Three Top Operators Reveal What's Working in 2026's Worst Markets

Your Dealership Posts Are Getting ZERO Engagement. Here's Why.

Social media strategist Robin Wilson of Social Grenade joins Chris Keene, John Anderson, and Renaldo Leonard to break down why the standard dealership playbook of sold customer photos and copied-everywhere posts gets zero traction. Robin shares how to read your insights like a sales board, why educational content built on customer pain points beats promotional posts every time, which platforms reach which buyers, and why YouTube is the most urgent channel in automotive right now as AI search tools like Gemini start pulling answers from video. Plus: the ten-video how-to playlist every dealership should film this month, why TikTok is the number one search engine for buyers under 30, and why social media only works as a top-down initiative.

The Most Underused 15 Seconds at Your Dealership

84% of car shoppers are on social media, 95% start their research online, and 61% say reviews decide who they buy from. In this episode of LotTalk, Chris Keene, John Anderson, and Renaldo Leonard break down how dealers can use social media to build trust and reputation before a buyer ever hits the lot. They cover why authentic phone video beats polished production, the rising AI "trust gap," how your content feeds answer engines like ChatGPT and Claude, the smart way (and wrong way) to use AI on leads, and the most underused 15 seconds at your entire dealership. Practical, floor-level moves you can start using this week.

Looking But Not Buying: The Summer 2026 Used Car Playbook for Managers

The spring selling season is over and the shopper index has fallen roughly 30%, but here is the truth most dealers are missing: buyers are still out there, they have just lost their urgency. In this episode of LotTalk, Chris Keene, John Anderson, and Renaldo Leonard break down the Cox and Experian data behind the slowdown (record $7,214 negative equity, $50,000 average new car prices, and aggressive new-truck incentives crushing used values) and turn it into a practical plan. You will get the exact outright-seller script for sourcing inventory out of your own CRM with no auction fees, the trade and price variance checks that expose self-inflicted margin compression, and the S.P.A.C.E.D. follow-up framework that gives your team something to say besides "are you still in the market." Get watertight now, before the market turns back up. Download the free Summer 2026 Used Car Playbook at lotpop.com.

"Hope Isn't A Strategy": A 52-Year Car Veteran's Take On Why Your Store Is Stuck

Why won't your team do what you ask? After 52 years in retail automotive — from selling cars in 1972 to consulting at the NADA level — Ed French has one answer: you never set a clear expectation in the first place. In this LotTalk Leadership Series episode, John Anderson reunites with his longtime mentor for a hard-hitting conversation on the four parts of every clear expectation, why most dealership underperformance is a clarity problem (not a talent problem), how to chase a BHAG instead of the dealer down the street, and what high performers actually need from their leaders. Chris Keene and Renaldo Leonard dig in on business models, analyzing losses instead of wins, the lost art of "windshield time," and why the post-COVID generation of battlefield-promoted managers is struggling in a 2017-style market. If you've ever caught yourself saying "I can't get my people to do X," this episode is the wake-up call.

Sales Down 6%, Shoppers Down 30%, EVs Up 200%: The 2026 Used Car Market Just Flipped

The 2026 used car market just flipped on dealers, and most of them didn't see it coming. Off-lease EV returns are projected to jump 200% year over year, hitting 300,000 units. US auto sales are down 6%. Shopper index is down 30%. RAM is gaining ground while Ford, Chevy, and Subaru bleed market share. So what do you do?In this episode of LotTalk, Chris Keene, John Anderson, and Renaldo Leonard unpack the 90-day consumer search data, the hybrid versus EV demand shift, and why two dealerships sitting on the same piece of asphalt can have wildly different results. They get into self-inflicted margin compression (the gross-killing habit most used car managers don't realize they have), the "pot roast rule" that's quietly costing stores tens of thousands, and what the top 150 dealer groups did to grow in 2026 without opening a single new store.If you're a dealer principal, GM, used car manager, or BDC manager trying to stay ahead of the EV wave, hybrid surge, and shifting OEM landscape, this one is required listening. It comes down to two things: process and discipline.Topics covered: • The 200% EV off-lease wave hitting dealer lots • Why hybrid search is still beating EV (and what that means for your inventory) • The OEM brands winning and losing the last 90 days • Self-inflicted margin compression and how to stop it • Why the top 150 dealer groups are growing without adding stores • Process, discipline, and the Indiana Hoosiers playbookWant help applying any of this to your store? Visit lottalkpodcast.com to connect with Chris, John, and Renaldo.