The Dealer Playbook Jan 13, 2026

"The Sir Walter Way" - How a 100-Year Dealership Stays Nimble (and Grows) in a Modern Market | Matt Birkhead, Dealer Principal at Sir Walter Chevrolet

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Company

Sir Walter Chevrolet

Sir Walter Chevrolet is a place where you can buy Chevrolet cars. They try to make the car buying experience easier and more honest for customers.

Concept

transparency in pricing

Transparency in pricing means that the dealership tells you exactly how much the car costs and what extra fees there might be, so there are no surprises when you buy a car.

Term

DRP system

A DRP system is a way for insurance companies to work directly with repair shops to make fixing cars easier and faster. It helps everyone involved to handle car repairs better.

LIVE

We try very hard to do things here at the store

that build that overall sense of community within the store,

which then, you know, carries out to our customers

and out into the community that way.

And I think you got to build it within

and, you know, it extends out.

The way you're talking about it, it seems like,

but that's my offensive play

because everything's actually gonna come down to that.

That's exactly right.

And I think for us, it's what we try

to set ourselves apart in the market.

We lean into that.

That Sir Walter Way is all about transparency

in the way that you see us on our social media.

That's the way we always are, right?

It's just that authenticity.

You're strumming a chord rather

because a lot of the hype in our industry

seems to challenge the human connection piece.

And it seems like everything is trying to get rid

of this human connection piece.

Again, I don't think it's ever going to replace

that human connection, because at the end of the day,

the buying a vehicle is not like buying a t-shirt or not,

right?

I mean, it's a huge purchase for everybody.

It's the second biggest purchase

people make behind their homes.

There's something here too, which is

it's clear Sir Walter is actively investing in its people.

And I think there's something that some find challenging

here because they're looking at it

from a dollars in a sense perspective.

Talk to me about how you see that.

I think it comes back to...

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 Flex Dealer.

And of course, in the spirit of providing value,

I think this is a perfect time to head over

to www.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.

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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 surge in 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.

And I'll see you in the next one.

Bye.

Matt Burkhead is dealer principal

at Sir Walter Chevrolet in Raleigh, North Carolina,

where he has overseen over a decade of growth

by redefining transparency, simplifying pricing

and reshaping the car dealership experience.

You know how much we love that?

Under his leadership, the store emphasizes

the Sir Walter way, a smarter way to shop,

an easier way to service

and a way to make customers feel like family.

And this man, DPB gang, feels like family.

He's the brother I never had growing up

with my four sisters.

Matt, thanks so much for joining me on the Dealer Playbook.

Hey, very happy to be here.

Thanks for having me.

Thanks for the very kind introduction.

How in the car business in a 2025 world

do you remain so lighthearted?

At least every time you and I interact, it's fun.

It's, you pull-

You know, life is short, right?

Life is short.

You hear a lot of people say that,

but now I've got 10 and seven year old

and they just, flashes before your eyes, right?

So I try to slow down and take it in

and enjoy the moment.

It doesn't always happen,

but it's just try to try to enjoy every day.

I gotta know, 10 years old.

So like, is this whole six, seven thing happening in the house?

Oh yeah, six, seven.

Do you have any idea what that is all about?

Something to do with Lamello Ball,

which, you know, I guess we're close to Charlotte

where the team is.

So may, you know, that's what I've heard.

Something with his height, he did this and I, you know,

it's a whole thing.

My seven year old is wildly more into it than my 10 year old.

I don't, I don't understand.

There is a, there's a kid on my son's soccer team

who's number 67, who scores a lot of goals,

unfortunately for all the parents.

So that's a whole to do every time he scores.

Six.

Oh yeah, whole team's doing it.

I can't wait for people in the future

who listen to this episode that are like,

what the heck are you guys talking about?

It was a thing, guys.

It was a thing.

Well, we were, we were, we were running around doing

Corn Holia when we were 10 years old.

So not like we weren't stupid, you know.

Dude, I almost, my instant reaction is I almost pulled

my shirt over my head.

Yeah, yeah.

Wow.

I have not thought about that in forever.

Life is short, but there's also a lot of like, you know,

somebody in your position carries a lot of pressure, right?

It's, it's the actual logistical operational needs.

Then it's the people operational needs.

It's the sales and service and finance and regulations

and, and on and on and on.

What does that look like in the day to day for you?

How's somebody in your, in your position

really juggling all of those different things?

Well, I mean, at the end of the day, it's people, right?

So we invest a lot in our people.

We're family owned and family operated.

I took over the dealer principal title

for my father-in-law who was third generation.

His great grandfather started this store in 1928.

So we're almost coming up on a hundred years.

He's right across the hall from me.

So he's still in the, still here in the store,

talking to folks, long-term customers coming in

and he's, he's down in the showroom with them still.

So it's, it's really a family atmosphere,

truly a family atmosphere, you know,

kind of the last of the Mohicans in the, in the sense

that we're a single point store and a big, big metropolis,

right? I mean, Raleigh is a big city.

I think it's a top 50 population of us,

500,000 people here,

but single point store comes with its challenges,

but also allows us, I think to be pretty nimble

with that family atmosphere,

I truly try to treat all of our staff like family.

They are our family, right?

I mean, we spend all of our waking hours here, you know,

so spend a lot more time, you know, here than we do at home.

So try to treat them like family

and we think of each other at family,

but also, you know, there is that professional line, right?

But the pressure for me is that all these folks

have their own families, right?

And I'm responsible for all their wellbeing.

So that's something that I'm thinking about

constantly during the day, you know,

and I try to, I'm rarely in my office, you know,

this is a rarity for me here being in here for 30 minutes

or so, I'm gonna, I'm down on the floor,

I'm in the tower, I'm out with the guys

over in the service drive, meeting with managers.

We had our manager meeting yesterday

and our takeaway was, you know, if you need help, ask.

And if you see someone that needs help, help them, right?

Because I think there's a lot, a lot of times

we get busy in the stores and retail and day to day

and it can be overwhelming, right?

And you can forget to ask for help sometimes.

So we try to create a really family oriented culture here,

a safe culture where, you know,

the sales person can come ask me for help, my door is open.

It's not, and the general sales manager

or the new car sales manager isn't gonna feel slighted

that they came and asked me and not them, right?

Is that something that you saw demonstrated for you

that it's a torch that you're carrying on, so to speak?

Or is this something that you had an aha moment

at some point and you're like,

this is the leadership style and Kate inside choose to have?

I think the latter, I've always just been an open book,

you know, like you said, I mean, we haven't known each other

long, but it feels like we've known each other forever.

Maybe I'm too trusting of people at times,

but I just really believe in human connection

and helping one another and, you know,

everything can get down when you talk about it, right?

Even if something goes awry here, you know,

which always happens with everything we got going on

with the customer, the biggest thing is just open

and honest communication, right?

Yeah, this is huge for me.

You're striking, you're strumming a cord rather

because a lot of the narrative,

a lot of the hype in our industry

seems to challenge the human connection piece

in that, in essence, trying to remove it.

You've got a lot of, I mean, digital buying,

then you've got the whole Carvana narrative,

you've got, you know, so many different things,

AI even now where it's like, I just get answers

and I want a faster showroom experience

or you know, we've got Amazon Autos

that's now piloting, you know,

different dealerships in the LA area

to allow them to list inventory like,

I don't know, like Facebook Marketplace or something.

And it seems like everything is trying to get rid

of this human connection piece,

but the way you're talking about it, it seems like,

but that's my offensive play

because everything's actually gonna come down to that.

Is that track or?

That's exactly right.

And I think for us, it's what we try

to set ourselves apart in the market.

We lean into that.

That Sir Walter Way is all about transparency

in the way that we, that you see us on our social media

or the way that you interact with us at, you know,

at an event that we may be sponsoring

or when you're looking at a car,

that's the way we always are, right?

It's just that authenticity.

And not to say those other pieces aren't important, right?

I mean, the AI certainly has a place

in the dealership and inefficiency.

I mean, no one that submits a lead today

is expecting to wait three or four hours

for someone to respond, right?

So if AI can help keep that lead warm

while a person can come in in a reasonable timeframe

and they introduce themselves,

we try to have our folks send a video.

So it's that again, that personal touch point

with the vehicle, you know,

so you're creating a personal touch point

and an emotional attachment to the thing

that they're asking about.

But you certainly can use AI to, you know,

fat gather and that initial, you know,

onset of when you receive that lead.

And obviously people aren't here 24-7, right?

So if you can use AI to answer certain questions overnight

or on a Sunday when we're closed,

you know, whatever the case may be.

But again, I don't think it's ever going

to replace that human connection

because at the end of the day,

this is buying a vehicle is not like buying a t-shirt

all night, right?

I mean, it's a huge purchase for everybody.

It's the second biggest purchase

people make behind their homes.

So I just think they still want to buy

from someone they trust.

You look at what Tesla's done

and obviously they've brought car buying online,

but everything you read about Tesla

is how they hate the after purchase experience, right?

Because there's nowhere to take the car,

no one to ask, you know, what does this do?

What does this do?

How do you make the seat do this, right?

So again, I think there's a place for AI, certainly.

We're using it here at the store,

but I don't view it as replacing anybody in the store.

In fact, I've got someone that's sold job

is kind of overseeing that whole system.

Because if you let that go, Ro,

you're going to just upset people too.

They know they're not talking to a person.

You know, at some point, it becomes fairly apparent,

I think maybe to other people, they don't agree with that.

But I think people can tell when they're talking

to somebody versus a, you know, a gentic AI.

Yeah, well, and I think this is really interesting to me

because what I'm picking up on here is you've sat down

and you said, I understand where

and what role it will play,

which I think that critical level of thinking is required

because, you know, it's easy to go to a conference

or a webinar or something, watch a YouTube video

and be like, oh, my gosh, they said,

if I don't do AI and that sets them off

kind of one degree off path,

which over time, they wonder how they got there.

And you're saying, hey, no, look,

like somebody submits a lead at 2.30 in the morning,

which I mean, I think we can all agree,

we get some of those.

That person would have to be completely off their rocker

to expect a human to respond at that hour.

Correct.

So then that lowers their expectation

and they at least get some sort of intelligent,

keep the, I like how you say, keep them more.

You can deliver a little bit more

than perhaps they were expecting, right?

And then pricing, I mean, we all, most all dealers

have a digital retail tool on their site.

Chevrolet has the DRP, which you can buy a vehicle,

start to finish on, we're a techie on dealer.

And we sell many vehicles every single month

where we never meet the person in the showroom.

We're delivering the vehicle to them, right?

That's just as Carvon is doing it, we can do that.

And I doubt you'll find a dealer

that says they're not doing that, right?

So I think transparency gets a,

I think some people get it twisted.

It's really about is the vehicle you're showing

and the condition that you're saying it is

and is the price that you're showing online

when they come into the store

and you hand them the sheet and going over the stuff

is at the price they're getting.

And that's what we strive for here, right?

There's nothing's hiding over here

or anything like that.

And we do get a lot of positive feedback

and you'll see in the reviews, like, yep,

the discount they offer me was the discount I got

when I came in the store.

And there may be a few bad actors.

I can't imagine you'll find many dealers

that aren't doing that in today's age, right?

I mean, in the age of the internet

to even get the person to interact with you,

the pricing has to be right.

And it has to be, you can't have hidden fees

and stuff like that, I don't think.

And the follow-ups got to be there.

I think a lot of people are,

I heard this again this last week

and I hadn't heard it for a while,

but we're talking to a GM and he was like,

I'm gonna be honest with you,

like we got a lot of COVID babies

who didn't have to work for the deal

and now we have to work for the deal again.

You brought up, you know, being a techie on dealer,

you know, leveraging Chevrolet's DRP system,

selling to people that may not ever step foot

into the store.

What are your thoughts then,

process-wise on the back end of that

to make sure that that customer still knows,

but hey, like you can rely on us.

We wanna get to know you,

we don't want you to just be this faceless number.

Is there a process of- Right, so we try to treat them

just like any showroom customer, right?

So they're still getting the video introduction

with the video walk around.

We're still doing the traditional follow-up.

You know, if there's anything we can help you with,

thanks for your business, we do referrals.

No, you're not, you know,

we know you may not be in the area,

but if you're ever in the area,

we'd love to have you stop by,

help you with any service needs.

So I think you just try to keep them in the same funnel,

you know, the follow-up funnel that you would

with anybody else.

They're still a customer,

they're still gonna share their experience

with friends and family, you know.

Unless it's a one-off or something,

they probably still have some connection to the area, right?

And they're not generally too far away.

And we've had several people,

I can think of people in Virginia,

which is a few hours away that,

or have been repeat buyers,

because you gave them that same,

you know, transparent buying process

that you would have anybody else,

even though they weren't here in the showroom with us.

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 wanna sell more cars

and finally have a partner that's in it with you

that doesn't suck, visit flexdealer.com.

Let's hop back into this episode.

Yeah, I recently interviewed an architect,

actually, who's gonna be on the show,

talking about just the environment,

things that we're not even thinking about

that feed into a guest experience.

And I know guest experience is a key differentiator,

it's kind of what I'm picking up here from top to bottom.

How do we provide a service to the community

in a way that they want to continue to work with us

and do business and trust us to be able to,

you know, be their reliable partner for,

like you said, the second largest investment or purchase

I'm gonna make next to a home.

Yeah, and we're big in community involvement too, right?

So we're doing the back-to-school test drives

and giving money back to where my children go to school,

but many of my friends,

children's go to several other schools

and we're involved in their, you know,

their PTA foundations.

We're a big supporter, we have NC State here locally,

we actually were the title night sponsor,

the basketball game last night, so I have my family there.

So people see me and my family,

just like anybody else, right?

We do youth sports, you know,

from the West Raleigh Baseball League

to the league that my son and daughter play soccer in.

So we also have a project going on with SPCA right now.

So every, can't remember, is it 36 vehicles we're selling?

We're donating a adoption feedback

with the hope of selling 900 vehicles through Q4

that'll help us to get all those, you know,

pay for those adoptions.

So we, and we don't do that for publicity.

We do that because we truly believe in community.

We've been a part of this community for 100 years.

We, you know, we wouldn't be here

if the community didn't support Sir Walter Chevrolet, right?

And that I certainly got, you know, my father-in-law,

we've got pictures and pictures of just how they supported

the community, you know, over the last 100 years

and think it's important for dealers

to remain consistent in their support of the local community

because they're local businesses.

Even the big groups, they're still local businesses

in that community, right?

And give back, and many, almost all dealers do, right?

And I think you end up getting back 10-fold

what you put into the community

just by, you know, supporting, building up that community.

And you get your brand awareness, yes,

but it's just something that I do it outside of work too.

And we do a lot of stuff here.

We do volunteer days with staff.

We never have to pull teeth on who's gonna go

and help out.

And matter of fact, we usually have to tell people,

you know, the list is full, you know, this time,

we'll get you on the list the next time.

I mean, there's something to be said of that.

I don't have the statistic in front of me,

but I think viscerally, we all know,

people and organizations who have a give back,

kind of donation of time, resources, money, talents,

people that give back,

A, feel more fulfilled in their life.

That's right.

And when it's tied to an organization,

so like you said, we're gonna have to put you

on the list for next time.

Love being a part of something that is a part of something.

You know?

And there's a real tangible cultural impact there.

And I don't think a lot of dealerships

talk enough about their position on these things.

And I'm getting a deeper sense from you.

Where am I going with this?

Most dealerships by the billboard

that says family owned and operated

or been in the community for 50 years or whatever.

And that's not translating to the community.

But what you're talking about is,

no, this does translate to the community.

I got, I mean, I don't know how many people are on your team,

but let's just say over a hundred that are now involved,

that are now having a positive impact on their household,

their household then having a positive impact.

There's a real tangible pedigree of service

and donating of time talents abilities in the community

that then for me, Matt creates the picture

of the Sir Walter way.

That's right.

And again, I think it comes back to,

and my team does a great job.

You know, I can, my management team's just awesome.

So it's, I can fully rely on them.

You've met many of them.

They just, they do a wonderful job.

They're fully bought into this, this team work concept.

And the community starts inward, right?

So it starts here at the store.

So these, these things that we do,

we do the monthly employee of the lunch, right?

Where, or employee of the month that we do a lunch in,

we provide lunch for the whole staff.

I get notes from all the managers and highlight,

not just we do an employee of the month,

but I'll highlight, you know, 20 different people out.

And we go out in the service drive.

We just kind of huddle around.

So it's not corporate.

It's not in a big meeting room.

It's not on zoom.

I've got a little speaker, a little microphone,

and we do that.

And then we, you know, we break bread together once a month.

We do, you know.

Is Mr. Ioki involved?

Like do you do?

I do play some music and we dance around

and sing a little bit the first five or 10 minutes.

That's getting a little more aggressive

as these are progressing.

But you know, that helps develop,

develop a sense of community, right?

Like we obviously, we do the sales meetings,

you know, every morning, but that's sales.

It's not the whole store.

I think that's what a lot of stores miss

and what I try to figure out every day.

You know, everyone has these silos of even in sales, right?

You get the new versus used and you've got parts

and you've got service.

We've got night text doing our, you know,

our internal, our PDIs, our use, car, get, readies.

And you know, it's how do you break down those silos?

And we're all Sir Walter employees.

We're not Sir Walter service department employees

or Sir Walter new car sales employees.

And so we try to do, we try very hard to do things

here at the store that build that overall

sense of community within the store,

which then, you know, carries out to our customers

and out into the community that way.

And I think you got to build it within

and you know, it extends out.

Yeah, I love that.

I wrote community starts from the inside out.

Absolutely.

Do you have somebody on your team responsible for the,

now the outbound, so to speak, the SPCA or the.

I do.

So Gwen is amazing.

You know, we call her the heart and soul of the store here.

So she's been, it started as a social media coordinator,

right?

Everyone's wanting to do stuff on Instagram

and do all these videos.

And what I found when we brought her on,

she's, she's just a, she's so kind.

And she's got a pure heart, which when we hire her,

that wasn't really what we were hiring,

but she, she truly cares about all these organizations.

She's bringing ideas to me.

Like she, we're doing something in a couple of weeks

called hometown heroes through the North Carolina

auto dealers association where we're honoring an officer

that you know, had an active of bravery.

And we're going to have her in the store and we're

writing lunch and we have an award that we're giving her

that again, it's something I've had available

that we could be doing for like the last 10 years.

I've just never done it.

You know, we get busy, right?

Not saying this wrong, you know, right or wrong.

Yeah.

She just has an eye and a really kind heart

for things like that.

And that, that's been amazing.

We need to get Gwyn on the show.

We can absolutely get Gwyn on the show.

Yeah, I think we need to get Gwyn on the show.

We'll get Gwyn on the show.

She's fantastic.

You're bringing up things here,

like there are some inherent.

She's coordinating our events, you know,

so I think a lot of dealers and we are one of them, right?

You sponsor something, but you're not a part of it,

you know, someone asked, Hey, can you do a hole in one?

And Gwyn will not only jump in there,

but we've got a table and a brand of tent

and we've got hats and merchandise.

And she's got, you know, everyone loves Gwyn.

So she's got a service advisor and a salesperson

working the, working the booth together.

It's just, it's an amazing, amazing thing.

Wow.

Yeah, we got to, we got to reach out to Gwyn.

We got to say.

Yeah, we'll get Gwyn on here.

I need Gwyn's story.

Yeah, she, it was actually a great story.

She was, when we had the ad up,

so we had to add up for social media coordinator on Indeed

or whatever we're using in Hierology.

And they, her professor.

So she, this is like a second career for her.

She's a mom of three, they're older.

And they, she, the professor reached out to us

and was like, Hey, I've got like two or three

really great students that I think would be

an awesome fit for this.

And he's at, I think Johnson County Community College

and we interviewed a couple of them and, and we just,

you know, we fell in love with her immediately

and had her on part-time while she was finished in school.

And then, you know, she graduated over the summer

and she's been full-time since then.

And it's just, it's amazing.

Trying to, I'm trying to, you know, do, do by,

do right by her as well.

So I've sent her to a couple of social media conferences.

She's been in Dallas, she's been in Orlando.

So she's, she's learning to,

and she's brand new to automotive.

But again, she's just a people person.

She cares, she cares deeply about people and community.

We, we, we lucked out finding her, but,

or maybe we didn't, I don't know.

Funny how those things work out sometimes, right?

Yep. You, you, there's something here too, which is,

you know, it's clear Sir Walter is actively investing

in its people.

And I think there's something that,

that some find challenging here

because they're looking at it from a dollars

in a sense perspective.

But what makes it challenging

is not necessarily the dollars and cents.

It's this like proving of tangible,

tangible impact on an organization.

Talk to me about how you see that.

Cause, cause of, of many of the people I've met

over the last 23 years, Matt in this industry,

you are the one that sees value probably quicker than others

and is, and invests in that value.

Like you are very decisive when you, you're like,

I know it's a good idea,

but a lot of people are challenged with that.

Like I said, because they, they, they're like,

ah, but what if they leave?

Or, or what if I don't see an immediate return?

And it sounds like you're playing a long game here.

Definitely playing a long game, you know,

the Simon Sinek book, you know,

we've, we've, most of us have all read that and, you know,

try to think about your why and, and, you know,

leave it better than you found it as kind of

how I came into this, right?

Because, you know, we talked about pressure

at the beginning of this, you know,

coming in here and trying to help my father in law

and now, you know, fourth generation,

first non-blood dealer of a, of a business that's been

in the family for a hundred years.

I mean, you know, you don't want to mess that up, right?

So, you know, constantly thinking about how to,

how to leave this place better than I found it.

Did your wife ever say, don't screw this up?

She never said that, you know, she's, she's as kind

as anyone you'll ever meet.

What a great woman.

She would never, she would never, even if she thought it,

she would never say it.

But it, you know, and, and maybe all this comes, you know,

I came from outside of the automotive industry, right?

So I went to school, I thought I wanted to be a dentist.

I ended up working in, you know, government contracting

on the sales side and met my, my, my awesome wife and she,

we moved to Raleigh and her, you know, I remember the day

her, my in-law sat me down and asked if I'd be interested

in working with them, knowing that we were going to move

to Raleigh from Northern Virginia and kind of went

over the pros and cons.

It wasn't a big hard sell or anything.

And I, you know, it was a big decision, right?

I mean, I was leaving a pretty, a pretty good career

that I had created for myself that I was eight years into

and took a leap of faith, but not really.

I mean, you're working with your, you know,

your, your wife's family.

They, they obviously want you to succeed.

You're taking care of their, of their daughter, but it,

it was a big, you know, it was a, it was a big life decision

and I'd make that decision every, which way to Sunday.

You know, I've, I've never once looked, looked back on it

and it's, I think, I think because of that, when I came

in and, and, and help, you know, help tire a lot

of the management team that we still have in place.

All these people have more experience than I do, right?

They, they, they know their job better than I know their job.

So I, I always have come into this thinking that my job

is how can I enable them to make a, you know, what are the

tools and technology and things that I can put in place

to help make their jobs easier, help make things more

transparent for customers, help make things easier

for my employees so that they're not banging their head

against their desk, you know, there's, there's plenty

of challenges without having to worry about what systems

we're using, right?

And then from a training standpoint, obviously I wanted

to get as much training and learn as much as I could,

you know, join the 20 group and got ingrained in that.

But even after the first couple of 20 group meetings,

you know, and trying to bring that knowledge back,

you know, because a lot of the meetings you go to,

it's like the dealer, right?

And they're there with their wives, you know, for a vacation,

which is, you know, that's part of it.

But it's, for me, I was like, man, I need to start

bringing people with me.

So I'm, I'm always, I'm bringing Mike, my GM,

I'm bringing Greg, my sales manager or JB or our service

director. So I'm trying to bring these people along so that

they see it firsthand, experience firsthand.

They're, they're instead of asking me to ask someone

in our 20 group something, now they have their own

connections, right?

So I, I've never looked at it as, I don't think

investing your people is ever a bad investment, right?

And I think my job here as the dealer is to grow the people

again inside out so that the store can grow.

I want to touch on this as we wind down.

Because I think this is so powerful when I came up,

you know, working, working in and around automotive.

There's always this, this dialogue, well, you never sold

cars, therefore, you can't x, y, z.

Well, you never did this.

So therefore, you can't x, y, z.

Here you come through the middle saying, hey, I had a

lucrative career I was building outside of this industry.

Now I'm coming into it.

I've got people that have been in it, probably their

entire career that know more than me.

How have you found navigating that?

I mean, obviously, you're a quick study.

You're highly intelligent.

You've got good, you know, strong emotional intelligence,

awareness, all these leadership.

But for those that are, are maybe struggling around

that narrative, how have you navigated that?

So I think what was actually my father-in-law

sent me pretty much right away to the dealer academy.

So, you know, without learning maybe the pros

and cons or an archaic way of doing something,

or it's just the way we've done it.

It's always the way we've done it, right?

And learning, perhaps learning some bad habits,

I went right up to the academy.

And, you know, for those that are listening,

that have gone through that, it's very structured, right?

So you start an accounting, then you do use cars,

new cars, you know, service parts.

And then you come back and work in that department

for, you know, 30 days or so.

So for me, that was brilliant, right?

I mean, obviously, it would be tough for me to come in

and detail cars at $12 an hour, leaving what I had

just left, you know, at 30 years old,

you know, having, you know, starting a family.

So not to say that I didn't learn detail or anything

like that, but perhaps different than, you know,

the kids that grew up in the store.

I can certainly understand it from that perspective.

But that's what we did.

And it was great.

It allowed me to bring something back to the people

that were in those departments, right?

From a third party, you know?

So it wasn't me saying, hey, we're off here or we're off here.

It's like, hey, here are the guidelines.

We're doing great here.

We're a little below there.

What are some ideas?

You know, can you help me with my homework?

So it was a lot of give and take instead of, you know,

someone coming in that doesn't know what they're talking

about trying to tell you to do something, right?

There just wasn't any of that.

Where did you learn to be objective and factual?

I try to be objective and factual.

I guess my father was very much objective and factual.

He was a big reader and he's a big news guy.

He knows a little bit about everything about everything.

Right.

Well, because, you know, just the way you asked that question,

you know, hey, we're a little bit off here.

Here's the guidelines, factual.

We're a little bit off here, factual.

And then you did not ask the question I hear a lot.

The question I hear a lot is, how did we get here?

Why is it like that you said, so what?

Like what?

I don't think people realize how powerful a word what is, right?

What can we do or what are some ideas we have?

Which is very like you're just tethering facts to action.

Yeah.

And a lot of it, you know, even then was, I mean, I didn't even know, right?

But I knew I needed to get my homework done.

And I knew I needed their help to get my homework done, right?

You mean you have a big book report for lack of a better word to get back.

So, but I still operate that way.

You know, I still assume that my service manager knows more about being a service

manager than I do or Greg knows more about being a general sales manager than I do.

Or, you know, so I'm dangerous enough in all those areas if I needed to fill in.

But I, you know, I fully trust them and rely, I rely daily on their expertise.

I mean, that's why they're here, right?

That's why we pay them.

That's why I continually invest in them.

And I trust, I trust what they bring to the table.

It's like that saying a little bit.

I don't know why I thought of this, but it's like, what's that?

A jack of all trades is a master of none.

Yeah, that's exactly right.

Nobody knows the rest of that quote, which I think is so powerful and so contextual.

A jack of all trades is a master of none, but a master of some is better than none.

There you go.

Right.

Which, which changes that whole quote, like used out of context.

You still got to know a little bit.

You got, yeah.

And I would rather have somebody that can hold their own in a little bit of ways.

That under, can at least understand what I'm dealing with.

Then somebody who, who just has no clue.

Right.

This is so enlightening.

We've talked about community.

We've talked about community involvement.

We've talked about family businesses.

We've talked about leadership.

I think you guys are doing such tremendous work.

I really admire how you operate as a leader.

I think you are a fresh take at leadership in a modern dealership.

There's accountability.

There's action.

There's movement.

There's growth.

And so I, I think, you know, you serve as a great inspiration for that.

Thank you for that set in that tone.

How can those listening or watching connect with you?

So my cell phones easiest.

I've always got that on me.

Cell phone number is 919-455-7790.

Uh, email was mberkhead at sirwalter.com, uh, Instagram, BIRKSUVA.

B-I-R-K-S-U-V-A.

Try to be active on there if you're interested in my family life.

And then obviously, uh, Sir Walter Chevrolet,

or Sir Walter underscore Chevy on, on Instagram.

We've got, you know, great, great content of the team.

And you can kind of see a little behind the scenes of how we operate on,

on Instagram as well or Facebook.

Hey, don't, don't follow him on Instagram because if you do,

he's going to send you something goofy that's going to make you laugh at 1149pm.

And then you're just going to have to,

Hey, you asked how I was so lighthearted, right?

You gotta, you gotta stay on the goofy, goofy memes and all that.

Brother, you're the man.

Thank you so much for joining me on the dealer playbook.

Thanks for having me, man.

It's an honor.

Thanks so much for joining

About this episode

Matt Birkhead, dealer principal at Sir Walter Chevrolet, shares insights on maintaining a family-oriented dealership culture while adapting to modern market demands. He emphasizes the importance of transparency, community involvement, and the human connection in car buying. Birkhead discusses how the 'Sir Walter Way' fosters authenticity and trust, contrasting it with the impersonal nature of digital car sales. He also highlights the dealership's commitment to investing in its employees and the community, showcasing a model for success in the evolving automotive landscape.

DRP system Sir Walter Chevrolet transparency in pricing

Original notes

What does a modern car dealership look like in 2025, without losing the human connection that actually builds loyalty?

In this episode of The Dealer Playbook, I sit down with Matt Birkhead, Dealer Principal at Sir Walter Chevrolet in Raleigh, North Carolina, a nearly 100-year-old, single-point store that’s grown by leaning into transparency, simplified pricing, community involvement, and people-first leadership.

Matt breaks down “The Sir Walter Way” a smarter way to shop, an easier way to service, and a culture that makes customers (and employees) feel like family. We also get practical about how dealerships should use AI, digital retailing, and fast lead response without sacrificing trust.

What you’ll learn in this conversation:

How Sir Walter Chevrolet builds loyalty through transparency and consistent pricing

Where AI belongs in a dealership (and where it doesn’t)

How to keep customers warm after-hours without “fake” automation

The real operational advantage of a single-point store in a big market

How to break down silos between sales, service, parts, and recon

Why “community starts from the inside out” (and how to make it real)

How Matt invests in people through training, 20 groups, and leadership development

Why the dealership experience still matters—even with online buying and delivery

If you’re a dealer principal, GM, sales leader, fixed ops leader, or dealership marketer, this episode is a blueprint for building a culture that customers feel, and employees stay for.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:14 The Dealer Playbook and Flex Dealer

02:35 Introduction to Matt Birkhead

03:30 Balancing Work and Family

04:50 Challenges and Responsibilities in the Car Business

08:15 Transparency and Authenticity in Dealerships

09:39 Leveraging AI in Dealerships

16:36 Community Involvement and Support

18:22 Building a Culture of Giving Back

19:03 Creating a Tangible Cultural Impact

20:14 Fostering Teamwork and Community

20:44 Highlighting Employee Contributions

21:27 Breaking Down Departmental Silos

22:20 The Role of Gwen in Community Outreach

25:11 Investing in People and Long-Term Value

26:52 Navigating the Automotive Industry as an Outsider

31:37 Objective and Factual Leadership

34:25 Connecting with the Community and Audience

Connect with Matt Birkhead / Sir Walter Chevrolet

Phone: (919) 455-7790

Email: [email protected]

Instagram (Matt): @birksuva

Instagram (Store): @sirwalter_chevy

If you found this valuable:

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The Dealer Playbook

Michael Cirillo

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