Libsyn Directory

Ep. 3 Don’t Sleep on the Walkaround: The Service Drive Trust Builder!

Release Date: 09/22/2025

Why the Service Walk-Around Is Dying and How to Bring It Back

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

There are two sacred moments in every service visit and if you miss them, nothing else matters. In this episode of Dealer Talk, Jen Suzuki breaks down the most overlooked, most powerful moment in the service lane: the check-in. This isn’t about speed. It’s not about scripts, numbers, or reports. And it’s definitely not about rushing customers through like a transaction. Jen shares what she’s seeing on dealership drives across the country: walk-arounds disappearing, advisors glued to iPads, low energy, rushed tones and customers quietly losing trust. You’ll learn why the check-in is...

AI Isn’t the Hero, Here’s the Service Model That Works for Advisors

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

AI isn’t here to replace service advisors, it’s here to protect what they do best. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen speaks directly to service leaders navigating the overwhelming wave of new AI tools flooding the automotive space. While the industry is being told to move faster, adopt more, and automate everything, Jen challenges leaders to slow down and ask a more important question: Is this technology protecting human connection or eroding it? Service advisors sit at the center of the customer experience, yet their role has been stretched beyond sustainable human...

What Actually Works in BDC | AI Best Practices From #2 Kia Store BDC Director

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I sit down with Jessica Colan, who leads one of the biggest BDC departments in the country and works in the #2 Kia store in the nation. I’ve known Jessica for more than a decade and trained her team for years and what makes her different is simple: she doesn’t chase shiny toolsshe tests them against real processes until they perform. We talk about what’s actually working with AI inside a high-performing dealership BDC—specifically how Jessica has used Matador AI hands-on for the last two years to revive stagnant leads, re-engage...

Rey: Learn This DMS AI Assistant Dealers Have Been Waiting For!

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

This episode is all about the kind of AI dealers actually need not another shiny chatbot, but a real assistant built inside the DMS and grounded in real dealership data, real workflows, and real accountability. I’m joined by AJ McGowan, VP of Research & Development at Reynolds and Reynolds and co-founder of AutoVision, to talk about Reynolds’ newest reveal: Rey, a tailored AI assistant integrated directly into the Reynolds ecosystem. We get super practical on how leaders, managers, and frontline teams could use Ray day-to-day: Service teams asking real-time status questions without...

Revive Dead Leads with Kerri Wise, Lotlinx + $148k Giveaway 😲 Coming Up Next Week!

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I sit down with Kerri Wise, Chief Marketing Officer at LotLinx, to unpack one of the biggest problems I’ve seen after decades of training sales teams: wasted time chasing the wrong leads while real opportunities sit right under our noses. Kerri brings a rare perspective, deep automotive experience from brands like TrueCar and Edmunds, paired with a clear understanding of how AI and machine learning can actually support dealership operations, not complicate them. We dive into LotLinx’s newest product, Revive, launching at the NADA Show,...

Questions Investors Ask That Dealers Should Be Asking Too with CEO, Keith Style from Presidio Group

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

Today we’re bringing a new angle to Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast! The capital side of dealer tech. I’m joined by Keith Style from Presidio, an automotive-focused investment advisory team that’s been quietly shaping the next wave of dealership technology. Keith shares what Presidio looks for in early-stage AI and software companies, how they diligence founders (spoiler: customer calls are everything), and why “strategic capital” matters more than flashy valuations. We break down the metrics that actually predict whether a tech company will last: recurring revenue, revenue...

The Silent Profit Leak Hiding on Every RO...Discounts. Let's STOP it Right Now!

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

Every time a service advisor discounts too fast, something bigger than money is lost — credibility. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen tackles one of the most overlooked performance indicators in the service department: the discount line. After years of training advisors on the drive and working shoulder-to-shoulder with service teams, this is one of the first places she looks because it tells a story. A story about confidence. A story about perceived value. A story about how the advisor, the technician, and the dealership are being positioned in the customer’s mind. This...

Behind the Voice AI Curtain: A CTO Explains What Dealers Should Actually Ask

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

We’ve never had a CTO on Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki! So we went full behind-the-scenes with Kelvin Pho, CTO & Co-Founder @ Mia Labs! Kelvin pulls back the curtain on what’s happening in AI tech right now. He shares his insights on what matters, what’s hype, and what dealers should actually be asking before they buy another “AI tool.” We talk real-world dealership problems like missed calls, after-hours coverage, messy data, and integrations across CDK, Reynolds, Tekion, Xtime, and more. Then we get into the stuff nobody explains: why “built on Azure” matters, how...

Smarter Inventory Decisions with LotGPT Explained by Lance Schafer

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

Meet Lot GPT: Dealer AI, Done Right Ever wonder what happens when automotive tech veterans build an AI just for dealers? Meet Lance Schafer, GM of Product and Tech at Lotlinx and the brains behind Lot GPT. This isn’t your everyday chatbot. Lot GPT analyzes inventory, predicts which cars will sell and when, optimizes vehicle pages, and even drafts follow-up messages. All using 12 years of dealer data and insights from 28,000 dealerships. The catch? It’s invite-only for now. Why? Because Lotlinx is taking their time to deliver tools dealers actually want, test them...

Built in the Dealership: The Real Story Behind MyKaarma with Ujj Nath,Co-Founder

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

Ujj Nath, Co-Founder & CEO of MyKaarma walks us through the messy, glorious work of building dealer software. The late nights, the dealer-floor immersion, the hard lessons learned from Toyota’s Genchi Genbutsu, and the relentless grind that turns a consulting gig into a product powering billions in payments. We dig into real dealer stories (Norm Reeves, Volkswagen, Mercedes), early product wins (text + call on one local number, mobile checkout), brutal setbacks, and how staying “in the trenches” shaped a product that dealers actually use. If you build training from being on the store...

More Episodes

Most advisors treat the walkaround like it’s optional. It’s not.

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I'm breaking down why the walkaround is the most underused but most powerful tool you have to build trust, boost credibility, and set the tone for approvals.

You’ll learn how to:

Turn a walkaround into a stage for connection, not just inspection
Slide in credibility without sounding salesy or pitchy
Use visuals and proof (tires, wipers, lights) to make recommendations stick
Add humor and humanity to ease tension and build rapport
Transition customers smoothly into business with confidence

If you’ve been skipping the walkaround, you’re skipping income potential. Done right, it’s not just about the car — it’s about the relationship.

🔥Check out our sponsor!🔥

LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

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