Puente Hills Mazda Podcast Episode 1
Puente Hills Mazda is excited to announce our monthly podcast! Now you can listen and receive tips directly from the dealer! Hear about upcoming technology and vehicles. No time to listen? Read the official transcript of each episode right here on our blog. You will definitely find value when you tune in to the Puente Hills Mazda Podcast!
S1 00:02
Yeah. And it's Mr. Wilfong. Are you on sir?
S2 00:04
I'm here.
S1 00:06
Well, happy Thursday to you my friend.
S2 00:09
Happy Thursday to you.
S1 00:12
How's your day so far in the dealer world?
S2 00:15
What's that?
S1 00:16
I said, how's your day so far in the dealer world?
S2 00:19
I actually have the day off, but today's [inaudible] I was at the dealership today and it's good, man.
S1 00:27
So let me get something straight. It's your day off and you're working anyway, so basically it's a typical dealer day for you. Is that what you're saying?
S2 00:33
[inaudible]. That is correct.
S1 00:40
So still normal in the car business, my friend. You guys literary work seven days a week.
S2 00:44
That's right, man. I'd actually wouldn't have it any other way.
S1 00:49
It's amazing how in the auto industry you guys are bred that way, right, just from early age. I remember when I was on- it's pretty synonymous and it's normal, right, to work those kind of hours?
S2 01:01
It is. I always look at it as- the dealership is just- it becomes almost like a second family. And if you're looking from the outside in, it's kind of hard to believe how that is. But when you're actually in the trenches with all the guys and women that you work with, it's just that it's- there's that team-feel, man, and it's hard to get away from. Even on my days off, I'm wondering what's going on there. It really becomes your second family. Your whole livelihood for that matter.
S1 01:39
Yeah. It's almost like people don't realize unless they've been in the car business, right? I mean, I hate to say it, but it's almost synonymous. It's like a drug. You can never get enough of it. You know what I mean? It's like in your veins and it's in your blood. So man, unless you've been in, sometimes people don't understand that part.
S2 01:57
Correct. Yeah.
S1 01:59
So we are breaking barriers here. So sorry, I didn't mean to get into a rant here. So whoever's listening to this podcast, so we're breaking barriers in the auto industry with one of the first automotive deep-dive in dealer podcast. So I'm pretty proud of the fact that the industry's come to this point. I think that for a long time the auto industry- the real true auto industry, really has been closed off to the general public. Which, I believe, has really deterred the auto industry in growing effectively, especially with digital age and kind of what digital is, so. Anyway, so I really want to thank Bo Wilfong from Puente Hills Mazda for being on this podcast. We appreciate your time. I know you're busy. On the line, we also have Amy. So Amy is Think Creative's residence blogger and creative content writer. So I think she's going to bring a kind of a different perspective to the podcast. So say hi, Amy.
S3 03:09
Hello.
S2 03:11
Hey, Amy.
S3 03:11
Glad to be here. Hi.
S1 03:15
So I think where I'd like to start, [inaudible] a little bit [inaudible] we continue this podcast I think that we'll get deeper and deeper. And really what we're trying to do here is we're trying to paint a picture, not only in the auto industry, but just as the auto industry has matured. Because I think we're at a point now, progressively where the industry has to, in my opinion anyways, it really has to mature and change anyways in order to fit the current state of business and economy and kind of the way people want to do business, right. There's always been a lot of friction and layers in the auto industry as-
S1 03:58
so I think that one of the main things that we'll talk about within this podcast is just how do you eliminate that friction over time to the consumer? Because I believe that is ultimately what the consumer is looking for anyways. Right? So anyways, with that being said, so, [inaudible] so let's get started, right. So kind of tell me a little bit about yourself, man. I think a lot of times people really have a misconception that people in the car business aren't human, right. So we're not robots. We obviously breathe, right. So talk to me a little bit about kind of [inaudible], right. So if you're talking to the world and you're talking to them from a perspective of a human being, talk to me a little bit about what makes you tick, man? Talk to me about yourself.
S2 04:38
Well, I'll just kind of tell you how I got started. My uncle- my dad was a professional baseball player and I tried to pursue that career. Obviously, it's a very, very competitive field. But I've always been a competitive person, man. And got into the auto industry. My uncle was a owner of a dealership which I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to work at. And I started washing cars as a summer job. Then I moved into the parts department. I stocked parts. Then took a couple of years off after I graduated high school. I still kept the summer job there as the parts department but wasn't really sure what I wanted to pursue. Obviously, my baseball career wasn't going to pan out the way I always dreamed about it. What else was I going to do? Was the question. Did I want [inaudible]-?
S1 05:31
So you sucked. Is that what you're saying? You sucked at baseball?
S2 05:33
No. I was actually really good. I can give you all my [inaudible].
S3 05:38
What position did you play?
S2 05:40
I was pretty much all-rounded, but I was- my best performance position play would be a pitcher. I actually did get to pitch [inaudible] stadium my junior year South Hills High School. Just a little club right there. We did win the CIF finals and I did win the MVP, Jamie, just so you know. Anyway, I won't [inaudible] to my [inaudible].
S1 06:00
Okay. So [inaudible]. Listen, I've been proven wrong. See? So there you go already. I called a guy that actually has talents beyond selling cars obviously, right?
S2 06:09
Yeah. So and then you get out of high school and what do you want to do? Well, it's a big question. So I had already had my feet into the auto industry and I really liked the camaraderie that was there. Just the atmosphere. It's never the same thing. So there was a few years of my life where I wasn't sure this is what I want to do. So in my early 20s, I ventured off and did some office work, and some sales and construction, and some other stuff, some manual labor. And just the type of competitive person I am and I like to- if I do something, man, I want to do it right and I want to do it to the best of my ability. And that's just the way I live, but. And some of these jobs you could do- you go above and beyond everyday and at the end of the year, "Hey, here's some dollar raise."
S2 07:01
So I wasn't having that, man. I saw a lot of guys making pretty good money in the auto industry when I was young. A lot of older guys I looked up to. Well-dressed, very classy, just the way they carried themselves. And I always wondered like, "How do these guys have a bad name?" Because I didn't see it. And [inaudible] I had never bought a car, so I was never on that end of the spectrum, but. So I grew up and then when I turned 22 I was presented with an opportunity to sell cars. And it was a really good organization. I'm glad I grew up in that one because I can only say that the organization that I'm currently in shares a lot of the same values and the way they look at the way they do business, which I'm fortunate for. Because there's a lot that- I think the "salesperson, the car salesperson" gets a bad rap because there is a lot of poorly ran operations. And they didn't really pride themselves on customer service and doing things right and stuff like that.
S2 08:02
So that trickles down to the way the staff provides service to the customer. So, therefore, over time, over time, over time, you get this bad taste in your mouth about a car dealership. But we're all somebody's kids, man. We're good people. We're just going to earn a living and do what we love, man. There's a lot of passion in the business and that's kind of what I was drawn to. Like I said, it was a type of a brotherhood, I guess you could say when you get in. So the hours just go by, man. And I don't really think about working open to close shift from 9:00 to maybe 12:00 a night, 16 hours. It doesn't even feel like that once you get used to it. But again, I hadn't always really seen myself doing anything else.
S2 08:46
I have a passion for people. I'm not your car guy, techie like- I can change brakes and oil, but that's about it. I couldn't rebuild an engine. So that's really not what got me into the business. I love cars. Don't get me wrong. I love to drive cars. I change them out every two years, so. But at the same time, like I said, it's just that that's- I was drawn to it and that's what just led me and it never stopped. Of course, I had my obstacles just like anybody else. But I was able to overcome them and now I'm with a great group of people at Puente Hills Mazda. We have a great organization. I don't think that I would want to work anywhere else from this point on in my career. I'm not that type of person to jump from dealership to dealership.
S2 09:33
And that's what happens. When I saying earlier about having poor-ran operations and no values in a company. You get these salespeople that don't quite frankly want to work there, so they bounce from dealership to dealership. They never find a home. So that's one thing we pride ourselves on at Puente Hills Mazda, man. It's a home. We have core values. We have an acronym called SHAPER. It's safety, hospitality, accountability, performance, ethics, and respect. And we try to just pride ourselves on working and living by those values day in and day out. And not only that, just passing that along to the customers with the service that we provide as well. So long story short, man. So I'm here and I'm very, very happy and fortunate to have the opportunity to still be around in the auto industry as it's been changing and changing and changing. And I guess we'll probably talk more about that. But I think that's it, man.
S1 10:33
So talk to me a little- by the way, that was the longest short story ever of all time, just so you know, so.
S2 10:38
I apologize.
S1 10:40
But hey, [inaudible], we love you anyways. So listen, so talk to me a little bit about- and I think part of the reason that this- we're launching this podcast is because when we look at the overall auto space, and we've approached different dealer groups, Puente Hills- I'll give you guys this much, right. Puente Hills Mazda is definitely a forward-thinking group for sure. You guys really don't believe in the old school way of doing business, right. That part of the business and doing business in that way just, in your [inaudible] mind, is really dead.
S1 11:15
You guys don't really kind of carry yourselves that way, which we can all appreciate, right. But at the end of day, this is like 50 years, man on- 50 years of just shitty treatment of consumers, right. So that obviously still carries a [inaudible]. So how do you break through that, right? If you're Puente Hills Mazda, how do you break that through to the consumer, right? That that bad reputation- because obviously, you know it exists, right? Obviously, it still exists, right? So how do you try and eradicate that line, man? How do you do that effectively, right?
S2 11:57
Well, it's sure not easy. Like I said, unfortunately, we have this letter on our chest, man, that we can't seem to overcome at times. But like I said, we just really try to pride ourselves on giving customers the treatment the same way we would want it if we were somewhere. But to break through to that, we just constantly try to really not get away from the human interaction too, man. Because when people talk to you on the phone you can get a good sense of who you're dealing with. It's been a hard part for me to deal with as everything's changing because people don't really want to talk to somebody. They want to get all their information online and do that, but.
S2 12:43
So we also try to really pride ourselves on getting great reviews and let the public know what we're really about. Other than that, it's getting tough. And that's why you have to change with the times and make things a little more convenient or a lot more convenient for that matter for the customer and not try to make it this lengthy process. And I think it's hard to change because it is a lengthy process. But we try to expedite that as fast as we can by giving good customer service, being attentive to the customers' needs. But that's pretty much it. But we try day in and day out just to really treat people the way want to be treated.
S1 13:30
Yeah. And I think that it's amazing, right, so. And Amy could probably fill in here just because she's more on the consumer side, and I mean, obviously, so am I. But Amy probably has a different perspective. Stripping back those layers, just historically, has just been so hard, right? I mean, Amy, you've bought cars, right, before, right?
S3 13:49
Right.
S1 13:50
So you dread going [crosstalk], right?
S3 13:52
You dread it.
S? 13:53
Right, Amy? I mean, [inaudible] comfortable going into a dealership ever?
S3 13:56
No. I have to say, you're absolutely right. It's not something that you look forward to or that I personally feel like I look forward to. It's intimidating and also you think- yeah, it's hard to know who to trust.
S1 14:17
So, Amy, if you're a consumer walking into a dealer, right, what are some of the things that as a- from the consumer perspective, what are some of the things that you think dealers need to change in order to really try and strip back that layer, right?
S3 14:35
Well, I think it actually does start before you walk into the dealership, with just really establishing a presence both in the places where I already am, like online. Whether that's in social media or in just having a strong-- like the reviews. Like Bo mentioned, having really good reviews because these are the things I'm going to be looking at before I even go in. I want to know what does everybody else say about you? And also who are you? Why should I go there? And that's something that having a good social presence or a blog can kind of clear up or help for a consumer to kind of know who you are before they even go in. Yeah. And then, I think once you do go there, yeah, you're just really looking for an experience that's authentic and transparent. It's pretty easy to tell right away when somebody just wants to sell you something. So I think that- yeah. Yeah.
S1 15:39
It's funny you say that word, right. Amy, I think that if I can synonymously grab one word of everything you said, I think that one word that I would gravitate to would probably be transparency, right. The automotive industry, historically, has just not been very transparent, right. So it's always been like, "Hey, let me go talk to that manager that's behind a desk that I can't even see, with tinted windows, that never comes out and never talks to me, right?"
S3 16:08
Yes.
S1 16:08
You know what I'm saying? That is crazy, right. Like what manager-? Is this guy a figment of my imagination? Is he alive? Is he kid-? Does he have a name? You know what I mean?
S3 16:21
Yeah.
S1 16:23
It's always been that.
S3 16:24
Yes. Yeah.
S1 16:24
You know what I mean? And I think that part of the business, that needs to go away. I don't believe that a consumer nowadays wants to be [inaudible] like that. I don't believe they want to be treated like that. I believe that a consumer nowadays wants to have access to every layer in your organization. And I think that if a dealer can do that effectively, I think they can start to effectively peel back layers and eradicate and just remove the friction, right, at the end of the day.
S3 16:51
Absolutely, yeah.
S4 16:53
So we got cut off there. But don't worry we'll be back next month to continue this conversation. Thanks.
