Why direct access to industry-leading experts makes all the difference in transformation success
Theory Without Application Is Just Noise
In the automotive training industry, there’s no shortage of experts who can talk about what should work. Consultants who’ve never managed a dealership. Speakers who haven’t closed a deal in decades. Theorists who understand the concepts but have never faced the daily challenges of converting leads, managing teams, or hitting monthly targets.
Management by Fire 2025 takes a fundamentally different approach. When you attend MBF, you’re not learning from consultants or theorists—you’re learning directly from Michael Renaud and Susan Gaytan, the proven leaders who have developed the systems that are revolutionizing dealership performance nationwide.
This isn’t just about credentials or impressive résumés. It’s about learning from professionals who have walked in your shoes, faced your challenges, and developed practical solutions that work in the real world.
Meet Your Expert Instructors
Michael Renaud, CEO: The Systems Revolutionary
Michael Renaud isn’t just the CEO of Proactive Training Solutions—he’s the architect behind the follow-up systems that are transforming how dealerships convert leads into customers across the country.
Real-World Experience That Matters:
- 8+ years of automotive industry expertise spanning multiple operational areas
- BDC Management experience that gives him deep insight into lead conversion challenges
- Sales Management background that helps him understand both individual and team dynamics
- Fixed Operations knowledge that provides a complete picture of dealership profitability
- Buy/sell transactions experience that shows him what drives dealership value
Revolutionary Follow-Up Systems: Renaud’s follow-up methodologies have revolutionized appointment show rates across dealerships nationwide. These aren’t theoretical frameworks—they’re battle-tested systems that address the real challenges dealerships face:
- Lead nurturing sequences that keep prospects engaged without being pushy
- Timing optimization strategies that contact leads when they’re most likely to respond
- Multi-channel coordination that creates consistent touchpoints across phone, email, and text
- Accountability structures that ensure follow-up happens consistently, not sporadically
Sales Video Expertise: As an expert in sales video showcasing, Renaud understands how modern customers want to engage with dealerships. His video strategies help dealerships:
- Create personal connections before customers arrive
- Showcase inventory in ways that generate excitement
- Build trust through authentic, professional presentations
- Differentiate from competitors who rely only on photos and generic descriptions
Why His Endorsement Matters: “I have done training with a number of trainers over the course of my career and have found Alan Ram’s program to be one of the best available for both onsite and interactive training. I’ve run stores in New York over the last 10 years, I know what management’s pain points are when it comes to training and I look forward to helping more auto dealers and manufacturers grow their businesses in a more efficient and effective way.”
Susan Gaytan, Director of Training and Client Strategy: The Practitioner’s Expert
Susan Gaytan brings something rare to automotive training: the perspective of someone who has actually owned and operated multiple dealerships. This isn’t secondhand knowledge—it’s hands-on experience managing P&L statements, leading teams, and making the decisions that determine dealership success or failure.
Multi-Dealership Owner Experience: Gaytan’s background as a former multi-dealership owner gives her unique insights that pure trainers simply cannot provide:
- Financial understanding of what drives dealership profitability
- Operational knowledge of how systems must work together seamlessly
- Leadership experience managing diverse teams across multiple locations
- Market adaptability from operating in different competitive environments
- Growth perspective from scaling operations successfully
Actionable Management Strategies: Her management strategies aren’t theoretical concepts—they’re proven approaches that consistently produce results because they’re based on real operational experience:
- Team development systems that build capability while maintaining accountability
- Performance measurement frameworks that focus on leading indicators, not just results
- Cultural integration methods that help changes stick long-term
- Conflict resolution approaches that turn challenges into growth opportunities
Client Strategy Expertise: As Director of Client Strategy, Gaytan understands what separates successful MBF implementations from disappointing ones:
- Readiness assessment to ensure dealerships are prepared for transformation
- Customization strategies that adapt systems to unique market conditions
- Implementation sequencing that prevents overwhelm while building momentum
- Success measurement that proves ROI and guides continuous improvement
The Foundation Builder: Gaytan works to ensure that every client benefits from the foundation that Alan Ram built in developing structured, results-driven training programs. Her role is translating that foundational wisdom into practical applications that work in today’s dealership environment.
The Small-Group Workshop Advantage
Direct Access vs. Lecture Format
Most training events put you in an audience of hundreds, hoping to catch insights from a distant stage. Management by Fire 2025 does the opposite—you work directly with Michael Renaud and Susan Gaytan in small-group workshops where personal attention and customized guidance are the norm, not the exception.
What Direct Training Really Means:
- Personal interaction with both experts throughout the event
- Customized advice for your specific dealership challenges
- Real-time problem-solving as you work through implementation details
- Hands-on guidance while you adapt proven systems to your situation
The Adaptation Process: From Generic to Specific
The most valuable aspect of working directly with Renaud and Gaytan isn’t just learning their systems—it’s having them personally help you adapt proven systems to your dealership’s unique challenges and goals.
Customization Areas Include:
- Market demographics: Adjusting approaches for your customer base
- Competitive landscape: Positioning strategies that differentiate you locally
- Team composition: Working with your existing strengths and addressing gaps
- Technology integration: Connecting new systems with your current tools
- Cultural fit: Ensuring changes align with your dealership’s values and style
Why Expert Guidance Matters: Generic systems often fail because they don’t account for local variables. When experts who understand both the systems and the industry help you customize approaches, you get:
- Higher adoption rates because systems fit naturally
- Faster implementation because you avoid common pitfalls
- Better results because systems are optimized for your situation
- Sustainable change because team members understand why things work
The Proven Techniques That Transform Dealerships
Systems That Have Stood the Test
The techniques you’ll learn at Management by Fire 2025 aren’t experimental approaches or the latest trends. They’re proven systems that have been refined through real-world application across hundreds of dealerships.
Follow-Up Excellence:
- Renaud’s revolutionary follow-up systems that dramatically improve appointment show rates
- Multi-touch sequences that nurture leads without overwhelming them
- Technology integration that automates consistency while maintaining personal touch
- Measurement systems that show exactly where improvements occur
Management Mastery:
- Gaytan’s actionable strategies based on multi-dealership ownership experience
- Leadership approaches that build capability and accountability simultaneously
- Cultural change methods that create lasting transformation
- Performance frameworks that focus teams on activities that drive results
Implementation Support:
- Customization workshops that adapt systems to your unique situation
- Troubleshooting guidance that prevents common implementation failures
- Ongoing coaching that ensures systems take root and evolve
- Peer networks that provide continued learning and support
Your Opportunity to Learn from the Best
Beyond Generic Training: Expert-Led Transformation
When you register for Management by Fire 2025, you’re not just signing up for another training event. You’re gaining direct access to the two professionals who have developed and refined the systems that are transforming dealership performance nationwide.
What This Means for You:
- Proven systems developed by experts who understand your challenges
- Personal guidance in adapting those systems to your specific situation
- Direct access to the professionals who created the methodologies
- Small-group format that ensures individual attention and customized solutions
The Investment in Expert Guidance
Learning from the best requires investment—but it also provides returns that generic training cannot match. When you work directly with Michael Renaud and Susan Gaytan, you’re getting:
- Decades of combined expertise in automotive sales and management
- Proven systems that have been refined through real-world application
- Personal attention that ensures you understand not just what to do, but why and how
- Ongoing relationships that support your continued growth and success
Your Next Step Toward Expert-Led Transformation
The difference between learning about systems and learning from the experts who created them is the difference between theory and transformation. Management by Fire 2025 offers you direct access to Michael Renaud and Susan Gaytan—the proven leaders behind the systems that are revolutionizing dealership performance.
Don’t settle for generic training or theoretical approaches. Work with the experts who have developed, tested, and refined the systems that create lasting success.
Registration for Management by Fire 2025 is available, but spaces are intentionally limited to ensure the small-group format that makes expert guidance possible.
Transform your approach to learning. Transform your dealership’s performance. Learn from the best.
Ready to work with the industry’s leading experts? Register for Management by Fire 2025 and gain direct access to Michael Renaud and Susan Gaytan.
