Yup that’s not a hairline crack

In this first “Random Rant”, I update The Dealer Geek Nation on where I’ve been hiding since March, and what’s on my mind.  I’m trying to make this happen with one large post, and I’m hoping I’m not too all over the place.

Also, I have decided to get more personal on The Dealer Geek and really use this blog as an online journal to reflect what I’m doing in the car biz on the regular.

Don’t worry this won’t turn into a pitch fest for my gig as Head of Sales at Kijiji Autos.  But, I do want to update you with what I’m up to @ Kijiji and add some commentary on products, services, and anything else I think you should know about.  Think of it like a Matt Cutt’s from Google type of blog.  Only I’m about 5% as intelligent.

Broken Wing

So as you can see, flipping the bird has became a serious challenge since I broke my middle finger over 6 weeks ago.  This men’s league semi-final playoff game accident really disrupted my work and personal life….. and of course producing content for The Dealer Geek.

For the first 3 weeks my hand was in a full cast, which meant my right hand was officially immobilized.  This was a serious pain in the ass.

So here is a couple things I’ve been involved with.

DealerTalk Conference March 7th

 

Hopping #dealertalk2013 becomes a yearly event! The info so far has been worth the investment! Still have the great @grantcardone to come!

— Brian Santos (@Brian_Santos_) March 7, 2013

Okay, where do I start.  Hmmmm.

Well first off, the DealerTalk conference put on by Kijiji Autos was the highlight of my career to date.

Scott Neil (Head of Verticals, Kijiji…. my boss)  and myself had been talking about throwing an event like this forever.

Finally we took the plunge and made it happen.  DealerTalk is for the dealers.  No hidden agenda.  One day of action packed educational content at a price that everyone could agree was fair ($99 early bird, $149 after).

Originally we had planned host the event at Toronto’s Sony Centre. After realizing it was probably overkill, we moved shop to the brand new Four Seasons Hotel.  Was it a good move ?

BIGTIME!

Dealers are still talking about how gorgeous the conference room was and that they felt like they were in Vegas.

Choosing the line-up was my main responsibility for the event.

It kinda felt like I was putting on a concert and was told to pick my 4 favorite bands.  Except they were Automotive Professionals.  Either way, still Rock Stars!!

Speakers Consisted of:

• Grant Cardone
• Paul Potratz
• Scott Monty
• John Edlemen

THX to @kijijiautosgreat event with over 320 attendees in Toronto #DealerTalk2013 @potratz@scottmonty@ryan_carchat24

— Grant Cardone (@GrantCardone) March 8, 2013

I’m going to share some photos and tweets and save my official review for the DealerTalk website/blog that is being created as we speak.

Follow me on twitter to get more real time updates on #dealertalk2014 – Twitter Handle.

Kijiji’s Scott Neil kicks it off

Paul Potratz starts the day off with a bang

Ford’s Global Head of Social Media, Scott Monty

Hanging out with Grant after his presentation…DOMINATE!

Jay Onrait and the boys. This guy is hilarious

My man Sach from Autodome on the air

Lunch at the Four Seasons was a hit

John from Haldimand Motors was the crowd favorite

EVO Summit

What a line up!

Just 4 days after the accident I had to jump on a plane to deliver my presentation for the EVO Summit in Vancouver.  This turned into a serious stress fest for me.  My fracture clinic exam was on March 28th and it was “non-negotiable” in terms of re-scheduling.  Translation…… I had to get my ass back to Toronto for a 10AM appointment the next day. Leading up to my trip in Vancouver, I had made some dinner plans with some dealers and was really pumped to get to meet some of our West Coast friends.  It was simply not meant to be. Immediately after my presentation I had to rush out of the event, jump in a cab, and catch my 4pm flight. So how was the event? The New Car Dealers Association of BC were super prepared and everything went off without a hitch.  Word on the street is the next event is this September in Whistler…. I’m in!! Shaun Raines from Driving Sales brought the house down as usual and delivered a very entertaining presentation.  This was the second time I saw Shaun speak and I consider him one of the most interesting and entertaining auto conference speakers on the circut.

Don’t miss me kicking off the 2013 eVo Summit in Vancouver tomorrow.@newcardealersbc #notsavingthebestforlast #freebeer — Shaun Raines (@shaunraines) March 27, 2013

My presentation was titled “The 3 Struggles of Classified Advertising” (Tweet me if you want a copy). Some of the content may have been a little too “101” but it always receives the same feedback from dealers,

“Ryan, most of what you were talking about I already know.  However, we aren’t doing any of it.  Thanks for the reminder and refreshing our memory”

Of course I referenced my favorite dealership website Mohegan Lake Audi when it comes to my Writing Killer Descriptions examples.  Thanks to Darryl and the boys for bringing me out and to all the BC dealers that were in attendance.

What I need from you guys/gals

What do you want from The Dealer Geek? I feel that there are enough auto industry blogs out there giving you all the Google +, Big Data, and Facebook this and that education.

I really don’t want to turn this into a blog that shares the same content you can find on 5 other blogs (exact same articles….boring). This post was the first in a long time that was a blast to write. Do you prefer this type of blog writing? Me basically writing off the cuff?

Please use the comments and give me some suggestions & feedback.  If you have any Kijiji questions you can also hit me up on the Contact Page or Tweet me at @ryan_dealergeek

@ryan_dealergeek love the writing style! Keep it coming. Slowly but surely you are changing the Canadian Auto Industry!

— Sachin Raja (@sachinraja) May 19, 2013