time good morning good morning, ramirez the car guy.
This is for eleanor’s supply bureau and we are excited to have a special special guest inside of the cafe today.
Nancy benjamin is brewing solutions with us and we are exactly what’s going on here guys.
It’s a good morning, it’s good to do what we came here to do.
Um.
Thank you for having me on the show, couldn’t pick a better show to be on solution, surprising, we’re excited to be here with some more solutions.
Another superior that’s doing great things up in michigan and uh.
We’re just excited to have it here, but we want to let you all know that this brew has been brought to you by, and companies that have uh definitely seen that we are here to bring some solutions to the industry, changing mindsets into a positive mental form.
So that we can do great things, i’m just excited to have some great people here.
I love how you broke the sentences like once those sound likely so all right.
So but no, we are we’re super excited.
This morning we have a special guest nancy nancy’s, been somebody that i’ve seen on social media.
That just brings light every time she puts a post out there.
She hasn’t she.
She definitely is all about making things positive.
Putting things on a great note, i know she’s been through some stuff over the last couple years in her life yet, but she still isn’t being in the light out there and i’m so excited on the show.
She’s, a former podcast host himself, i’m gon na influence and make her do it again because she needs to be out there doing a fight seriously.
Your voice needs to be out there, but the most important thing for me about podcasts.
So you know – and i think that so we’re so excited to have you here – thank you so much this morning good morning to be here.
I’m excited to be here and yes, i did have a podcast before we’re going to leave that later on and we’ll talk about this, some more yeah, but it’s it’s nice to be on one again getting interviewed this time, not being the one interviewing.
I know what you mean when i get interviewed it’s um, it’s a different rush, completely different.
When i remember the very first time i ever was interviewed.
I was extremely nervous almost to the vomit point, but once i was like one second into it, i was fine, but it put them all the way.
Leading to that moment i was like, oh, my goodness, am i going to be nope.
I was practicing so we’re excited, so we know you’re going to have a great time today.
We know you’re going to bring some knowledge.
We know that you’re going to have some you’re going to be able to share some stuff for people that are just going to be able to open their eyes, and hopefully some people can give you reach out to you afterwards if they need some help in their Dealerships, you know, that’s, that’s cheers , three f’s as the formula to make sure that we keep growing, and these three f’s include you wiping off the weight of failure.
Unforgiveness fear worry doubt uh or anything that somebody has said negative about you.
All that negativity has to get off your shoulders.
You got to wipe it off then number two.
We are going to take the hands that are free to do great things then focus on where it is that we are going and then we’re gon na fly.
Three motions: here we go on three one guy across the road there you go, one two three say forgive me and keep growing, keep growing yeah get something there we go.
You did that you know what that felt good.
It starts up my day.
I like that.
That’s it that’s the best way to start the day.
There’s no doubt so.
We are going to jump into our fright line with you nancy and our live learner is designed to just bring out the talk about your origin story from well.
How you beg where you began to where you are now so i’m excited about this? Let’s get this thing started the very first question: what drives you when you wake up every morning, get out of bed instead of sit down hit this news button 20 times and sleep in all day long.
What motivates you to go ahead and just try to be more than you were the day before? Oh, that’s, a loaded question uh! It’s it’s loaded because there’s so many things that built up to this moment every single day that you get up.
There are people that depend on you, you know they rely on you um.
They look up to you, they’re, inspired by you or you, you know you’re inspired by them.
It’s an opportunity to do something better every single day, and you know it’s for me.
It’s.
I came from very very humble beginning, so it’s if the the fuel that i get from that humble beginning is what drives me every single day.
To be honest, oh yes, i love it.
It’s that it’s the drive to to be more to know that you are more, you know, there’s this united states the world, and it allows us to become people that we want to be that’s right and you don’t let the past determine your future.
So that’s right! Right right exactly, you know, and everybody can start over right.
This second, you know morning is a chance to start fresh.
Do not let your past define you, you know i.
I love that you said that, because it’s so true because everybody has a checkered past at some point right, everybody has made mistakes and that’s that’s what we strive to be, and i can tell that’s what what your purpose is just to be better to help more People to do these things so you’re a solution at heart period.
That’s where you’re! That’s, where your drive comes from to be a solution, so welcome to the show right.
So thank you just jump in there real, quick and dig into this uh.
This humble beginning side of it because there’s something about this business.
That is nearly magical.
It’s if you can come in one way, uh, don’t know how to dress.
Don’t really know how to speak.
Don’t know.
Uh people don’t have connections, don’t have an education may not have graduated high school there’s so many things that have been weights on people to jump into a profession where they can make real uh good, solid money and i mean become millionaires.
You can really find your way whether you’re you’re cleaning a car up to owning the dealership uh that can be created inside this business.
That’s why i love uh this business uh.
We do come from humble beginnings as well uh but nancy as as far as the humble beginnings that you have um and how you’ve seen the business uh be able to bend towards helping promote and build up other people.
Remember it’s not been race hasn’t stopped.
People from necessarily succeeding inside of this religion hasn’t stopped people from succeeding inside of this business um political parties preferences.
None of that stuff stops people from succeeding in this business unless they let it unless their humble beginnings or things that they take back in and they use as an excuse for why they can’t advance forward.
So real quick.
I just want to dig a little bit more into that.
I guess i’ll go ahead and use that, as my question describe some of these humble beginnings that you’ve come from and how you found your way to the car business.
Oh, let’s start with growing up in the roughest part of detroit.
You can possibly live in um i mean.
Obviously we detroit is detroit right, so um it has a wrap and it lives by it.
So it’s it’s very real.
It was very scary um from some months.
I thought i wasn’t going to see the next month some some years.
I thought for sure this is going to be the last um.
You know robberies you name it my house getting caught on fire.
I watched everything burn and that kind of stuff shapes you because it thickens your skin at a very young age, but you carry it with you.
You know all those memories, you don’t forget.
So obviously you never want to go back to that moment and that’s why you have to keep trying harder every day.
That’s right! So how did you find yourself in the car business? So when i left college and decided to go visit, my father, who lived in arizona at the time um i had to pay off college debt.
So i started with the infamous van tile group uh out in the southwest.
I started one of the largest honda dealerships in the southwest um and got my start there and honestly.
For me it was just something to get.
You know to pay the bills and at the time i did not know i was entering my professional career um.
It was just it was.
You know.
The van tile training is very process driven the 12 steps, i’ll, never forget them um, and that’s really.
What got me uh, i guess, excited about the business and the opportunity to make so much money at such a young age.
Um it just.
It was fun.
You get to talk to people.
I was able to be myself.
It was a very non-judgmental business um and you know everybody takes you for who you are as long as you’re treating each other.
Well, everybody’s selling, cars, everyone’s happy and your consumers feel.
Like you know, this is the place i’ll come back to again.
It was kind of a no-brainer for me and uh.
I didn’t want to stay in arizona.
So in 2012 september i came back to michigan two weeks later found auto loan options.
He hired me and a programmer and we were his two first uh employees and it’s been eight years later and i wouldn’t trade it for the world.
So that’s a great story.
You know this business has a way of sucking people in you know it’s addictive because here’s the thing bottom line we do make money, but what the thing this business does it solves problems for people.
It helps other people, it changes people’s lives.
It does so many things that are beneficial as a human beings.
Other human beings, you know so we we provide a great service, whether you’re in sales, retail or vendor, whatever you’re doing you’re you’re, definitely you’re you’re helping other people, and it’s like that.
A lot of things you can actually, if you really dig deep, you can find that type of motivation in almost anything you do in this world um.
You know, there’s there’s ways that you know what you do is it’s beneficial to the human race but you’re, helping them helping the race or the people move forward.
Correct people be able to live well, but the thing about the car business is that it’s an amazing business there’s so many amazing people there’s so many different levels of this business that if you want growth, you can find growth every single day.
If you need something to learn, you could sit down and learn something every single day about how to do this job.
Better right, yeah people, like you nancy, are the reason why um, you know what you do and what you provide as a service with your with your company with yourself is that you’re helping people do all those things you’re helping people realize that a dealership could you Know talking about subprime and i’m a subprime hero, i absolutely you know, love self crime and i’m all passionate about helping and bringing light to that and what you do is very much like that.
What you do is trying to help people in that market.
That market is getting bigger, is getting bigger and bigger and bigger every moment right now in this world, with the way coronavirus did with lost jobs and all these people who, who had fair credit now they have less than fair credit or people have great credit.
Now have fair credit, you know so there’s all these people who are now suffering and dealerships have to help them a lot of those who wouldn’t even try to help these customers so now they’re starting to realize wow.
This market share is way bigger and it was always big.
It was always a huge market share, it’s just that they just ignored it.
They ignored it because their friends or their family members weren’t those types of people, something that a lot of people kind of swept under the rug.
And you know a lot of times you didn’t know.
You never knew who subprime managers were at a dealership.
You know – and it’s it’s crazy to say, but it’s reality.
You know longest time.
I didn’t understand why, because those that’s that’s your front line for consume those are your future consumers yep? That’s the man! That’s going to build that relationship with your future consumers.
I never understood why that subprime, finance manager or special or whatever they want to call it secondary, was the guy that wasn’t or the girl that wasn’t on their website most of the time believe it or not.
I couldn’t find those professionals on a website and for the life of me.
I never understood it uh.
I think, as time goes as time went by, i think more people realize that this is not going anywhere.
This is necessary.
You need to be more upfront about it, and you know what what are? What better way to do it than just put yourself out there? Let people know you’re there to help them, and you know it’s a good start.
I i personally think that that is, if not one of your most important people at your dealership.
There’s no doubt about that.
I mean consumers that have had challenging times that maybe your consumer forever they’re going to bring back their family, their friends, because you treated them right right right.
The thing that’s actually starting to happen, big and some of the the shift from just the way people are purchasing right now is that there is so much that’s happening.
That’s affecting people’s credit, there’s so much that that has has shifted, but even before um kovit came across or all of these other things have adjusted inside of our life.
The the the concept of a customer going through some bad times and then not being able to come back to you to purchase is, is like a mindset.
I can’t wrap around you spoken about about it, the other day on on how we were brought up in this business yeah when we were brought up in this business.
Subprime was upfront.
The question we only had was: can i sell them a car? What can i do? What do you want me to show them? Where do you want me to go? Do i need all steps, or do i need a couple right? I need all the references.
Do i need uh.
Do i need proof of residence? Do i need approval? Just tell me what i mean this person is this person i feel like banks came along and probably started to do more training on their programs, which i feel is extremely important um.
If, if i’m going to be honest, i’m going to definitely say, i think a lot more dealerships need to be over open about all of the banks that are walking through their doors um and you you have to stay in green mode.
You can’t sit there and think that you know everything, because this business is an ever-changing business.
Yes, there are things that you will learn about these banks programs every single day to help you sell more cars and help more people, bam right.
You know and that’s the key and people and companies like nancy works for they’re, going to help.
You learn these processes too.
So, like here’s, the thing you know, i know that i’m process driven.
So in order for me i can say hey.
I want to do subprime, but until i got my processes in play that i am going to use consistently and not every single time, i’m not going to spray from it sometimes work, but sometimes not you have to do it every single day be passionate about every Application that your sales person brings you as a manager, if you’re a salesperson, be passionate about every customer that walks on your life tell them how much you appreciate them.
How much it means to you that you’re they’re, even sitting down with you, allowing you to take a credit out from them, because these people are going through things they’re embarrassed to show you their credit they’re embarrassed to talk about their past history, but they’re all heartbreaking.
The things that i see every day i do too you know it does heartwarming.
At the same time, when you get help the right way, you should see the reviews they write for some of these dealerships.
It’ll put tears in your eyes, but the key to everything is: you can do everything right, and i mentioned this the other night when i was on a podcast when i was being interviews that you can do you can meet and greet them.
You can do everything you can show them the right car they could buy the vehicle.
The payments, affordable, they’d, leave the line.
You do a great delivery, but if you never follow up with these people, and you don’t send them a thank you note, you don’t call them periodically.
Let them know how much you appreciate the business and ask them how they’re doing they will forget you.
Even if you treated them like a queen or a king, they will forget you, oh yes, they will.
I mean they will and at that point to me that means you don’t deserve that customer so always follow up.
So all your sales people out there, no matter what kind of cells you’re in whether you’re in car business, if you’re in pharmaceutical cells, if you’re in you know insurance sales, it doesn’t matter.
You have to follow up with everyone that you touched to include your current roster of clients.
Your current roster clients is actually where you can make the most amount of money, even in the future, if you use it right for referrals for follow-up or repeat business for touch-ups add-ons to their to their whatever right.
That’s such a golden thing and people under utilize.
Their current database of people so much that’s a whole other story.
We can talk about some more later, but, oh, i know you can so we’re going to get we’re going to get to the third question now.
So the third question i’m going to have for you is, and it’s it’s we kind of talked yesterday on the phone.
You know we’re trying to just you know, get to know each other a little bit before the show started and um.
When we were talking you, you know, i know you mentioned some people in the past.
I am sure that there’s somebody who heavily influenced you, somebody that you can look back at and be like this person made a huge pivot in my life by just what they taught me.
Who would that person an easy one um, and i i it? I can’t even talk about it, sometimes without getting emotional, because he took me at a very young age.
I mean i think i was like 22 23 and eight years later has turned me into the woman.
I’ve always wanted to be, and that is a man that works in that office right there and that owner of this company, bob chica, who owns and directs auto loan options um.
He has taught me more about relationships and the value of nurturing them and taking care of your clients um more than anybody has, and i think ever will and uh.
I owe a very huge portion of my success to them.
Cheers to him.
That’s always good to have a mentor person like that in your in your work spot.
You know those mentors eventually, one day are going to look at you as a mentor.
In a sense too, you know i have.
I have people who have coached me up raised me up, helped me become who i am and then now they’re looking at me, because i i’ve really reached out and they’re actually they’re looking for mentorship for me and that’s a beautiful thing and that’s, but that’s what A mentor wants like i know that if i was like like if i could mentor somebody like lou right, i get him pumped up and then one day he grows so big that i get influenced by what he’s doing? That’s the whole, that’s that’s beautiful! It’s your legacy, you know and you’re part of his legacy and you’re gon na have a legacy of your own, and i know it’s gon na be a beautiful thing and because you’re just an awesome person and you just keep doing what you’re doing positive reach out, Get uncomfortable like you know, i really want to see this nancy murray, benjamin podcast.
It needs to happen again, and i think that if you do this, you put passion into it the way you are with everything else you do.
I know it’s going to be great and i know that i would be there to support it.
I know so i really um for for me.
The only reason why to be honest with you that i really stopped and um i’m gon na probably grab a tissue because it’s hard for me not to get emotional about this.
I only stopped the old podcast because after my father passed, i didn’t have it in me to interview one more person i mean it literally was cut off the moment.
The podcast was picking up and it was for being, you know, a no-brainer.
Obviously i needed some time to mourn.
You know the greatest man in my life and i felt disrespectful to continue it for a little while um and then covet it.
You know, after after i actually had a little bit of uh.
I guess got to start the program up again, the beginning of this year.
We hit covet and that’s when things started to fall, for you know some of our dealers.
Unfortunately, luckily our company was untouched, as far as you know, um sales and things like that.
There were a lot of states that weren’t affected a lot of dealers had amazing record months, believe it or not, and some of them unfortunately didn’t have – you know – had some not so great moments and we stopped by those dealerships um.
In fact, i think we might have been the only subprime lead generator that stopped the leads for dealerships that forgot to tell us to turn things off, because we felt we felt it was the right thing to do.
Um.
We didn’t feel right that you know right to charge people for leads that you know you weren’t going to be able to work anyway right.
It was the right thing to do and i’m very happy that we did um and they have gladly all started up and come back, and i can’t believe what they’re doing now i mean i’m super super impressed with the dealers that have come back after colbin’s industry.
Definitely has thought out a lot more than than it was um in the earlier months, but i’m happy to see everybody back at it selling cars.
You know helping customers every single day and for us it’s really important who we choose as dealers – and i didn’t mention this before, but um i’m not going to work with any dealer that wants to sign up with me.
I’m just not going to you need to have the right knowledge.
The right team, the right bank set up the right inventory, we’re going to be selective because we’re a company based on reputation.
If you know what you’re going to do or what to do we’re setting our customers up for failure and we’re setting your dealership up for failure – and i’m not here to just take your money, i like to work with you month after month, and the only way To do that is to make sure that we get all those questions answered in the beginning and that’s because you’re, a daily partner, you’re, not you’re, not a you’re, not a vendor you’re, not an outside source.
You want to be a partner, that’s exactly right! When you partner, you take ownership of their business in your heart, you know so when they fail, you fail when they succeed, you succeed and that’s that’s.
The only way to to take any type of business when you’re helping other people is that you have to become one with those people.
You have to become bad so, like if abc motor is, is my client.
I am now abc motor right.
You know when i’m, when i’m working with everything i do i’m gon na it’s i’m passionate just like the owner would be passionate about this business.
I would be.
I would be upset if something didn’t go.
The way i was planning it to go.
You know all those types of things i could see that inside you.
I i see that your companies, like that.
I love that your owner and your company decided to hold the leads even on people who didn’t ask to hold them, because it was the right thing to do, because you know those people.
They don’t think about all the little bills that they’re paying out the dealers and stuff like that, because there’s so much forget all the expenses that you’re you’re, oh yeah, and by are you guys taking the initiative and saying hey, look we’re gon na pump the brakes On this, for you guys, because it’s it’s what we should be doing, because i’m going to be giving you leads that are just going to sit there for no reason right.
So you guys you all.
Did the right thing there that that shows you guys that you guys are not about the money you’re you’re about people over profits and that’s my integrity is one of the things that he taught me yeah and i i love that and that’s integrity is my number One to me, it’s my biggest core value, it’s something that i really try to focus my whole life around, whether it’s my home life, whether it’s my work, life, it’s always going to be with integrity.
First, if i start with integrity, everything falls into place right.
So i love that you guys are like that.
I love that you’re like that, and i know that it’s just going to blossom from there.
This whole thing was a was a great time for a multitude of things.
You know i’m not saying the world, i hate to say you can great with the word covet, but i look at the right bright side of everything that we’re doing.
I look at when i see life and something negative happens, there’s always a gang to that meaning.
You know what i mean: there’s always a positive side to something negative and if you, if you focus on that negative you’re gon na yeah, you’ll you’ll drown in it.
You’ll feel like man.
Life is horrible.
I can’t handle.
But if you focus on the positive or know what the positive is gon na be because of this negative, it’s easier to stay positive, keep moving forward, doing the right things.
Having that integrity, helping other people grow and you’re doing that nancy, and i and i see that i’ve seen i’ve seen even the growth of just the last few months.
You know i’ve seen that you’re posting more you’re starting to get more excited about doing things, and i really want to keep encouraging you to do that.
It’s not to stop, because when it starts to get uncomfortable is when you’re doing it right right, so keep being uncomfortable right.
That’s literally what we preach now behind you! What you guys don’t see right now is our bdc is working at all of our dealer accounts right now, right behind you and it you know they walked in and they’re like.
What’s you know they they feeling what was going on, but it was interesting, but they uh they’re happy to hear this because they’re getting this insight from people outside of the office that are in the business and you know feel the same way about how we, how We value you know our consumers, our clients and everything and that’s what we teach them to do as well.
I mean they’re here um because they want to be here, they’re, not here, because it’s nine to five they’re here because they actually enjoy what they do.
You know, hopefully they like me, but after they deal with you, you’re you’re contagiously, it’s easy to like you know you just have this coming.
You know.
Obviously, i don’t see you every day yeah, but what you put out there in your five, but the vibe is very it’s very you know i’m an open person, i’m here to help.
I love people.
I love life.
I just want to encourage people to enjoy life too, and that’s the way that translates to your work, your workforce too, when you provide that to everybody and everybody’s going on that vibe and they’re feeding off each other.
It’s it’s just a good good thing.
You know: we’ve had some people jump on this forum, yeah exactly it’s a family.
You .
