Big Rookie Energy: Unveiling Insights from NADA and Amy Cuddy

Participants enjoyed a blend of automotive insights and motivational wisdom during the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) event. Before NADA, attendees at the Women Driving Auto Retail conference experienced a captivating presentation by the renowned social psychologist Amy Cuddy. Cuddy, known for her groundbreaking research on body language and its impact on confidence and influence, brought her unique perspective to the automotive realm. Her message - quite literally is to make yourself bigger, not smaller. Check out her TedTalk viewed 70M times to see for yourself (if you’re not already one of the 70M!). 

I was excited to return to NADA after a small break and was encouraged by the strides made in diversity and inclusion. In a nod to the obvious, AI made its presence known through numerous solutions—dot AI was practically everywhere. Entrepreneurs abounded. It was awesome to see individuals graduating to mainstage booths after years of grassroots efforts. New entrepreneurs were circulating and seeding the next idea poised for growth.

This NADA stood out for me as I had the opportunity to engage with colleagues who were first-time attendees (rookies). Given the common occurrence of individuals staying in the auto industry or returning after a hiatus, observing the amazement of first-timers was genuinely fun.

While NADA provides a platform for the latest industry trends, attendees were inspired to approach challenges with bold, rookie-like energy, unlocking untapped potential in automotive dealerships. The workshop, “How to sell cars on TikTok” drew large crowds, full of industry veterans, clearly there to learn about reaching rookie car buyers.  Auto veterans realizing they have much to learn about rookie car buyers is like seasoned chefs realizing they've been missing out on the magic of microwave popcorn all these years. Learning from rookies may be as surprising and unexpected as experienced chefs discovering a simple convenience after years of using elaborate methods. The best of the best never ceases to learn and expand, as highlighted in the TedTalk I mentioned. The idea is that growth makes you big; in this case, bigger translates to better.

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