Full Throttle, a Presidio Podcast
The Presidio Group’s Director of Multimedia and Events, Jason Stein, hosts Full Throttle, a podcast that brings together industry leaders to discuss retail trends, innovation and thought-provoking business models. Jason interviews some of the industry’s key personalities and insiders. Full Throttle will be available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Pandora. Tune in to stay ahead of industry news and learn how some companies are thriving in the new automotive landscape.
Full Throttle, a Presidio Podcast
Episode 73: Matt Leone, CEO of DriveCentric
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On this episode of Full Throttle, Jason sits down with Matt Leone, CEO of DriveCentric, at what he calls a true inflection point for retail automotive — turbulence at the micro and macro level, and the most exciting moment he's seen in nearly 30 years in technology.
Matt makes the case that the CRM shouldn't live only in the sales department. It should be the engagement platform for the entire dealership — sales, service, F&I, the cashier, the BDC — with one centralized customer card and one compliant, responsive voice across every touchpoint.
In this conversation:
- Why most dealership AI is overhyped — and the three flaws that got AI "canceled" in a lot of stores (bolt-ons, too many disconnected tools, and compliance gaps)
- DriveCentric's new Sales-to-Service Agent, powered by Genius AI, that spots trade potential in the service drive and turns repair orders into sales opportunities
- The rollout of autonomous agents across the platform in 2026 — after-hours lead response, proactive database outreach, and retention
- Why "optionality" is the key to building trust and loyalty with today's consumer
- How mobile, portals, and secure PII exchange are changing the way dealers connect
- Why consolidating your tech stack onto one platform can eliminate five or six tools — and actually save money
- What almost everyone still gets wrong about AI: it's not a widget
Matt Leone will be on stage October 14th in Denver at Presidio's 4th Annual Auto Technology Summit — where innovation meets capital. More info at https://thepresidiogroup.com
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:39 Why a CRM should be an engagement platform, not task management
5:16 The 3 flaws in the AI race — and why some tools got canceled
7:30 Inside the new Sales-to-Service Agent
9:43 Autonomous agents & knowing what to hand off
11:57 Hiring Michael Afronti from Salesforce — and why
14:07 The mobile & portal strategy
16:10 What the Service-to-Sales agent does to your pipeline
18:42 One budget line: the argument for DriveCentric
20:58 The one thing people get wrong about AI
🎙️ Full Throttle is a podcast from The Presidio Group.
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