Welcome to Shifting Gears!
Buckle up and enjoy the ride! We strive to provide all of our sales team members with a trustworthy place for education and information to help you accelerate your sales technique.
We hope you enjoy getting to know each other through the Headlights feature where we proudly highlight some of our best and brightest in each issue.
Please browse GPS where we share favorite tech, podcasts and videos. Cruise the newsletter and let us know what you think! This is a work-in-progress being built for all of you!
Is there something else you would like to see included here? Don’t be shy, we are always open to suggestions and welcome them! Reach out to us at [email protected]
HEADLIGHTS
Steve Memolo
Steve attributes his two older brothers for getting him into the automotive industry. He said they were both very knowledgeable about restoring and repairing cars. He would spend a lot of time around them and started helping which lead him to doing the work himself. Steve started selling cars and been around dealerships since 1983. Steve also treats everyday as a chance to learn something new, he knows he is surrounded by people with so much knowledge and likes to take advantage of those opportunities. In his downtime, Steve enjoys saltwater fishing, riding trails on his bike, and reading history books. His favorite car is a 1967 Pontiac GTO convertible, and his favorite food is pizza. If Steve won the lottery, he would like to visit every continent in the world.
What drove you to sales for automotive?
Growing up my two older brothers were both knowledgeable about restoring and repairing cars and spend a lot of time around them and starting helping and then doing the work myself. Originally the plan was to open my own service station and needed money to finance a business and a friend of mine was selling cars and making a good living so I started selling cars and have been around dealerships since 1983
What advice would you give to someone new working at Vanguard?
Be true to yourself and your clients, make every day a day to learn something new. After doing this for almost 20 years I have had the pleasure of working with some very smart people at our company and our dealers and I take every opportunity to learn from the people I come in contact with every day.
What are your favorite hobbies?
Saltwater fishing, Trail riding, History books
What is your all-time favorite car?
1967 Pontiac GTO convertible
What is your favorite Food?
Pizza
What would you do if money was no object?
Visit every continent in the world
Steve Memolo
Northeast Regional Manager
Vanguard Dealer Services
732-261-1360
[email protected]
Kyle Costa
Kyle started his career in the automotive coatings industry, first developing new products, then moving into field service and sales. He enjoyed working with the OEMs and being on the front line pushing out the latest designs and models. At APC he continues to pursue OEM opportunities and applies APC’s proven methods to scale up success. Kyle enjoys spending time with his family, and especially likes fall and winter wing shooting with his sons. He also enjoys music, attending concerts and his favorite sport is baseball. The Ford Bronco tops his list for vehicles. What’s Kyle’s favorite food? He likes anything made with garlic and butter! When asked what he would do if he won the lottery, Kyle said he would “fund charities that work with children in need.’
What drove you to working in the automotive industry?
I started my career in the automotive coatings industry – first developing new products and then moving into field service and sales. I enjoyed working with the OEMs and being on the front line pushing out the latest designs and models. My role at APC affords me a similar opportunity to pursue additional OEM opportunities and apply APC’s proven methods to scale up success.
What advice would you give to someone new working with APC?
Learn how to create and detail an actionable TAC.
What are your favorite hobbies?
I enjoy the outdoors and spend the fall and winter wing shooting with my sons. I try to get to several concerts, Blues and Cards games every year.
What is your all-time favorite car?
Ford Bronco
What is your favorite Food?
Anything made with garlic and butter.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Fund charities that work with children in need.
Kyle Costa
Marketing Operations
Automotive Product Consultants
636-787-0445
[email protected]
GPS
Social Media Tips
- Send all content to
[email protected] to get reviewed and approved before posting - Be the go-to expert within your LinkedIn Community
- Post Educational articles and blogs
- Mix up your content from week to week. Example: If you shared a motivational piece of content on one week, follow that with an educational article about F&I the week after that
- Check your LinkedIn notifications daily. This includes notifications, messages, and general timeline section
LinkedIn Don’ts
- Don’t post or engage with any inappropriate content including: Politics, religion, or sex
- Don’t post too often. You don’t want to come off spammy. One to three post per week at most
- Don’t use too many hashtags (#) in any one post. One to three at most
- Don’t spam people’s LinkedIn inbox with sales-y information
- Don’t just Like a comment that is speaking to you. Take the time to comment back
SPIRO Tips
All of our sales teams now have a variety of approved sales email templates available to them within the platform. The emails cover off on introductions to overviews of specific products and services.
Double check that your SPIRO settings are configured correctly to carry URLS and images. Please go to your SETTINGS — My Profile — Profile — and change Email Client to Spiro and click SAVE.
To access these templates you will need to be in a customer record. Click on EMAIL.
Template selection will pop up.
Make your selection. You will then be able to further edit or personalize the email in Outlook prior to sending.
We look to continue to build out your SPIRO email library. If you have feedback, additional needs or suggestions, please reach out and let us know.
Fun Facts – So you know automotive?
Where is the largest car dealership? - Click for the Answer
Penske Motor Group owns and operates dealerships in California. They are headquarterd in El Monte and PMG’s flagship store, Longo Toyota, is the world’s largest dealership and the #1 Toyota retailer in the US since 1967!
Who is the richest car dealer? Probably not who you think. - Click for the Answer
It’s not Elon Musk.
It’s actually Bill Gates with AutoNation Inc and a stake valued over $900,000,000.
HR Questions
Gina Dewar, M.S. SHRM-CP
Spectrum Human Resources
862.400.0757
[email protected]
IMHealthy Program Q&A for Sales Team
What is IMHealthytoday? IMHealthytoday is a doctor-designed and managed program built to support organizations as they return to work.
Do all employees need to participate? Yes, all employees are required to participate in this program. If you do not participate in the program, you will not be allowed to return to work.
How do I enroll? The program activates through an email and/or a text, which contains a link to the company portal and login credentials. You can activate the program using either the email or text link. Two options were provided to facilitate the process. You only need to choose one option to activate your enrollment.
What should I do if I do not receive an email or a text? You should contact your Human Resources Department if you do not receive an email or text to enroll into the program.
What if I forget or lose my credentials? If you forget or lose your login credentials, please TEXT the IMHealthytoday Tech Support Line at (305) 614-6913.
I am returning from a State that is now on a list for travel restrictions what should I do? Contact your HR to get a link for a test upon your return. This link will start the process so that when you arrive home the testing kit will be there for you.
What is AlertTrace? Part of the IMHealthy platform that can be worn on a belt-clip, lanyard pendant, or ID Badge Clip. It is small and lightweight: 12 grams; 1.9”x1.1”x0.45” without band or clip. It has a replaceable coin-cell battery that lasts 6+ months no charging required. It is rugged and waterproof and there is NO location tracking or interaction with personal devices. It has end-to-end encryption/anonymized data. If a team member subsequently tests positive for COVID-19, a complete tracing history is available as needed. Trace history can be filtered and viewed by duration of contact and time of contact so that your HR team can alert you if you have been at high risk of exposure.
Top Podcasts
Make it Happen Mondays
with host John Barrows, recorded live on Facebook every Monday.
Episodes feature a wide variety of guests and B2B sales topics – from personal branding and career advice to the nitty-gritty of daily selling.
Always full of useful sales tips and anecdotes drawn directly from his experience in the field.
Episodes run 30-45 minutes
Listen @ Facebook, iTunes, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Play
The Ziglar Show
with hosts Tom Ziglar and Kevin Miller is dedicated to self-improvement, inspiration and developing good habits.
Famous speakers are frequently invited on the show to discuss the secrets of lasting success.
Episodes run 30-60 minutes
Listen @ iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, RSS Feed
SalesGravy
with host Jeb Blout
Jeb is a published author, speaker and sales expert who focuses on trending topics, nuggets on objection, negotiation strategies and other things that make up a typical busy sales day.
Episodes run 5-10 minutes, though some may be up to an hour depending on topic
Listen @ iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, RSS Feed
Good Books to Read
How to Win Friends & Influence People
By Dale Carnegie
If you haven’t read this classic, then it’s time!
Carnegie provides timeless insight on how to get people to like you, how to handle different personalities, and other interpersonal aspects that sales persons need to master.
Ratings: Amazon 4.5 stars/Barnes and Nobles 4.5 stars
How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling
By Frank Bettger
Bettger shares his story on how he went from failing at sales and learning how to conquer fear, the power of enthusiasm and more.
Ratings: Amazon 5 stars/Barnes and Nobles 4.5 Stars
Movies to Watch
Want a movie to check out? The Founder (2016) is the true story of how an over-the-hill milkshake salesman stole McDonald’s from two brothers and turned it into a fast food empire of epic – no supersized – proportions!
How did he do it? One word: Persistence.
Michael Keaton stars as Ray Kroc, with Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch as the McDonald brothers.
LinkedIn Do’s