How to Run a Dealership Like a $10B Company: Secrets of a Lithia Motors GM | Ric Saatzer, General Manager of BMW of Minnetonka

Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Ric Saatzer, General Manager of BMW of Minnetonka where we discuss: How to run a dealership like a $10B Company, How Lean Six Sigma has transformed his business, The role of a GM to build a winning culture of detail, and more secrets of a Lithia Motors General Manager. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Mia - Your 24/7 AI receptionist who speaks like a human, not a robot. No more "press 1" - just natural conversations for sales, service, and support. She handles everything from car shopping to appointment scheduling in multiple languages, while integrating with your systems. Never miss another lead. Learn more @ https://www.mia.inc/ 2. CDG Recruiting - Building on the success of my industry job board, I’m launching CDG Recruiting — a more hands-on, personalized automotive recruiting service. Our team has decades of experience and has successfully placed over 1,000 roles in the automotive industry. So if you’re ready to find your next rockstar employee, try CDG Recruiting today by visiting @ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ 3. OPENLANE - The world’s leading online dealer marketplace for used cars, bringing you exclusive inventory, simple transactions, and better outcomes. Learn more @ https://www.openlane.com/ 🚨 Don’t forget to subscribe to Car Dealership Guy Bites, for quick, daily insights into automotive retail — delivered in less than 5 minutes: Subscribe on Apple: https://carguymedia.com/apple_bites Subscribe on Spotify: https://carguymedia.com/spotify_bites Subscribe on YouTube: https://carguymedia.com/youtube_bites Need help finding top automotive talent? Get started here: https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ Interested in advertising with Car Dealership Guy? Drop us a line here: https://cdgpartner.com Interested in being considered as a guest on the podcast? Add your name here: https://bit.ly/3Suismu Topics: 00:19 What was Ric's early career journey like? 01:28 How did Ric transition to a service advisor role? 03:30 How did positive influences impact Ric's career? 05:27 What challenges do service advisors face? 07:12 How did Ric's career progress into leadership roles? 09:05 What are the differences between public and private dealerships? 18:51 How does Lean Six Sigma contribute to process improvement? 26:18 What insights can be gained from business acquisitions? Check out Car Dealership Guy’s stuff: CDG News ➤ https://news.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Jobs ➤ https://jobs.dealershipguy.com/ CDG Recruiting ➤ https://www.cdgrecruiting.com/ My Socials: X ➤ x.com/GuyDealership Instagram ➤ instagram.com/cardealershipguy/ TikTok ➤ tiktok.com/@guydealership LinkedIn ➤ linkedin.com/company/cardealershipguy Threads ➤ threads.net/@cardealershipguy Facebook ➤ facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077402857683 Everything else ➤ dealershipguy.com #AutomotiveIndustry #CareerJourney #DealershipManagement