July 22, 2025
45 Years Running Top Dealerships: Howard Tenenbaum’s Brutal Truths for Today’s Operators | Howard Tenenbaum, President of Keyes Automotive Group
Car Dealership Guy PodcastAbout this episode
Today I’m joined by Howard Tenenbaum, President of Keyes Automotive Group. We dive into his 45-year run leading top dealerships, why survivorship bias distorts the industry, how a Tony Award barely cracks his top achievements, why 7 stores keep him busier than 15 ever did and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Widewail – Power your reputation engine with Widewail. Go Google-first. Our approach is proactive: mostly automated, sometimes manual. The perfect blend of high tech, high touch. Do more than generate and respond to reviews; use Voice of the Customer AI to gain insight into what's making your customers happy and what's not. Put your best foot forward with great reviews - because customers buy from those they know, like, and trust. 2,000,000 reviews managed and counting. Ready to see the difference? Visit @ http://www.widewail.com to book your live demo today! 2. Cars Commerce The platform to simplify everything about buying and selling cars. Learn more @ https://www.carscommerce.inc/ 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: 00:28 How did Howard enter car business? 02:32 Consulting value for dealerships? 05:49 Private vs public dealership pros? 07:46 Surviving economic downturns how? 11:48 Tech vs people in auto? 19:06 Biggest threats to car industry? 26:26 Why sell dealerships now? 33:06 Becoming top Porsche dealer how? 40:39 Solving auto business challenges? 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.