How Dealers Are Accidentally Wasting Millions Because of Bad Data with Todd Smith
What if the biggest competitive advantage in your dealership isn’t more leads… but finally owning your data?
In this episode I sat down with Todd Smith, retail automotive lifer, tech founder, surfer, and the CEO of QoreAI and what started as a curiosity-driven conversation turned into one of the most important discussions I’ve had in a long time about the future of our industry
Todd and I come from different paths but share the same obsession: curiosity, leadership, and data as the ultimate force multiplier. Between the two of us, we’ve spent more than 35 years in automotive, yet somehow never crossed paths—until now. And once we did, we went deep.
From Todd’s unforgettable baptism into the car business at NADA as a teenager (yes, that Joe Girard story), to his journey from selling cars to building technology companies, this episode pulls back the curtain on how real operators think about leadership, culture, efficiency, and AI—without the hype.
What we get into in this episode:
Why curiosity is the most underrated leadership superpower in automotive
How most dealerships are unknowingly renting their data, and paying the price
The dangerous reality of AI layered on top of bad data and broken processes
Why data hygiene, ownership, and structure are non-negotiable for 2026
How AI becomes a force multiplier for profit, efficiency, and customer experience, only if the foundation is right
The coming divide between dealers who own their intelligence and those who outsource it
Why internal efficiency, not just selling more cars, is the next true competitive frontier
This isn’t a “new tool” conversation.
This is a mindset shift.
If you’re heading into NADA, or even thinking about the next 12–24 months of your business, this episode will challenge how you think about technology, leadership, marketing spend, retention, and what it really takes to compete in an AI-powered world.
AI is no longer optional.
Owning your data is no longer optional.
And doing nothing is the most expensive decision you can make.
If you want to understand why, and more importantly what to do next, this is an episode you need to hear.
Connect with David Spisak to Achieve Exponential Growth:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidspisak/
Website: https://www.davidspisak.com
Phone: +1 (510) 604-0308
Visit https://linktr.ee/spisakd for all our links
Like this show? Please leave us a rating and review where you're listening right now!
🎧 Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-david-spisak-show/id1602552929
🔊 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oPjFeHfnxNXPTHXxNwIsm?si=4fc3f546d07a4679