The Dealer Playbook

The Dealer Playbook is the podcast for serious automotive professionals. The ones who think beyond the transaction.Hosted by Michael Cirillo, now in its 12th year, The Dealer Playbook delivers straight-talk conversations with the dealers, operators, and leaders who are actually building something.If you run a store, lead a team, or are building a career worth having, this is your show.New episodes every week. Follow so you don't miss one.

The Dealer Playbook is a business podcast hosted by Michael Cirillo, with 701 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Michael Cirillo hosts The Dealer Playbook, a business show with 701 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  The Dealer Playbook

  “AI Can’t Find You” — Why AI Is Skipping Your Dealership Website | Wade Kerzie, Founder Kerzie AI

  Oct 6, 202630 min

  This is one of those episodes where you'll want to pull up your own website halfway through. Michael sits down with his neighbor, Wade of Kerzie.ai, to talk about why AI keeps skipping right past dealership websites. Wade's been tracking how fast search is shifting. A year ago, 6% of people were using ChatGPT to search. Now it's 45%. When one of those people asks ChatGPT to find them a vehicle, AI doesn't read your homepage. It looks for a page written specifically for it. If that page isn't there, it pieces together an answer from older information, and that's when your hours and your inventory come back wrong. Wade walks through his front cover, back cover way of thinking about it, a simple test you can run on your site in under a minute, and how his team keeps a dealer's inventory current for AI every single day. If you're stuck on an OEM-mandated website platform, he's got good news for you there too. Connect with Wade at Kerzie.ai. His calendar and email are both there. Michael's takeaway: We spent twenty years learning how to get found by Google. This round is faster and cheaper to adapt to, but only for the dealers who actually do it. Timestamps (00:00) AI Findability Matters (01:26) Podcast Sponsor Break (02:52) AI Upside For Dealers (05:15) Search Shift To ChatGPT (09:46) Structure Beats Content (11:26) Inventory Data For AI (12:36) Author Your AI Profile (20:18) Future Of Websites (25:18) Human Value And Upskilling (29:17) Wrap Up And Contact (29:43) Final Outro

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  The Dealer Playbook

  “I Didn’t Have to Chase Ups” — Car Sales Systems Behind 64 Cars in 15 Days | Kevin Rudolph, Sales Team Leader at Royal Buick GMC

  Sep 29, 202633 min

  Kevin Rudolph sold 64 cars in a month and worked 14 or 15 days to do it. He didn't chase ups, and he didn't wait on the BDC. Kevin is a top-producing salesperson at a single-point Buick GMC store in rural northwest New Jersey. Before sales, he spent 13 years as a master tech and shop owner, and he only stepped onto the sales floor because his wife pushed him. He had one condition. His kids were going to know him. That condition forced him to build something most reps never do. In this conversation, Kevin walks Michael through the request he made to his bosses once his numbers backed it up. He shares how two full-time assistants became part of his deals, and why his customers are fine buying from his team when he's home with his family. He also talks about a mentor's line that became his reason for going to work every day, and why he won't sponsor anything he can't personally show up to. And Kevin explains what happened when his store took notice. Connect with Kevin on Facebook by searching #ridewithrudolph, or find Kevin Rudolph on LinkedIn. Michael's takeaway: "Kevin earned the help before he asked for it, and that help bought his family time back. Build the process, prove the units, then go get your people." Timestamps (00:00) 60 Cars Four Days (00:53) Sponsor Message FlexDealer (02:17) From Repair Shop To Sales (05:47) Family First Mindset (11:47) Building A Sales Team (16:41) Community Giveback That Works (20:38) First Three Career Moves (24:21) Culture Training And Small Markets (28:25) Key Takeaways And Mindset (32:22) Connect And Closing

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  The Dealer Playbook

  “Stop Doing The Memes” — What Actually Works for Dealers on Social Media | Charlie Czerniawski, Car Sales Manager at Sansone Toyota

  Sep 22, 202636 min

  Charlie Czerniawski, better known as Emcee Charlie, has spent more than two decades in automotive retail and built a significant following across Instagram and TikTok. But this conversation is much bigger than follower counts. Charlie explains how salespeople can use social media to become known in their market before a customer ever walks into the dealership. That familiarity changes the interaction. Customers start asking for specific people. Trust begins earlier. And the salesperson starts building demand around their own name instead of depending entirely on random floor traffic. Charlie shares some practical tips, including what he would do differently if he had to start all over again today. You can find Charlie on Instagram and TikTok as Emcee Charlie. Michael's takeaway: stop posting for attention and start posting proof. Your name is the thing that gets a customer through the door before price ever comes up. Timestamps (00:00) Why People Need To Know You (00:35) Starting From Zero Online (01:08) Quick Show Support Break (02:35) How Charlie Got Into Car Sales (06:36) Why He Reinvented His Content (09:12) Sell Yourself Before The Car (12:03) How To Build Repeat Customers (18:00) Surviving The Chaos Of Retail (20:19) What He’d Do Starting From Zero (24:46) You Don’t Need 50K Views (28:55) Become The Person Buyers Know (32:53) Match The Buyer To The Person (34:34) Connect With Emcee Charlie (35:31) Final Takeaway

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  The Dealer Playbook

  "Forget the Gimmicks" - How to Win Customers for Life | Hank Ebeling, Owner and Lead Coach at H4 Training

  Sep 15, 202626 min

  Hank Ebeling is the Owner and Lead Coach at H4 Training. With a background in the fitness industry and a deep understanding of hospitality, Hank has honed his skills in delivering exceptional customer experiences. His expertise has helped numerous small businesses differentiate themselves through superior service, making him a sought-after consultant and author of "Crushing the Competition with Service." What We Discuss in This Episode: In this episode I sit down with Hank Ebeling to uncover the secrets of turning customer service into a formidable competitive advantage. Hank passionately discusses why exceptional customer service is the best marketing strategy a business can have. He argues that many business owners underestimate the power of outstanding service as a competitive advantage. Good customer service is not enough; it must be exceptional to create "walking billboards" for your business. Hank shares insights on how businesses can invest in their teams, hire the right people, and provide proper training to ensure that customer service becomes a true differentiator. We explore the idea that hospitality and genuine customer care are teachable skills. Hank shares his belief that many businesses become tone-deaf to customers' needs because they are too focused on their own objectives. He stresses the importance of shifting from an ego-driven mindset to one that prioritizes serving customers. This shift not only enhances customer satisfaction but also drives long-term business growth. Tune in as we discuss the critical mindset shifts needed to prioritize customer service, the tangible benefits it brings, and practical steps to implement these strategies effectively. Thanks, Hank Ebeling! Timestamps (00:00) Welcome and Sponsor (00:31) Hank’s Service Origin Story (05:37) Make It About Them, Win Long Term (07:18) Service as a Marketing Advantage (11:40) FlexDealer Ad Break (12:07) Fitness vs. Car-Buying Skepticism (15:49) Be Genuine, Ditch the Script (17:08) Culture, Hiring and Empowerment (21:01) Lead Zombies and Capacity Reality (22:13) Why Hank Wrote the Book (25:14) Connect with Hank (25:53) Podcast Outro

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  The Dealer Playbook

  "Sold 300+ Used Cars" - This ford store cracked the used car game | Rob Ruth, President - Bob Ruth Ford

  Sep 8, 202634 min

  How do you sell 300+ used cars a month in a town of 2,900 people, and buy 240 vehicles off the street without relying on auctions? In this episode, Rob Ruth the President / Owner of Bob Ruth Ford, Dillsburg PA breaks down the real playbook behind scaling a pre-owned-first dealership inside a franchise system, and why a startup mindset, disciplined acquisition, and a culture built on partnership can outperform “bigger market” excuses. Rob shares exactly how they pivoted during COVID when inventory vanished, how they built a team-based buying machine (starting with Facebook Marketplace outreach), and why used cars drive the whole store: service, parts, profitability, and growth. What you’ll learn: Why used cars are the real growth lever (40M used vs ~16M new) and how to differentiate The acquisition-first framework: buying center, street buys, and scaling a sourcing team How to sell 8 used for every 1 new while keeping the OEM satisfied What’s working now: $25K-and-under sweet spot, pricing discipline, and recon strategy Leadership and culture: treating employees like partners, creating career paths, and recruiting in a small market The recession-proof logic of building a pre-owned engine when markets shift If you’re a dealer, operator, or leader who feels boxed in by OEM pressure, market size, or “the way it’s always been done,” this episode will challenge you to rethink what’s possible and remind you why you got into this business in the first place. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to the Used Car Mindset 00:36 The Story Behind Bob Ruth Ford 01:02 Key Elements of a Successful Pre-Owned Operation 01:13 Flex Dealer and the Dealer Playbook 02:35 Rob Ruth's Journey and Mindset 03:46 Challenges and Strategies in the Used Car Market 06:05 The Startup Mentality in a Family Business 15:20 Acquisition and Inventory Management 26:20 Community Impact and Leadership 33:29 Conclusion and How to Connect

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on The Dealer Playbook. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.