The Future Direction of automotiveMastermind with Recently Promoted CEO Aaron Baldwin

Brian Pasch0:00Hi, this is Brian Pasch. Welcome to another podcast interview. Today, I called into the studio my good friend, Aaron Baldwin. He recently was named as the new CEO of automotiveMastermind. And I just wanted to sit down with Aaron and share a little bit about what, well, Aaron and I have been working on for the last two years behind the scenes with the Morgan Auto Group, but a bigger vision of what automotiveMastermind can do for your dealership and your future data strategy. So, Aaron, welcome to the show.

Aaron Baldwin0:39Thanks for having me, Brian.

Brian Pasch0:40So, most people think of automotiveMastermind as either, hey, they're those equity-mining people or helping them with certain areas of customer retention, marketing through email and direct mail. I've realized that automotiveMastermind is really one of the early pioneers in a customer data platform or CDP. Dealers have been thinking CDPs are new, but in order for you to have effective predictive scores, in order for you to have effective ability to move consumers into the dealership, a long time ago, this organization figured out they have to have clean data and in one place. Let's talk about that because if dealers think of you as another. Oh, they're just an equity mining tool, they're going to miss the big opportunities in the future.

Aaron Baldwin1:13Yeah, no, it's a great point, and that's been a lot of our evolution as a business since we went through our founding. Uh, almost 14 years ago at this point, uh, through Marco Schnabl and Johannes. Uh, you know, um, you know, you know, the concept was always there. The concept was as a salesperson, as a sales leader, as a sales manager inside the store, how can I focus my energy and my time on the right people that are most likely to purchase a vehicle? And how do I really understand how I'm supposed to speak to this person? So as we've grown as an organization, um, we, we've just been hyper-focused on really understanding each and individual consumer.

Aaron Baldwin2:14Um, once we were brought into, uh, the IHS Markit at the time, now S&P Global, uh, framework, we were able to be closer to Polk Automotive Solutions, which is, you know, just renowned for all of their data services and the types of data that they work with. And they sit with and bring that closer into home. And then over the last four years, we've also been trying to pull other data resources together, like web traffic, um, you know, understanding what's going on in the telephony space, understanding what's going on in the CRM. Um, so that we can have that complete 360 degree view of the consumer and how they're interacting with, with that particular dealership.

Aaron Baldwin2:57So that's our best in class predictions, right? Um, our BPS, uh, or behavior prediction score for short is, is our most valuable asset. Um, but how are you able to build a predictive model if you don't really know what's going on with the consumer? So that's what we spent a long time being laser focused in understanding, uh, how to define a consumer and a household and really understand everything that's around that. And, you know, in, in, in doing that and building out that data ecosystem, you're right. And it's a purpose built CDP that really firmly understands the consumer and where they are in their trade cycles, where they are in their ownership cycles.

Aaron Baldwin3:34Um, so that we can generate demand and help pull ahead customers, um, from what their normal purchasing or trade windows would be and help drive incremental car deals for, uh, for our dealership partners.

Brian Pasch3:45You know, the dealers who are listening in, I want you to think for a moment. Um, if you've had experience with Mastermind, uh, in the past or your current customer, you know, one of the things that you should have said, Hey, if I have this BPS score and you're marketing to these people, you know, how do I get those things? How do I get those same people in my Facebook audiences or my Google audience? Because that wasn't your specialty. But the bigger thing is, is how do I get that into my CRM? How do I call people? Meaning the data was siloed. And when the Morgan Auto Group hired me to help them, uh, guide their CDP efforts, I started shopping around like who can give us the best VIN ownership data, the best, uh, move, add, change data for addresses.

Brian Pasch4:32Missing phone numbers, emails. And you and I were talking and you surprised me. You said, well, well, you know, Morgan's already a Mastermind customer. Uh, why don't we do it? And I'm like, hold on. What do you mean? We do it. And you explain like, Brian, we do that for our own marketing. We're already doing it for the Morgan Auto Group, right? We're checking before we mail anybody or email. Is that the right email address? Do they still own the car? And I'm like, well, hold on. If you're doing that and we love the piece that you do, that marketing activation, we would love to have the BPS score in our CRM.

Brian Pasch5:10We would love to have all the clean data. And this, boom, turned into a beautiful partnership where today, every update, you know, when you do your recounts for BPS, they're in the CDP, they're in the CRM. When you do the correction of postal or vehicle ownership, every piece of marketing, whether it's coming from you or the, you know, dozen different marketing activation partners, this is a breakthrough. Because now you're not just pigeonholed, you know, in my mind, as a single-use focus, but you're really a data partner coming to the table with 10 years of data-driven insights that dealers don't have. And no CDP has on its own because training on data takes time.

Brian Pasch6:03What one message you want to get out to dealers about the future of automotiveMastermind and how you can help them?

Aaron Baldwin6:10Yeah, that's a great point, Brian. And, you know, just a caveat, one thing that you said, you know, 10 years of looking at this data and monitoring it, you know, there's many forms of AI that are out there. And you hear AI used very regularly, and our version that we've had for the last 10 years is a very concentrated version. It's machine learning.

Brian Pasch6:32Yep.

Aaron Baldwin6:32So it's looking at all of these data sets, we're training these models, and it's checking against itself, was I right or wrong? And so imagine 10 years of processing millions and tens of millions of records to understand, was I right in this prediction? Was this person actually, in fact, in market for a car? Did they purchase a car? Those are things that have become part of our DNA over those 10 years. And that algorithm has been, you know, self-learning and improving itself over time. So there's, I don't want it to be lost of how powerful-

Brian Pasch7:05That is, yes.

Aaron Baldwin7:07Of that algorithm is. But what I would like to say to the dealers out there is, when you think about all this data that we're talking about, and you're thinking about how do I move forward and make this part of, you know, just the fabric of our dealership? How do I get this into my operational tools like CRMs? How do I get this inside of the marketing system so that when, you know, my agency of record or my dig-ad agency is reaching out, they're hitting the best possible customers. And that's really what we're able to provide. When we went through the, you know, the partnership on the Morgan side, you're right.

Aaron Baldwin7:42I mean, it was a big light bulb aha moment because what we're able to do in that example is take all of this goodness and make sure that it is pushed out across that entire ecosystem within that dealer group. Um, and it, it, it shortcuts a lot.

Brian Pasch7:59Yeah.

Aaron Baldwin8:00All those different data pieces that you just talked about, you know, national change of address. Do I still live there? Death and incarceration. Is this person still able to even buy a car?

Brian Pasch8:10Right, right, right.

Aaron Baldwin8:11Um, much less, do they own the car that I have inside of my system? And, and can I reach out to them the right way? These aren't one single source. These are multiple sources that you have to go through and individually pick and curate. And merge it with your DMS data, which we all know what a struggle that is.

Brian Pasch8:28That's right.

Aaron Baldwin8:29Um, and then you have to merge it with your CRM data, which we all know what kind of a struggle that is, but that's what we've built inside of Mastermind. We know how to merge this data. We know how to manage data and we know how to stitch all this together. So it's very easy to consume for a dealer or a dealer group. Once it comes out of our system into, you know, the likes of Tealium or CDP or, or even CRM for them.

Brian Pasch8:52You know, dealers, I want you to lean in for a moment. When you think about where Masterminds, uh, is today. I want you to think about one or two steps further with this partnership with Morgan, which was really a big CDP project. You are now feeding into your prediction model, uh, phone calls, right? Real-time phone calls, real-time web visits. So when a customer comes back on the website and shopping for a car, you're getting that signal, which helps to improve your model. So I want you to think about it. Um, the days of predictions and as good as it was are going to elevate now because you're getting more signals in real time back to your predictive model.

Brian Pasch9:39This is the idea of a partnership. Whereas Morgan had all the API data from every phone call, uh, API data from every website visit, what they looked at, pushing to you, you push back. And now everybody who's touching that customer, every marketing dollar is more efficient because we're sending it to people who are in market or we're sending messages to the correct owners. And we're not wasting money on direct mail for service reminders for people who don't own the car anymore. This type of partnership is amazing. And here's why I think it works beautifully. The mailers and emails that you create with integrated offers from Market Scan, right?

Brian Pasch10:23Knowing all the OEM, the private offers you have in those relationships, uh, like our own agency, PCG Digital. We have no ability to do that. And at the same time, you have this valuable data that was only being used for your specific offers. Allowing now agencies like ours or the dozens and dozens of other agencies to get access to that data, to activate marketing, to activate a phone call, to activate a service offer in an omni-channel way is the way we're moving forward. So I wanted to have Aaron on because I don't think many dealers understand that a simple phone call to your team could say, how can we partner better to power my CDP?

Brian Pasch11:08How can we partner better to update my CRM? How do we partner together, make sure my marketing investments are not being wasted on dirty data? Aaron, in the new role of CEO, um, this is an exciting opportunity. And congratulations, of course, when you look out to next year, what's one thing that you really, uh, you know, it's on the roadmap. Some things obviously are private, but what would you say to the dealers who are Mastermind customers or who are leaning into CDPs or leaning into better data management? What would you want to tell them?

Aaron Baldwin11:49There's a lot, uh, that we could talk about on this one, um, because it can go many, many different directions, right? Um, I think that what I would want to share with, with dealers that were out there thinking about what is the future of my, my dealership or my dealership group look like. When we're able to connect all of this really strong foundational together, uh, foundational data together with your CRM so that your salesperson can see it with your agency or with your CDP. So that you're all marketing from the same baseline. You're all talking from the same base tool. And we're not trying to create more screens for you to use.

Aaron Baldwin12:27We're trying to make sure that your jobs are easier and that the experience that you can deliver is top tier, right? And, and if you think about all that background work that goes in from looking at lease maturity lists or, you know, trying to understand where was this person in the cycle or who should I market to or, or gathering all this information. If your teams inside of your store were able to say, Hey, I know I've got a great partner. Who's taking care of that for me. They're working with my, uh, my agency and all of my other vendors to make sure that this is all a connected ecosystem for me.

Aaron Baldwin13:00So I can spend my time. A hundred percent focused on delivering the best possible consumer experiences inside of my dealership. You're going to win. You're going to win because you're taking care of the people who are buying and servicing cars from you.

Brian Pasch13:13Smart. Well, you heard it here. Um, automotiveMastermind is really evolving into a full service data provider, data activation partner in certain use cases and an enabler of better customer experiences. So I want you to consider, um, what you can see today and what your needs are in the future and sit down with the automotiveMastermind team and brainstorm. I want you to know that Aaron and the automotiveMastermind team will be at the Modern Retailing Conference in November. That's the 16th, 17th and 18th in beautiful Palm Beach, Florida. The weather is perfect that time of year. And well, the best of the best will be there talking about modern retailing process, communication, how AI is going to transform, uh, the retail ecosystem, um, really opportunities for you to look at your whole tech stack.

Brian Pasch14:10And more importantly, chance to sit down with the leaders at Masterminds and, and talk about your data strategy, your customer strategy, your future strategy for providing that best customer experience. Uh, it's all at the Modern Retailing Conference. So go to modernretailingconference.com, get your ticket, book your hotel. The conference sells out every year. Do not be late, uh, because you won't want to miss out on that. Aaron, thanks for being on the podcast today. Um, for dealers who want to just get a demo, um, you have a pretty big field team, right? Uh, is the best place to kind of hook up, uh, that at automotivemastermind.com.

Aaron Baldwin14:53It is, it absolutely is. automotivemastermind.com. Um, just reach out to us. We'll get you connected with your local team. As you mentioned, we do have a pretty big field force out there. So not just at the time of, uh, when you sign up with Mastermind, there's another entire team of, uh, of a hundred really sharp, good quality people who are physically in place inside of your markets. That'll help navigate you through this, that'll help you as your tech stacks evolve and change, keep you connected. Um, and that is the best place to just come find us and get connected inside of it. And we'll make sure that we put you in touch with the local teams, uh, who can support you, um, uh, with your journey with Mastermind.

Brian Pasch15:32Great. Well, thanks for listening in. Uh, just a reminder, there are dozens of interviews with automotive leaders on our podcast. So just search for the Brian Pasch Podcast and listen to all the interviews, especially those leading up to the Modern Retailing Conference in November. Hope to see you there. Thanks for your time and look forward again to spending time with you on a future podcast session. Thank you, Aaron.

Aaron Baldwin15:55Thanks, Brian.