Welcome to another edition of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast Recap—a rundown of key lessons from top operators, founders, and execs shaping the future of auto retail.
Today’s guest is Andrew Spitzer, COO of Spitzer Autoworld.
Together, we get into how his fourth-generation family business doubled its footprint to 26 rooftops while maintaining radical showroom etiquette, why he bans AirPods on the floor, and how a chance encounter with Henry Ford shaped the group’s legacy.
Banning AirPods on the showroom floor sends a message about approachability.
Spitzer Auto World has a strict policy against sales and service staff wearing AirPods or headphones while customer-facing, even though leadership uses hands-free technology themselves.
"I love hands-free technology. I have AirPods and I take phone calls and do meetings on my glasses all the time, and I used to with my AirPods, but going around to the stores, it just drives me crazy when I see some of our sales professionals with these pieces of plastic in their ears. It just makes them totally unapproachable."
The rule exists because devices in ears send a signal that someone doesn't want to be engaged, which contradicts everything the brand stands for in customer experience.
A chance meeting with Henry Ford launched four generations of dealership ownership.
Spitzer Auto World started as a hardware store in 1904, but a water tower stop changed everything when Henry Ford got off a train and walked around town looking for dealers.
"Henry Ford's walking around Grafton, talking to people, and everyone's saying, 'Go talk to George Spitzer. Talk to George Spitzer, my great grandpa.' And that's how we got in the car business."
The story is still told internally as proof that showing up, being known in your community, and seizing opportunities in person can change the trajectory of a business.
Opening every door for every guest is non-negotiable across all locations.
Spitzer has a non-negotiable standard across all 26 rooftops: no guest, vendor, or employee touches a door handle when entering the dealership.
"I expect [that at] every store you walk into, you don't touch a door handle. We open doors. I don't care if it's a vendor. I don't care if it's a fellow employee and I definitely care if it's a guest."
The practice is designed to make customers feel valued from the moment they arrive, and it's one of the few operational standards leadership refuses to make optional.
Using AI to eliminate tedious tasks instead of replacing people sends a better message.
Before rolling out AI tools across the group, leadership spent time visiting stores to explain how the technology would support staff rather than threaten jobs.
"Before we even got started up with Impel everywhere, I had a lot of politicking with our BDC teams and I was going out to stores and talking with these individuals. I wanted them to know we're not trying to replace you."
The implementation has allowed the group to consolidate around fewer, higher-performing BDC agents while maintaining or improving response speed and appointment volume.
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Scaling requires choosing what to standardize and what to delegate.
With 26 rooftops, Spitzer maintains strict standards on core systems like DMS and CRM, but allows general managers to choose their own third-party inventory tools.
"There's a line in the sand where there's some things we have to handle at the management level to make sure that we are leveraging our scale and ultimately steering the organization in the right direction. But with that, there are some tools that you're never going to see full ROI out of unless you have the buy-in from the dealership and the team."
The philosophy is that when store-level leaders pick tools they believe in, they're more likely to execute well and deliver results.
Culture fit determines which acquisitions move forward, not just financials.
Spitzer has doubled its rooftop count in recent years, but turns down stores that don't align with company values.
"For every store we acquired, there were probably three or four that we said no to, because it wasn't a right culture fit. Culture has always been the number one thing in our organization."
Leadership views growth as only valuable if it strengthens the organization rather than dilutes what makes it work.
Social media execution moved from salespeople to a centralized agency.
Spitzer realized that asking salespeople to post on social media was ineffective because it lacked strategy and didn't reach beyond personal networks.
"We are really good at selling and servicing cars. We are not good at social media. And we wave the white flag like, we got to take this out of the hands of all these sales people."
The group now partners with a specialized agency and targets content toward female consumers, which they believe is less saturated and more likely to influence purchase decisions.
Service retention is being driven through a VIP loyalty program with real benefits.
Spitzer launched a VIP rewards program with an app that manages complimentary maintenance, GPS tracking, 24/7 chat support, and other convenience features.
"We're in the service business right. You got to pump them in through the showroom and then you got to take care of them and retain them through the service drive...if you can have value and have convenience, you can be lethal."
The program is designed to build brand equity and train customers to expect a level of service they won't easily find elsewhere.
Training has been standardized through a custom web-based university platform.
The group built a web-based training platform where staff complete role-play exercises, watch word-track videos, and get recertified on core processes annually.
"Starting this year everyone has to get retrained and re-certified on each of our core word tracks to make sure everyone stays sharp."
Leadership uses the platform to push out time-sensitive updates on manufacturer incentives and promotional changes, with video responses required to confirm understanding.
Managing expenses and outperforming competitors matters more than predicting market conditions.
Rather than worrying about macroeconomic conditions, Spitzer focuses on controlling what they can and measuring ROI quarterly.
"I don't worry too much about the market because we always try to manage expenses and get ROI out of our tools. We check that quarterly and then ultimately if things affect inventory, if it affects us, it's going to affect every other dealer in the country."
The mindset is that if market conditions tighten for everyone, the winner will be whoever executes best on fundamentals.
