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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.

16/09/2025

“Family-owned for 50 years.” Cool… but what does that mean for me, the customer?

Do I get peace of mind because you’ve stood the test of time?
Do I get better service because your reputation is on the line?
Do I feel like I’m stepping into a business that’s built trust for half a century?

The “so what” isn’t dismissive, it’s an invitation.
The milestone is impressive, but the implication is what matters.

Fifty years is more than a number. It’s a story, a legacy, a promise.
The opportunity is to connect those dots for the customer so they don’t just see “family-owned,” they feel what it means to them.

What do you think?

15/09/2025

“It’s better to sweat in peace than to bleed in war.”

That’s what my Chief Revenue Officer at Flex Emer Sanabria, who is also a 20-year retired Marine combat veteran, shared.

And man, isn't that the truth?

Because isn’t that exactly what happens in business (and life)?

We’re wired to wait until it hurts before we change.
We coast when times are good.
We only get serious when the storm hits.

The wisdom here?
Sweat early.
Make the tweaks when no one’s watching.
Fine-tune your processes, mindset, and priorities when the stakes are low.

Because those small, disciplined improvements you make today are the very things that prevent you from “bleeding” when the market shifts tomorrow.

So let me ask you 👇
What’s one small “sweat in peace” practice you’ve built that’s paid off big when times got tough?

13/09/2025

Listen to this... At a time when headlines scream about AI “taking jobs,” McKinsey just announced they’re doing the opposite.

Why?
Because while AI can handle efficiency, it can’t replace curiosity, fresh perspective, or the ability to see growth where others see limits.

That resonates with me.
Not because AI isn’t powerful, it is. But because the magic happens when AI augments human capability instead of replacing it.

I find myself asking:
👉 What could we do as an industry if we stopped looking at AI as a replacement… and started seeing it as a multiplier?

That’s exactly the conversation Paul and I dove into on Episode #1141 of ASOTU.

Full episode link in the comments.

12/09/2025

What if the hardest part about selling used EVs isn’t the car… but the culture?

That’s what Jimmy Douglas shared in this week's episode...

He said the dealers who are making it work aren’t just putting a few EVs on the lot and hoping for the best, their whole team is bought in. Leadership, sales, finance… everyone speaks the same language.

And here’s where it gets tricky: despite record-low payments and government incentives, we've still seen new EVs sit for 100+ days on lots. So if it’s that hard to move new ones, how do you make the math work on used?

That’s the part that surprised me. And it’s where Jimmy’s perspective gets really interesting.

If you haven't, check out the full episode here: https://buff.ly/gz5PkGu

11/09/2025

Half of dealers still won’t touch used EVs. The other half? A tiny sliver is running up the score.

In this week’s episode of , I sat down with Jimmy Douglas, founder and CEO of Plug and a former Tesla exec, to figure out what’s really happening.

Jimmy dropped a crazy stat:

“Only 0.2% of dealers overall sold at least one used EV every week. It’s practically untapped by the masses.”

It’s a lopsided game. But here’s the twist, Jimmy doesn’t believe every dealer should sell EVs right now. In his words, dabbling could be worse than sitting out.

So what’s the play? Who should go all in, and who should stay out? And what happens when the tax credit clock runs out?

That’s what we dig into in this episode. And the answers might change the way you think about the next 10 years of your business.

👉 Listen to the full episode with Jimmy here: https://buff.ly/gz5PkGu

10/09/2025

“Get more traffic, leads, and sales.”

My least favourite catchphrase of the last decade in automotive.

Why? Because it misaligned expectations with reality.

It tricked us into believing: if we build it, they will come.
New website. New DR tool. New marketing agency.
Magic bullet, right?

Except… the reality is different.
Traffic doesn’t guarantee leads.
Leads don’t guarantee sales.

The truth is simpler — and harder.
Growth happens when expectations and reality are aligned.

When providers and dealers know exactly who owns what.
That’s when numbers rise, morale improves, and relationships strengthen.

It’s not complicated. It’s alignment.
And when expectations meet reality… magic happens.

What do you think?

08/09/2025

“Good customer service isn’t enough anymore.”

Because here’s the thing 👇
If your service is only “good,” you’re playing the same game as everyone else.

Hank Ebeling said it perfectly on the pod: true competitive advantage happens when you go above and beyond. And that begins with...
– Hiring the right ones.
– Coaching them well.
– Onboarding them with intention.
– And turning service from a passive expectation into a memorable advantage.

Because “good” is the baseline. Customers expect it.
“Great” is what they talk about.
And “above and beyond” is what they never forget.

So, if “good service” is now the baseline, what does above and beyond look like to you?

06/09/2025

Okay, okay… but who’s training our leaders?

We pour endless hours into training salespeople. Scripts. Objection handling. PowerPoints on “closing like a pro.”

But when it comes to leaders? Too often, the assumption is… the title is enough.

And I don’t mean leaders aren’t qualified. Many are.
But shouldn’t we put the same level of intentionality into developing leaders as we do into training salespeople?

Because here’s the paradox:
If we train the salesperson to a high level, but leave the leader to “figure it out”… we’ve just created a gap.
Now the person tasked with guiding, inspiring, and modelling the standard might be less equipped than the people they’re leading.

A title doesn’t magically grant patience, clarity, or the ability to inspire.
It doesn’t teach you how to model the culture you want your team to follow.

If we expect leaders to raise up “rockstars,” then leaders themselves have to be trained, coached, and sharpened too.
Because a leader’s job isn’t just to know the operation — it’s to become the example.

What do you think? Should leadership training get the same focus as sales training in our industry?

Will the auto industry create the world’s first trillionaire?
06/09/2025

Will the auto industry create the world’s first trillionaire?

05/09/2025

In a tech-saturated world, the rarest thing you can offer is… being human.

Because think about it: everyone is chasing tech. Run Facebook ads. Run Google ads. Automate this. Automate that.

But standing out isn’t about doing more of the same. It’s about doing the thing that feels different. The thing that cuts through.

And here’s the irony 👇
No matter the demographic — rich, poor, middle class — people don’t just want another click.
They want something to do.
They want something to feel.
They want to connect with a human being.

The tech is important. But human connection? That’s the differentiator.

That’s what we explored in my conversation with Ondar Tarlow on this week's episode: how dealers can cut through the noise by creating experiences that matter.

If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, do yourself a favour and check it out. Ondar Tarlow shared some mind-shifting insights that completely reframe how you think about events and connection: https://buff.ly/lHDYHXd

04/09/2025

Dealers love the idea of community activation.
Bring people into the store. Get foot traffic. Create a sense of buzz.

It all sounds great, until the “VIP event” you put weeks of energy into ends up feeling like another cocktail party that no one remembers the next day.

This week on , I sat down with Ondar Tarlow, a marketing strategist who’s worked with brands like Fastlane Drive, the LA Chargers, and Pacific Premier Bank. He’s built events that cut through the noise and actually connect.

So I wanted to hear from him: What really makes a dealership event unforgettable?

His answer? It starts with one simple question most dealers aren’t asking.

Who exactly is this for?

Catch the full episode and even more insights on our website: https://buff.ly/lHDYHXd

03/09/2025

“Best practices are overrated.”

That was Tim Hayden’s point on the pod — and to be honest, it made a lot of sense!

The idea that someone outside your business can tell you exactly how to run it misses one key truth, your store is unique.

Your customers don’t behave like everyone else’s.
Your workflows, brands, and decision-making processes are specific to you.

Yes, there are a few broad best practices that help set a foundation. But blindly following all of them? That’s where it gets tricky.

Because what works perfectly for one organization might miss the mark completely for another.

The opportunity isn’t to copy and paste. It’s about listening, learning, testing, and then adapting those practices to fit your unique business and people.

What do you think? Are “best practices” a starting point… or do they sometimes get in the way of doing what’s actually best?

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