Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

What do AI data centers have to do with leadership in car dealerships? A lot more than most people realize. In this thought-provoking episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen breaks down one of the biggest conversations shaping the future of business, AI infrastructure, and leadership… in plain English. No tech jargon. No fear tactics. Just real-world perspective from someone actively training inside dealerships every single week while building AI tools for the automotive industry herself. Jen explains what AI data centers actually are, why the world is suddenly talking about them, and why dealership leaders should care about infrastructure, energy usage, AI adoption, and the future workforce. She tackles the fear, misinformation, and online hysteria surrounding AI while helping leaders think more critically and responsibly about where technology is heading. As founder of eDealer Solutions and co-founder of ZukiTalk, Jen connects the dots between AI infrastructure, dealership operations, customer communication, employee adaptability, productivity, and leadership responsibility. This episode is ultimately about perspective. Every major technological shift in history required infrastructure expansion, and AI is no different. The leaders who stay curious, adaptable, and informed will be far better positioned than the ones operating from fear or misinformation. If you're in automotive retail, leadership, fixed ops, sales, service, or simply trying to understand what AI actually means for society and business, this episode delivers a practical and balanced conversation about the future already unfolding around us. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | Jennifer@edealersolution.com | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx 🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥 LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability. Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.

The companies that win at scale don't become more corporate. They become more human. Leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about creating an environment where people can succeed. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I sit down with Dan Clara, newly appointed CEO of Asbury Automotive Group and one of the most respected operators in our industry. After nearly 24 years with the same organization, Dan shares what it really takes to scale a company without losing culture, accountability, employee loyalty or customer trust. We talk about career paths, employee ownership, retention, onboarding, training, leadership accessibility and why communication may be the most underrated skill in automotive retail today. Dan also shares lessons learned from leading through acquisitions, implementing technology at scale and navigating AI without losing sight of the human experience. One of my favorite takeaways was simple but powerful: People create the experience. Technology can make us more efficient, but leadership is still about building trust, developing talent and staying connected to the people doing the work every day. If you're a dealer principal, GM, fixed ops leader, sales manager, service director, advisor, or anyone looking to grow your leadership impact, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom from someone who has spent decades rising through the ranks and helping build one of the largest automotive groups in the country! And his final advice might be the most important leadership lesson of all: Stay uncomfortable. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | Jennifer@edealersolution.com | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx Check out our sponsors! LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability. Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.

If you're in automotive sales and you're celebrating appointment counts, we need to have a conversation. Because appointments don't pay you. Customers who actually show up do. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, we're digging into one of the biggest blind spots in dealership sales performance: show rate. Too many salespeople focus on how many appointments they set while completely ignoring how many actually walk through the door. Jen breaks down what separates a weak appointment from a real appointment, why customers disappear before they arrive, and the simple strategies top performers use to create commitment, build excitement, increase trust, and dramatically improve show rates. You'll learn how to create structure without pressure, why giving customers a reason to visit matters more than asking for the appointment itself, how confirmation messages can either strengthen or destroy momentum, and why you probably don't need more leads sitting in your CRM. If you're ready to stop chasing maybes and start creating more opportunities that actually show up, this episode is for you. Because hope isn't a strategy. Preparation is.

What happens when AI enters a dealership… and your employees emotionally resist it? In this powerful episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen dives deep into one of the biggest leadership challenges happening inside dealerships right now: anti-AI culture, fear-based resistance, and the emotional side of organizational change. After training inside dealerships every single week and working with hundreds of managers and employees every month, Jen shares what she's personally witnessing in real time. Employees aren't just resisting technology. Many are scared of becoming irrelevant, overwhelmed by rapid change, or embarrassed they don't fully understand AI while younger employees adopt it faster. As the founder of eDealer Solutions and co-founder of ZukiTalk, Jen brings a rare inside perspective on how leadership messaging, dealership culture, emotional intelligence, and AI adoption are now colliding. This episode is not about AI hype. It's about leadership maturity. Jen breaks down why dealerships cannot shame employees into using AI, but also cannot allow emotional resistance to stop organizational evolution. She explains how dealerships should responsibly discuss AI ethics, customer trust, employee concerns, privacy, communication boundaries, and the future workforce expectations already forming inside the industry. If you're a dealer principal, GM, fixed ops leader, sales manager, service director, or anyone leading people through change, this episode will challenge how you think about culture, adaptability, leadership communication, and the future of automotive retail. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | Jennifer@edealersolution.com | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx 🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥 LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability. Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.

If you're leading a service department or responsible for fixed ops performance, this is one of those conversations you don't skip. In this episode, I sit down with someone I've known and respected for years, Mitch Kudler, COO of Simms Auto Group… a guy who didn't just study the business, he lived every role in it. From technician to advisor to GM to executive leadership, Mitch brings a perspective that most leaders simply don't have. We dig into what most GMs misunderstand about service, why retention is the real game (not transactions), and the small decisions that quietly cost dealerships millions, like losing tire business or failing to create a real first service experience. Mitch breaks down the importance of transparency, why MPIs and video are still wildly underutilized, and how culture inside your store directly impacts customer trust. This conversation also hits leadership hard, how to unify sales and service, why most managers don't actually understand their numbers, and the simple but powerful act of walking your store and listening. If you want stronger retention, better CSI, and a team that actually works together… this one will stay with you. And personally? This one meant a lot. Mitch is one of those people I've always admired from afar—and every time we talk, I walk away better. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | Jennifer@edealersolution.com | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx 🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥 LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability. Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. ZukiTalk.com helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.|

What if you could make more money every day without writing one extra car? In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I break down a metric many service advisors overlook: hours per RO. Hours per RO is the average number of labor hours sold on each repair order. A small increase can dramatically impact technician productivity, shop efficiency, and your paycheck. In this episode we cover: • What hours per RO means • Why rushing write-ups lowers production • How better presentations increase approvals • Why small services stacked together drive profit You don't need more traffic or more appointments. You just need to slow down, be thorough, and capture the opportunity already in front of you. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | Jennifer@edealersolution.com | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx 🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥 CallRevu is the leading automotive communications intelligence platform, giving you elevated insights and vision into your services, sales and brand management all in one place. LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability. Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. ZukiTalk helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.

If you're exhausted at the end of the day but your paycheck doesn't reflect the effort, this episode explains exactly why. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I'm kicking off a brand new service department performance series focused on helping service advisors and fixed ops leaders understand the metrics that actually drive income. Today we're digging into one of the most important numbers in the service lane: Gross Profit Per Repair Order Many advisors judge their day by how busy they were, how many cars they wrote, how fast the line moved, or how chaotic the desk became. But busy does not always mean profitable. Two advisors can see the exact same vehicles in the same day and produce dramatically different results simply because of how they approach the opportunity in front of them. In this episode, I break down: • What gross per RO actually means and why it matters • Why being "busy" can sometimes hide lost income opportunities • The mindset shift from order taker to consultant • How small maintenance services can stack into serious profitability • Why assuming customers won't buy is one of the biggest mistakes advisors make • How rushing through MPIs and conversations creates hidden profit leaks Most importantly, we talk about the shift service advisors must make: Stop asking "How fast can I move this car?" Start asking "How complete can I be?" Because the opportunity isn't something you have to chase. The customer already drove it into your service lane. If you're a service advisor, service manager, or fixed ops leader who wants your team to increase profitability while improving the customer experience, this episode is a powerful place to start. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | Jennifer@edealersolution.com | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx 🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥 CallRevu is the leading automotive communications intelligence platform, giving you elevated insights and vision into your services, sales and brand management all in one place. LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability. Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. ZukiTalk helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.

Dealership advertising is entering a completely new era and AI is at the center of it. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen sits down with Jarett Bellucci, a two-time Emmy Award-winning director and filmmaker and the founder of Bellucci Productions. Jarett has created commercial work for major brands like Cadillac, BMW, and Forbes, and now he's helping businesses, including car dealerships, leverage AI to produce cinematic-quality commercials without the massive production budgets. Together they break down how AI is changing the way commercials are created, why storytelling matters more than ever in automotive advertising, and how dealerships can stand out in a sea of look-alike ads. Jarett explains how AI tools are unlocking creativity, allowing brands to build characters, craft stories, and produce visually stunning content faster and more affordably than ever before. But the real advantage isn't just the technology. It's the message behind it. If you want your dealership marketing to stop blending in and start connecting emotionally with buyers, this conversation will open your eyes to what's possible. This episode covers: • Why most dealership commercials fail to connect • How AI is lowering production costs while raising creative potential • The power of storytelling in automotive advertising • How dealers can build monthly "drip branding" campaigns • Why the future of AI advertising still depends on human creativity AI may be the toolbut the idea and the story are still what wins! Bellucciproductions.com Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast | 🎧 https://apple.co/38lmHM1 🎧 https://spoti.fi/3uQ2nd1 | Jennifer@edealersolution.com | 954-873-8029 | edealersolutions.com | Meet me! bit.ly/3J7011t | Loyalty-Based Selling Strategies on CBT News | https://bit.ly/3JlcXAx 🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥 CallRevu is the leading automotive communications intelligence platform, giving you elevated insights and vision into your services, sales and brand management all in one place. LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability. Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships. ZukiTalk helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.