As part of the three-man keynote panel kicking off 2024 Digital Dealer Conference & Expo (#DDCE2024), Dealer Synergy’s Sean V. Bradley sees it as opportunity to set the tone for the show.
“Digital Dealer is the preeminent digital conference in in the entire automotive industry. The keynote needs to the thesis statement of the industry,” said Bradley. “What we want to be able to do is go through how the market changed. I want to be able to go on that stage with these amazing co-presenters and tell the audience ‘here is a snapshot of the industry October 2024’ and what to do to be successful moving forward.”
Bradley will join Brad Lea, global entrepreneur and host of “Dropping Bombs” podcast, and Nelson Lyles, managing partner and GM, Withers Automotive Group, for the keynote session titled Modern Sales Tactics and Strategies to Navigate the New Normal. They will inform attendees with the strategies needed to thrive in today’s competitive market.
Hitting the Right Keynote
“You are getting advice from a top global podcaster, a Dealer Magazine cover story leader, and an international sales trainer who’s reshaped the industry,” said Bradley. “Lea’s clients are billionaires like Tony Robbins. To share strategy success is one thing, but to have a billionaire trainer that’s a major car guy….the strategies you learn could be the difference between merely getting by and skyrocketing to the top in 2025.”
For his part, the 26-year auto industry veteran will detail how that automotive landscape has shifted, with the days of post pandemic record-breaking grosses being over and how auto dealerships need to adjust their business model to the lessons learned during this time period.
“If you watch The Avengers with Thanos, the Avenger blip is what happened with COVID to the car industry,” he explained. “For three years, it has been very difficult to train people because it’s hard to teach people how to fish from the fish are jumping in the boat.”
“Dealers now are in a bind because, for years they didn’t have to have any sales skills to compete. You’ve had an influx of people who come to be salespeople who have never been in that market before. If you only sold cars in the last five years or less, you have no clue— you’ve been living in Smurf village as you have no idea what competition is.”
Technology Success Stories
Dealer Synergy is the nation’s leading automotive sales training, consulting, and accountability firm. Bradley sees training and technology as a key to increasing dealership probability.
“Going into 2025 and beyond, you need to understand the cheese has moved,” he said. “The sale funnel is no longer on the lot; the new showroom is the internet and dealers haven’t adjusted to doing business like that yet.”
Bradley notes the success of Bob Ruth Ford, a single point dealership in rural Dillsburg, PA, that went from 75 to 362 cars a month sold on the internet with three BDC’s in Pennsylvania and six outsourced overseas that Dealer Synergy manages.
“It’s not your salesman on the floor anymore—it’s the guys who work in the back room making the phone calls to get to your salesman which is where the investment needs to be made now,” he states.
Cody Carter Session
The keynote will not be the only place Bradley will have to make his point. He is helming a session with Tustin Toyota sales consultant Cody Carter titled Learn All About How Cody Carter Sold 1,408 Units in 2023 & How You Can Too!
“Cody is the current G.O.A.T.,” said Bradley. “It’s like, man, if you want to learn how to play basketball wouldn’t it be great to learn from Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan—that’s Cody.”
Carter will divulge the strategies used to maintain a consistent sales pace throughout the year and see how dealership can apply them. Attendees will gain insight into the eight ways to maximize sales opportunities, from leveraging cutting-edge digital tools to mastering personal interactions, ensuring your sales team is more effective and capable of increasing sales significantly.
Additionally, they will delve into the blueprint behind Carter’s personal website, which generates over 300 leads each month using zero marketing spend, as well as gain insights into his social media prospecting.
“He’s got some secret sauces with social media—he’s in all the Facebook groups, the Toyota Tundra group, the Tacoma group, the Highlander group, the grand Highlander group, the EV group, the new car group, the used car group,” noted Bradley. “In addition to that he’s got a strategy with social media influencers I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
Entertaining Attendees
With a background in the entertainment industry, Bradley is especially proud of the music video his wife Karen Bradley, the CEO of Dealer Synergy, has made that will be shared onsite. A professional singer, this is her first video since retiring from the music industry 11 years ago.
“There has never been anything done in our industry like this before,” said Bradley. “We’re really excited to unveil the ‘Buy a Car’ music video that’s getting a lot of buzz all over the place.”
#DDCE2024 is a family affair for Bradely as his daughter, Tianna Mick, will host her own session titled How to Leverage the Power of Video to Immediately Increase Engagements, Conversions, Volume & Gross.
Mick’s session will highlight how to utilize video, which drives lead conversions by 67 percent, increases sales conversions by 68 percent, lead-to-close rates by 65 percent, and ultimately boosts gross revenue.
Getting Attendees Jacked for #DDCE2024
“Tianna’s workshop is going to be about mastering video communication,” said Bradley. “She’s going to talk about the value of video e-mail, video text message, the strategies and importance of using video to do a video appointment confirmations or video price quotes.”
Mick’s session is the prime example of what attendees should expect at #DDCE2024, according to Bradley. He will use his keynote to “people excited and jacked” to visit the exhibitors in expo halls and attend sessions held at the MGM Grand.
“This is why we have Digital Dealer, this is why we’re all here, to be able to embrace cutting edge technology and resources,” said Bradley. “There is nothing as powerful as Digital Dealer for this part of the business.”
