Key MSIADA Takeaways from the 2025 NIADA BHPH Summit

MSIADA attended the NIADA BHPH Summit in Nashville on November 9–11. Below is a summary of the top insights and practical strategies shared during the sessions:

1. Customer Insurance Solutions
• Provide customers with convenient, on-demand insurance options through www.withhugo.com.

2. Inventory Sourcing Tools
• Swoopa AI – an app widely used by vehicle flippers; an excellent platform for dealers to locate inventory quickly and competitively.

3. Referral Programs
• Payment-Waiver Incentive – Offer a waived first payment for referred customers.
• Directed Referral Strategy – If a customer does not qualify with you, direct them to a competitor whose financing criteria they are unlikely to meet. They often return ready to buy from your dealership.

4. Hiring Technicians
• Build relationships with Snap-On and Matco tool truck drivers. They often know highquality technicians who pay cash and may be open to new opportunities. Consider offering a small referral (bird-dog) fee.
• Technician pay models favored by techs focus on hours worked and billable hours:
– 40 hours worked and billable: +$2/hr
– 45 hours worked and billable: +$4/hr
– 60 hours worked and billable: +$6/hr

5. Service Department ROI
• Have advisors ride with the customer to identify concerns accurately.
• Separate drivability issues (dealer responsibility) from non-drivability issues (customer responsibility or shared cost).

6. Culture Index
• Data-driven hiring improves productivity and reduces turnover.
• Focus on structured screening, effective interviews, and placing the right people in the right roles.
• Recommended reading: Time to Perform.

7. Social Media Strategies
Facebook/Meta:
• Use Meta Business Suite. Target by age and demographics.
• Spending $5/day typically yields 250–500 impressions.
TikTok:
• Use a personal page rather than a business page for higher engagement.
• Include dealership link in your bio; wear logo apparel; tag your location.
• Captions now act as SEO — be consistent and authentic.
• Engage through direct messages and share links.
• Post at least 3 times per day.
• Use CapCut for video editing and repurpose content for Instagram and Facebook.

8. AI Tools for Dealers
• Use platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok to get direct answers instead of link lists.
• For sensitive topics, ask AI to provide sources for verification.
• Collections: AI can analyze payment behaviors and predict when customers are likely to pay.
• Build reusable AI agents for ongoing tasks.
• AI can produce job descriptions, underwriting manuals, policies, and procedures.

9. Inventory Acquisition
• Advertise “We Buy Cars” on your website and signage.
• Send targeted mailers to retirement-age communities.
• Offer slightly above CarMax to secure quality units.
• Build relationships with franchise stores to source trade-ins.