Brian Kramer (@kramerbrian)

Carvana is now selling new vehicles. David Spisak and I recently visited at one of their franchise locations. What we learned will surprise you… #carvana #dealership #cars

Brace yourself!! Witnessing automotive royalty at the Frrrari museum and factory in Maranello , Modena , Italy 🇮🇹 🚘 My ultimate Ferrari Pilgrimage: a journey through history at the Modena Museum, then behind the scenes at the Maranello factory! From iconic classics to cutting-edge hypercars, this is where dreams are made. #FerrariTour #Maranello #Modena #FerrariMuseum #FerrariFactory #DreamCar #SupercarLife #CarTok #ItalyTravel #AutomotiveDreams #followformore #follow

In order to control yiur used car appraisal process, you need to ultimately give up control of the process. #usedcars #cars #car #dealer #dealershiplife #dealership

No cars. No test drives. Sold anyway. Carvana buys the consumer's car, then sells them the next one by payment. Out-CarMaxed CarMax. Full talk with David Spisak, link in comments. #CarTok #CarDealership

"There's no leads on any of them." Okay. Active, bad, or both? Most stores don't have a traffic problem. They have a definition problem. Full conversation with David Spisak. Link in the comments. #CarTok #CarDealership #AutoRetail

I walked Carvana’s CDJR lot in Dallas to see exactly how they handle in-store traffic. They replaced the traditional test drive with a 7-day exchange policy. The physical lot is an interactive, self-guided QR tour. Elon Musk famously dropped Tesla’s buying process from 68 clicks to 9 to kill friction. Carvana is taking that exact logic and forcing it onto the physical dealership model. They start with the consumer and work backwards. Online to in-store, or in-store to online, the sequence doesn’t matter. This isn’t magic. Franchise dealers can execute this today if they stop fighting the consumer and start removing the friction. Full walkthrough at the link in the comments:👇 #AutoRetail #Carvana #Dealership #CarSales #automotive

@Ben Ripstein shares how he removes friction from the process when buying vehicles from consumers, and how that impacts his repeat and referral business. #dealership #usedcars #dealer #cars #cardealers

At Ted Ings’ Fixed Ops Roundtable at Northwood University, we discussed removing roadblocks for dealership associates. AI can help, but more information doesn’t automatically make the next decision clearer. Maureen Martin said that she’s never had a dealer tell her they wish that they had just more data and dashboards. Probably not the shortage that we need to fix. Mike Cavanaugh emphasized the need for faster, more actionable decisions and better understanding of the causal factors of KPIs. Lag measure KPIs gives us something to investigate, not proof of what caused the change. I would also add that service / sales marketing ROI & attribution are the biggest areas I where I see the need to switch from reacting to the effect, to more of a root cause change in our perspectives. David Spisak brought it back to the store: Are the inputs accurate? Have we adapted them as the business is changing? Do our pay plans support what we’re asking people to do? Why not pay on kept informed / status updates, rather than only on the 1st appointment set? My takeaway: even the right recommendation goes nowhere if the associate can’t act on it without permission or having it affect their pay. Before we call that resistance to change, we should check whether we’re rewarding the behaviors we want to reinforce. As fast as AI is changing our business, are we streamlining / simplifying our processes, pay plans, enabling / empowering our teams to keep up? It’s quickly becoming a world where the winning formula is being resilient to any changes that continue to come up…

Grateful to spend the evening with Felix Rosenqvist, Matt Williams, Doug Barnette, and an unforgettable evening at the National Medal of Honor Museum. Few evenings give you the chance to sit with the reigning Indy 500 champion, a Medal of Honor recipient and Green Beret who led Special Forces teams, and one of your best friends, and also leave with a clearer view on leadership. My biggest takeaway was simple: whether the arena is the Indy 500, a Special Forces mission, or business, the principles remain remarkably consistent…clarity, trust, empowerment, and accountability.

One of the biggest used car margin profit levers is increasing Trade Capture from 35% to 50% (% of car deals that include a trade-in on the transaction). It is by far the highest impact activity for increasing used car departmental profitability. A dealership that sells 100 new, and 80 used, with an average total profit of $2,500, would have to under-allow >$2,000 on every transaction to outrun the impact of increasing Trade Capture by 15%. #cars #usedcars #dealership #dealer

Car buyers sometimes walk in pretending to be a detective. Salespeople walk in playing poker. Then both sides complain the deal took four hours. ⏳ Everybody’s got blood on their hands at that crime scene.🫆 You did the research. They know you did the research. Just say it out loud, “here’s what I found, here’s why I picked you”, and watch a four-hour hostage negotiation turn into a 45-minute transaction. Bringing a poker face doesn’t change the price, it just keeps you at the table longer. If you know someone that treats buying a Camry like they’re at the final table in the World Series of Poker, tag them in the comments below…👇 @Javuan Banks 2.0 @Javuan Banks #carbuying #dealership #sales #cars #carbuying

Sometimes the game seems rigged…until you decide to rewrite the rules. Met up with Rob Dell at @jwmarcoisland today, and I gained a much deeper appreciation of his blueprint for success at Rob Ruth Ford, in Dillsburg, PA. They’re sourcing 300+ used cars a month from street purchases…sourced directly from consumers. In today’s market, success belongs to those who don’t just adapt the rules…they choose to rewrite them. This is what inventing the future looks like…300+ times a month. He’s completely insulating their business from external economic pressures, market conditions and industry disrupters. #usedcars #dealership #dealers 🚘 Car sourcing strategy: used car consumer acquisition street purchases 📌 Advice for car dealers: how to source 300+ used units a month from consumers

@Alex Keenan from @Ewing Auto Group explains why every OEM, every customer, and every market deserves a different strategy. So, instead of asking “What’s the best AI tool?” Ask: ✔️ Does it actually integrate with our CRM and DMS? ✔️ Does it fit how our customers actually shop? The dealerships seeing the biggest returns today, are building marketing plans around the customer, not the technology. 🎥 Full Episode of The Kramer Show with Alex Keenan of Ewing Auto Group is out now. Link 🔗 in bio 👆

How many used vehicles does a Carvana acquisition agent acquire from consumers each week? #carvana #cars #car #dealership #usedcars

What are the most expensive words in any business…? 🤔 @David Spisak @spisakd #carvana #dealership #cardealer

Most growth ceilings are self-imposed. Rob Dell realized his team couldn’t break past 225 acquisitions a month... and then noticed their goal was still set at 200. So he changed the target. The result? They blew past their record and hit 312. Sometimes the biggest constraint in your business isn’t the market, the competition, or the inventory. It’s ultimately what your team believes is possible. 🎥 Full episode of The Kramer Show out now. Link in bio 🔗 Cars Commerce ASOTU #dealership #usedcars #cars #leadership #innovation

How does Rob Dell of Bob Ruth Ford sell over 300 cars a month, in a town that only has a population of 2,700 residents? The team spends more time working on solutions within their control, instead of justifying the reasons why it wouldn’t work. His advice? Stop focusing on the limitations. Start focusing on the next step. “If you’re at zero, get to 10. If you’re at 10, get to 30.” The dealerships winning the acquisition game aren’t waiting for better market conditions. They’re building dedicated teams, committing resources, and treating acquisition like the growth engine it is. 🎥 Full episode of The Kramer Show with Rob Dell of Bob Ruth Ford is out now. Link in bio 🔗 #cardealership #usedcars #cardealer

What if the fastest path to more profit isn't selling more cars...it's handling the cars you're already acquiring differently? Patrick Abad shares how top operators think beyond retail. Some vehicles never touch the lot. They’re acquired, strategically routed to the best wholesale channel, and turned into profit almost immediately. The opportunity isn't just in buying cars. It's knowing where every car creates the most value, and knowing how to get each unit to the Best End User. Don't judge the strategy on the first 30 days. Play the long game… 🎥 Check out the episode of The Kramer Show with Patrick Abad of Beaver Toyota St. Augustine. Link in bio 🔗 #car #cardealership #cardealer

A lot of dealers are complaining about inventory shortages right now. @Patrick Abad has a different perspective: go get the cars. Do something about it. The strongest operators don't rely on one source. They dominate trades, buy aggressively from consumers, and use auctions strategically to fill inventory gaps. The goal isn't to follow the market, take control of it. The goal is to build enough inventory depth to influence it. "Fear is the killer in this business." 🎥 Full episode of The Kramer Show is out now. Link in bio 🔗 #UsedCars #dealer #dealership

Most dealers think market share starts with new cars. Patrick Abad says it starts with used cars and I couldn’t agree more. If you want to dominate new car sales, you need a used car operation that wins trades, captures customers, and feeds your service drive for years to come. “Win every trade. If you win the trade, you’re in control of the market.” 🎥 Full episode of The Kramer Show with Patrick Abad, GM of Beaver Toyota, is out now. @cars_commerce @morethancars #AutomotiveRetail #UsedCars #InventoryStrategy #TradeCapture #cardealers

Customers can buy almost anything from their couch in seconds…but dealerships still think “your presence is your leverage.” Joe St. John breaks down why remote F&I is outperforming traditional in-store turns, and why transparency and convenience are becoming the real competitive advantage. At Oakes Auto Group, remote F&I is already running higher PVR than in-store deals. 🎥 Full episode of The Kramer Show out now. Link in bio: 👆

Many dealers are still appraising trades at the worst possible point in the deal process. Joe St. John breaks down how moving the appraisal to the beginning of the process helped push their trade capture close to 60%. Less waiting. Less friction. Faster decisions. Because once customers are ready to buy, the fastest way to lose momentum is making them sit around while managers debate their trade value in the back office. @cars.com @asotu_morethancars #ASOTUCON2026 #AutomotiveRetail #finance #cars #dealership

If AI is “taking jobs,” why are the best dealership operators busier than ever? AI isn’t shrinking teams. It’s exposing which teams can actually keep up in this new world. The real shift: AI removes tasks, not people. The winners are the ones who are able to absorb the extra volume. Derek Simonds explains why the best dealer groups actually need more people, not fewer. Why? Because when AI handles the repetitive work, your team gets more trade opportunities, more service appointments, more customer conversations… and more chances to win! AI doesn’t replace operators. It creates capacity. 🎥 Check out the full conversations of The Kramer Show with Numa. Link 🔗 in bio. #ai

Dealers don’t lose consumers in big moments. They lose them slowly with paper cuts. Confusing processes. No clear answers. Endless phone calls just to get a status update. We break down how companies like Carvana are winning…because they provide clarity around the process, provide transparent options, while also removing friction. Meanwhile, most dealerships avoid clearly describing the process. Which creates more uncertainty. If your clients have to make a phone call to get basic answers, your system is broken; and you’re missing out on critical AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) opportunities to be THE answer for consumers for AI search. @cars_commerce @carsdotcom #automotive #usedcars #seo #ai #aeo

If it “didn’t work”… it probably wasn’t the tech. The real failure? Lack of extreme ownership, clarity, and execution. Vendors → set clarity of expectations. Dealers → commit to the processes, align with the clarity provided. Because without both…no tool wins. 🎥Watch the full episode of The Kramer Show with Aman Abraham and @samerrama of Frontier Toyota (link in bio & comments below) 👇 @carsdotcom @nada (NADA) #NADASHOW2026 #automotiveretail #dealershipoperations #automotiveretail

In a market full of noise, especially around AI, dealers are turning to partners they trust to help them cut through it. Not for more dashboards, but for direction on what actually matters. 🎥 Watch the full episode of The Kramer Show with Aman Abraham and Sam Errama of Frontier Toyota- link in bio Cars Commerce National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) #NADASHOW2026 #automotiveretail #data #ai

Tech doesn’t fail…execution does. No tool will fix your store if your team isn’t aligned, trained, and fully bought in. The difference isn’t what you buy. It’s how you deploy it. 🎥 Watch the full episode of The Kramer Show with Aman Abraham and Sam Errama of Frontier Toyota. Link in Bio. @cars_commerce @frontier_toyota #cars #dealership #tech #technology #innovation

I go into dealerships, help them identify the friction… and find ways to help them fix it. From lead quality => to appraisal & acquisition accuracy => to customer experience, the goal is simple: help dealers sell more cars, make more money, and create better experiences. @Cars.com #NADASHOW2026 #automotiveretail #dealership #cars

The Future Just Picked Me Up: My Autonomous Car @Waymo Experience Just hailed a Waymo and the future of mobility is officially here. From the seamless pickup to the “magic” of an empty driver’s seat, autonomous driving is shifting from sci-fi to a daily utility. The precision of the AI and the safety-first approach is a massive leap for the automotive industry. As we move toward a world of “arriving” instead of “driving,” the implications for retail and personal productivity are endless. @Waymo #cars #autonomous #technology #tech #future

Reviews aren’t a “nice to have” anymore. They’re how you get chosen. Joel Bassam breaks it down: AI search is already asking, “Where should I buy a car?” - and pulling answers from your reviews, reputation, and content. @Cars.com. @Reddit. It all feeds the same system. If your store doesn’t show up as the trusted answer…you may not show up at all. 🎥 Full episode of The Kramer Show with Joel Basssam available now. Link in Bio. @Cars Commerce #cars #dealership #ai #marketing