🔥 Fired Up Podcast: Navigating the Cashflow Crunch with Axos Bank’s Anthony Cappizzano

In this episode of the Fired Up Podcast, host Susan Gaitan and CEO Michael Renaud from Alan Ram Proactive Training Solutions sit down with Anthony Cappizzano, Senior Vice President of Axos Bank’s Consumer Lending Division, to talk about the biggest challenges and opportunities facing today’s automotive dealers.

From rising interest rates and inflation to tightening consumer cashflow, Anthony shares insights into how Axos Bank, a born-digital bank serving all 50 states, is helping dealerships adapt with creative lending solutions — including 96-month auto financing, payment-driven strategies, and new ways to maintain profitability amid economic uncertainty.

Dealers and sales leaders will learn:
🚗 How consumer behavior and cashflow are reshaping car buying decisions
💡 Why empathy and payment transparency are essential for today’s buyers
📊 How extended terms and maintenance packages can drive affordability and retention
🤝 How finance and sales teams can align to deliver real value in a tighter economy

This is a must-listen for automotive professionals, dealership managers, and anyone passionate about the future of auto retail finance.

👉 Watch now to get actionable ideas on improving customer experience, managing cashflow challenges, and driving sales performance through smarter lending partnerships.

#FiredUpPodcast #AxosBank #AlanRamTraining #AutoFinance #DealershipSuccess #CarSalesTraining #CustomerExperience #AutomotiveLeadership

In this episode of The Fired Up Podcast, Susan Gaytan and Michael Renaud expose the missing piece in dealership performance — true accountability. They reveal how traditional sales metrics fail to show efficiency and introduce the Lead Conversion Calculator to track what really drives results: leads, appointments, show rates, and conversions. The hosts highlight how poor lead handling burns marketing dollars and stress the importance of separating phone and internet leads for smarter coaching. Using real data, managers can pinpoint performance leaks, provide targeted training, and build stronger, more accountable teams. Wrapping up, Susan and Michael preview upcoming AdaptVT.com training focused on appointment-making, trade acquisition, objection handling, and follow-up strategies to finish the year strong.

The conversation revolves around a road trip and training sessions with various automotive teams. Susan and Michael discuss the importance of senior leadership's involvement in training, noting that managers often know less than their staff. They highlight a training session with Hennessy, where the president's hands-on approach was impactful. The discussion also covers the use of a lead conversion calculator to improve performance metrics, emphasizing the need for consistency and rapport-building. Upcoming content includes a focus on referrals and building rapport, with sessions in Long Beach and West Palm Beach for management training. They also mention personal anecdotes and a humorous reference to a Beach Boys song.

Susan and Michael discuss the monthly spot training focus: Road To Revenue, as well as CBD and the upcoming Management By Fire event. Michael asks Susan to talk about her recent experience buying a car in her new local community. She reviews her unforgettable experience in this first part of a 2-part episode.

In this no-fluff, boots-on-the-blacktop episode of Fired Up, Susan and Michael break down what’s really happening on the phones and showroom floors in today’s market. From mystery shopping a Porsche store to discovering a rockstar BDC rep in Brooklyn, they expose the difference between salespeople who show up and those who stand out. Plus, Susan gives a first look at her new training series The Human Code, focused on rebuilding connection in a digital world. Whether you’re in sales, management, or somewhere in between—this episode is packed with truth, tactics, and a few laughs you won’t want to miss.

Michael and Susan bring real talk (and real data) to this month’s hot-button training topic: internet leads. From funny voicemails to transactional copy-and-paste emails, they reveal the top 5 mistakes your team is probably making—and how to flip the script. Bonus: Susan still hasn’t bought a car, and now you know why.

Michael and Susan discuss Agentic AI, today’s newest dealership sales resource for communicating with potential dealership buyers. Already a solution for service appointment -setting, some people fear this may not work as smoothly in sales. The importance of blending AI tools with human interaction is key. Most consumers still want the human experience.

Join Michael & Susan recording straight from the 1-40 in Arkansas, on their last leg of this year’s Penske training trip. They discuss their partnership with Penske standing the test of time, some of those managers previously knowing Alan personally and being trained by him years ago. The excitement and hospitality received were top-notch, they reset the training program and injected confidence in the sales teams.