Welcome to another edition of the Car Dealership Guy Industry Spotlight Podcast Recap newsletter—the key lessons from top operators, founders, and execs shaping the future of auto retail.
Today’s guests are David Long, Executive General Manager at Hansel Auto Group, and Curtis Lewsey, Founder of DealerCards.
Together, they discuss how relationship-based selling built a career in the 1990s, why personal connection is harder to scale today despite better technology, and how automation can preserve authentic customer touchpoints.
Long-term relationships remain the foundation of sustainable success.
The strategies that separated top performers from average producers in the 1990s haven't changed, even as technology has transformed every other aspect of automotive retail.
"The things that are similar is the relationship-based selling. If we're going to grow our own business, I really truly believe there's got to be long-term committed, established, mature relationships." — Long
Salespeople who move between dealerships without cultivating these relationships remain perpetually new to the industry, regardless of their years of experience.
Personal touches that others won't do create competitive advantages.
Top performers in the 1990s didn't succeed through superior product knowledge or closing techniques, but by executing relationship-building activities that competitors considered too time-consuming or unconventional.
"I would go to someone's house and hand deliver their registration at 5:30 when all their neighbors were coming home from work. I'd pull up in a brand new Lincoln, and I'd wait until I collected a crowd, and then I'd walk up to the front door, knock the door, and hand deliver the registration." — Long
These deliberate moments created memorable experiences that generated referrals and kept Long top of mind with customers who had endless dealership options.
Differentiation has never been easier than it is today.
The widespread adoption of templated emails, automated text messages, and digital-first communication created unprecedented opportunities for dealers willing to invest in authentic touches.
"There's never been a time in my 42 years of doing this where it is easier to stand out right now than ever before. Because so much easy button happening. Everybody thinks let me send a text, let me send an email, let me send a template." — Long
Becoming unforgettable requires doing what nobody else does, not copying the same efficiency-focused tactics every competitor employs.
Corny and memorable beats cool and forgettable every time.
Long built his career sending St. Patrick's Day cards with leprechaun hats and four-leaf clovers, gestures that sophisticated competitors dismissed as unprofessional or beneath them.
"I'd rather be corny and rich than cool and poor, right? So, I was really corny and it worked out really well if I could work part-time and be the number one salesperson at the number one company in the country." — Long
Customers remember the silly, unexpected touches that make them smile or react far longer than they remember professional-looking templates that blend into their inbox.
Presented by:
1. DealerCards - With DealerCards, you can send personalized thank-you notes, birthday cards, and service reminders — even include brownies — all hands-free and branded for your store. It’s a small touch that drives big loyalty and repeat business. Right now, CDG listeners can get a free sample box with cards and brownies at dealercards.com/cdg
2. CDG Circles - A modern peer group for auto dealers. Private dealer chats. Real insights — confidential, compliant, no travel required. Visit cdgcircles.com/ to learn more.
Most dealer communication asks for something instead of giving appreciation.
Dealerships typically reach out to customers when they want to sell service, buy back a car, notify about recalls, or push for another purchase, creating transactional relationships rather than emotional connections.
"Most of the times dealers are reaching out to customers as they're trying to get something. Hey, I want to sell you a service. I want to sell you another car. I want to buy back your car. There's a recall. So, we try to layer in what we call appreciation marketing." — Lewsey
Lewsey cited birthday cards as an example, where dealerships offer complimentary birthday car washes that bring customers back to the store without pressuring them to buy anything.
Co-buyers get forgotten in follow-up but deserve equal attention.
Most dealership systems send thank-you packages and follow-up communication only to the primary buyer, ignoring the co-buyer who was equally involved in the purchase decision.
"We get some of our best ideas from our dealer partners and David came up with an idea. Well, what about the co-buyer? Like, I want to get the co-buyer to make sure that they get the brownies, not just the primary buyer." — Lewsey
The brownies in question are gourmet fudge brownies sent the day after purchase with a thank you card, and ensuring both parties receive them doubles the emotional impact and creates two advocates instead of one.
NPS and CSI scores improved after implementing systematic follow-up.
Hansel Auto Group measured quantifiable gains across customer satisfaction metrics, repeat business, referrals, and first-appointment show ratios after implementing a 10-touch, three-year cadence of cards and brownies.
"Our NPS and CSI has never been better. Our repeat and referrals have gone up. Our first-appointment show ratio is much higher, too. Maybe that's because they like the brownies. I don't know." — Long
Survey responses explicitly mention brownies and cards, confirming customers notice and value these touchpoints enough to reference them in evaluations.
Customers often accessorize vehicles elsewhere without knowing the dealer offers parts.
A significant percentage of customers purchase vehicles and immediately go to third-party retailers to add accessories, never realizing their dealership could provide those products and services.
"There's a large percentage of customers that buy a product and leave and go accessorize it somewhere else. I want to make sure they know if they're going to add anything to personalize their vehicle that I'm their guy and they're going to get a discount for that." — Long
Strategic follow-up communication after the sale can recapture this accessory revenue that dealerships typically lose.
Filtering wholesale and broker deals prevents wasted appreciation spend.
Automated systems need guardrails to ensure thank-you packages go only to retail customers who will return for service and future purchases, not to wholesale buyers or dealer trades.
"We can filter out wholesale deals, dealer trades, broker deals. We can filter that stuff out to make sure that we're not, you know, wasting money." — Lewsey
Without these filters, dealerships waste budget sending brownies to customers they'll never see again.
Planting the buyback seed early prevents customers from going to CarMax.
Many customers don't realize their selling dealership will buy back their vehicle years later, so they default to third-party buyers when it's time to trade.
"I know if you're a dealer and you're hearing this, there have been times where a customer says, “Oh, I didn't know you took trade-ins. I thought I should take it to CarMax.’ I want a customer when they leave to know this is the home that it has to come back to." — Long
Strategic messaging in anniversary cards reminds customers to "bring your car back home" when they're ready, recapturing trade-in opportunities that would otherwise go to competitors.
