Auto Remarketing is recognizing the 2022 Women in Retail honorees in the current issue of the magazine and at Used Car Week this fall in San Diego. 

With these awards, we specifically recognize top leaders on the retail side of the auto industry, including honorees from dealerships, dealer groups and third-party providers/vendors

Over the next few weeks, AR will be posting Q&As with each of the honorees on this website.

Next up is Taryn Young, vice president of marketing at iPacket.

Auto Remarketing: What do you enjoy most about working in retail automotive, and what would you change?

Taryn Young: What do I enjoy most: Th e wide array of personalities that you’ll meet in the retail automotive space is the reason I’ve stayed in the industry for 12-plus years. Whether you’re working with clients, vendors, customers, management or customers — each person presents a new dynamic and I always view that as a challenge to understand and overcome with the best possible solution.

The auto industry is complex but rewarding, and whether you’re working with a family dealership group who has been around for 50-plus years or you’re working with the newest piece of vehicle technology — car sales are always the common ground and usually the measure of success. What would I change: Having experience on the OEM, agency and vendor side, I’m all too familiar with an OEM mandated initiative or “approved vendor” that doesn’t truly benefit the dealer at the end of the day.

The auto space is complex and dealers are bombarded with new off erings sold on false promises. If there were a way to simplify and cut through the clutter and present real offerings and results with proven vendors, that’s what I would change in the industry. In short, how can we make things easier on a dealer?

AR: What is the top trend you’re watching in retail automotive this year?

Young: No one could have predicted what the pandemic could have done to the auto industry. In fact, many of us predicted car sales (mostly luxury) would tank and we observed just the opposite. In 2022, from a marketing perspective, I’m seeing OEMs and dealer groups as a whole change the way they go to market.

Entire marketing programs and co-op funds that have been around for decades have dissolved over the last two years, but as inventory slowly trickles in and car sales slow, what’s next? Will these programs make a return? Currently, from the vendor side, we’re seeing dealers rethink their marketing spend, as they’re left to pick up the pieces from a major decrease in Tier 1 & 2 spend.

AR: What piece of career advice would you give your younger self?

Young: Always take the interview and continue to network, even if it’s just to learn. Many of the roles I’ve held came out of a referral from someone I knew in the industry and were never posted on a job site. It’s all about who you know and the auto industry is quite small at the end of the day.

AR: What has been the top key to your success in retail automotive?

Young: You cannot be complacent, as this industry changes quickly. For the last 12 years, I’ve marketed myself as a trusted automotive marketer. If you can’t sell yourself as the best new hire, a company will doubt your ability to sell their beloved product. I think my ability to immerse myself in the industry with learning and networking experiences has helped build my career. And in summary: Sell yourself, because if you don’t, no one will do it for you.