The Dealership Fixit Podcast

Jacob Berry
  • 4.8 (21)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to the Dealership Fixit Podcast, a show dedicated to power sports dealership professionals! In today's ever-evolving market, staying ahead of the game is vital. We invite you to subscribe to our podcast and gain access to the secrets of success in the motorcycle and ATV dealership life. In each episode, we dive into the challenges and opportunities each power sports dealership faces today. Our expert insights from various industry leaders, seasoned professionals, and innovative thinkers have significantly impacted the industry. After All, In Your Dealership, You Are The Fixit.

  1. Master the Job in Front of You, Teach the Job Below You: Chase Vance on Climbing the Dealership Ladder

    4d ago

    Master the Job in Front of You, Teach the Job Below You: Chase Vance on Climbing the Dealership Ladder

    Chase Vance has a resume that is almost unheard of in this industry. He started on the parts counter in 2008 and worked his way up through every single seat in the store. Sales, finance, general manager, regional director, managing partner, and then National Director of Business Development at RideNow Powersports, the largest dealer group in the country. He recently stepped into a new chapter as Director of Operations at the Zia and Lonestar Powersports Group. This is one of the most complete career conversations we have done on the show. We pull a lesson from every seat Chase has held, get into what actually breaks when you scale a dealer group, and have an honest talk about growth, burnout, and building a career you can sustain in this industry. If you are trying to climb the ladder, build a team, or grow a group, this episode is a roadmap. What we cover: The one thing Chase wishes he knew on day one behind the parts counterWhy the parts department is about problem solving and personalization, not just handing someone a batteryThe CARE framework: Create A Rare Experience, and why it is the ultimate retention toolHow to compete with Amazon and RevZilla through human interaction and the art of the follow-upWhy the toughest thing Chase had to learn was the CRM and the discipline of follow-upWhat separates a good salesperson from an average one, and the Ken Griffey Jr. lesson about mastering the basicsWhy new salespeople fail when they try to get too cute and cut cornersThe F&I lesson: you have to know and believe in the product, and why packaging beats a laundry listWhy the needs assessment matters more than product penetration in the boxThe biggest shift moving from one department to running the whole store: time management and selective urgencyWhy departments cannot operate in silos and how sales sells the first one but service sells the next fourWhat breaks when you scale from one rooftop to many and the power of a 30,000 foot viewWhy standardizing your tech stack matters, and how MotoHunt across a group lets operators phone a friendThe honest advice on scaling: if your store is broken now, a second one will only stack problemsWhy being able to step out of a store is the real telltale sign of a well-run dealershipThe candid story of stepping out of operations and why Chase calls it a step forward, not a step backThe Clay Wallace philosophy: master the job in front of you, be a student of the job ahead, be a teacher of the job belowWhy the number one thing blocking your growth is not having your replacement readyThe mindset for a long career: keep the little kid excitement every time you put the key in the doorChase's work with Veterans Xtreme Adventures and why it matters to himWatch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit Connect with Chase Vance: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-vance-7685b4148/ Veterans Xtreme Adventures: https://www.vetsxtreme.com/ Connect with Jacob: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry/ Follow the Fixit Online: ⁠https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit MotoHunt for Dealers: ⁠https://dealers.motohunt.com⁠

    1h 6m
  2. April Was the Peak. Now Comes the Slide. What Every Dealer Should Do With Used Inventory Right Now | NPA Market Update

    Jun 19

    April Was the Peak. Now Comes the Slide. What Every Dealer Should Do With Used Inventory Right Now | NPA Market Update

    April was the top. May confirmed it. Now we are heading into the slide that always bottoms out around August. The question is whether your used inventory is positioned for it. Mike Murray from National Powersport Auctions is back for our pre-owned market update, and this one matters because we are at the turning point in the season. We walk through the May data, compare it to where we were in April, and get into exactly what dealers should be doing right now with the bikes sitting on their lot. This conversation goes deeper than the numbers. Mike makes the case for why dealers are too fixated on book values, why the actual selling price tells a truer story, and how to think about a trade you take in today as a unit you might still own in September. What we cover: Why April was the high water mark and what the slide into August actually looks likeHow values can be up year over year and softening month to month at the same timeThe book value problem: why dealers fixate on JD Power and why the real market often moves faster than the bookWhy a clean late-model R6 can sell for thousands over a brand new one, and what that teaches about pricing to the market instead of the bookWhere Black Book and NPA's own value guide fit into the pictureWhy early June auctions in San Diego came in stronger than expected and what that says about dealer confidenceThe fuel price wildcard and whether it is actually moving metric cruiser demandDomestic cruisers: still the leader, but the price to book story versus the actual dollar story are very differentThe $4,000 spread between a clean Harley and a rough one, and why condition and miles matter more than the bookMetric cruisers: why the small May uptick is probably a flash in the panSport bikes: bouncing around the peak, why dealers who follow the niche are crushing it, and why you cannot have too manyMX cooling off and why product mix and cleanliness drive that number more than demandATV: the standout still climbing, and why used side by sides finally hit their strideSide by side: the seasonal flattening, the regional differences, and why cabbed-out luxury units hold valueThe inventory turn framework: the 0 to 30, 60, 90, and 120 day buckets and why Mike built them aggressive on purposeThe real cost of holding a unit: how a $10,000 bike costs around $356 a month and nearly $2,900 over 90 days once you add opportunity costWhy an 18% gross over 12 months might actually be a 3% lossProactive pricing: how to get ahead of the softening market instead of chasing it downThe exit strategy: NPA Direct Buy, consignment, and why you should never wish a wholesale unit into a retail customerWatch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit?si=xGw636a89UUDAK20⁠ Connect with Mike Murray (NPA): ⁠mmurray@npauctions.com ⁠NPA Market Reports: ⁠https://www.npauctions.com/cp/npa-market-report⁠ Connect with Jacob: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry⁠ Follow the Fixit Online: ⁠https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit⁠ MotoHunt for Dealers: ⁠https://dealers.motohunt.com⁠

    1h 2m
  3. Throwback: Stop Chasing Facebook Likes. Here's What Actually Grows a Dealership. | Joe Iribarren, Beyond Creative

    Jun 18

    Throwback: Stop Chasing Facebook Likes. Here's What Actually Grows a Dealership. | Joe Iribarren, Beyond Creative

    This is a throwback, and the lessons are arguably more relevant now than when we recorded it. In this conversation with Brian Croft, Joe breaks down why dealers keep measuring the wrong things on social media, what actually drives growth, and the single most underused tool he sees across nearly every dealership he walks into. If your dealership posts on social media and you are not sure if any of it is working, this one is for you. What we cover: Why branding and marketing get dismissed as fluff, and the surgeon analogy that explains why that is a mistakeThe hard truth about Facebook likes: why chasing them is a waste of your timeWhy posting pictures of your customers does almost nothing for your next potential customerWhat happened when Facebook went pay-to-play around 2015 and 2016, and why your follower count stopped matteringThe fishing industry case study: growing a page from 14,000 to 170,000 likes and what actually drove the valueWhy consistency in your marketing pays off more than almost anything elseThe Facebook group strategy that 99% of dealerships are completely ignoringWhy Facebook groups generate more meaningful interaction than your business page ever willThe crunchy mom group example that explains exactly why niche, local, passion-based groups workWhy powersports is the perfect industry for a dealership group: local plus passionThe difference in tone between a page and a group, and why people let their guard down in groupsSelling a lifestyle versus selling a product, and where each one belongs Watch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit?si=xGw636a89UUDAK20⁠ Connect with Joe Iribarren: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondcreative/⁠ Connect with Jacob: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry⁠ Follow the Fixit Online: ⁠https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit⁠ MotoHunt for Dealers: ⁠https://dealers.motohunt.com⁠

    20 min
  4. Throwback: The Elvis Story and Why You Should Never Judge a Customer by Their Cover | Joe Johnson, Tucker Powersports

    Jun 11

    Throwback: The Elvis Story and Why You Should Never Judge a Customer by Their Cover | Joe Johnson, Tucker Powersports

    This one is a throwback and it is one of the best stories we have ever had on the show. Joe Johnson spent over a decade inside dealerships across finance, sales, parts, and service before moving to the wholesale distribution side with Tucker Powersports, where he has spent more than a decade training parts staff and partnering with dealers to help them grow. He also hosts the Powersports and People podcast. Relationships are his whole game. In this conversation with Brian Croft, Joe tells the Elvis story, a customer experience lesson from his days running one of the largest Kawasaki dealerships in the country that every salesperson and parts person needs to hear. Then he breaks down the idea box, a simple framework for generating creativity and ideas in a team that feels completely stuck. No fluff. Just real lessons that still hit today. What we cover: How a distributor rep earns the trust to actually train a dealer's staff, and why that trust is a responsibilityJoe's approach to walking into a dealership and finding the real gaps, what he calls getting nosyThe difference between being an asset and being a visitor, and why that distinction mattersThe Elvis story: the customer who walked in looking like he came off the streets and changed how an entire dealership thought about judging peopleWhy 8 out of 10 customers still want to touch and feel a product in the store even after buying onlineThe three things a dealership delivers that an online store never can: customer experience, a source of information, and assurance of the purchaseThe idea box framework explained step by step, the tool Joe uses to generate ideas when a team has noneThe real-world example of how the idea box turned an ordinary laundry hamper into a multi-million dollar businessWhy most dealership meetings fail and what a productive one actually needsTwo books Joe recommends for anyone who wants to think more creativelyWatch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit?si=xGw636a89UUDAK20⁠ Connect with Joe Johnson: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-johnson-16b4841a6/⁠ Connect with Jacob: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry⁠ Follow the Fixit Online: ⁠https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit⁠ MotoHunt for Dealers: ⁠https://dealers.motohunt.com⁠

    19 min
  5. Throwback: The Product That Keeps Riders in the Saddle Longer | Craig Johnson, Founder of Wild Ass Seats

    Jun 4

    Throwback: The Product That Keeps Riders in the Saddle Longer | Craig Johnson, Founder of Wild Ass Seats

    This one is a throwback and it still hits. Craig Johnson is the founder of Wild Ass Seats, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of premium motorcycle air cushions built in an FDA-approved medical device facility. He started the company about 10 years ago and has spent the better part of the last decade traveling the country, working shows, and building one of the most loyal product followings in the powersports accessories space. In this conversation with Brian, Craig talks about what drives him to keep pushing, why the best dealers are the ones willing to get educated on products rather than just looking for what is new, and what happens when a manufacturer has inventory but the distribution chain is broken. He also dropped a line that every parts manager and every dealer rep should hear: if they are not selling your product, they do not know enough about it yet. That is still true. What we cover: What keeps Craig going after a decade of building Wild Ass from the ground upThe pressure mapping test Craig ran against competitors at a local medical supply facility and what it showedWhy customer stories, not sales numbers, are the real fuel for a founderThe training portal Wild Ass built to incentivize dealer reps and parts staff to get educatedWhy asking what is new is the wrong question — and what dealers should be asking insteadThe manufacturer's perspective on supply chain blame: how dealers blame the brand when the distributor is the actual problemHow a great product can sit in a warehouse while the floor sells nothing because nobody passed on the knowledgeWild Ass's 10th anniversary expansion into UTVs, cars, trucks, tractors, and stadium seatingWhy this product is no longer just for long-distance motorcycle ridersWatch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit?si=xGw636a89UUDAK20⁠ Connect with Craig Johnson: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/wildasscraig/⁠ Wild Ass Seats: ⁠https://www.wild-ass.com⁠ Connect with Jacob: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry⁠ Follow the Fixit Online: ⁠https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit⁠ MotoHunt for Dealers: ⁠https://dealers.motohunt.com⁠

    14 min
  6. 16 Business Books Every Powersports Dealer Should Read: A Joint Episode with PSB Power Hour's Brendan Baker

    May 12

    16 Business Books Every Powersports Dealer Should Read: A Joint Episode with PSB Power Hour's Brendan Baker

    No topic outline. No pre-shared lists. Just two people who live inside the powersports industry every day comparing notes on the books that actually changed how they think. Jacob Berry from Dealership fiXit and Brendan Baker from PSB Power Hour sat down for a joint episode to share the business books that hit hardest in the past year and talk about why they matter for dealers, operators, and anyone in a leadership role in this industry. 1. How to Win Friends and Influence People — Dale CarnegieThe first book Jacob picked up on his audiobook journey. The foundation for every people and sales conversation in this episode. 2. Never Split the Difference — Chris VossFBI hostage negotiator turned business negotiation coach. Jacob calls it one of the best strategy books on how to talk to people in any situation. 3. The Laws of Human Nature — Robert GreeneOld but powerful. The idea that people buy emotionally and justify logically maps directly to every powersports sale. 4. Magnetic Marketing — Dan KennedyThe OG of direct response marketing. Stop chasing customers and build marketing that attracts them. One is the loneliest number. 5. $100M Leads — Alex HormoziDistribution beats creativity. Dealers who post daily win attention. Dealers who wait lose market share. 6. $100M Offers — Alex HormoziMost businesses fail because the offer is weak, not the execution. Engineer deals, do not discount them. 7. $100M Money Models — Alex HormoziThe third in the series. Revenue stability comes from stacking predictable models. One-time sales are fragile. 8. Velocity 2.0 — Dale PollakThe only book on this list written specifically for dealerships. Inventory turn beats margin hoarding. Speed creates leverage. 9. Buy Back Your Time — Dan MartellTime is your most expensive asset. Delegate outcomes, not tasks. If you are the bottleneck, your growth is already capped. 10. 12 Rules for Life — Jordan B. PetersonResponsibility precedes progress. Discipline beats motivation. Clean up your own house before criticizing other systems. 11. Extreme Ownership — Jocko WillinkLeaders own outcomes. No excuses. If sales are down, start with yourself. 12. CEO Excellence — Carolyn DewarHigh-level leaders think differently than operators. Culture is modeled, not declared. 13. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen CoveyBrendan's go-to. Effectiveness is not about doing more things faster. It is about doing the right things in the right order. The four quadrant matrix is something every dealer principal needs on their wall. 14. The Art of War — Sun TzuAncient military strategy that maps to business chess. Victory goes to whoever understands the terrain, knows themselves, and moves at the right moment. 15. 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History — Andrew Ross SorkinBoth Jacob and Brendan are reading this one right now. The parallels to today's market are striking. The danger of assuming this time is different. 16. How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships — Leil LowndesBrendan's pick for anyone who deals with people. 92 specific, practical moves for every conversation situation. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 — Travis Bradberry and Jean GreavesBrendan referenced emotional intelligence as an underrated skill set for dealer operators and salespeople. Libby App — Free audiobooks and ebooks through your local library card.Available at: https://libbyapp.com Watch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit?si=xGw636a89UUDAK20⁠ Connect with Brendan Baker (PSB): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-baker-b744629/ PSB Power Hour Podcast: https://powersportsbusiness.com/powersports-business-power-hour/ Connect with Jacob: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry⁠ Follow the Fixit Online: ⁠https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit⁠ MotoHunt for Dealers: ⁠https://dealers.motohunt.com⁠

    1h 1m
  7. The F&I Process, the Product Stack, the Pay Plan, and the Lender Strategy That Separates Elite Dealers with Alex Reyes

    May 5

    The F&I Process, the Product Stack, the Pay Plan, and the Lender Strategy That Separates Elite Dealers with Alex Reyes

    The national average F&I per copy in powersports is $370. Alex Reyes and his team are targeting $1,000 as their floor, not their ceiling. Alex is the General Manager at Broward Motorsports Treasure Coast in Hobe Sound, Florida, part of an eight-location group. He has spent the better part of the last decade building and running the F&I operation at one of the most active powersports dealer groups in the country. Three-time PSB Magazine 40 Under 40. MPN author. Featured on Auto Finance News with Synchrony. And he came from automotive at Hyundai Motor, which gives him a benchmark most powersports F&I people never had. This is the most comprehensive F&I conversation we have ever done on this podcast. We go from the product menu all the way to pay plans, lender strategy, the digital customer, and what metrics a GM should be watching every single week. What we cover: Why the $370 powersports average vs $2,500 automotive F&I gap comes down to habits, training, and focus, not talentAlex's first career move into powersports and why the emotional nature of the purchase changes the entire F&I conversationWhy financing is still an afterthought at too many stores and the simple script to shift that conversation at the point of saleThe 400% rule: offer every product, every customer, every time with 100% effortThe two non-negotiable products in any powersports F&I office and why ESC is not an upsell, it is a safety netWhy 85% of powersports repossessions trace back to mechanical failure and what that means for every service contract conversationThe GAP math: when to offer it at full LTV, what to say at 70% or under, and when to leave it outPrepaid maintenance as a VIP retention tool, saving customers 30-40% while bringing them back to your service bayHow Alex built a near-prime and subprime lending program at Broward from scratch and why a single-lender strategy is a one-hand-tied-behind-your-back problemThe Synchrony Outdoors card as a cross-departmental revenue tool that works across sales, parts, and serviceThe used bike lending reality: LTVs are different, CITs need to move fast, and MotoHunt helps you buy right in the first placeAlex's unorthodox F&I handoff: the business manager gets involved the moment credit is submitted, not at the endThe "tour de ride" concept and how Broward turns the wait time before the box into a dealership relationship builderHow to handle time in the box without killing the customer experience and the Jimmy at school storyThe baseball farm league approach to building F&I talent from the ground upWhy pay plans based on product mix produce better behavior than pay plans based on sheer PVR volumeThe three numbers a GM has to watch every week: cash to finance ratio, penetration by product, and CITWhat an F&I training program actually looks like and why Rob Greenwald gets the call when Alex needs outside helpThe CRM cadence for declined deals and why a no today is a lead for laterSoft pulls, VIP appointment setting, and where Broward draws the line on digital deliveryWhat Alex looks at first when a GM suspects their F&I department is underperformingWhy penetration rates tell a better story than PVR and what to do when they are out of balanceWatch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit?si=xGw636a89UUDAK20⁠ Connect with Alex Reyes: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-r-a97a321a0/⁠ Broward Motorsports Treasure Coast: ⁠https://www.browardmotorsportstreasurecoast.com⁠ PowerSports HQ (Alex's YouTube): ⁠https://youtube.com/@PowersportsHQAlex⁠ Connect with Jacob: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry⁠ Follow the Fixit Online: ⁠https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit⁠ MotoHunt for Dealers: ⁠https://dealers.motohunt.com⁠

    1h 6m
  8. The Money Hiding in Your F&I Office: Reinsurance, Hidden Fees, and Why Powersports Dealers Are Next on the FTC's List | Gene Silas & Jeff Barron, Brightline Dealer

    Apr 30

    The Money Hiding in Your F&I Office: Reinsurance, Hidden Fees, and Why Powersports Dealers Are Next on the FTC's List | Gene Silas & Jeff Barron, Brightline Dealer

    Most powersports dealers have some form of reinsurance in place. Most of them have no idea what is actually in it. Gene Silas has been in the industry for over 30 years. Jeff Barron has been at it for 26. Together they run Brightline Dealer Advisors, one of the largest broker firms in the United States and they spend their days helping dealers understand what they actually own in their F&I back end and how much of it is quietly walking out the door in fees they have never seen. They recently did a webinar with the NPDA that generated a ton of questions. So I brought them on here to go even deeper for our audience. What we cover: Why most dealers look at only one number on their reinsurance statement and miss everything elseThe walkaway, retro, CFC, and DOWC structures explained in plain English — and how to know which one fits youProducts that can go into reinsurance: service contracts, tire and wheel, paint and fabric, GAP, and ancillariesWhy GAP should usually be kept separate from your service contract reinsurance positionThe hidden fee problem: ceding fees, loss adjustment expense, and premium tax that come off the dealer's bottom line before they ever see the moneyThe side-by-side comparison that could be costing dealers $50,000 to $60,000 a year depending on volumeWhy all fees should be visible in the admin fee and what "below the line fees" actually meansThe A account vs the B account in plain English — and why moving money to the B account as fast as possible mattersHow dealers can borrow against their own B account money and pay the interest back to themselves instead of a bankCapital gains vs ordinary income: the tax difference that can mean 18 to 20 points on millions of dollarsThe risk triangle: why reinsurance is not a set it and forget it situationEarly claims and multiple cause of loss: what it looks like when a service contract is being used as a recon toolThe disappearing deductible strategy that keeps customers coming back to your service bay and protects your bookWhy you need claim override controls and exactly who should have themThe nine questions every dealer should be asking their current reinsurance providerGene's AI tip: how to use ChatGPT or Claude to find every fee buried in your dealer agreement in minutesWhat a real advisory partner looks like vs someone just managing their own book through youGene's FTC prediction: powersports dealers have 12 months or less before enforcement starts — and what to do about it nowThe $54,000 per violation reality and why 97 automotive dealers have already faced it Watch on YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@dealershipfixit?si=xGw636a89UUDAK20⁠ Connect with Gene Silas (Brightline): ⁠gsilas@brightlinedealer.com ⁠Connect with Jeff Barron (Brightline): ⁠jbarron@brightlinedealer.com ⁠Connect with Jacob: ⁠https://linkedin.com/in/jacob-b-berry⁠ Follow the Fixit Online: ⁠https://linktr.ee/dealershipfixit⁠ MotoHunt for Dealers: ⁠https://dealers.motohunt.com⁠

    1h 1m
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About

Welcome to the Dealership Fixit Podcast, a show dedicated to power sports dealership professionals! In today's ever-evolving market, staying ahead of the game is vital. We invite you to subscribe to our podcast and gain access to the secrets of success in the motorcycle and ATV dealership life. In each episode, we dive into the challenges and opportunities each power sports dealership faces today. Our expert insights from various industry leaders, seasoned professionals, and innovative thinkers have significantly impacted the industry. After All, In Your Dealership, You Are The Fixit.

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