Send us a textThis former teacher used simple, repeatable hospitality—not buzzwords—to scale and auto group.Today’s guest, Adam Gaedke helped steer a dealership group through hyper-growth, an ESOP transition, and a full-blown culture shift rooted in hospitality. Starting as a salesperson, Adam rode the wave from one store to 18 in 18 months, sat on the board during the employee-ownership transition, and learned what it really takes to make “guest experience” more than a poster on the wall.Along the way, he swapped the industry’s old secrecy for radical transparency: ask customers how they want to buy, train for small touches that compound, and build processes that make great service the default.In this conversation with Paul, Kyle, and Michael (with a cameo on Kazakhstani dealership hospitality), Adam breaks down the brass tacks: greeting standards, appointment confirmations that feel like a welcome, feedback loops that actually get used, and the uncomfortable—but loving—discipline of exiting non-fits fast.His thesis is simple: most guests intend to buy when they walk in; your job is to remove the friction and honor their time. Guest experience isn’t just a metric, it’s a mindset you can operationalize—one touchpoint at a time.Takeaways0:00 The $0 Habit That Signals Hospitality1:43 LinkedIn ‘Swipe Right’: How Real Collabs Start2:54 From Six Months Teaching to Record Month Selling4:52 “That’s Cute… But What Will You Do?”9:26 Stop Gaming CSI, Start Earning It11:39 The Ritz-Level Appointment Confirmation13:11 Why We’re Not Saying ‘Digital Retailing’15:12 Assume Intent to Buy, Then Remove Friction16:39 “How Would You Like to Purchase Today?”17:02 Operationalizing Care: Scripts, Follow-Up, and Video21:18 Scaling to 18 Stores Without Losing the Plot23:00 The Kindest Hard Thing: Fast Non-Fit ExitsConnect with Adam Gaedke on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgaedke/⭐️ Love the podcast? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your LinkedIn or Instagram handle so we can thank you personally! We have a daily email! https://www.asotu.com ✉️ Sign up for our free and fun-to-read daily email for a quick shot of relevant news in automotive retail, media, and pop culture. 🎧 Like and follow our other podcasts: Automotive State of the Union ASOTU CON Sessions

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