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If your appraisals still start with a sharpie on a worksheet, this one’s for you.

Derek Hansen has lived in the deep end of dealer data—Manheim to vAuto—helping thousands of rooftops translate live market signals into real-world inventory wins. In this conversation with Paul and Kyle, he walks through the three-legged stool every modern dealer needs: superior data, purpose-built workflows, and performance management that respects each store’s strategy.

Translation: less guessing, more learning loops.

The discussion digs into where AI is actually working right now (pricing probabilities, instant merchandising, smarter appraisals) and where human judgment still matters (trust, context, and the “who” behind every vehicle’s next owner).

Over the next year, Derek’s challenge to dealers is simple: test everything. Small experiments create clarity, build confidence, and keep your team ahead of the curve.

Takeaways

0:00 — Why showing the real you is the best PR

2:26 — Derek Hansen’s path from Bain and finance to the world of dealer data

2:51 — What outsiders miss about 18,000 dealers and their wildly different strategies

6:18 — How software can serve everyone without serving no one

9:23 — The 3-legged stool: data, focused workflows, and hands-on performance management

10:30 — The AI adoption gap: why saying you’re using AI isn’t the same as doing it

13:15 — From guessing to predicting with probability-based pricing and smarter appraisals

15:07 — Trust at the booth: damage scans, recon estimates, and printouts that close deals

17:12 — The 12-month warning: if you’re not testing, your reputation will show it

18:39 — Low-lift testing: offers, anchors, and incentives worth experimenting with

20:21 — Avoiding the AI race to the bottom by remembering every buyer values differently

23:27 — Iteration in public: small tests beat big promises every time

Connect with Derek Hansen at https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-hansen-6a7a941/

Learn more about vAuto at https://www.vauto.com

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