The Dealer Playbook

Most dealerships want more visibility.
The interesting question is whether they’re fully using the visibility they already have.
In this episode, Michael Cirillo breaks down an overlooked opportunity inside Google Business Profile and how dealerships can use it to get in front of more high-intent local car shoppers.
Google Business Profile is already helping shoppers find the store, read reviews, visit the website, call, get directions, and make purchase decisions. Michael’s point is simple: if shoppers are already moving through that channel, there are practical ways to make the experience work harder for the dealership.
Michael uses Strosnider Chevrolet as a real-world example and walks through a simple execution anyone at the store can understand.
The practical takeaway is straightforward:
Before adding another tool, another platform, or another process, make sure you’re getting everything you can from what your dealership already has.
Timestamps
(00:00) Coming Up
(00:53) Flex Dealer Plug
(04:42) Napoleon Quote
(05:17) Why GBP Wins
(09:09) Social Reality Check
(13:22) Reviews Matter
(14:28) Updates Section Hack
(19:22) Repurpose Everywhere
(22:55) Do It Today
(23:44) Wrap Up
(24:20) Final Thanks

Most people assume the biggest problem in retail auto is inventory, rates, or competition.
But every time I walk into a dealership, I see something else at the core of the struggle. It isn’t obvious on the surface, but you can feel it in the turnover, the burnout, the “busy but not fulfilled” pace that too many teams are stuck in.
In this week’s solo episode, I share what I believe is the biggest problem holding retail auto back, and how you can solve it. It’s the same framework my team and I use in my companies, and it’s made all the difference in how we lead, how we serve, and even how I show up at home with my family.
I think you’ll find it both challenging and hopeful.
Timestamps
(00:00) Ethical Fading Warning
(00:35) Episode Sponsor: FlexDealer
(02:05) Legacy Matters
(06:46) Why Teams Feel Stuck
(10:25) Defining Ethical Fading
(13:14) Reset With Values
(16:30) Guiding Principles Exercise
(19:50) Six Genius Types Explained
(24:18) Action Steps And ROI
(27:18) Using GPT As Chief Of Staff
(30:24) Final Thanks And Subscribe

This week Michael talks with a Cadillac Sales Consultant at Andrews Cadillac in Brentwood, Tennessee, who spent years ranked in the top 100 nationally before ever posting online, and then built 150,000 followers in a single year without her numbers dropping.
She walks through the moment she realized being good at her job wasn't enough to stay on top. She needed more people to know it. That's the shift that started everything, from her first clumsy videos to a system that now brings buyers in already trusting her. She also talks candidly about a cancer diagnosis during pregnancy, why she stopped tying her worth to whether she sold a car that day, and how she holds firm boundaries (home by 5, no Saturdays) while still outselling reps working six days a week.
You can find her as AndreaSellsCadillac across platforms, or reach her directly through Andrews Cadillac in Brentwood.
Michael's takeaway: the top of your market isn't a finish line, it's the point where you have to ask what got you here won't keep you here, so what's next.
Timestamps
(00:00) Rapid Growth Setup
(00:49) Sponsor Message
(04:05) Early Sales Lessons
(06:55) Fitness To Dealership
(08:31) Abundance Mindset Origins
(11:20) Cancer Perspective Shift
(16:25) Why Social Media Started
(19:59) Hooking Viewers Fast
(22:46) Reps And Authenticity
(26:22) Cost Of Top Performer
(29:23) Why Customers Choose Her
(31:36) Boundaries And Balance
(34:36) Connect And Wrap Up

Most dealers are fighting over a sliver of traffic while the majority goes unclaimed. Matt Copley, Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Revenue Officer of Hrizn, joins Michael to unpack it. With over 25 years across media, adtech, and martech, including a decade working inside retail automotive itself, Matt's built a career watching how dealers show up online, and now builds the platform to fix it.
They dig into a number pulled from SparkToro, Datos, and Semrush: paid clicks only account for 1.8 to 4.9% of all clicks after a search. The rest is organic, and it's where the real opportunity sits. They get into why chasing hundreds of keywords through an outside SEO vendor is a losing fight, how a simple wearable AI note taker can capture a service writer's or product specialist's knowledge with zero extra work, and a mistake already live on plenty of dealer sites right now: unchecked AI-generated vehicle descriptions.
Connect with Matt Copley on LinkedIn, or head to Hrizn.io for their resource library on content and search, open to anyone whether they're a customer or not.
Michael's takeaway: stop fighting for the 2%. The 98% is already there, and it's free.
Timestamps(00:00) Stop Chasing Keywords
(01:13) Sponsor Message FlexDealer
(02:38) Content Lives In Store
(03:30) Outsourced Content Problem
(07:12) Capture Expertise With AI
(09:10) Search Everywhere Strategy
(14:48) Paid Vs Organic Flip
(20:08) Social As Infrastructure
(23:09) People Over Brands
(28:54) Fight AI Content Slop
(35:38) Podcast Outro

Average production has a cost, and it usually shows up long before someone notices it in their paycheck.
After 18 years in automotive retail, Raul stepped away from the general sales manager position and returned to the showroom floor as a client advisor. He wanted to reconnect with the customer experience and find out what separates someone selling ten cars a month from someone consistently producing 20 or more.
Raul explains why average producers often wait for perfect deals, avoid low-gross opportunities, and talk themselves out of transactions before the customer ever does. High performers keep stacking deals, serve every customer well, and understand that one additional sale can unlock thousands of dollars in volume bonuses.
He also shares why personal presentation matters, how helping coworkers strengthens the entire store, and why operating like an owner can make you more valuable regardless of your title.
The conversation moves into social media, where Raul breaks down how educational content creates real business. One video about the G-Wagon market led to a factory order, an interim lease, and a referral who purchased another vehicle.
Raul is a client advisor with 18 years of dealership experience and the creator behind Vincierge. Connect with him on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook at @vincierge
Michael’s takeaway: Average is expensive. Stop waiting for better opportunities and become better at serving the opportunities already in front of you.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:48 Dealer Playbook Support
02:10 Why He Returned
08:41 Can Connection Be Taught
15:37 Play by the Rules
19:39 Leadership Advantage
26:52 Money Versus Meaning
29:03 From 10 to 40 Cars
35:00 Service First Selling
40:56 Social Media Reality
42:06 Content That Sells
49:29 Authenticity Over AI
51:48 Right People Not Viral
55:25 Wrap Up and Connect