The First Pencil
Kathi Kruse and Mike The Car Guy Correra are best friends, with many many years of retail experience in the car biz. "We decided to get together and talk about the things that are important to us in the auto industry, and hope you’ll come along for the ride. We’ll cover auto industry stuff, dealership profitability, and digital platforms, all with a dose of humor and our love for 80s/90s music. Join us!"
Episodes
112 episodes since 2021
The Approaching Wildfire of Car Loan Delinquencies
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Kathi shares her experience fresh from evacuating the horse rescue after the Airport Fire got too close for comfort...
September 18, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 22
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45:53
Google and Facebook: Diluted and Polluted
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈This week, Kathi and Mike cover the ground-shift that has happened and is happening with two of the largest compani...
September 04, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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48:00
Unsung Heroes: A Case for Service Advisor Appreciation + Training
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Carrying the subject matter over from last week’s pod, Kathi and Mike cite examples where appreciation, recognition...
August 28, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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41:59
She Knows Cars: Insights from a Female Service Advisor w/ Laurie Down
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈In this special episode, Kathi goes solo in a conversation with her long-time friend, Laurie Down, an amazing custo...
August 15, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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47:00
We Are Pretty Sure Facebook is Messing With Us
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈We explore the trials and tribulations of attempting to advertise with Facebook. Warning: the endeavor may make you...
August 15, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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55:50
From Spam to Showroom: Email's Role in Car Sales and Service
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Kathi and Mike explore the advantages of email (hint: there are many) but only with a strategic, consistent approac...
August 06, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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41:55
Are Dealers Wasting Time on TikTok While Sales Suffer?
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Do short skirts equal leads? Does hiring actors to pretend they’re employees send the right message to ...
July 30, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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55:24
From Klout to Clicks: Navigating the Evolution of Dealership Digital Marketing
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈We miss Klout. Do you remember it? Social media nostalgia: it’s difficult to understand how we got here today,...
July 24, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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55:11
When Google Search Fails, What Do We Do?
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Kathi and Mike share our insights on the latest of several disappointing changes to the Google Business Profile pla...
July 16, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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37:06
Are Leads and Sales the Only Metrics?
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Kathi and Mike talk about the micro-actions we take everyday on social and other platforms that provide value to ot...
July 09, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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42:28
The CDK Fallout and Who It’s Falling On
👉Get Kathi’s ebook: “A Beginner’s Guide to AI for Automotive Retail 👈This week, Kathi and Mike cover:The CDK fallout and who it’s ...
July 03, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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42:01
The CDK Cyber Attack Debacle Did Not Have to Happen
👉Get Kathi’s ebook: “A Beginner’s Guide to AI for Automotive Retail 👈At our core, we are car people. We are upset to witness what’s happening ...
June 27, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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51:55
Gaining More Control Over Online Ratings
👉Get Kathi’s ebook: “A Beginner’s Guide to AI for Automotive Retail 👈This week we chat about Kathi’s trip to Vegas for NIADA where she spoke a...
June 20, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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45:05
Has Google Lost Its Mind?
👉Get Kathi’s ebook: “A Beginner’s Guide to AI for Automotive Retail 👈Let’s talk about the recent changes Google is making to search. It’s a wi...
May 30, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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42:11
How To Welcome Female Customers Into the Service Department
👉Get Kathi’s ebook: “A Beginner’s Guide to AI for Automotive Retail 👈Why women dislike service departments = Failure to meet th...
May 14, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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39:34
Buried in Your Trade, And You’re To Blame 🎵
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Beyond the obvious homage to Bon Jovi in this episode's title - in honor of the
April 30, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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40:49
Genuine Care and Kindness Leaves a Lasting Impression
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Kindness is the oil that takes the friction out of life. It can also be the difference between you and t...
April 16, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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41:20
Spring Forward: Refreshing Vendor Relationships, Sprucing Up Operations and Financials
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Spring is always a good time to review and reflect on what’s working for you, what’s not, and what needs...
March 26, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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36:54
Social Media Login Security + Website Traffic Study
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈This week, Kathi and Mike share insights on Rand Fishkin’s
March 12, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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50:10
Running on Empty
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈As we witness every social media channel changing and shifting, so goes the user experience and behavior...
March 05, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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46:46
An Introvert Walks Into a NADA Convention
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Mike gives us a breakdown of the goings-on at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention fro...
February 13, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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44:11
AI Oh My: Practical Uses for AI in Car Dealerships
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈Kathi and Mike are back with an episode to catch you up on what’s hip and what’s not in the world of using AI. ...
January 30, 2024
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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40:42
Everything Still Comes Down to Customer Experience
👉Sign up for Kathi’s newsletter here👈
December 21, 2023
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Season 2
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Episode 38
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24:39