June 24, 2025
Behind the Curtain: Winning Strategies from 29 Dealerships (and the Mistakes to Avoid) | Johnny Cantrell, Executive Vice President at Shottenkirk Automotive Group
Car Dealership Guy PodcastAbout this episode
Today I’m joined by Johnny Cantrell, Executive Vice President at Shottenkirk Automotive Group. We break down his playbook for installing new operators and setting them up to win, the patterns he’s diagnosed across 29 stores nationwide, the tech powering their inventory ops, and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Impel - Impel AI helps you drive loyalty with proactive, personalized service outreach that scales seamlessly. From service milestones to recall alerts and tailored incentives, Impel makes service outreach feel more like a concierge service than marketing. With AI-powered service scheduling via text and email—your team can stop managing calendars and focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences. Future-proof your service drive today. Visit @ https://carguymedia.com/44vYtJm 2. @openlaneus - The world’s best online dealer marketplace for used cars, bringing you exclusive inventory, simple transactions, and better outcomes. Learn more @ https://www.openlane.com 3. Nomad Content Studio - Most dealerships still get social media wrong—ignoring it, posting boring inventory photos, or handing it off to someone without a plan. Meanwhile, the dealer down the street is pulling millions of views and closing real car deals. That’s where Nomad Content Studio comes in. They’re the team behind dealers like Paragon Honda, Benzs & Bowties, and EV Auto. Nomad trains your videographer, guides what to film, then edits and posts across every platform for you. Want your dealership to be next? Head to http://www.trynomad.co and book a call. Need help finding top automotive talent? Get started here: https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here: https://cdgpartner.com Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here: https://bit.ly/3Suismu Topics: 00:30 What shaped Johnny's auto career? 01:19 Best leadership advice for dealers? 04:06 Managing multiple stores effectively? 07:19 Current market challenges/solutions? 10:13 Building strong executive teams? 26:42 Why consistency drives success? 28:19 Top performing brands today? 35:21 How AI improves inventory? 47:18 Used car market outlook? Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Jobs ➤ https://jobs.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Recruiting ➤ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ My Socials: X ➤ x.com/GuyDealership Instagram ➤ instagram.com/cardealershipguy/ TikTok ➤ tiktok.com/@guydealership LinkedIn ➤ linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy Threads ➤ threads.net/@cardealershipguy Facebook ➤ facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683 Everything else ➤ dealershipguy.com This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.