Zero" is the foundation for every successful leader.

The conversation explores the importance of personal responsibility, self-awareness, positive influence, and building a culture where people thrive. David also shares the powerful life experiences that inspired Step Zero, the lessons he's learned coaching dealerships across the country, and why leadership is ultimately about helping others become the best version of themselves.

We talk about:
Why leadership starts before any process or strategy
The meaning behind "Step Zero"
Why your mindset determines your results
How to own your energy, attitude, and approach
The power of accountability and self-awareness
Why leaders must work on themselves first
How recovery shaped David's leadership philosophy
Building positive dealership cultures that last
Why serving others creates lasting success
Daily habits that help great leaders reset and grow

David also shares practical insights on developing stronger leaders, creating high-performing teams, building meaningful relationships, and why true leadership begins when you take responsibility for the person in the mirror.

This is an inspiring conversation about leadership, personal transformation, dealership culture, accountability, mindset, and becoming the kind of leader people genuinely want to follow.

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Get watch and listen links, as well as full episodes and shorts:
www.fixedopsmarketing.com/wtf

Join Managing Partner and Host Russell B. Hill and Co-Host Charity Dunning as they discuss life, automotive, and the human journey in What the Fixed Ops?!

#podcast #automotive #fixedops #leadership #dealershipleadership #personaldevelopment #dealershipculture #accountability #growthmindset #automotiveindustry

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning sit down with Nolan Armpriester, General Manager of Twin Pines Ford of Hamburg, for an insightful conversation about dealership leadership, fixed operations, mobile service, customer retention, and why the future of automotive service is happening outside the four walls of the dealership.

Drawing on decades of experience working his way from service advisor to general manager, Nolan shares how process, accountability, and people-first leadership have shaped his career. He explains why the best leaders create systems that empower their teams, why dealership culture starts with leadership, and how treating employees like family ultimately creates a better customer experience.

The conversation also dives deep into one of the fastest-growing opportunities in fixed operations—mobile service. Nolan explains why many dealerships mistakenly believe mobile service doesn't "pencil," how it creates new revenue streams through retail and commercial fleet customers, and why convenience is quickly becoming the biggest competitive advantage in automotive service.

We talk about:
• Why leadership is different from management
• Building a process-driven culture that creates accountability
• Why employees come before customers
• The biggest financial opportunities dealers overlook
• How mobile service is transforming fixed operations
• Why pickup and delivery increases customer retention
• Growing commercial fleet business through mobile service
• Why convenience is becoming the future of dealership service
• The importance of vendor partnerships over vendor relationships
• Lessons learned from ASOTU CON and the Year of the Human

Nolan also shares practical advice for dealerships looking to launch mobile service, improve technician productivity, strengthen dealership culture, and build long-term customer loyalty through better leadership and operational discipline.

His message is clear: the dealerships that win tomorrow won't simply have better technology—they'll have stronger leaders, better processes, and a relentless commitment to creating convenient, relationship-driven experiences for both employees and customers.

This is a must-listen conversation about dealership leadership, mobile service, fixed operations, customer retention, fleet service, accountability, dealership culture, and the future of automotive retail.

BE THE FIRST TO KNOW. LIKE and FOLLOW HERE
www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-ops-marketing
https://www.youtube.com/@fixedopsmarketing

Get watch and listen links, as well as full episodes and shorts: www.fixedopsmarketing.com/wtf

Join Managing Partner and Host Russell B. Hill and Co-Host Charity Dunning as they discuss life, automotive, and the human journey in What the Fixed Ops?!

#podcast #automotive #fixedops #mobileservice #dealershipservice #leadership #dealershipmanagement #customerexperience #fleetservice #automotive

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning sit down with David Anderson, CEO and co-founder of EvenFlow AI, for a fascinating conversation about service department optimization, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, dealership operations, and the human side of leadership.

David shares his unconventional journey from academia and applied mathematics to airlines, healthcare, and ultimately automotive retail. Drawing on years of experience helping organizations optimize complex scheduling and capacity challenges, he explains why dealership service departments continue to struggle with bottlenecks, long wait times, unpredictable workloads, and missed revenue opportunities.

The conversation also takes a deeper turn as David shares his personal battle with cancer and how facing mortality transformed his perspective on leadership, purpose, family, and business. His story offers a powerful reminder that success is ultimately measured by impact, relationships, and the people we serve.

We talk about:
Why dealership service departments struggle with scheduling
The hidden revenue lost through operational bottlenecks
What automotive can learn from healthcare and airlines
How predictive analytics improves service department efficiency
Why customer wait times remain a major challenge
The difference between AI hype and real-world applications
What cancer taught David about purpose and perspective
Why the human element remains critical in an AI-driven future

David also shares valuable insights on technician productivity, customer retention, operational efficiency, dealership culture, and why technology should empower people—not replace them.

His message is clear: the future of fixed operations isn't about replacing human expertise with AI. It's about using data, analytics, and intelligent tools to help service teams work smarter, deliver better customer experiences, and create more productive and profitable operations.

This is an insightful conversation about dealership service operations, artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, leadership, customer experience, and the personal journeys that shape great leaders.

BE THE 1ST TO KNOW. LIKE and FOLLOW HERE
www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-ops-marketing
https://www.youtube.com/channel/@fixedopsmarketing

Get watch and listen links, as well as full episodes and shorts:
www.fixedopsmarketing.com/wtf

Join Managing Partner and Host Russell B. Hill and Co-Host Charity Dunning as they discuss life, automotive, and the human journey in What the Fixed Ops?!

#podcast #automotive #fixedops #dealershipservice #artificialintelligence #predictiveanalytics #serviceoperations #fixedoperations #dealershipmanagement #leadership

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning sit down with Dennis McGinn, founder of Rapid Recon and co-founder of Workflow Live, for an insightful conversation about dealership accountability, operational excellence, leadership, and the transformative role of AI in automotive retail.

Dennis shares the story behind building Rapid Recon into one of the most widely adopted dealership technologies in the industry, helping thousands of dealerships dramatically improve reconditioning times, inventory turns, and profitability. He explains how a lack of accountability, visibility, and trust in data continues to create bottlenecks across dealership operations—and why solving those challenges became the foundation of his success.

The conversation then shifts to Workflow Live, Dennis’s latest venture, which leverages artificial intelligence to help dealerships move from reactive firefighting to proactive leadership. Dennis explains how AI can help general managers identify operational bottlenecks, align teams around measurable goals, improve execution, and create accountability across every department.

This discussion goes far beyond technology. It explores leadership, culture, process improvement, organizational alignment, and what it takes to build systems that drive sustainable growth in modern dealerships.

We talk about:
How Rapid Recon transformed dealership reconditioning
Why accountability remains one of the industry's biggest challenges
The hidden cost of operational bottlenecks
Why dealership teams struggle to trust data
The role of leadership in driving performance
How great general managers create alignment
Why reactive management limits dealership growth
The importance of measuring what matters

Dennis also shares powerful insights on dealership culture, employee buy-in, process improvement, data integrity, and why the future of automotive retail belongs to organizations that can effectively align people, processes, and technology.

His message is clear: dealerships don't have a technology problem—they have an execution problem. Success comes from creating accountability, building trust in the data, empowering employees, and giving leaders the tools they need to focus on what matters most.

This is a high-level, future-focused conversation about dealership operations, leadership, artificial intelligence, accountability, and the systems that will define the next generation of automotive retail.

BE THE 1ST TO KNOW. LIKE and FOLLOW HERE
www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-ops-marketing
https://www.youtube.com/channel/@fixedopsmarketing

Get watch and listen links, as well as full episodes and shorts:
www.fixedopsmarketing.com/wtf

Join Managing Partner and Host Russell B. Hill and Co-Host Charity Dunning as they discuss life, automotive, and the human journey in What the Fixed Ops?!

#podcast #automotive #fixedoperations #dealershipmanagement #artificialintelligence #dealershipleadership #workflowlive #rapidrecon

In this episode of What the Fixed Ops?!, hosts Russell Hill and Charity Dunning sit down with Bill Springer for a deep dive into the evolving world of dealership customer retention, fixed operations, and long-term service loyalty.

Drawing from insights in his latest Dealer Retention Report, Bill breaks down the biggest challenges and opportunities facing dealerships today—from tire sales and first service appointments to mobile service, video MPIs, communication strategies, and the growing importance of convenience-driven loyalty.

Bill explains why customer retention is no longer just about price or promotions, but about building trust, creating seamless experiences, and proactively guiding customers through every stage of ownership. He shares why dealerships lose customers after the warranty period, how poor communication creates major defection points, and why service departments must rethink the customer journey from day one.

This conversation goes far beyond oil changes and repair orders. It’s about understanding customer behavior, building long-term relationships, creating value beyond price, and developing systems that keep customers coming back year after year.

We talk about:
• Why the first service appointment is critical to retention
• How tire sales directly impact long-term customer loyalty
• Why dealerships still struggle to communicate their tire business
• The growing role of mobile service and convenience
• How video MPIs build trust and transparency with customers
• Why appointment availability can make or break retention
• The connection between communication and customer continuity
• Why dealerships must focus on value instead of competing on price
• How prepaid maintenance bundles improve retention
• The importance of setting the next appointment before customers leave
• Why customer experience now competes with Amazon-level convenience
• How dealerships can reduce friction in the service process
• The biggest customer defection points dealerships overlook
• Why service advisors should focus on education and relationship-building
• How leadership and long-term thinking shape dealership success
• The role of process consistency in improving retention
• Why dealerships need proactive systems instead of reactive marketing
• How EV adoption is reshaping tire and maintenance opportunities
• Why trust, transparency, and convenience matter more than ever

Bill also shares powerful insights on leadership, customer psychology, employee communication, and why dealerships must stop thinking transactionally and start thinking about customer continuity over the long term.

His message is clear: retention doesn’t happen by accident—it happens through trust, communication, convenience, and consistently delivering value at every step of the customer journey.

This is a high-level, insight-packed conversation about dealership retention, fixed ops strategy, customer loyalty, and what it truly takes to build a service experience customers choose to come back to.

BE THE 1ST TO KNOW. LIKE and FOLLOW HERE
www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-ops-marketing
https://www.youtube.com/channel/@fixedopsmarketing

Get watch and listen links, as well as full episodes and shorts:
www.fixedopsmarketing.com/wtf

Join Managing Partner and Host Russell B. Hill and Co-Host Charity Dunning as they discuss life, automotive, and the human journey in What the Fixed Ops?!

#podcast #automotive #fixedoperations #dealershipmarketing