Novel Thinking Part 3 – “Living in the now”

Used car guru Jonathan Hakes joins Randy Kobat to explain how he helped carry Dorschel Automotive Group through much of 2020 with pre-owned sales, and what he's doing to adapt to the current phase of the pandemic. Plus, Jonathan talks about utilizing data in the here-and-now to determine the best pricing and timing for sales on all used vehicles.   

Interview Highlights:   

• How the balance between used cars and new cars has shifted throughout the pandemic, and where it is now.  
• How your team members can sharpen each other’s skill sets and make more deals  
• How resources like Kelley Blue Book can both improve confidence with customers and be a buying signal that helps target the most interested consumers.     

“What we’ve done well with vs. what the market says… I think of it like EBAY. You have so many listings there. That’s great, but what’s actually selling? I want to focus on that.”     — Jonathan Hakes         

Jonathan Hakes is the Used Vehicle Inventory Director at Dorschel Automotive Group in Rochester, NY.   

Randy Kobat is VP of Operations for several COX  Automotive companies, including vAuto and Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer.     

Episode Sponsor:   

vAuto is a powerful inventory management tool that helps today’s dealers price and sell vehicles better than the competition. It’s a part of Cox Automotive, a world leader in Automotive Industry information, software, and innovation.