Social media discipline is non-negotiable at Cavender Auto Group

Salespeople are posting walkarounds, delivery photos, product spotlights—anything that keeps inventory moving and the brand top of mind in the community. (3 min. read)

Author

Anna del Villar
May 26, 2025

Eric Barbosa, Cavender Buick GMC

At Cavender Auto Group, structure drives volume. And for Executive Vice President of Variable Ops Eric Barbosa, it starts with five numbers: 50, 20, 10, 2, 1.

“Which is 50 calls, 20 text messages and videos sent, 10 social media posts, set two appointments, and sell one car a day,” Barbosa told Daily Dealer Live hosts Sam D’Arc and Yossi Levi. "That’s kind of like our war cry.”

And to keep track, every store runs “quarter time” meetings (brief check-ins at 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, and 6:00 p.m.) where managers regroup with their teams and assess progress. It’s become part of the dealership’s rhythm.

And results have followed.

“Probably compounded, we were selling 1,200 to 1,300 cars… going into this year, we’re averaging 1,750,” Barbosa said.

Some have questioned whether the system goes too far. But Barbosa doesn’t hesitate to defend it.

“What are our people supposed to be doing while they’re here at the dealership? Calling customers back and interacting and following up,” he said. “And what are the managers supposed to be doing? Coaching them on what to do and getting involved and helping."

Big picture: He’s trying to eliminate idle hours and give every associate a repeatable blueprint to generate momentum.

And that includes social media.

In most dealerships, social media awareness is a nice-to-have. But at Cavender, it’s a requirement.

Zooming out: The posts aren’t filtered through a marketing department. Salespeople are posting walkarounds, delivery photos, product spotlights—anything that keeps inventory moving and the brand top of mind in the community.

“We require the attempt of 10 posts. And it’s extremely tough to get these guys on board. We have 130 associates,” Barbosa said.

“They don’t want to say that they don’t know how to use it,” he added. “Go check their screen time. They’re using it for two to three hours, but they’re not using it to be productive and sell cars with it.”

So he teaches it. Personally.

“If you think about it, if they’re just doing three per day, at 130 of them, and then the management staff is helping, that helps our algorithm and our reach to get our message out. And it’s all free on social media,” Barbosa explained.

“At my previous place... I know it’s going to sound crazy, but I posted 300 times a month. And I was a managing partner,” he said. “I didn’t do it for any other reason than I had to, because I was in a town of 4,000 people, and how was I going to generate leads?”

Barbosa doesn’t believe in waiting for corporate branding or paid ads to do the job. If a post sells a car, it’s worth it. If it doesn’t, it still builds awareness.

Bottom line: Cavender Auto Group has built a system that manufactures attention—one post, one call, one appointment at a time.

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