Andy Warner

Ecommerce Director

CDK Global

- Lead a team of Customer Success Managers.
- Team is responsible for over 1,300 accounts and over $50M TCV

Manager, Customer Success

- Responsible for leading the strategy to grow the company’s impact as a strategic partner to over 1,500 minority automobile dealer accounts.  
- Responsible for engaging and growing market share with OEMs, minority dealer associations and other industry partners.  These groups include: National Association of Automobile Dealers (NAMAD); General Motors Minority Dealer Association (GMMDA); Chrysler Minority Dealer Association (CMDA); Ford Minority Dealer Association (Ford MDA); and Toyota Lexus Minority Owner Dealers Association (TLMODA).
- Partner with CDK's Diversity and Inclusion division to support CDK's inclusive culture, including talent identification, community engagement, and CDK's supplier diversity programs.  This includes the Fueling Careers Scholarship Program, a collaboration between CDK Global and NAMAD.

Partnership Development Executive, Minority Dealers

- Supervised a team of  Customer Success Advocates aligned to the east, midwest and southern regions of the United States.  
- Trained and developed Customer Success Advocates to promote retention and loyalty.
- Worked closely with customers to ensure they are satisfied with the services they receive and to improve upon areas of dissatisfaction with the goal to increase revenue and retention.

- Advised Nissan Motor Company on their lead management strategy and digital sales operations at Tier I.
- Consulted with Nissan dealerships on developing digital training objectives for Market Areas and Regions at Tier III.
- Responsible for increasing internet sales for assigned areas in Nissan’s dealership network.
- Advised CDK Global’s SEO team on improving their customer retention and sales processes.
- Created consulting product packages for CDK Global’s digital retailing and digital operations product offerings.

Performance Improvement Consultant

- Led a national team of 30 automobile dealership consultants.  The team drove the utilization of internet leads, lead response time, sales close rate, and digital marketing/advertising training for Ford and Lincoln Dealers for the United States.
- Advised key business partners at Ford Motor Company and Ford Direct on digital marketing KPIs.
- Worked with regional and market area Sales/Parts/Service Field Teams coordinating site visits, e-business updates, conducting regional symposiums and executing national training projects.

Sr Manager, Ford / Lincoln Consulting & Training

3 Birds Marketing LLC

Helping the automotive industry improve their email, social, search and other digital marketing strategies.

Director, Automotive

Tonkin Family of Dealerships

Managed internet sales processes for 17 store dealer group.  
Ward's eDealer Top 10 group

LorMar Auto Group

• Manage 2 Ford, 1 General Motors franchised and 1 used internet sales departments 
• Manage internet sales strategy (sales, service and fixed operations)
• Coordinate all internet promotions, marketing and communications 

Accomplishments: 
• Digital Dealer magazine cover story March 2008 
• Speaker at Association of Automotive Internet Sales Professionals (AAISP)'s national conference, April 2008
• National Top 60 Ford e-dealer
• National Top 100 Ford dealer

Digital Marketing Director

Dealer Specialties, Inc.

• Key contact for company’s 2000+ website partners (i.e.Autotrader.com, Cars.com, Cobalt, Reynolds Web Solutions) 
• Managed team of developers responsible for internal technical enhancements requested by business partners
• Responsible for aligning company's technical roadmap with website partners and OEMs’s product roadmap 
• Managed compliance standards based upon licensing agreements with website partners

Accomplishments:
• Assisted in creation of GetAuto.com Used Vehicle Index measuring trends in national automotive market
• Facilitated business development focus groups for sales managers 
• Led team that decreased export process from 4 hours to 30 minutes

Data Partner Manager

Procter & Gamble

Contractor

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Business Development Associate

Strategic SaaS leader with success growing marketing, sales, customer success & operations teams 💻 | Expect content to help you start your day awesomely 😊 & education for SaaS professionals to grow in your career 💡

I am an experienced strategic SaaS leader with success growing customer success, operations and sales teams.  The majority of my career has been in the automotive software and digital marketing verticals.  

Currently, I have national responsibility driving the sales and marketing for ethnic minority-owned automotive dealerships at CDK Global.  This represents over 1,500 customers across the United States.  In addition, I drive advocacy, education, support and training for our ethnic minority dealer associations.  

Previously, I have:
- led national consulting teams advising automotive dealerships on sales best practices;
- advised automotive manufacturers on Tier II and Tier III digital marketing strategies to increase lead generation;
- led national top 20 automotive dealer group's digital marketing and digital sales operations;  
- led development teams that managed B2B data transfer feeds;
- published in automotive digital properties and journals regarding automotive retail best practices;
- featured speaker at several national and regional automotive industry events.   

I am highly skilled in relationship building among business partners, customers, and all levels within an organization.  

Also, I have a passion for delivering diversity and inclusion results that drive key business performance metrics.  

Specialties: Automotive retail, CRM management, Customer Success, Internet marketing, lead generation, mobile marketing, sales management, sales operations, SEM, SEO, social media marketing and website development and management

- Responsible for leading the strategy to grow the company’s impact as a strategic partner to minority automobile dealers.  
- Responsible for engaging over 1,500 accounts while maintaining partnerships with OEMs, minority dealer associations and other industry partners.
- Partner with CDK's Diversity and Inclusion division to support CDK's inclusive culture, including talent identification, community engagement, and CDK's supplier diversity programs.

The Borden Group

At The Borden Group, our purpose is to transform businesses and executives by increasing their reach, impact, and brand marketing effectiveness, turning their brands into a powerful channel for achieving growth and fulfilling their mission.

Founder & CEO

Stealth Startup

Co-Founder 

YOUnifiedAI

YOUnifiedAI helps small to medium-sized enterprises turn disconnected tools and scattered data into one intelligent system, powered by AI. We eliminate complexity, so businesses can work smarter, move faster, and grow without limits.

Advisor

House of Lola

Founder

Forbes Agency Council

Member

Dealer Marketing Magazine

Dealer Expert Panel

Matador.ai

Advisory Board Member

LotLinx, Inc.

Vice President of Marketing

Celebrity Motor Cars, LLC

Marketing Operations Manager

Netsertive

Regional Sales Manager

Visibility isn’t luck — it’s strategy.
I build visible leaders and trusted brands that drive credibility, opportunity, and growth.

Hi, I’m Melanie. 

Not too long ago, everyone around me was losing their job, and I didn’t know where I’d turn if I lost mine.

So, I turned online. I started building my personal brand, opportunities, and business from the ground up.

I’d spent years creating marketing strategies for tech companies, retail brands, and high-growth startups, so I leveraged those same frameworks to build my own.

It worked.
I grew my visibility, reach, and revenue — and discovered that building an executive brand isn’t about vanity. It’s about strategic visibility — becoming the obvious choice in rooms that matter..

Since then, I’ve partnered with executives, founders, nonprofits, and leadership teams across industries — from emerging tech to investor-backed enterprises — to build executive visibility systems that generate measurable business outcomes.

What we do at The Borden Group goes beyond ghostwriting or positioning.
It’s a full-scale visibility and go-to-market strategy — grounded in lived experience — that combines strategy, creative, and execution.

We partner best with teams ready to move fast, stay consistent, and translate brand presence into pipeline results.

Our work helps leaders and organizations:

Sell out conferences and speaking engagements
Build new sales pipelines and accelerate go-to-market traction
Skyrocket executive visibility across tech and business media
Land board seats and advisory roles
Launch books that open doors to thought leadership and revenue
Scale internal marketing systems and content operations
Create new revenue streams aligned with business growth

If you’re a founder, operator, or investor ready to grow your company and your credibility, you’re in the right place.

My upcoming book, Theatre of the Mind, is a playbook for leaders navigating mindset, visibility, and influence.
→ Available for pre-order November 1, 2025.

Connect with me here or at www.humantobrand.com

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: humantobrand.com/newsletter

Gain actionable insights to elevate your personal brand, amplify influence, and future-proof your leadership impact.

Melanie Borden

Nothing says “powerful female founder” like being emotionally defeated by cell C14.

Anyone else?

Melanie Borden in a patterned cardigan holding a mug with a funny Excel quote, half-hidden behind it, with a chandelier glowing in the background. A candid, relatable snapshot highlighting humor and humanity in work.

When I became active on LinkedIn, I was unaware of several conversions that would start happening once I began posting. 

I didn’t set out to “be a brand.” I just wanted a rainy-day plan (or plan b) for my future. 

Then the ripple effects started:

1. Silent supporters reappeared from decades ago. (I do have a 19 in my birth year)

2. The opposition showed up too: trolls, doubts, noise. (This is where most quit. I didn’t)

3. Companies asked for contract help. 

4. I became my company’s de facto ambassador.

5. Career doors opened. A dozen of job offers in ‘20–‘21. I accepted one. 

6. PR followed: features, a magazine cover, news appearances, 100+ podcasts.

7. Inbound leads scaled me from solo to agency.

8. Paid brand partnerships arrived.

9. Speaking + training invitations piled up.

10. Talent started pitching ME to join my team. 

The “secrets” of your favorite creator aren’t secret: show up daily, engage thoughtfully (posts + DMs), tell real stories, A/B test everything, keep learning (set Google Alerts), and ignore algorithm doomsday threads. 

I’m not special. I’m consistent. This deal is 90% consistency 10% talent. If you don’t promote yourself, no one else will. 

Leaders reading: your team(s) collectively have more potential reach combined than your company page will ever have. Invest in their success, theirs is yours.

Have you experienced any of the above? 
What did that feel like? 

P.S. It has been very fun too.

Melanie Borden stands confidently in a bright, minimalist workspace, facing the camera with an easy, professional smile. She wears a tailored, neutral-toned outfit and simple jewelry, arms relaxed at her sides, posture open and assured. Soft natural light and a clean background keep the focus on her presence—approachable, credible, and composed. This image supports her post about LinkedIn’s hidden conversions that start after you hit “post”: showing up consistently, rebuilding dormant relationships, navigating trolls, unlocking PR, speaking, partnerships, and inbound opportunities. Visual cue: leader energy, personal brand clarity, and the message that consistent visibility compounds.

My life has taught me something you’ll want to know.

In 2005, I had my real estate license in NYC.

My motivation was driven by: ‘Operation I am never moving back in with my parents’

Back then, B2B was D2D or ‘Door to Door’
Or in my case, 'Book to Book' 

The real estate office had thousands of books for condo and co-op associations, each listing owners and their phone numbers.

So I called. and I called. and I called.
I experienced a lot of “feedback” from potential sellers.

“I’m not selling. I actually like where I live.” click.
“Even if prices go up or down, I’m not moving just to move.” click.
“I am not making a huge life decision with a child.” (I was 21).  
click.
"Hi! This is Melanie Radford"...click.

New Yorkers are a tough crowd. 
It was rough, all the negativity was getting to me. 

But, I had an idea.

I decided to start a marketing campaign: ask other brokers for advice, work their open houses, and partner with anyone who’d let me take on anything. 
Stamp envelopes, get coffee, run packages, pick up dry cleaning. Anything. 

Then part 2: a physical newsletter-turned-mini-magazine and postcards with recipes and design tips, which I mailed before I ever picked up the phone. 

The idea took off. 

I started co-listing with agents on their listings, working with buyers, and then those buyers became sellers.

“Suddenly” I was busy (and popular). 
By the end of that first year, I’d closed a few million in sales.

I WAS a real estate agent, I just didn't believe it myself yet. Until I did.

Your path expands the second you stop waiting for permission and start acting like what you’re building already exists.

The moment I changed how I saw myself everything changed. 

That’s what I now call ‘Theatre of the Mind’ a skill I have learned to hone over the years when everyone says, "How did you do that?"

You can create progress long before anyone else believes it’s possible, even yourself. But once you feel it, it's yours. 

Anything can happen after that mental switch. 😉

And P.S. I never moved back in with my parents. 
P.P.S. This job led to the start of me working in advertising.


2005, Anxiously waiting for that train back into the city.
-

P.S. If this resonated, that’s exactly what my book is about—the mindset and personal brand work that keeps your visibility real, durable, and scalable, no matter where you’re starting.

Preorder coming soon!!


Throwback photo of Melanie Borden in 2005 standing on a New York City train platform with a very “Jersey” early-2000s hairstyle, looking off to the side with a tired, reluctant expression. Captures the early chapter of her reinvention journey—before personal branding, visibility strategy, and Theatre of the Mind shaped her career. A moment that reflects resilience, future-proofing, and learning to market herself long before her executive presence work began

My number one referral source these days isn’t LinkedIn or people...it’s machines.

I didn’t expect that sentence or this story to ever be real, but here we are. 

Four years ago, my marketing strategy was simple:
Show up on LinkedIn. Stay consistent. Build relationships. 
Build a brand strong enough to survive uncertainty.

In hindsight it was a bad strategy to rely on one platform. 

But the strategy worked until it didn’t. That “didn’t” period finally hit me in early 2025.
I remember sitting at my desk thinking, ‘Is this it? Did I break my own brand that I have invested thousands of hours into?’

My number one lead source was failing me, and I was stuck.

So I did what I always do when I’m backed into a corner: I researched. I studied. I had to figure it out. 

Then I found a few problems. The one we are talking about today: I wasn't evolving with the times. 
(and the times are moving fast)

Large language models were finding me, but they couldn’t clearly tell what I do.
So I got to work.

And then something crazy started happening.
On discovery calls and in LINKEDIN DMs, people started telling me the same thing:

“I found you through ChatGPT.”
 “I saw you sourced on Reddit.”
 “You came up in an AI search.”
YESTERDAY: "When I asked ChatGPT to evaluate the strongest PR and visibility partner for my goals, here is the exact recommendation provided:" (I was # 1) 

At first I thought: holy sh*t, maybe it worked.
But then it kept happening.

Your personal brand isn’t just talking to people anymore.
It’s talking to machines and the machines are talking back.

It brought me right back to 2020/2021, when I first started posting on LinkedIn and the inbound trickled in with: “Will you do for me what you did for yourself?”

Only now, it’s happening at scale. 

Visibility has officially entered a different era.
It’s no longer just about who follows you on LinkedIn.
 
It’s about how well machines understand you, categorize you, and recommend you.

Machines don’t refer what you aspire to be.
They refer what you’ve proven over time.

I built those signals long before I understood how AI would use them or even understood what AI is; and now they’re working on my behalf, 24/7.

Your distribution of content helps builds your audience. 
Your consistency with that distribution helps build your reputation. 
But speaking clearly about what you do?

That’s what machines pick up on and amplify.

If you want to future-proof your career: Don’t just show up so people understand you. 

Show up so machines can’t misunderstand you. 

Has AI ever “recommended” a partner to you? 

-
I go much deeper into this in my upcoming book, Theatre of the Mind, in a chapter called “Searchable Leadership.” It’s on the way!!

—with East Coast oysters and a French Burgundy red and white from a few weeks ago (curated by my dinner date, not a machine).

Melanie Borden sits at a white table with a glass of French Burgundy red and white framed by a clean french backdrop that mirrors her minimalist personal brand aesthetic. She looks toward the camera with a calm, confident expression, embodying executive presence and leadership visibility. The visual supports a story about how her number one referral source is no longer LinkedIn or people, but machines and large language models like ChatGPT. This image represents AI-era personal branding, “searchable leadership,” and being discoverable by machines as well as humans. Melanie’s posture and setting suggest a founder in deep strategic work—refining positioning, clarifying her message, and building an AI-ready brand ecosystem that works 24/7. The contrast of the rich red and white wines and a background adds a sophisticated, editorial feel aligned with her Theatre of the Mind book and her work helping leaders future-proof their careers through clarity, consistency, and reinvention.

I’ve watched market-defining leaders, people with decades of wins, freeze over when publishing a newsletter, LinkedIn post, or appearing on a podcast.

Not because they didn’t have anything to say.

But because they couldn’t guarantee how it would "land"

**Enter: The abyss of the unknown.** Imagine the Law & Order ‘DUN-DUN’ right here.

I have been here more than I want to admit, mainly when I worked for someone else.

“Does this sound like me?”
“Is this how people see me?”
“How will this change…?”
“What if…?”

That loop is what keeps a lot of accomplished people invisible online. 

*Especially* the ones who have been successful in their careers without a digital footprint.

Here’s how I’d reframe it for you:

Number 1. The people you lead already see you as influential.

Number 2. The people around you already expect you to have a voice and a perspective, not just a title. 

Number 3.  Your influence doesn’t just come from your decisions; it comes from how you show up.

Number 4. Those who don’t know you are already using your online presence to validate your credibility. 

Last one: there are “guardrails” that you will follow or create for yourself, but don’t restrict yourself SO much that you end up showing up as someone else. 

Most of this is basic in theory, but the moment we have to share our own voice, many times everything shifts, and all of a sudden it's not so straightforward.

The only way to work through it is to go through it.

So, if you were looking for a sign this week, consider this it. 

What’s one post, story, or message you’ve been sitting on because you weren’t sure how it would be received?

Melanie Borden wearing a white blazer and jeans, standing against a clean, neutral backdrop with a calm, reflective expression. The image represents the internal hesitation many high-achieving executives feel when using their voice publicly—publishing a newsletter, a LinkedIn post, or showing up on a podcast. The thoughtful pose mirrors the psychology of visibility: fear of misalignment, worry about perception, and the mental spiral that keeps accomplished leaders silent. This visual supports Melanie’s message about executive presence, personal brand clarity, and learning to show up despite discomfort.


If you haven't seen me a lot lately, know I'm on a call somewhere, improvising.

We make it work and, somehow, it always does.

What’s the thing you’re “making work” this week?

P.S. Random household items will forever be my favorite computer stands.
P.P.S. More book content is on its way…!

Melanie Borden sits at her laptop in a bright, modern workspace, symbolizing the freedom and credibility she’s built through her personal brand. The image reflects the evolution from doubt to proof—five years after being told personal brands weren’t real and remote work was just a phase. The scene conveys confidence, clarity, and momentum, capturing the message that results speak louder than opinions. It reinforces the power of visibility, consistency, and belief in your own path as the foundation of a successful remote personal brand.


Not everyone will understand why you show up on LinkedIn, and that used to bother me.

People around you, even in 2026, still won't understand:

1. why you show up online
2. why you care about your visibility
3. or why you’re investing time in platform(s) “when you have a job”

They won't understand what you’re called to do no matter how much you explain it. 

I lost count years ago on how many conversations I have had on this topic.

Take my word for it, please start, don't stop, and let them watch how you take the lead. 

Also: save this post for the days you need it or share it with someone who needs a reminder. 🤍

What are you building right now that others won’t understand until later?

A bold text graphic about LinkedIn visibility, employee-led content, and trusting your own direction when others question your presence online. The message encourages confidence, clarity, and personal brand growth.

I left my job without a plan. My personal brand was the plan.

At the time, I had built my audience to about 50K on LinkedIn. 

I started reaching out to every person I’d ever worked with and told them I was on my own.

One of those calls turned into an opportunity to write and film a social media training for their clients.

If I hadn’t made that call or shown up on LinkedIn—
They might never have thought of me as the right fit.

You’ll never know the shots you’d miss if you don’t take them.

That’s how careers change. That's how your life will change. 

That's how your personal brand shifts the conversation from 'we are looking for someone' to 'we need this person to work for us and here's why.' 

Take the shot, you won't regret it!

Late last year, Melanie Borden, LLC partnered with Alan Ram's Proactive Training Solutions on a social media training for automotive retailers across the US.



One of my favorite chapters we wrote together was on LinkedIn.  

LinkedIn is where I started my personal social selling journey, and I began with very few followers and almost no digital footprint.    

In almost every industry,  B2B or B2C,  your audience is on the platform consuming content just like you. 

As an individual contributor on LinkedIn you can: 

-Showcase your talents,
-Build a personal brand,
-Connect with customers,
-Build relationships,
-Increase your income,

...and so much more. 

LinkedIn is no longer just a place to connect with those in your field and share work updates. 

Are you leveraging LinkedIn for your dealership?

Visibility is the new credibility | Executive Brand & AI Visibility Strategy Leader | GTM Advisor | Author, Theatre of the Mind | Founder @ The Borden Group

A navy-blue tweet-style quote graphic featuring Melanie Borden’s profile photo and handle, @humantobrand. The text reads: “Being famous on LinkedIn is a bit like being rich at monopoly.” The design uses clean, minimalist typography to convey a witty message about personal branding and online influence—reminding professionals that visibility means little without real-world credibility, relationships, and business impact.

taplio

The Battle

Andy Warner

Melanie Borden

Followers

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taplio

The Battle

Andy Warner

Melanie Borden

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Melanie Borden's LinkedIn Performance

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