The Sensei Playbook is a podcast built for automotive professionals who know that world-class customer experience is the ultimate competitive edge. Each episode goes beyond surface-level advice to unpack the real processes, leadership habits, and floor-level conversations that separate good dealerships from great ones - covering everything from the first online touchpoint to the moment a customer drives off the lot.
At the core of every conversation is a belief we don't compromise on: winning customer experience starts with winning employee culture. You can't have one without the other. We explore how top-performing leadership teams build that culture from the inside out - through daily habits, genuine accountability, and a people-first mindset that customers feel the moment they walk through the door.
We also dive into how elite sales and service teams build trust at every touchpoint, consistently delivering experiences that go beyond expectation. And we unpack one of the most underutilized assets in the business - the voice of your happiest customers. We discuss how dealers are capturing powerful video, photo, and written testimonials right at the peak moment of satisfaction, turning great experiences into social proof that fuels referrals and reputation for years to come.
Standards in Retail: Elevating Experience from the Ground Up | Dimitrius Naylor
Dimitrius Naylor discusses entering the automotive industry by accident after leaving the Marine Corps and experiencing nearly two years of homelessness while working various jobs in Jacksonville, North Carolina, before being recruited from a restaurant into car sales in 2008. He credits early mentors for teaching sales, finance mastery, discipline, and leadership, describes setbacks getting stuck in finance, and outlines his path to sales manager, GSM over two stores with about 30 employees near the start of COVID, and a first GM role in Las Cruces, New Mexico where he failed due to inexperience and operational issues. He explains building customer experience through daily training and "standards over shortcuts," highlights Beaver Toyota's employee-first culture and onboarding, and details founding SOS Performance Group to coach dealership middle management. He also launched the Clubhouse show Cars and Coffee for structured, inclusive industry discussions and created Out the Door, a platform for live dealer bidding on customer purchases and trade-ins.
00:00 Intro
00:20 Getting Into Automotive
03:54 Early Mentors & Learning the Business
05:36 Climbing the Ladder: Finance to GM
12:12 First GM Role & Learning from Failure
14:54 Building Culture & Standards Over Shortcuts
18:27 Beaver Toyota & Patrick Abad's Leadership
21:14 SOS Performance Group
24:40 Hiring & Finding Your Why
26:43 Social Media in Sales
28:40 Cars and Coffee Community
32:28 Vendors & Neutral Ground
34:48 Out the Door: New Car Buying Platform
38:46 Vehicle Acquisition: The Auction Killer
42:18 Personal Habits & Favorite Books
43:37 Legacy & Impact
Follow Dimitrius:
www.linkedin.com/in/dimitrius-naylor-3728372b/
www.instagram.com/dimitrius_naylor/
More about SOS Performance Group: www.sosperformancegroup.com/
14 Jul 2026
Why Most Dealerships Aren't Ready for AI | Tim Hayden (Episode 39)
In this episode of the Sensei Playbook, host Chris talks with Tim Hayden of BrainTrust Partners about how AI is reshaping the car-buying and service experience and why dealerships must treat customer and vehicle data as highly sensitive "fuel" for the future. Hayden describes the disconnect between brand promises and the transactional reality customers often face, and argues that improving CX starts with dealership culture built on shared, integrated "sources of truth." He outlines a three-part framework—unify and resolve data into golden records, create a data layer that captures signals across touchpoints, and label data to improve machine learning and AI model efficiency—citing benefits like reduced media waste and fewer redundant messages. They also discuss using negative feedback to recover customers, the limits of automated outreach, and how connected vehicle data and autonomy may change service over the next few years.
19 May 2026
Rock 'n' Roll Leadership: A New Era in Automotive Management | Gregg Stegmann (Episode 38)
In this episode of The Sensei Playbook, host Chris interviews Greg Stegman, General Manager of Wharton Chevrolet, GMC and Ram Country in Wharton, Texas, about building dealership success through people-first leadership. Stegman shares how he entered the car business from restaurant work, rose quickly into sales and finance, and credits mentors and a personal "book" of lessons—reminders of what he vowed never to do as a future GM. He explains how authentic recognition, visibility, accessibility, and individualized motivation create trust, accountability, employee retention, and a stronger customer experience, emphasizing that culture drives sustainable results and OEM metrics. He also outlines a social media approach focused on real people, entertainment and education over constant ads, and says he wants to be known for treating people well and assembling elite teams.
00:00 Don't Forget Your Book
00:19 Podcast Intro
00:44 Meet Greg Stegman
02:09 From Restaurants to Cars
05:19 Dad's Influence and Integrity
07:39 Chasing the Finance Office
11:09 Mentors and the GM Notebook
14:19 Becoming GM and Staying Grounded
16:50 Authentic Recognition and Trust
20:51 Personalized Leadership and Motivation
24:37 Culture Drives Customer Experience
29:31 Circle of Trust and Cici's Concept
31:56 Welcome to CiCis
33:01 Make Guests Feel Seen
33:59 Culture Meets Conflict
35:17 Accountability Builds Trust
36:28 Lead With Care
38:07 Saying I Love You
38:21 Family Roots of Empathy
42:58 Circle of Trust
43:44 Social Media With Culture
48:59 Content Mix That Works
50:36 Jab Jab Right Hook
53:16 One Habit for New GMs
56:11 Legacy and Closing
Connect with Gregg:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/htown.carguy/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gregg.stegman/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stegmangregg/
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