Consumer Confidence Hits Lowest Since 2014, Conversica AI, Q4 Mindset (09.30.26)

Consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since 2014, Sen. Bernie Moreno says Mercedes-Benz will not be banned under the Chinese vehicle bill, plus ADP hiring, inflation and Walser's largest acquisition. Jim and Bridget Fitzpatrick are joined by Mike Gilson, CEO of Conversica, and Dave Anderson, President of LearnToLead. **TODAY'S HEADLINES** - Sen. Bernie Moreno told Reuters lawmakers are not going to ban Mercedes-Benz vehicles under a bill that would bar sales by automakers with more than 15% Chinese ownership, though Mercedes sits near 20% and a solution has not been finalized. - The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 81.9 in September from 88.6 in August, its lowest reading since April 2014, according to Reuters. - ADP reports private employers added 90,000 jobs in September, up from a revised 36,000 in August, while the latest inflation report showed prices up 3.4% over the past year, below economists' expectations. - Walser Automotive Group has acquired Metropolitan Ford and Suburban Chevrolet in Eden Prairie and Freeway Ford in Bloomington, Minnesota from Metropolitan Corp., its largest acquisition in company history. **GUESTS** - Mike Gilson, CEO, Conversica. How Ignite turns fragmented dealership data into revenue opportunities, including lease maturity, lapsed service and declined service. - Dave Anderson, President, LearnToLead. The Q4 mindset, and how dealer leaders respond to the pressure of the final quarter. **GET THE NEWSLETTER** https://www.cbtnews.com/newsletter-si... THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR Thank you to Conversica for supporting CBT Live. https://www.conversica.com/ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Conversica: https://www.conversica.com/ LearnToLead: https://www.learntolead.com/ CONNECT WITH CBT NEWS Website: www.cbtnews.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/carbiztoday/https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUZZTVljRjF1dGN2UnpZZXBaMGo0SUFqZXNSTXxBTl9pYzRmZ1d0VnNRMk1KV3dYYWNEYUJ0bDE1ZmtLYnE2ZDVqS1lhNkhKM0VxYXZxOFdZTF9EQUVZd0FrM2dpdldvYlBFQWticjFzTjlvWVU0a1dpVTE4MmFZSXR0d1ljYkJu&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fcarbiztoday%2F&v=lVgC_vHzZ-0 Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarBizToday/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cbt-news/posts/ TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@carbiztoday X: https://x.com/CarBizToday