The Dealer Playbook

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The Dealer Playbook Inspired by car dealers, let's explore what it takes to thrive in the retail auto industry! Hosted by Michael Cirillo. New episodes weekly every Thursday!

The Dealer Playbook is a podcast about exploring what it takes to thrive within the retail automobile industry.

19/11/2025

Most dealerships are still overthinking marketing.

They chase the next tactic.
They chase the next tool.
They chase the next “fix.”

But the best marketing is not something you buy.
It is something you deliver.

In my conversation with Yolanda Biswah, we talked about the simple truth most people overlook.
A good, honest, transparent, open buying experience does more for your brand than any ad or campaign ever could.

Because when a customer feels taken care of, they go home and tell people.
They share the story.
They share the excitement of the experience.
They bring others with them.

That is how real loyalty is built.
Not with impressions.
With impressions that matter.

The Playbook:
1.) Lead with transparency. Customers trust what they can see.
2.) Communicate openly. Silence creates doubt. Conversation creates confidence.
3.) Deliver a personal experience. Word of mouth begins with how you make people feel.

Great marketing is not something you push.
It is something customers pull forward for you.

18/11/2025

Most dealers are making decisions in the dark.

They feel the market shifting, but they cannot explain why.
Prices move. Demand cools. Trade expectations spike.
And the numbers stop behaving the way they used to.

That is why my conversation with Yolanda Biswah, President of Canadian Black Book, matters right now.

CBB has sixty five years of data showing how the market actually moves.
And when the pandemic wiped out auction data, they rebuilt valuation from the ground up by watching real retail behavior in real time.

Yolanda breaks down the patterns most people never see.
Why Canadians hold vehicles longer.
Why confidence drives credit applications more than rates.
Why the trade-in perception gap is outdated.
And how transparency in appraisal is now a competitive advantage.

The Playbook:
1.) Bring customers inside the appraisal process. Trust requires visibility.
2.) Use residual values to guide remarketing. Plan before you price.
3.) Stop drowning in reports. Data only matters when it becomes action.

In a volatile market, clarity is the only edge.
And this episode shows you where to find it.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation with Yolanda Biswah on The Dealer Playbook.

18/11/2025

Something strange is happening in the Canadian automotive market.
Values are swinging faster than anyone expected.
Consumer behavior is not lining up with traditional forecasts.
And the signals dealers used to trust are becoming harder to read.

Everyone feels the shift.
Almost no one can explain it.

That is the conversation we step into today.

At 9 AM Central, I sit down with Yolanda Biswah, President of Canadian Black Book, to uncover what 65 years of data is revealing beneath the surface. Not opinions. Not theories. Actual patterns that explain why the Canadian market moves differently, why forecasting is suddenly unpredictable, and why one small change in consumer confidence can move an entire segment.

This episode shines a light on the part of the business most people misunderstand.
The market is not chaotic. It is not random.
It is reacting to signals that very few people are trained to see.

If you are responsible for inventory, pricing, forecasting, or strategic decisions inside a dealership, this conversation might change the way you interpret the data in front of you.

Join us in the comments section, share your perspective, challenge the ideas, ask your questions in real time. The conversation will be better with your voice in it.

17/11/2025

Most customers still walk into a dealership convinced one thing will happen.
Their trade will get lowballed.

But what Yolanda Biswah reveals in this episode flips that narrative on its head.
She explains why the perception of “dealers undervalue trades” is often fueled by emotion, memory, and misinformation… not actual market data.
And why, more often than not, the customer’s number is the one that is out of sync with reality.

Here is the part that cuts deep for our industry.
She says the old belief that dealers “steal trades” is disappearing in communities where stores build real relationships.
Not perfect processes.
Not louder marketing.
Actual trust.

Because when a dealership gets a trade-in conversation right, five other things fall into place.
Retention.
Equity timing.
Transparency.
Referral flow.
And long-term brand loyalty that competitors cannot break.

This is the tension we explore tomorrow.
Consumer perception versus actual valuation.
Emotion versus evidence.
Data versus assumptions.

Live Premiere • Tomorrow • 9 AM Central

16/11/2025

There’s a verse that has been shaping the way I show up in my work and my relationships:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

It’s easy to think “light” is something loud.
But most of the time, light shows up as consistency.
Kindness.
Integrity when no one is watching.
Choosing to lift instead of compete.
Choosing to serve instead of impress.

This verse reminds me that influence isn’t built by force.
It’s built by the quiet way you move, the way you treat people, and the way you stand for what’s right even when no one is keeping score.

If you’re reading this, consider it a gentle nudge.
Your light is needed where you are.
Not a louder version of you, not a perfect version of you… just the real you showing up with purpose.

May your work be a light.
May your actions speak louder than your titles.
And may God use the simplest things you do today to bless someone who needs it more than you know.

Blessed Sunday, gang!

15/11/2025

The best customer experiences are never about process.

They are about people.

In a past conversation, Edwin Frizzell shared a story that reminded me how powerful human connection really is.

He was out of town when a tire sensor warning came on.
No relationship with the dealership.
No familiar faces.
Just that moment of uncertainty we’ve all felt when something goes wrong.

He expected the usual transactional experience.
What he got instead was something entirely different.

A genuine welcome.
A calm voice that said, “Let’s figure this out together.”

And the real moment of truth came later.
The same person who first greeted him came back with a glass of water, a coffee, and a simple observation about his blue leather interior.

It wasn’t about the car.
It was about the connection.
Someone noticed him.

That moment turned a routine visit into something unforgettable.
And now, he’s considering buying his next vehicle from that same dealership.

The Playbook (from Edwin):
1.) Connection creates loyalty. People remember how you made them feel.
2.) Pay attention to details. Small observations build instant trust.
3.) Care louder. Service is what they expect. Connection is what they remember.

A customer walked in with a problem.
He left with a story worth retelling.

14/11/2025

If you don’t feel your customer, you can’t help them.

That’s what Marion Cain said, and it’s one of those truths that separates transactional sellers from transformational ones.

When you’re focused on connecting with the individual,
you’re not selling a car anymore.
You’re understanding a story.

Every person who walks into your dealership is carrying something,
stress, fear, hope, maybe even pride.

Your job isn’t to talk them into something.
It’s to feel what’s behind their decision.

Because when you understand their pain points, you can guide them toward peace of mind.
When you feel their frustration, you can help them find clarity.
And when you elevate their confidence, you earn trust, not just a sale.

Marion framed it perfectly:
Sometimes upgrading isn’t about luxury.
It’s about freedom.
Freedom from maintenance worries.
Freedom from chasing dimes.
Freedom to focus on what actually moves them forward.

That kind of empathy doesn’t just sell cars.
It changes experiences.

The Playbook (from Marion):
1.) Lead with empathy. Feel before you fix.
2.) Find their pain point. People buy peace of mind, not metal and rubber.
3.) Create transformation. Show them what life looks like on the other side.

Sales isn’t persuasion.
It’s connection.
And connection always wins.

13/11/2025

Most salespeople think customers pay more for features.

They don’t.

They pay more for how you make them feel.

That’s what Marion Cain shared in our conversation, and it's true.

Because we all talk about value,
better technology, smoother service, faster delivery,
but none of that matters if you make the customer feel small in the process.

Marion put it this way:
If you raise someone’s status, they’ll happily pay more.
If you lower it, they’ll never forget it, and they’ll never pay for it again.

He used the perfect analogy:
Coach. Business. First Class.

Everyone gets to the destination at the same time.
But one experience feels different because someone thought about how you’d feel on the way there.

That’s the power of status.
And the truth is, you are the difference.

Your tone.
Your presence.
Your ability to elevate someone’s confidence and dignity determines whether they see you as a commodity or as luxury.

The Playbook (from Marion):
1.) Status drives value. People pay more when they feel more.
2.) Protect their dignity. Every word, tone, and action adds or subtracts value.
3.) Be the differentiator. Products don’t create premium experiences, people do.

Everyone gets to the destination at the same time.
But the best salespeople make the ride unforgettable.

12/11/2025

Most people start their day by reacting.

Great leaders start by lining up their dominoes.

That’s what Marion Cain shared with me in this week’s episode, and it might be the simplest, smartest framework for multiplying your time.

Think about it.
You can spend your day pushing dominoes one by one, responding to fires, fixing what breaks, doing everything yourself.

Or you can take a few minutes to set them up.
Align your priorities.
Build a process that turns one intentional action into ten results.

That’s the power of a force multiplier.

It’s not about doing more.
It’s about designing your day so one push moves everything forward.

The Playbook (from Marion):
1.) Line up your dominoes before the day starts. Chaos hates preparation.
2.) Build processes that cascade. Every task should trigger progress in another.
3.) Be the force multiplier. One focused action beats ten scattered efforts.

The best leaders don’t move faster.
They move smarter.
Because when the dominoes are aligned, all it takes is one well-placed move to change the day.

🎧 Watch or listen to the full conversation with Marion Cain on The Dealer Playbook.

11/11/2025

Luxury isn’t a price tag.

It’s a feeling.

That’s what Cain, founder of ACE and creator of Charisma Mastery, reminded me in this week’s episode.

Because people don’t buy a car to own a vehicle.
They buy to affirm who they are, or who they’re becoming.

When a customer walks into your dealership, they’re not just there to make a purchase.
They’re looking for connection, confidence, and a story that matches the version of themselves they want to drive home as.

Luxury is how you make them feel seen in that moment.

Marion breaks down the science of charisma, from the first 90 seconds of body language and tone, to the nonverbal cues that elevate trust and drive higher gross.

It’s not about selling more cars.
It’s about delivering moments that make customers say,
“This is exactly where I belong.”

The Playbook:
1.) Luxury starts before the pitch. Your energy, posture, and presence set the tone.
2.) Raise their status. People pay more when they feel more.
3.) Be the difference. You are the luxury experience.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here👉 thedealerplaybook.com/episodes/luxury-isnt-about-price-how-to-deliver-premium-experiences-that-raise-gross

11/11/2025

Most people think selling is about convincing.
It’s not.

It’s about understanding how people see themselves — and how every decision they make is a reflection of that identity.

That’s where Marion W. Cain III and I went in this conversation.
We talked about the psychology behind presence, the science of status, and why confidence has become the most underdeveloped skill in business today.

This isn’t about charisma as performance.
It’s about what actually happens when your energy matches your intention — when people feel your certainty before you even speak.

If you’ve ever felt like your results don’t match your effort, this episode might explain why.

Join me in the comments and let’s unpack this together!

10/11/2025

Every once in a while, you have a conversation that makes you see the whole game differently.

This one with W. Cain III did that for me.

We talked about the invisible layer of business that can’t be automated: presence, confidence, the way someone feels when they’re around you.

Because here’s the truth no one wants to admit:
Technology can get you seen.
But only humanity gets you chosen.

And that left me wondering…

When everything about business feels automated, what does it actually mean to be present?

See you tomorrow in the comments section of our live premiere,
let’s hang out like last time.

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