Countless hours of listening and note-taking has led me to believe that the following list is the most valuable for Automotive Professionals that I could possibly put together at this point. 

I’m open to hearing more suggestions and recommendations!

PODCASTS

Impact Theory – Tom Bilyeu

Tom is the co-founder of Quest Nutrition and he puts more work into researching his interviewee than anyone else that I’m aware of.  This leads to deep and riveting questions.  There are no real scripted questions which make his interviews fun and unpredictable.  His interviews are based on developing the mindset and challenging the status quo.  They have a YouTube Channel for the interviews as well for those who are more interested in videos than audio.

Dealers Compressed Podcast – Paul J Daly

Paul is a forward-thinking person who interviews like-minded guests.  He’s extremely relatable, humble, and genuinely cares about the future of the automotive industry.  He and his team put together an incredible video series based on Dale Pollak’s must-read book “Like I See It.”

The Ultimate Entrepreneur – Jay Abraham

A brilliant and arguably the best-ever Marketing genius, Jay provides invaluable strategies not only for marketing but for business operations as well.  This is where I began to understand the value in tracking Customer Acquisition Costs and Profit Per Employee.  What’s great about Jay’s Podcast is that he shares live audio from his seminars, something that you’d have to pay thousands of dollars to attend live.  Jays the master marketer and $9 Billion Dollar Man for a reason!

Auto Dealer Live – David Villa and Crew

Humorous and unscripted, the team does a great job of keeping you engaged throughout their weekly sessions.  You can watch their videos and/or listen to their podcast. With over 300 episodes, there is no shortage of content to learn from.  You’ll be hard-pressed to find another platform that’s as informative and fun to listen to than this one. 

AUDIOBOOKS

The Perfect Close – James Muir

I was never comfortable with closing the sale. Probably because I never had the right strategy where it didn’t feel like I was pressuring the client into buying on the spot. James does a brilliant job of simplifying the close and provides a no pressure, genuine approach to asking for the clients business.  There are 2 questions in particular that were a light bulb moment for me.  He also provides a track for how the client replies to these 2 questions. It’s a best-seller and has a 5-Star Rating on Amazon.  I’ve communicated back and forth with James on a few different occasions and I can tell you that he’s the real deal.  First class all the way!

Shoe Dog – Phil Knight

It’s my belief that as a Sales Professional, you’re an Entrepreneur.  Or if you’re paid off the bottom line in any way, you’re an entrepreneur because you’re in control of your income. You’re taking a financial risk by accepting a lower guarantee in exchange for potentially higher income depending on your performance.  In Shoe Dog, Phil Knight who is the founder of Nike, tells in detail his epic story of how Nike came to be and the challenges it faced along the way.  This is one of those rare stories that you could listen to in one sitting.  A great book for any entrepreneur.

Relentless – Tim Grover

A hard-nosed approach to work and business, Tim takes the no excuse approach to life.  He was Michael Jordan’s Trainer for nearly his entire career and classifies athletes into 3 categories: Coolers, Closers, and Cleaners.  He considers Michael Jordan as a Cleaner.  What I appreciate about Tim’s book is that there are no excuses for a weak work ethic.  We know lack of strong work-ethic and entitlement is a common theme with Millennials, this is their wake-up call.  You can’t help but be fired up while listening to Tim’s book.  There are lessons in here that we can all learn from and a reminder that hard work can take you a long way, especially in today’s society.

The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg

Charles provides a clear understanding of why we do what we do. The decisions that we make on a daily basis are made up of the habits that we’ve developed over the years.  What’s encouraging, however, is that bad habits can easily be turned into healthy habits, and Charles shows us how it’s done.  There’s no question in my mind that bad habits have led to lost sales and poor management and leadership decisions.  Now with Charles help and guidance, we can improve our closing percentages and have stronger leadership which will lead to an increase in morale and a stronger culture.  This was an eye-opening read for me and I’m confident it will be for you as well.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

(Podcast), EntreLeadership (Podcast), The Dealer Playbook (Podcast), Mindset by Carol Dweck, Finding Ultra by Rich Roll, Drive by Daniel H. Pink