Behind the Wheel of Dealership Culture

Special Guest - Sam D’Arc

We caught up with Sam D’Arc, COO at Zeigler Automotive Group, a privately-owned dealer group with 78 franchises across 35 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Sam hosts two automotive podcasts – Driving Vision at Zeigler and Industry Spotlight from the Car Dealership Guy. On The Walk Around, Sam draws insight from his years of experience within the automotive industry and shares how Zeigler has transformed its operations process and grown its customer and employee base through podcasts and social media. Plus, he talks about EV demand in the Midwest and creating a better transition from online to in-store car buying for his customers.

Episode Breakdown

0:00 – Meet Sam D’Arc!
7:56 – His growth strategy for 2025
11:14 – Creating a better online-to-in-store buying experience
15:43 – Why Sam started hosting automotive podcasts
18:56 – Building culture at Zeigler Auto Group
20:58 – The EV demand Sam sees in the Midwest
22:56 – The auto trends Sam is watching

On hosting an automotive podcast at his dealer group:

“Customers today crave transparency. Our employees are a representation of the communities we live in – they’re soccer coaches, they’re moms, they’re dads, they’re kids, they’re uncles, they’re aunts. They have interests. By highlighting them through the podcast, social media posts... and just showing that life and things we’re working on, we’re able to connect. A lot of customers and in particular perspective employees come to us and [say] ‘I’ve listened to the podcasts, I’ve seen the social media posts, I love the organization, I see what you guys represent, and I align with it. I want to be a part of it’ either because I want to go to work with you or I want to buy a car.”

For more information about our guest, visit their LinkedIn.