Dodge Chrysler Jeep: CPO Powerhouse? Seriously?

[Generated Title]: Forget Tech Bros, This Car Dealer's Playbook is the Real Disruption

Alright, let's get one thing straight: I'm so goddamn tired of hearing about "disruption" from Silicon Valley types who think moving fast and breaking things is some kind of genius strategy. Newsflash: it's usually just breaking things and leaving someone else to clean up the mess.

But then I stumbled across this story about Nino Sita, a general manager at some Virginia car dealership (Lindsay Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, if you're keeping score at home), and, I gotta admit, the guy's actually doing something interesting.

The Anti-Tech Disruption

This ain't your typical "innovate or die" bullshit. Sita's not talking about blockchain or AI-powered chatbots. He's talking about… gasp… teamwork and transparency.

Seriously? In this day and age? It’s almost revolutionary.

The article says he holds weekly cross-departmental meetings with ten team members to discuss goals and challenges. Ten people? In a meeting? That doesn't sound efficient. It sounds like hell.

But here's the thing: it seems to be working. Apparently, Lindsay Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram is the number one CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) dealership in the region and number seven nationally. And new car sales are up 196% year-over-year. 196 percent! I had to read that twice.

Full disclosure, according to Sita, is also key. He’s having his team create customer videos, but not just any template garbage. He’s walking around the cars with the salespeople, talking about the vehicles. The cars are the stars.

That's a concept. And honestly, it's kinda brilliant. People are sick of the hard sell. They want information, and they want it straight.

The Human Element

What really caught my eye was Sita's emphasis on the "one-team philosophy." He says, "Everybody's important in the dealership, from used to new to parts to service to BDC… It's got to be one team and everybody's on the same page."

That sounds an awful lot like… respect for your employees? A novel concept, I know.

And then there's the cash blast for the dealership’s parts and service advisors. A cash blast? I am not sure what that is, but it sounds good.

Sita even incentivizes salespeople to acquire cars themselves. "$200 for the first car, $300 for the second, and so on, up to $600." He acquired 72 cars himself last month. Which makes me wonder, is he even sleeping?

The article also mentions that Sita has been working to overcome challenges associated with Stellantis with a highly localized approach to sales. "You got to know what's in your market and know what people are looking for and just know your backyard. And develop a niche for yourself."

Okay, that's just common sense. But in a world of globalized everything, maybe common sense is the real disruption.

The article says, “if you want to buy a supercharged Hemi, I'm the guy to come to.” I don’t even know what a supercharged Hemi is, but I’m pretty sure I want one now.

The Questionable Part

Here's where I get cynical. Is this just another feel-good story designed to sell us something? Is Sita some kind of corporate shill?

I mean, look at the placement of that ad for DLRdmv. "Under-collected fees, upset customers, negative online reviews, buyback letters, and more." Nice scare tactics.

And let's be real, the car dealership business isn't exactly known for its ethical practices. Are we really supposed to believe that this one guy has cracked the code and turned his dealership into some kind of customer-centric paradise?

Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one here. Maybe I'm so jaded that I can't recognize a good thing when I see it.

It's Still Just Selling Cars, Folks