“Hospitality First” — The Signature 2.0 Experience That’s Changing How Guests Buy Cars | JB Burnett, GM at Preston Auto | Multi-Store Operator
The Dealer Playbook
“Hospitality First” — The Signature 2.0 Experience That’s Changing How Guests Buy Cars | JB Burnett, GM at Preston Auto | Multi-Store Operator
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Concept
Signature 2.0
Signature 2.0 is Ford’s new way of selling cars that mixes online shopping with a physical store so you can order a car on your phone and then pick it up at the dealership without waiting in line.
Term
digital retailing
Digital retailing means you can buy a car online, choose options, and then go to the dealership only for a test drive or final paperwork. It makes buying cars easier from home.
Brand
Ford
Ford is a big car company that makes many different kinds of cars and trucks. It’s one of the oldest and most famous car makers in America.
LIVE
There's obviously a lot of talk about the market, and our industry is no stranger to economic downturns with this new experience, and the risks that come along with it. What are your thoughts about some of the narrative around potential looming recession and your response plan? We can all think about Doomsday, and I mean, I was in the auto industry in O.A. We went through it, but again, we figured it out. It's the dealers that are Ford thinking enough that I think actually thrive.
In those kinds of challenges. I'm sure you've got team members who are more forward-thinking and some that you're helping elevate. What advice or recommendation do you make as a leader? Perhaps other leaders that are finding it a struggle to get their teams in the right frame of mind around whatever may come? I mean, I think a big part of it is that what we believe they're going to believe. And so, if we are afraid of doom and gloom and we walk around with a strong cloud over our head all day, then it's so easy for them to look at us.
They say, well, you do it so I can do it. What's the template here? If you had to say, all right, other leaders, here's how you do this, because I know so many struggle with this and they they're all over the place. You seem very structured to me. What does that hard conversation format look like for you? So I think it's. One of the things that I enjoy most about producing the dealer playbook is hearing from you. The messages that I get of people who are getting so much value out of the podcast, applying it to their day-to-day workflows and finding a thriving
career right here in the retail auto industry. It means the world to me. And you know, one of the ways that we make doing this possible is through my agency FlexDealer. And of course, in the spirit of providing value, I think this is a perfect time to head over to tripledw.flexDealer.com to show even further support for you, my beloved DPB gang. Right now, if you go to my website FlexDealer.com, you can get a full free PDF of my number one bestselling book. Don't wait, dominate. And the reason I think it's so special,
is that a lot of the topics that are discussed in this book are even more relevant today than ever with this surgeon popularized AI and people wondering, well, what can I do next? How can I have a competitive advantage? Well, that's all here in this book. And so I'd love to be able to offer you a free copy of this. If you go to FlexDealer.com, it would mean the world to me, because that is how we continue to produce this show for you.
Today, I'm chatting with JB Burnett, a multi-store operator who is obsessed with culture, with process and results. Today we're going to talk about his brand new Ford signature 2.0 store, super exciting. His response plan to rumors of a looming recession and the practical ways in which he and his team are elevating the guests.
I just experienced JB. Thanks so much for joining me on the playbook. Absolutely, man. Thanks for having me.
Okay. You were on an episode of auto collabs. That's one of the other shows that that we do together. And we were talking all about the the new signature Ford store. And you showed us some of the mockups.
But I don't think the store was quite open yet when we recorded that. Yeah, it was just it was some of the concept photos. I think I showed you and then some of the active construction photos.
But we actually did we opened the doors beginning of October. And and so we're been in three weeks and it is it's sort of like building the plane in the air.
Because we're still we're still finishing up some touches and stuff. But it's been it's honestly been a wild wild arrive when we last talked. I don't know.
I don't know that I expected I don't know that I expected it to be quite this this insane.
You it's been so it's been two three weeks now or maybe two weeks. I saw your post on LinkedIn. I want to pull this up. Your post on linked in you said we are only a short time in opening our Ford signature 2.0 facility in Millsboro.
And the response has been beyond anything we imagined. I guess you are your breaking records or you've had like pretty good good sales weeks since you opened.
Yes, so I mean the first first week or two getting in and it's you just trying to catch your breath. We had we moved inventory because we moved from a facility. It was eight and a half miles away. So you moved your entire parts department.
You moved your entire service department vehicles that were sitting on the lot waiting for back order parts or whatever the case may be had to move all those and then on top of that you know 300 units and and move down the road.
The transition was. I mean I'll be honest with you my team pulled it off in about four days and that that was pretty wild and from there. You know get man and get settled and opening up the new process with you know sales anywhere in digital retailing that we had never really done before.
You know I'm going to tell you last week was probably the first week we took a breath and that we had the second largest week that the stores ever had in and it's open existence.
I gotta ask you a mindset question here because you know it's difficult to get a sense of how much energy is around something good and bad energy unless you're experiencing it.
I want to know from a mindset perspective you as a leader seeing all of the moving pieces and being engaged in this for months and months and months.
How do you navigate taking a breath to be able to actually like absorb the monster that you just slayed.
Because like we're not good at it like us a types we're not good at it at all so what is taking a breath mean to you.
So you know it was a lot of stuff bombarding over and over again it was all it was it was an opportunity for a solution after an opportunity for a solution and.
And one of the things I mean I was the top down leadership you have to keep the right the right mindset in the right head space you can't you can't show anybody else that you know you're a little little concerned if you are if you aren't and so you know we just went into every day like.
Regardless of what hits us we're good it's all figure out of all we're going to we're going to find answers were none of it's the end of the world.
You know we it's certain times we didn't have power there's certain times electricians were working on top of of mechanics and and you know it's like okay well let's use a different back and we'll figure it out the first day we were in the store halfway moved in.
We sold three cars and people just walked in the show room we didn't know what we were going to how we were going to sell we didn't have printers working and it was like you know we'll figure it out I got to run over to the crisis store to print a contract that's what I'll do.
And so fortunately we're all on the same campus so we had some backup support but I think all of it was just like you said on mindset was just not allowing anything to be a problem it was always just opportunities to figure this out.
Wow I mean that is such a poignant lesson to be learned how did you develop that ability to because it resonates with me this this idea like you ain't going to get me.
You know which you know I'm just going to call us out for a minute in this industry we're not incredibly good at at large like very reactionary very panicky right and we're going to talk about that in your thoughts about you know a looming recession and market shifts and all those sorts things in a minute but staying centered on this I mean where does that come from in you how did you develop that muscle or is it has it been inherent in you.
Well we we touched on a little bit last time we chatted but you know I didn't I probably didn't have the the greatest upbringing in life and chose some bad decisions and and eventually you know I didn't I didn't I didn't have a backup plan there was no option to fail failures never even been a consideration I didn't have you know a safety net or any of that and so you know that creates I guess a certain mindset where.
Where whatever comes up you have to figure it out there is no not figuring it out and so so I mean I think a big part of that was was bred into me when I was young and then trying to overcome obstacles in the in the automotive field I mean when I was 23 I took over my first dealership and I didn't know anything so all I knew is I have to work harder and smarter and longer and better than anybody else and I think that that created habits.
Over time that that didn't die and and as I continued to push those same hard working work ethic to habits it's it's created you know really a really great successful career in this industry.
Tell me about the reaction of the first three people walking into this new signature store like are they is that I'm imagining it's like ooze and Oz and woes and these sorts of things.
I think a lot of it was more surprised because when you walk in you don't feel like you're walking into a car dealership so you know that at first it's it and we had to figure out how to how to navigate this but at first it's you know where where do I sit what do I what do I do.
And you know they're not used to the first thing they be asked is not are you here for sales and service but which do you like a beverage or a snack before we get started.
And so it's changing the whole greeting change the whole mindset changing the customers perception there they're so used to walking into a car dealership and the salesperson hits them and you're here for sales and service are a cool kind of a desk.
And that's not at all you know hospitality first is one of the guiding principles Atlanta put together for for this signature for store and it is truly more like you're inviting somebody into your home that it is you're selling a car and I'm finding the craziest level of success with this it's truly mind blowing man.
You are touching on something that's top of mind for me so Paul Kyle and myself were just in Kazakhstan.
We met with distributors and OEMs and marketers and we you know we did some training over there and we toured 30 dealerships while we were there in and out of stores some of the Chinese brands some of the brands we know Hyundai and Kia and these sorts of things.
And the reason what you're saying is top of mind to me is the thing that blew us away is the poise and the decorum around hospitality in every one of those stores made me wonder why we're not seeing more of the signature experience like what you just said this this this hospital welcome welcome home almost.
And what you just said the impact of that the the change in perception why do you think the American markets maybe been a little bit slower to this this kind of signature experience is funny talk about different countries so I've had the opportunity to work with with the Laneis team and the Ford global team and talk about some of the experience from some of the other you know some of the other countries in there.
I think they're way ahead of us on on the idea of a car dealership not being a grind but more the house hospitality side of it and I think you find that.
And in all parts of industry and in other countries when it comes to luxury hotels or luxury restaurants I mean that you know if you go look at the top 10 restaurants in the world I think you'll find one in the United States it's it's just not.
It's not it's somebody made a post on one of my LinkedIn things and say you know we've been going the same thing for 70 years and I just don't know that we've stopped to think about what it feels like I we had the luxury in it in the automotive world when you're working in it right I don't have to sit and buy a car for myself I tell my finance manager what I want to buy I go about my day three hours later they get my paperwork and stuff done and then I can go sign.
I don't have to have the same experience the guest does and I think so often we don't pay attention necessarily to what the guest is really experiencing and and this is opened my eyes widely to it and when you talk about I mean when it comes to to to gross profit when it comes to to volume it when it comes to somebody's.
Overall demeanor when they sit down in one of these these seating areas in the new facility versus sitting down in my still and store next door it's too completely different experiences and in still and it's almost feel like you got to fight it and forward it will surprise you how quick just because they feel like somebody cares and paying attention to them that they just are saying yes and and over and over again.
Hey does your marketing agency suck listen before we hop back into this episode I know you know me as the host of the dealer playbook but did you also know that I'm the CEO of Flex dealer an agency that's helping dealers capture better quality leads from local SEO and hyper targeted ads that convert.
So if you want to sell more cars and finally have a partner that's in it with you that doesn't suck visit flex dealer dot com let's hop back into this episode.
Hey I can't provide a hospitable experience that I don't know why that's the first thing that just came out of my mouth in response to everything you're saying but I'm like human beings have to deliver a hospitality environment.
And to your point like it's making such a difference and I was shocked coming from America to Kazakhstan like you said you working with the global team to find that they were like kicking our trash.
Yeah you see it anybody with fluorescent pink shorts and a half tucked in polo shirt they were like white shirts and type like at a Kia store at a Hyundai store at a BYD or a Zika they've got all these brands I've never heard of like I've heard of BYD obviously but you know some of the Geely and Chang Jane and all the black pants white shirts ties.
The women professionals in like skirts and blouses and and it was exactly what you're you're saying at your store which I think is first of all Mazel tov dude for setting a course here because I think we need so much more of it in America.
You walk in and it was exactly what you're saying I was like welcome to Hyundai today can I get you a water or tea a sparkling water or still water I was like what is going on here I didn't to your point I didn't feel like it like what you expressed your your new new customers are feeling sorry I've even just caught myself your guests are feeling I notice you use the the word guest experience a lot and I think that shifts the.
The feeling around it like customer experience is like yes but it also feels transactional guest experience it's like little less pressure I think that you're you're hitting two big points that that I've made I made a big part of our business model right now so one is a tire.
You know if you look you look last time we talked I was in a Apollo shirt I haven't put Apollo on in three weeks and and part of it is people want to deal with people that look the part and look professional and and so I've made certain dress codes in that store that actually I don't even have in the other stores because they're not they haven't figured out the hospitality side yet and I will tell you I'm still you know piloting this whole concept but as I'm seeing it.
What I'm doing in Ford I expect to to pass to my other brands and the other thing you touched on was was verbiage right so we don't do customers we do guests we don't do appointments we do reservations because you have a point minute you're dentist office and nobody looks for to that but you have reservations of that really nice restaurant down this tree you know I mean and just those those really subtle changes it it it plays with the psychology and the
somebody's brain and just makes them feel so much more comfortable how do you get by and from your team like that went from Polo's and khakis to an elevated attack because I agree with you I mean I remember one of my mentors early in my career was like the first thing I'm going to look at are your shoes and they better be shined you know is like that sort of a thing and and and I've I've even caught myself I've become much more casual to agree that when somebody even sees me wearing a polo they're like laundry day today.
You know but there's a part of me that's like you know what maybe I need to get back to the white shirt tie wearing suit pocket square version of Michael because what you just said is so powerful I think we overlook in Western culture we're overlooking we're becoming more and more casual look the people want to work with somebody who looks the part.
I would I would so agree with that I'm going to tell you the the buy-in part of it is is you know obviously I you know you had a mandate but then you start talking about how they feel that day and how they're how their perception of themselves I mean I don't know about you but when I when I dress up I I have a I stand a little taller you know I my chestics out a little a little bit more than it did yesterday and so I started the business you know in a metro market that everybody wore a suit and tie.
Every day I came to a rural market and I will never forget the first day I walked into to the Ford store that I started at I was in a three-piece suit I had a vest on a tie and one of the old guys that have been there while looked at me and said you say these liquor angle make it out here they know what he won't buy for me.
And I you know I probably took that to heart the wrong way and I I went back to casual I I allowed casual but from there I this whole guest experience and reservation and and and a luxury you know luxury style experience in a standard domestic brand is different and it's a good different it's something that that I I agree now we just
like you said we're we're getting we're getting more and more blacks and and more and more casual and I think I think part of disrupting this whole this whole experience in the automotive in general is is starting with the basics the verbiage the entire the things that when we got in the industry years and years ago were required and now it's gone.
I think to agree controversial opinion of the day I'm allowed one I'm going to use it on this society in the West is crumbling because we've become so casual I think about I think about well first of all I've been to Pakistan I've been to Kazakhstan I've been to the Philippines I've been all these places and what I found interesting about each of them is that they're they're actually doing a better job at upholding some formality
in some decorum that like an example when I was in Pakistan the thing that I that blew me away first of all is that I went through all of the motions I promise there's a point to this people
I went through all the motions leading up to it oh my gosh the state department says don't go there there's a terrorist activity blah blah blah blah blah I was in an Uber with a Pakistani immigrant saying bro don't go now there's a tumultuous election I'm like holy crap
my life insurance is saying if anything happens to you over there it's a level three country your your thing you won't get a payout your family to be screwed this and that I get there dude see I just caught myself I said dude to killed my own plot line here I got there and it was as calm as a summer's morning the children wake up they wear the big backpacks and walk to school like everybody how they come home they want to snack
the parents are working the women were dressed with beautiful colors and and also they have a greeting they say they say
Assalamu alaikum like may peace be unto you that's how children come home from school JB
Assalamu alaikum dad like may peace be unto you dad on departure they don't just say I wrote suyo they say
they they cover their heart and say ala hafiz which means may god be your protector
now we can debate religions in this and that we're not that's not this show but the point is
the point is when my kids come home from school sometimes they say sup ke
I'm like what or it's just came out of your mouth like Luke I am your father
and I can't help but think societies crumbling at large in the west because because of
that casualness there's an awkwardness at kids don't know how to talk to adults at adults don't
know what they can say to kids therefore and then and then we bring that into the workplace
and so here you are as a leader I know I went on a bit of a tangent there you are a leader
saying we're going to change things up in a culture in a society that might peg these these
observations you made as old school oh yeah you're sure like yeah that's good for you to say you're
wearing a suit now but how you can't make me wear a suit when that wasn't the way or whatever the
mindsets or appetites might be how do you navigate that I mean I think you really
nobody's going to tell you that it's going to be okay because okay has to be easy
and and that's what we're trained to be and and not everybody but I think you know society as a
whole has gotten a little lazy gotten a little away from what was a little harder um I mean
it is it is hard to find people that have the the work ethic that you and I probably have you know
what I mean um and part of I mean you know without going down this whole philosophical route it
starts at the beginning of of lives and we just like you said you almost don't know what accountability
looks like because you don't want to end up the next YouTube star on the wrong the wrong conversation
so you're scared to hold accountability and um you know I I was just at a leadership conference
couple weeks ago and accountability might hurt but it doesn't harm and I that that resonated with me
you might you know you might hurt somebody's feelings or whatever the case may be but but you're not
harming them you're helping them and and I think you got to remember that that our goal is leaders
in general are are to help people and guide people and and grow people leave people better than
you found them I mean that's one of my modus leave people better than you found them and you can't
do that by being soft or doing what they want you to do because naturally we are not going to want
to do the things that are hard our brain tells us not to we have to do the opposite of what feels natural
hmm yeah because what what feels natural to us is comfort zone and comfort zone what's that
saying a comfort zone a beautiful place but nothing new ever grows there uh I think it's inspiring
especially because it feels like a fresh start or a reset it's like hey guys new store new experience
it's a signature experience we're focused on hospitality like all of this comes back to the reason I
even took us to Pakistan and back and you know is because it is a cultural thing and you are shifting
the internal culture of your organization with this store as a catalyst and a culture shift requires
you know kind of all the things you've talked about that I'm picking up on it it's going to
require moments of friction it's going to require moments of clarity it's going to require moments of
stress and hard work and grit and grind but to your point the accountability is there that we're
here to grow we're here to win we're here to provide the best guest experience we can talk to me
a little bit more because I'm so curious about the store and the hospitality thing I think is just
such a mind expander for our industry so now you have this new store and now you have to deliver on a
promise right like customers come in and now they see and that seeing gives them an expectation
what sort of training or guidance can you offer to your team to say this is the new way that we do
things and that's this is how you're going to be performing now I'll tell you hats off to
Ford on this one they they thought this through pretty well they came to us before we opened
and sort of set the stage explained to us the facility the principles what our what our future looks
like and again I said it before they said hey this is what we wanted to feel like but we don't know
what that looks like yet so help us figure that out and so they actually they've just been with me
the last couple of days again they do a post open a couple of visits but they just did the first
one since we've been open and us being the first in the world ever it was the first one that they
would ever step foot in and and they spent two days all day going through you know how to use
the space because it's different I mean there's there's open consult spaces there's not cubicles
there's there's a hub it's like a barista bar cafe setup right in the middle of the showroom
the sales management offices don't have doors and they're all completely glass
it's they you know the salespeople when they're doing calls and tasks and the stuff that you know
you have to do they work out of a guest preparation area in the back they don't they don't you know
you're not hearing people make calls on the floor and phones ringing it's it's casual there's
couches there's comfy chairs there's coffee tables it's just a it's a whole different vibe and so
when they I did a I did a step out of the old step into the new meeting when when the first day
we opened the doors right so I have a morning meeting every day it's called a ran meeting rhythm
of accountability meeting and I got that from from my mentor Dave Anderson and and we held that
meeting in front of the store at eight forty five the day we opened the door I didn't let anybody
into the building until I could kill the facade of the old building and set the tone for the new
building and so it was when we step in here we're stepping into a whole new game people are going
to be watching us we're going to have to act different we're going to have to treat people different
we're going to have to be different and and different then I mean there's four stores on this
campus and different than the other stores people are going to look at you and say wow why are
they doing it that way but we're still doing it the old way and it's it's it's actually happening
it's funny because the traditional carbion experience I've found the word legacy to the legacy
experience because you know the autify process and the digital retailing process has become
the way that everybody is envious of it's it's different and so by cycling everybody out really
and you know setting the bar so high on what everybody's going to be paying attention to there was
a level of pride that went into opening and a level of pride to provide this wild experience and
you know they talk about accountability will you know top down accountability is easy right I can
tell somebody what to do peer-to-peer accountability is the hardest accountability to achieve in your
in your organization and what we found is these guys if somebody says customer you know the guy
next to him to be like hey guest man oh yeah shoot I'm still getting used to that and it's like
little things like that that that was it was really it's been a really really cool to watch and
in the space facilitates that just sitting around a little coffee table I met a dealer group
the other day and and they were they were trying to understand the space and we sat down and
wanted a little open consoles and he looks at me he says I can feel why this feels different because it
does wow I want to know your thoughts on like as car dealers as an industry talk talk me
through the timing of this opening it's like are we glutton for punishment or was there a strategy
to opening a signature store when seasonal downturns start to happen like you're like October like
the summer months are over the boom is kind of over a little bit before you know the holiday season
again let's open it in October what's your thoughts relic so obviously constructions construction
right so we played open a little bit early but with all the changes and trying to get done and
weather and everything else you know we didn't get there but I mean really the goal was Labor Day
which wasn't that far different I mean we know we're going to open in September but I think
especially for this kind of an experience it's almost perfect to open a little on the quiet
or side because you really got to change everything about the way you do business and do you want to
do that in peak summer months or when you know when you're closing the year or you want to have maybe
a month or two under your belt before you really start picking back up and so the timing I'll be
a little weird I guess worked out it wasn't intentional it wasn't planned but I'm sort of glad
that that's the way it played out because it allowed us time to start redefining what that experience
looks like and I mean when I say redefining redefining from the the greet to the sales process to the
test drive you know test drives right everybody everybody will tell you says person he's going test drive
we through guidance and studies and the research that the four team has done
not everybody wants a sales person to go on a test drive so instead of forcing it
we've made it early in the process hey when we go for a drive in a little bit would you prefer
that I come with you or would you like to go alone because if you ask them at the car they're
going to say yeah yeah you can come you can come that's not an invitation that's an obligation
and so we've we've designed this process with little teeny nuances that allows the guests to really
be in control of the process and in turn when they feel like they're in control
it takes the rest of the walls away price becomes almost irrelevant I'm telling you man
it's it's been uh I mean this speaks to me because and I know I'm probably a fringe like I
were like I don't even want to test drive it I just want to I just want to slide papers yeah drive home
you know it's like I don't know if you feel this way it's like I've driven enough vehicles at this point
the like they know you know they're they're they're all like you'd have to do something really wonky
in a car right now until like have it be that vastly different like because I feel like I've done
so much research upfront anyways you know I've watched the reviews I know how it accelerates
there is somebody's explained how the engine feels somebody talks about towing and comfort and
luxury and at that point I'm and I know I'm a sales guy so I'm a lay down but I walk in and I'm like
that oh we have to go on a test drive first I'm like that you know no we don't
know we have to because it's part of our private I'm like nah I don't have to go on a test drive
the other thing I want to talk to you about it that's all kind of part and parcel of this whole thing
because you're you're just spinning so many plates and I'm frankly I'm inspired by it because
the the amount of alignment that you I feel you are having with all the stakeholders all the team members
the constant convert like just knowing what it must take behind the scenes to make this thing move is
is just I mean kudos to you it's it's no no easy feat um there's obviously a lot of talk about
the market I mean when it's there's always something obviously and our industry is no stranger to
economic downturns to tariffs to chip shortages supply chain yada yada yada the list goes on
with this new experience and the risks that come along with it what are your thoughts about
some of the narrative around potential looming recession and and and your response plan how are
you preparing your teams across the group to to say yeah like it may come but like like you said in
the beginning kind of full circle moment everything's figure outable I don't think tell me if I'm
wrong but I don't know that that's happening in you viscerally in the moment I feel like there's a
level of preparation in you yeah so I mean we can all you know think about doomsday and I mean I
was in I was in the the auto industry in O8 um you know we went through it but but again we figured
it out and the one it's the dealers that that are forward thinking enough that I think
actually thrive in those kinds of of challenges right so you think about this
recessions caused by people who don't want to spend money right um we don't want to spend money
for whatever reason well if I'm providing the experience that makes you want to come here
don't you think it's probably going to affect me a little bit less there's a there's a one of the
studies that Ford gives us is there's a 4,000 and eight people that they that they surveyed
it said how many people prefer the current buying process in an auto dealership what do you think the
number was oh man I don't know idea it was 18 18 people out of 4,000 said I like what we're doing
this is fun and so redefining that a large percentage of people would buy more often if
if they enjoyed the process I mean we buy phones from Apple all the time because we enjoy the
process the new one comes out we go get it um you know if they made that really really difficult
and challenging we'd probably wait you know if all of them came out with a bunch of bugs and everything
else we'd probably wait and see what happens um
albeit albeit maybe silver lining I think I'm going to have a competitive edge over any other
any other dealership that that will not not completely recession proof but will will give me the
the edge I need to survive through whatever ups and downs we have yeah I'm sure you've got
team members who are more forward thinking and some that you're you're helping elevate
what advice or recommendation do you make as a leader to perhaps other leaders that are
finding it a struggle to get their teams in the right frame of mind around whatever may come
I mean I think a big part of it is is that what we believe they're going to believe right and so if
if we if we're afraid of doom and gloom and and we walk around with a storm cloud over our head
all day then it's so easy for them to look at us and say well you do it so I can do it and so part
of it I think is stepping in stepping on the field every day with the right attitude and stepping
in with the right mindset if you don't if you're not doing a morning mindset routine that gets you
clean not listening to to news talk on the way to work um you know listening to a book or
or one of those little inspirational videos you find on youtube or whatever it is that that puts you
in the right mind space to go lead people if you're in the wrong mind space to go lead people
they're not going to be a very effective leader and so part of it is I'm almost I'm probably
contagiously optimistic and so it's really hard for you to throw me off my day and in turn I don't
give them the excuse to be able to throw them off a day so when they're having a bad day it's easier
for me to go to them and remind them hey man everybody's watching you every day everybody's
watching every day you're on stage every day it needs to be Disneyland we can be we can be
Jurassic Park in a back office when you're having your worst day but when we walk out of that you
need to be back on stage and and holding those again the accountability conversations and nobody
really loves but they can't look at me and say well you had a bad day right motion sensor light
it's efficiency is what we just for those that are listening the his motion sensor lights dimmed
it he he he finished his statement and it became very ominous and then he waived his hands and said
there be light and lights came out that's perfect timing I'm inspired by it it resonates with me
I remember this one caught me off guard not too long ago I was I was told I was cautioned
from from someone about toxic positivity and I was like that's a new one I never thought I
would be accused of toxic positivity yeah I remember that could yeah and and I had to look it up I was
like what does this even mean because like you I'm like nah you're never gonna get me there's always
an opportunity there are people who will look at problems and say well now I feel acted upon
and there are people who look at the same problem and say well that's an opportunity for growth
and apparently toxic positivity jb is this this idea of like I would say almost inauthentic
optimism like you're just doing it but you're not really addressing problems from you I get the
opposite which is I am contagiously optimistic and I won't tolerate negativity and others
but I'm also going to find solutions to problems I'm not just going to pretend the problems don't
exist yeah which inherent in building a new store operating a group I think you are keenly
aware of problems but you know the sense I get from you is that you optimistically solve them
and in that and and dare I say and tell me if this doesn't track but you you are striking me as
as a leader who is excited by the pursuit of achieving a desired outcome I would agree completely man
and I I think that's yeah that's part of there's a lot of people that can be a GM or a manager
a service manager whatever the case may be but but it's one thing to add the title it's a whole
another thing to have the role right so as a role of a leader in those positions to me is
is it is your it's your sole responsibility to to make sure that one the problems don't turn into
toxicity um I mean there's a lot of people that I've run into that you know they have a problem
their own today um and those kinds of people like I've seen people have bad days you know people
pass away people people get sick people you know people get uncurable diseases um that's bad day
but that's a bad day but we're we're running card dealerships guys there's there's nothing that
we can't fix there's nothing we can't figure out whether it's people process um you know somebody
screaming at you in the service drive don't get mad at customer beef customer A you know keep keep
the same mindset all day and I think that's I just don't know that there's a better way and I've
done leadership the wrong way I mean I well I wasn't born like this this is not a leadership is not
a born trait it's a learned trait um it's and that if you're not good at today you can work on you
can get better at tomorrow I remember when I got in the car business I when I took over my first
or I was 23 man and I I only knew how to throw deals across the showroom and scream at my employees
I'd saw a nip and then I kept losing employees and so I was like oh shoot I got to be your best friend
and so then I became everybody's best friend and then I had a lot of really great friends that
didn't do work and and then you know you find somewhere in between those two extremes is a balance
that is actual true accountability leadership and it's not and like I said that that that it hurts
it doesn't harm that's stuck with me because if you care about somebody truly that's under your
power under your under your umbrella then you should have the hard conversations to help them be
better for their family for their work for their life going forward well I have two final questions
the first on the heels of what you just said the hard conversations tell me bring me into a uh
how you conduct a hard conversation so that that person leaves your office with the accountability
but also I'm guessing you're the type that likes to leave people feeling inspired to go and take
action what is that what is the what's the template here if you had to say I write other leaders
here's how you do this because I know so many struggle with this and they they're all over the
place you seem very structured to me what does that hard conversation format look like for you
so I think it's it's one it's almost like the sandwich right so you start with hey I want to let
you know I know this we're doing this and this and this really well I feel there's an opportunity
here though and you go through whatever that opportunity is it's not a problem it's not a raise
voice it's not any of that it's it's a it's a caring concerted conversation and you do tackle
whatever that concern is you know I've had I've had a lot of customer complaints that have gotten
past you you know what's what's going on with you is there something is there something going on
behind the scenes that I'm not aware of is it are you getting distracted are you getting too pulled
away is there some bottlenecks you know first first you try to own own it and find an excuse almost
for them and then they tell you know you know I just I just couldn't I couldn't I forgot about
that or I forgot about this and then you you guide them down okay well how do we how do we stop
forgetting all right is this a situation where maybe we we start taking notes somewhere or we we
write it down or you text me and and I'll remind you or you set alert your phone or like how can
we fix it and then you get the commitment from that right so you know once you go through it
and they they admit because they're going to eventually come to the yeah you know I I draw okay so
so let me ask you this going forward what what are you going to do to to make that different
and you know they're going to give you commitment you don't give people commitments because
people don't keep your commitment people keep their commitment so you ask for their commitment right
and you say hey so what are we going to do go you know what I think that's a great idea I love
that idea all right so what else are we going to do okay that all right I love that idea so let's
so going forward we're going to do this in this and now we're not going to have this concern
anymore right yeah all right cool so let me know where I can help you on that let's know where we
can grow from there and let's let's go take on the world and then you know the second conversation
is a little bit different right so let's just say the same thing happens again and you come back
and say hey man you know we had this conversation before we had we had one problem you know we had
this this this problem now now we got two problems man you didn't keep your word to me
you know we're still doing the same thing but you broke your word man what we're what we have from
here well the foundational basis of our relationship I got to be able to trust you right and so it's
it's a different kind of counseling it's um you know it's it's again it's I don't even know how to
describe but it's a different kind of counseling it's where you're truly painting a picture for them
and you're allowing them to make commitments to you and then you know how many times it's somebody
have to break a commitment to you before you realize you have the wrong person you know you probably
don't want that person on your team then then you got it you know you got to make the the harder
decisions but usually what I found is if I approached that first conversation I never have to have
the second conversation about the same conversation you said a couple of things I'm so glad you shared
this with me uh and because you use some keywords and it ties back to something you said earlier you
said uh there are leaders with a title and there are leaders who assume the role like there's a big
difference there and what you just demonstrated I think is so powerful to illustrate that because
leaders with the title want to be the hero of every story I changed you I got the outcome we are
winning because of my leadership but you said a very powerful word in here you're talking about the
sandwich I gotta bring my notes closer I'm getting old uh what I heard was you started with with
pointing out what they're doing well then you seek to understand and then the word you said which
I think is so powerful for leaders who have the who have assumed the role of a leader you said guide
you guide them on the how and that's exactly like you look at you look at story the story brand
formula every story has a hero or a character who has a desire who has a conflict who needs a guide
to show them the how or help them understand the how and then you leave them what you said I wrote
down people keep their commitments you get commitments and then you leave them with encouragement let's
go blow up the world together kind of a thing dude congratulations to you uh the store awesome
that the things that you're doing as a leader I think is is just incredible I'm so glad we could
talk about it on the show how are you doing listening and watching connect with you I mean absolutely
find me on LinkedIn uh JB Burnett on LinkedIn um you can find me on Facebook and I'll be honest with
you I mean I'll talk to anybody that wants to chat you're always welcome to call me myself one's
always on and I answer for anybody so 4 4 3 9 4 2 1 3 7 5 wow man I'm so glad we could connect
thank you so much for joining me on the dealer playbook thank you brother hey thanks for listening
to the dealer playbook podcast if you enjoyed tuning in please subscribe share and hit that like
button you can also join us and the bpb community on social media check back next week for a
new dealer playbook episode thanks so much for joining
About this episode
JB Burnett, GM at Preston Auto, discusses the innovative 'Signature 2.0' experience at their new Ford store, emphasizing a hospitality-first approach that transforms the traditional car buying process. He shares insights on navigating economic challenges, fostering a positive team mindset, and the importance of creating a welcoming environment for guests. The conversation highlights the significance of accountability, leadership styles, and the need for a cultural shift in the automotive industry to enhance customer experiences. Burnett's journey showcases how a focus on service and atmosphere can lead to impressive sales and customer satisfaction.
Original notes
What happens when a dealer group bets big on hospitality, culture, and process, instead of pressure, price, and tradition?
Today, multi-store operator JB Burnett joins me to unpack the launch of his brand new Ford Signature 2.0 store, the first of its kind in the world, and why the guest experience is now his most powerful competitive advantage.
We dive into how he moved an entire dealership eight miles in four days, opened to record-setting sales weeks, and rebuilt the buying journey around hospitality, not haggling. JB also shares his response plan to recession chatter, how he keeps teams aligned under heavy pressure, and why he believes contagious optimism is a non-negotiable leadership skill.
If you’re a dealer principal, GM, GSM, or fixed ops leader looking for a real-world blueprint on culture, execution, and modern retailing, this episode is required listening.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
- What a Ford Signature 2.0 store actually is and why the experience is radically different
- How JB’s team moved 300 units + full service + parts in less than a week
- Why hospitality-first retail is out-performing traditional sales tactics
- The subtle vocabulary shifts (“guest,” not “customer”… “reservations,” not “appointments”) that change everything
- How JB builds buy-in for elevated dress codes & elevated expectations
- Why international markets are beating the U.S. on dealership hospitality—and what we can learn
- JB’s mindset framework for leading calmly through chaos
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
02:10 Inside the world’s first Ford Signature 2.0 store
07:45 Moving 300 units + full operations in four days
11:12 The mindset required to lead through chaos
18:55 Hospitality vs. legacy retailing: why the guest experience wins
24:20 Why other countries are beating the U.S. in dealership decorum
29:02 Dress code, culture, and team buy-in
36:15 Preparing for a potential recession
42:40 Contagious optimism vs. toxic positivity
45:05 JB’s framework for hard conversations
49:15 How to connect with JB
Who This Episode Is For
Dealer Principals, General Managers & GSMs, Fixed Ops Leaders, and Retail Auto Operators
Anyone responsible for culture, customer experience, or profitability in automotive.
The Dealer Playbook
Michael Cirillo
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49:26