Digital Dealer - February 2019 - 21

trade in your existing vehicle and we'll
finance it online. And we'll deliver
it to you. However our customers
want to do business with us, we'll
cater to those needs. When it comes
to millennials, it's not about whether
they're buying or not buying. We
know they're buying. I think it's really
only about how they are embracing
technology, and technology in retail,
and how dealers are embracing that
same technology. That's how this
issue is impacting the market. We, as
dealers, have to change according to
our customers' wants and needs, and
that's what dealers are doing.
DEALER MAGAZINE: A lot can
happen in retail automotive, from one
year to the next. For example, last
May President Trump surprised our
industry by announcing his intention
to impose tariffs on imported cars,
trucks, and auto parts. How can the
auto industry best protect itself from
unexpected developments in 2019?
CHARLES: By having the best team
in place to handle any situation that
arises. That's all you can do a lot of
times.
Someone asked me what the biggest
thing I learned during my year as
NADA vice chairman. And the biggest
thing I learned is that you cannot
predict the future. What I thought
would be potential issues, and what
ended up being the issues that took up
most of our time and attention, were
two very different things. As you said,
in 2017 auto tariffs weren't even on
anyone's radar. What that taught me
was that we have to be prepared for
everything and anything, and we have
to be nimble and agile, and certainly
capable enough, to handle anything.
And that's where you really get to
see the value of what our NADA team
does for us. While they are always
working on today's issues, there
are always even more and bigger
issues that emerge. Our team must
constantly react to different situations.
My greatest comfort is in the NADA

team and their ability to help us as
dealers navigate through any situation
that arises.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What other
disruptors are on the horizon?
CHARLES: I don't look at it as a
disruptor the same way some others
might, but I think dealers are going to
continue to be challenged to figure out
the best way to embrace technology in
the retail process. Through technology
we can actually speed up the sales
process, and I think that doing that
will help us with transparency and
trust with our customers. So, there
are clear advantages. But I don't think
anyone has figured out the magic
bullet yet, and that's why you're
seeing, and why you'll continue to
see, dealers try different things in
terms of adopting new and innovative
technologies when they sell and
service cars and trucks, both new and
used.
DEALER MAGAZINE: How would
you describe your management style
and what do you look for in new
employees?
CHARLES: My management style
has evolved. When I first got into
business, I thought if I didn't do it,
it wouldn't get done. Because I was
taught that if you didn't open the
doors and lock the doors yourself,
you wouldn't be successful. So my
philosophy was I had to outwork
everybody, and I was the ultimate
micromanager.
But through the years, as you
evolve, and you grow, you learn that
you have to give people responsibility.
And when you give them that
responsibility, you have to give them
authority. You have to empower them.
When we hire somebody now, that
person has to have five core values.
You have to have character. You have
to have a sense of urgency. You have
to have attention to detail, because
it's the little things that make people,
our customers, happy. You have to see
yourself as part of a team. And you

have to work on bettering yourself
every day. We look for people who
have those five core values, and then
we empower them to succeed from
there.
DEALER MAGAZINE: In your
mind, has digital marketing totally
replaced more conventional methods?
CHARLES: Not totally. It's
absolutely a bigger part of our
advertising budget. Digital now makes
up close to two-thirds of what we
spend on advertising. I think print is
going away more, but there is still a
place for radio and TV. The challenge
is connecting them all to your digital
platforms and then driving people
to those platforms where they can
get in touch with you and get all the
information they need. We have to
be really, really good at providing
information accurately and quickly
now.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What single
piece of technology makes the greatest
difference when selling or servicing
cars?
CHARLES: The mobile phone. I
think it has changed our industry.
You can get so much information
so quickly. You can be sitting in
our showroom and not only have
information on our inventory, but our
competitors' - everybody's - instantly
at your fingertips. And because the
question of transparency is such a
vital part of our business, we have to
make sure that we can give you the
information that you need quickly
and accurately, and you can trust that
information.
The other great thing mobile devices
provide is instant communication.
Now we can more effectively and more
efficiently communicate with our
customers when we're repairing their
vehicles, or when they are scheduling
service appointments. Our customers
want and need both convenience and
speed. The other thing they want is
communication. These are devices
that can really help us with that. ■

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

FEBRUARY 2019

21
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Digital Dealer - February 2019

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