The Playbook
The Auto Dealer's Playbook
A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Successful Independent Car Dealership
Second Edition, July 2026. Written by Eric Gibby and published by GT Consulting.
What It Covers
A field guide for dealer decisions.
The book is written for dealers who want the truth before the bill shows up: the monthly nut, inventory risk, BHPH, LHPH, floor plans, payment assurance, cash flow and cleaner files.
Chapter List
The store, in the order a dealer should think.
A quick note before you start
Who I Am and Why I Wrote This
What This Book Will Do
Introduction: The Dealership Is a Cash Business First
Chapter 1: Start With the End in Mind
Chapter 2: Lease Here, Pay Here
Chapter 3: Dealer Management System
Chapter 4: Web-Based Tools and Daily Workflow
Chapter 5: The Sales Process
Chapter 6: Reinsurance, Service Contracts and Risk
Chapter 7: Buying Cars Like a Dealer
Chapter 8: Buy Here, Pay Here
Chapter 9: Floor Planning
Chapter 10: Payment Assurance
Chapter 11: Closing Financial Gaps
Chapter 12: Industry Connections
Chapter 13: Growth, Systems and Exit Value
Chapter 14: Cash Flow
Chapter 15: Tax and Legal Survival
Bonus Section: Tools and Resources for Dealers
Who should read it
Dealers trying to open their first lot, dealers with cars out front and not enough cash in the bank, and dealers who are growing but feel more pressure instead of more control.
Dealer worksheets and appendices
The second edition includes dealer terms, must-have deal file documents, a compliance checklist, dealer forms and worksheets, a ninety-day operating plan, plain dealer scripts, red flags, math examples, sample store policies, action plans and field notes.
Consulting tie-in
The book gives dealers a cleaner way to think. Consulting applies that same thinking to your actual numbers, inventory, deals, receivables and next move.