Wake up, Buy Here, Pay Here people. It's a beautiful day. Go grab yourself another cup of joe and say hello to Jim and Michelle Rhodes on the Buy Here, Pay Here Morning Show. Take it away, you two. Oh, good. Hey, good morning, friends. We are back in our Studio in Utah. Studio in Utah. Yeah. Listen, it's been a weird stretch. You guys, anybody who looks for our broadcast, and there are a few out there who look for the broadcast on Morning Walk or what have you. We've missed a handful of episodes lately. The last couple of weeks have been. It's not this summer. Yeah, the summer. We missed some, yeah, but certainly I think we've been like three or four episodes that we've missed lately and just kind of some explanation. So most folks who listen regularly would know that my mother passed away in – july and then michelle's mother just passed away here in utah last week and so this is um you know it's obviously been the theme of our world of late and we're not reflect and it's just been a really beautiful opportunity yeah and listen we're not the first to lose family members right but to lose our mothers back to back is uh is obviously a disturbing thing and at the same time it um it's kind of, at least for me, because I'm, you know, my mother was weeks ago, and so I'm a little further down the track in terms of the grieving process and thinking through all the stuff. But fairly early on for me, Michelle, I kind of settled into a place of inspiration around, you know, just my mother's legacy and what she would want for me to do and continue my work and continuing to kind of you know, spread what it is that we do. And so it's all just kind of been an additional layer of motivation for me. And since my mom passed, we've had many conversations about, you know, the focus for a while there was on the legacy that your mom had left. And so the focus for the last week has been the legacy my mom left. And it's been really just, heartwarming to see where there are so many deep similarities between the two and, and the things, the lessons that can be learned from that. Um, and just, you know, our, you know, all of us out there, we, you know, we've got a mom somewhere, um, uh, whether, uh, alive or past or, or whatever, but, um, you know, it's, it's been a really great, great experience to, to just, honor those things and to really talk a lot about legacy and what, you know, we, we don't talk about legacy until we're talking about a lot of times it's like, uh, what, when someone passes or, or, um, retires from something or whatever leaves a certain thing, we talked an awful lot about legacy and, and we don't take, um, the time, the opportunity to reflect on what it is we are leaving behind and what legacy we, we will leave for those that, that, um, that we, that we touch, that we interact with, that we come into contact with because it doesn't just have to be family. It's like it, uh, with your mom, the community just completely reached out and was, we, uh, you know, she was someone that would give her last meal to someone that was hungry. And it's been the same thing with mine of, of my mom's community of like, she, she had a legacy of love and she didn't get that and those kinds of things. But the legacy pieces, we, we, a lot of times don't stop and think about, about that. And it's, it's a really great you know, just things are, nothing's permanent and the, you know, the opportunities that we take to do that. So we kind of wanted to talk about just in the context of our businesses. And since it is white hat Wednesday and, and this is where we talk about the heart things and the squiggly line things and the, you know, the, the wise, why it matters, why it, why, why do we choose to do things other than, Just make sure people are paid, that we're paying a good price for a car, that all of the machinery is running smoothly. Why do we talk about the intangibles, the things that you can't put on a balance sheet? Yeah. And so I think it's really, in our case, from a business perspective, it's about applying this thing. And, you know, back to our mothers, it's really just they left a legacy of caring. And that legacy is carried on through you and me. We continue that work and we continue to spread because we do care. And, you know, our mothers is among the places where we learned that. where it was modeled, if you will. And I think it just serves as kind of an opportunity to kind of reflect in our business and in the businesses of people that we work with and the work that Way does on behalf of businesses is to think about how do you apply the caring part? Like, you know, we talk about in our work, the tenure approach. And so in thinking about this and the approach to a legacy element, like what legacy would we be leaving behind in our business if we were to implement into all of the things that we do, this tenure approach, this tenure outlook. It's not just about today. It's not just about this quarter's profits. It's about building a business that is connected to the community and shows that it cares. And can't we see that that translates into longevity and long-term profitability? A hundred percent. And that, you know, we talk a lot about relationship equity and, you know, a mom just continually, you know, gives relationship, you know, most moms give relationship equity all the time. And, you know, and then those, those, uh, those drops into that bank of trust and love. Um, you know, there are times when it's just like, oh my gosh, I'm so frustrated or whatever. And it's just, and blood runs thicker than water. One of the things that I, um, yeah, it, it, it, it makes it, it makes me, hard time. I'm sorry. It's all right. It's understandable. So, so Michelle's mom's funeral is set for this coming Friday. We're so we're in a funeral week. We've got family things. There's planning shells, you know, in the middle of all the planning and stuff. And so for her to make time and just come and be part of this conversation is a lot. So, and yeah, you know, one of the things I, when we talk about a lot of the business side of that's, it's hit me really, that we have opportunities to connect with our loved ones and with our neighbors and with our customers and all of those things in a way that is kind and compassionate. And sometimes we get a little twisted I call it getting my panties in a bunch about little things and that twists your day, that twists your relationship with that person, that probably twists the relationship or the way that you interact with the next ten people. And, you know, this, this whole thing we're talking about with trust deposits with because that is a ten year approach. It's those kind of things that that we that we really lean into. And it's it's again, the legacy of of what that is and how I want to show up for my family and for our colleagues and for our friends and for the person you meet in a grocery store line because part of white hat way is not about your job it's about a way of interacting with your team with your customers with your neighbors with your community and and we we You know, we see all of the things that happen around us and we get so. So tunneled in our own things, our own struggles, our own to-do lists, our own, all of those things. And, and what, one of the things we are really focused on in white hat way is to remove those. Those blinders on the side and be aware and be, and be aware of how a kind word, a pat on the shoulder, uh, you know, how much those things matter. And I just, I want to tell one quick story when we were, my brother and I were, um, I lean into my family and I lean into the, the, who I know that they are. I leaned in with your mom and it's just like, really just like had every love you help me with this, you know, all of that. And I've been doing the same thing with mom and, and after they were gone, I mean, it will, and before too, but, and it's just really funny how they're the little voice in your head. Um, and I'm, I kind of hear them both and it's just, uh, uh, but I was, we were walking, I was walking out by myself at the mortuary, um, the day after mom passed. And there was this woman that was just. beside herself crying because there was some conflict in her family around her mother's passing. And she was talking to like one of her sons or something. And she was just distraught because people were not bringing their best selves in there, you know, all of that. And, and I saw that and I, and it's like, again, white hat way, way of being too. I looked at her and I caught her eye and I, and I just said, do you need a hug? And she's like, no, it's just been a really hard day. And I'm just like, I'm sorry for what you're going through. And I'll be thinking about you and offering strength. And we met her on the way back out. And she stopped and thanked me for connecting. I mean, stranger, absolute stranger. And it's just, it's that legacy thing. My mom would have done the same thing. Your mom would have done the same thing. You know, it's that, and it's part of this, the roots to, you know, White Hat Way isn't just about Jim's upbringing and the legacy there. It's also about mine. And it's just, you know, this legacy of your neighbor matters. And being kind to those around you, even in difficult situations. And heaven knows, buy here, pay here is wrought with difficult situations. And so it's bringing that level of kindness and grace and compassion. But our parents are, that's why I've always said that it's just, I don't know if this is politically incorrect, but the best collectors are a compassionate mom who holds the line. Yeah. It's like, there's a reason that I choose the phrase when we think about hiring collectors among the phrases that I try to work into the description of the profile is, is a maternal outlook. So, you know, and thinking about this in the wake of our mother's passing, it's like, the maternal element is significant here. I mean, the mothers tend to be the nurturers. And I think certainly there's a lot of nurturing that is missed. We just don't do it well. In our industry. In our industry. And so we just don't nurture well. And so this is part that I think, you know, we want to get better at that. And I think, you know, what Atway does is provide a roadmap of sorts that says this is a way and this tenure approach is something that people have You know, it makes sense to folks. It's like thinking about all of your customer relations, all of your customer interactions. And as you said, it can be team, it can be internal, it can be the community at large. It's wherever we interact with people that we expect to have them in our lives for ten years or more. Yeah, and you know, one of the things as we were talking about this and kind of like talking about the highlights is, and you wrote it down, is that the next generations are watching. Yeah. and, and we have just a, and they notice they do. Um, so they're, they're, you know, those, the, the young children that are coming into the dealership with their parents to do the thing, they, they, they watch how their parents feel. They can pick up on, on whether or not they're at ease or that they they're feeling really frustrated or, Or that, you know, or whatever. And they do. They watch that. And they also watch the interaction that they are that when they have those moments where they are watching the interaction between a business and their parents and they're learning. Sure. how to handle those things by what they're observing, what they're witnessing. And so we also, as dealers, as humans, we have this ten-year approach. It's also about what example are we teaching those that are watching about what is possible in how you interact with someone that you're doing business with. yeah and um leave it to me to bring it around to the the business side again like the part that I see because that's what this is about that's true I think um the thing that I see is you know we've seen it you see social media open social media and one of these uh buy here pay your groups and and you see dealers talking about man, struggling to get leads, struggling to get sales or whatever. And I'm thinking, you know, that can get easier. That whole thing can get easier. The referral part of your business, the repeat part of your business, that can get easier if we allow it, if we recognize and make the connection between supporting our customers, making sure that we, you know, handle them compassionately and that's a tricky one because it doesn't mean that we don't hold them accountable and that we know that mothers do that mothers you know hold their children accountable uh you know in in a loving way typically and so this is something that we're suggesting having compassion for our customers and being able to have excellent communication and be supportive and now that job about getting leads and sales just becomes so much easier and so when we when we're not enjoying that repeat and referral business it's it should be an opportunity for us to ask ourselves what can we do better to connect with the folks in our communities, people that we serve, team, you know, customer base, all of it. Like what can we do differently and better to make sure that this job becomes easier and that we begin to make trust deposits and we earn trust because as I keep saying in Why Atway, Why Atway is really about trust. It's about learning to sell trust, right? It's about learning to build and sell, leverage trust in a way that is, it makes customers sticky, you know, and it makes, in this case, We're just talking about all the relationships that, in this case, our mothers have left as a legacy. like the trust, the layer of trust and consistency that those women had just built trust. You knew what to expect, right? And they were both just very loving people. And so it just naturally maybe comes easier for somebody like Michelle and me, if we were to run a dealership, to love on our customers, maybe a little easier for us than some, but it's still a valid, business strategy. And I would say it's, it's not even really a strategy. It's just a way of life that becomes a strategy. It becomes part of your business development because it's the way you act in business. You know, so many thoughts and I'll try to keep them as straight as possible. Many of the dealers that we work with that have amazing repeat referral that, that, there are many that they don't spend very much in traditional marketing. There's a thread with all of them with how much they are a part of their community and that they show caring to their customers. I want to just share a little bit about Um, uh, you know, we, we all in our industry are like, but you don't understand they're difficult. They're hard. They, this, they, that they, the other, um, and my, I'm just going to tell the story. My mom and I, when Jim and I left Utah, um, five, six years ago. Cause we've, we've been back here for two and a half years. So it was about, you know, I didn't appreciate my mom very much. There were a lot of things, all of the things, cause every kid has like my mom, you know, it's all of the things. And after my dad died, We were in Florida, loving living out there, really, really, really loving living out there. And, you know, not everyone here is going to believe in getting nudges from loved ones, you know, that have passed. But my dad just nudged, nudged, nudged. And he's like, you need to go back and spend some time, spend some time with your mom. And I was like, ah. I don't know that I want to do that because we didn't see eye to eye and we didn't, you know, we just, there was, uh, because of some shifts in, in my beliefs and all of that, that there was, it felt like a chasm and, and all of that. Um, and so I listened, there were other factors, you know, we found out that my brother had ALS and, and, um, he had a daughter getting married. So it was like, we're going. And so we were only going to stay for nine months. But I made a commitment because it was important to me that I lean in with my mom. Difficult, really. I mean, and the commitment was, and Jim was like, we've got to set boundaries, healthy boundaries. I learned healthy boundaries through this because my mom would have just taken up, soaked up all of my time. She was missing her other half. And just, it was like a void that, I could see it was a black hole kind of thing. So I set some boundaries and I made a commitment that I was going to, and this is this, how this is applicable is this applicable with our customers too. And, and just, just to show what consistency does. So I made a commitment that I was going to spend every Wednesday afternoon from one to four. I was like, mom, this is what you're getting, you know, this, and it was basically, I was hard about, this is what you're getting. And this is all I got. And, you know, all of the stuff. And she's just, I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful. And the first few months were hard and it was just like, ah, and I'd come home and it was just, oh my gosh, my mom's exhausting. And the more time I spent with her, the more I changed and the more I was able to connect with her. in a way that had a level of compassion that I had not ever experienced. At some point you made a choice to change. I made a choice, but it's, it's, I'm the one that changed. Right. And in the process of me changing how I interacted with her, our relationship just blossomed. And I watched her change in the process, you know, the, the insecurities and the things and the, and the, the patterns and the things that just really, really bothered me, the more equity that I gained in spending in, in that, in that like connection, it's like, I'm going to make a commitment to stay connected. And even if it's just like going back to buy her pay here, how are things going? You know, is there anything, how is the car? What's, you know, here's the thing that we've got going on in all of that. Those little connections just create, Pathways for trust to develop and also pathways for our customers to grow. And I'm just I'm really, really, really grateful because by by the time I got through about six months of being here, I started I started to really just see her differently. Right. And and our relationship just blossomed. And it's such a blessing. And I watched that. I'm going to offer my perspective on that. One of the things that I saw happen in that is you made a conscious choice to view your mother through a lens of compassion. Yes. Right? Instead of a lens of you're going to do this to me or you're going to do that to me. Yeah, of distrust. I chose not to view her through a lens of distrust. Yeah. And just to recognize that she has her reasons that she is the way that she is and that you sort of began to accept her. And I think if I apply those same practices to our work, because there's a reason that we emphasize compassion and the white hat way and the approach to customers, we see the friction between dealers and consumers. We see the chasm between customers who are in a bad place and there are dealers out there who take advantage, right? And so we see that gap and we recognize that one of the ways that White Hat Way can help dealers first of all, have a lot less day-to-day friction in their business. Just that alone, just sleep better at night. And then the other part is ultimately to enjoy more sustained profitability and success. And that's the compassion is a big one, because if we can learn to see our customers through a lens of compassion, then it's going to, It's going to help us shape our policies. It's going to allow us as principals, as dealers, as founders to model a behavior that can be a profound legacy. You can begin to create a culture And so one of the things I'd like to close with is this idea that I would challenge dealers to think about what is a small thing? If you think about it like planting a tree, what is a small thing you could do in your business today that could pay dividends in ten years? And maybe you don't have the answer today, but I would challenge our dealer listeners to think about Just for a minute, stop thinking about the cost of car. Stop thinking about delinquency rates and ask yourself, what can I do today to make sure that I've improved the legacy impact of my business ten years from now? And if we think about that once a week. Every day, whatever we choose, like these planting seeds, if we just sow, you know, we're going to reap what we sow. And so if we can make the decision to plant some seeds and to think about how is that going to have a positive impact, how is that going to have a legacy impact for my business and the name associated with my business, even if I'm not around, right? This is the legacy piece that I think in watching our mother's pass on the whole ashes to ashes, and they're not here in a physical form anymore, yet their legacy is felt, right? Yes, and yes, I encourage our listeners to understand that our customers, Our teammates, our family, our neighbors are really hard on themselves. And a lot of times don't see that there is a different way of being. And so in our industry, a lot of times that translates to you know, we, we, it's like this, the, the, the legacies that a lot of our customers are living is one of, this is just what we do. We don't, we don't take, uh, we don't take, uh, um, uh, care in, in a lot of, in a lot of our financial things. And there's just, just not because that the legacy that they came from was one of not, um, understanding that that wasn't a, That wasn't something that they had been taught. And we really do, through consistency and compassion with our customers, have an opportunity to really help shift people into ones that have compassion themselves, ones that take a different view of themselves and their neighbor and businesses. And in a world where there's not a lot of sanctuary and peaceful places that people can find compassion and peace, we have an opportunity to be that. And you don't have to go to church every Sunday to be that. I think of some of my um, some of my greatest examples were agnostic or atheist of how to really lean in and treat people and not judge them by their neighborhood, their skin color, their sex, their whatever. You know, it's just like, we're all just human. We're all being messy. We're all having our own little, you know, this is our own story that's playing out. And, and the, you know, you can't, we can't judge. someone's bank account or down payment or past credit. That is not a reflection of who they are. And so it's a beautiful thing that we have an opportunity to leave a legacy individually in our businesses and all of that of showing that kind of compassion and making those shifts and making those conscious choices to let go of our judgment of who someone is and our judgment of a certain situation and just right and be um well there's a lot less judgment when we bring compassion to most any situation if we can if we can look past the situation and have compassion for how somebody ended up in a place that they're they're in then uh you know that's going to affect that but I just think coming off of you know one funeral and about to head into another one I'm watching the reaction of the community and the the loved ones It's like... It's really made me look at myself. It's just like, crap, what am I... I mean, am I emulating those things that I'm just like... Don't say crap, because you are. So you're doing fine. But the reality is... It just is an opportunity to see. We see firsthand recently, and again, we're not the only ones to lose loved ones. Others have experienced this kind of loss, and it's been back-to-back for us. It's highly unusual. But to see both of them in a matter of weeks and the legacy of love and caring. Even though they were difficult. Yeah, they weren't perfect. Did somebody get the idea that these women were perfect? No, they're not perfect. But they certainly left a legacy of caring and they're so widely loved and remembered today. And so I think this is what we want for dealers and their businesses too, is there are elements of this that if we'll allow ourselves to go there, We can develop this in a way that does make our business healthier and more sustainable, more connected to the community, which makes it more viable as a business. And so I think these are all elements that, you know, as a dealer body out there, folks, we got to get more comfortable talking about this. We can only talk about cash and deal so long and, you know, some of these other things. It's like, we got to get comfortable talking about this kind of thing. And, you know, three years away at Wednesday, we kind of keep forcing the conversation and when it's not going away, I can tell you on the heels of losing our mothers, we're doubling down. We promise we won't always talk about the funeral and the, but it's important, but it's, it is. And it's, it's, it's kind of a reminder and those dealers out there that, that we, we work with and that we know, and that we, that our, our, part of our tribe that have been through like moments in time where you drop in and it's like, what matters? And, and so I know a lot of those dealers, they get it too, that it's like, what matters? What matters? And it is it dealers out there. What matters is not, Jim is always saying, You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. Right. Yeah. I can't remember where I got that expression. You never will see a U-Haul behind a hearse because you don't take any of it. Yeah. And we've seen that with our mothers. All the stuff that, you know, you can talk about ledgers, you can talk about assets and balance sheets and bank accounts and none of it went with them. You know, did they leave a legacy in some part? Yes. How did you help your neighbor? How did you help your customer? How did you connect with You know, and, and I'll tell you, there are a lot of dealers out there that people we've talked to that, that when, when someone passes that has lived that legacy, that strangers on the street who like, oh wait, you're so-and-sos will stop you. Yeah. And it's like the, the, those ripples of acts of kindness and compassion and helping others to rise to the occasion, to rise to the whatever. Those ripples are real and they are felt. And you may never get the opportunity to hear that, but they're there and they matter. And we have an opportunity to really, we have an opportunity from such an interesting vantage point in this country to to create ripples of kindness and and though and those things that that that can ripple up towards and ripple out yeah too and um and it's just it's such a such an opportunity that is just really really beautiful yeah and listen I wouldn't say go out and try to fix the fix your dealership fix your community fix the world today just start with you make a ripple um you know that thing about planting a seed today just a ripple just set a ripple in motion and so that's just an act of kindness or whatever it is for you today but just start planting those seeds and recognizing We've got to take a moment from time to time and recognize what's important. I think if our mothers were sitting here and able to speak to you from the other side, they would say, some of the stuff we think is important in the end is not. And we are so blessed to be in an industry where we can really make a difference in the places that need it the most. Right. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And so... yeah well thanks for indulging us today and let us kind of dig into uh it's mostly we're just about to kind of share where the inspiration is coming from and also to explain why we've been a little absent of late and there's um just there's just a lot of pieces and it's it's it's been an interesting thing about well looks like we're doing this instead, or it looks like we're not doing that, or it looks, and it's just, we're just flowing. We are grateful to know that there have been enough trust deposits with you all out there that you guys will offer us the grace that we're asking for. So thank you so much for joining us. We know you guys have a lot happening in your day. And thank you for your support. And we really appreciate it. And I want to just express a personal thank you to all of those who have offered their sympathy in this next thing that has been happening. Sure. We really appreciate it. We see it. And we thank you very much for it. Have a great day, everybody. Back here on Friday. All right. Talk to y'all later.
