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The Reality of Modern Retailing

In this episode of the Industry Spotlight, host Sam D’Arc joins Jeremy Nowling (Sales & Digital Retailing Director, Rohrman Automotive Group) and Matthew Muilenburg (Chief Product Officer, Impel) to dissect the state of automotive retail.

The challenge is clear: customers today demand transparent, consistent, and instant communication across more touchpoints than ever before. The old solution was simply to hire more BDC agents. The new reality? You can’t staff your way out of this problem—you have to out-innovate it.

Jeremy Nowling shares how Rohrman is “digging for gold” by treating AI not as a tool, but as a member of the team. Together with Matt Muilenburg, they explore how Automotive Agentic AI is moving the industry from reactive lead chasing to proactive, frictionless orchestration.

3 Operational Insights You Can’t Ignore

1. The Generic Lead Response Problem

If you are treating every internet lead the same, you are leaving money on the table. 

  • The Old Way: A generic “When can you come in?” script sent to everyone.
  • The Agentic Way: The AI recognizes the context. It sends a subprime-focused message to an OfferUp lead and a different, credit-conscious message to an Edmunds lead.
  • The Result: By tailoring the response to the source, appointment rates in some categories have increased by over 100%.

2. Agility is the New Superpower

When news of vehicle tariffs hit the headlines in January, Impel AI saw a 4,000% increase in consumer questions about pricing within five days.

  • Legacy systems would require weeks of coding and logic tree updates to handle this influx.
  • With Agentic AI, the system identified the trend and deployed a new response strategy in hours.

3. The “Orchestration Layer” of the Future

We’re moving toward a world where you won’t need to log into ten different systems to start your day. Matt outlines a vision for an AI Orchestration Layer—a single pane of glass where AI agents handle the manual friction between your CRM, DMS, inventory feeds, OEM systems, schedulers, digital retailing, marketing platforms, and more.

“People right now believe that data is the moat that protects their business… I think they’re dinosaurs. I think they’re gonna die as a result of that.” — Matthew Muilenburg on vendors who refuse to integrate with AI ecosystems.

From the Conversation

On Staffing the “Digital Showroom:” Jeremy Nowling argues that the goal isn’t to replace humans, but to elevate them. By letting AI agents handle contextualized responses and customized journeys by lead source, BDC agents can evolve into “digital showroom sales professionals,” putting your best people, delivering the best experience, in front of the customer when they are actually ready to buy.

On Managing AI as a Team Member: You wouldn’t hire a new salesperson and never train them. The same applies to agent-based AI. Jeremy emphasizes the importance of General Managers being present in performance meetings and treating AI output with the same scrutiny and coaching human staff receives.

Watch it. 

Video Chapters

  • 00:00 – Intro: The demand for transparent communication
  • 06:00 – Moving beyond the BDC: Why hiring more agents isn’t the answer
  • 09:00 – The 10,500 Lead Sources: Customizing the AI journey
  • 15:00 – “Member of the Team”: Treating AI like a staff member
  • 21:00 – Agility: Handling market shifts (The Tariff Example)
  • 32:00 – The Future: The AI Orchestration Layer

Or you can listen to the full episode on:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify

About the Guests

  • Sam D’Arc (Host) is the Chief Operating Officer of Zeigler Auto Group, overseeing operations for 35 locations. With over 30 years of industry experience, Sam hosts the Industry Spotlight series for Car Dealership Guy and his own podcast, Driving Vision, where he explores the leadership strategies shaping the future of automotive.
  • Matthew Muilenburg is the Chief Product Officer at Impel. He leads the charge in developing Automotive AI  innovation that transforms the customer experience and operational efficiency, enabling dealers to focus on building relationships.
  • Jeremy Nowling is the Sales and Digital Retailing Director at Rohrman Automotive Group. A forward-thinking leader, Jeremy specializes in tech implementation, sales process accountability, and leveraging AI to drive business results.