Jason Hoult: Implementing Gradual Growth at Dealerships

Andy talks with Anvil Pro founder, Jason Hoult, about his background and journey from farm to dealership to creating tech solutions for the equipment industry. They discuss topics such as digital transformation, technology, and the challenges faced by dealerships today.

Jason shares his experience transitioning from the equipment industry to the software and consulting space, and he describes how he overcame the challenges that come with implementing changes in dealership workflow. Andy and Jason also touch on the importance of adopting new tools and processes, the need for incremental growth, and the benefits of leveraging platforms like Salesforce to scale and make each role in the dealership more efficient.

Jason’s first-hand experience working with dealerships and tackling the challenges of being an entrepreneur inform his perspective on acknowledging the opinions of your employees and peers in the industry when it comes to implementing major changes. Understanding these opinions, Jason argues, is critical to creating positive changes at dealerships or at any organization.

Key Takeaways

• Building upon existing knowledge and adopting new tools and processes leads to innovative ideas and successful businesses.
• Rather than trying to change everything all at once, gradual change is key to success and employee buy-in.
• Leveraging platforms like Salesforce and utilizing enterprise-grade tools can help entrepreneurs and small businesses thrive.
• Empathy and understanding the perspectives of others in the industry are crucial for success.

This episode's guest

Jason Hoult

Jason Hoult is the founder of Anvil Pro. He grew up on a family farm in central Illinois. After attending the University of Illinois, he spent the next decade working in marketing for large equipment manufacturers – first Caterpillar and then AGCO. However, Jason was missing the direct connection to the farmer, so he transitioned to working for equipment dealerships, including as the VP of Sales for 21st Century Equipment in western Nebraska. Jason’s first encounter with Salesforce was during the development of a custom CRM org for the dealership.

In 2016, Jason pivoted his career focus to working as a Salesforce consultant, earning 14 certifications and ultimately advanced to become a Certified Salesforce Architect. Using this foundation, he started Anvil App Works in 2017, and joined forces with Tractor Zoom in late 2023.

Outside of work, Jason enjoys spending quality time with his wife and children, and working on his classic cars, including Corvettes from various decades.

Chapters

• Introduction and Setting the Stage 00:00
• The Importance of Sales Pipeline and Basic Sales Skills 06:09
• Exploring Curiosity and Entrepreneurship 12:18
• The Importance of Digitization 32:34
• Advice for Dealership Professionals 38:49
• The Importance of Empathy in Dealerships 46:58

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