01
How a dealership actually works
The desk, F&I, minis, SFE, splits — and who really decides whether you make it.
A new book by Ethan Reynolds
The Green Pea Playbook
Your first year selling new cars at a franchise store
Twelve and a half cars in month one, with zero dealership experience. Here's exactly how.
12.5cars sold his first full month — second in the store
3months straight at that pace, then top salesperson in the dealership
F&Iwent on to run the finance office and the sales desk
0experience when he walked in and asked for a job
The book at a glance
What is The Green Pea Playbook?
The Green Pea Playbook: Your First Year Selling New Cars At A Franchise Store is a 131-page guide by Ethan Reynolds for brand-new car salespeople. It explains how a new-car dealership works, how salespeople get paid, the step-by-step Road to the Sale, how to handle common objections, where customers come from, and what a new salesperson should have accomplished by day 30, 90, 180, and 365.
Reynolds wrote it from experience: he sold 12.5 cars his first full month at a Chevrolet dealership with no prior experience, became the store’s top salesperson, then ran the finance office and the sales desk.
- Author
- Ethan Reynolds
- Published
- October 8, 2026
- Length
- 131 pages
- Formats
- Paperback $19.99 · Hardcover $39.99
- Where
- Amazon
- ISBN-13
- 979-8160890333 (hardcover)
- Best for
- New car salespeople, people considering car sales, and managers training new hires
Nobody hands you this on day one
The manual the dealership never gave you
Car sales is one of the few jobs left where you can walk in with no degree and make six figures in your first year.
Most salespeople never do, because nobody explained the business to them. They get a lanyard, a login, and a pat on the back, and then they're on the lot guessing.
This book is everything Ethan would tell a brand-new salesperson, in his own words: the pay plan, the process, the politics, and where the customers actually come from. Real numbers from his store. Real names. The exact word tracks he used on the lot, in the write-up, and at delivery.
- You're about to start your first job on a new-car lotRead it before your first up.
- You're thinking about getting into car salesKnow what the job really is, and how the money works, before you apply.
- You're in your first year and it's not clicking yetFind out what the top producers are doing that you're not.
- You manage or train green peasHand them the book and stop explaining "mini" for the fortieth time.
What's inside
Everything from the first up
to day 365
Nine parts. No theory, no fluff — the way the business actually works on a franchise store floor.
02
Getting hired & your first 90 days
What managers really look for, and the first impression that lasts five years.
03
The Road to the Sale
Greeting, fact-finding, walkaround, demo drive, trade, first pencil, and the close — step by step.
04
"Just looking" means buying
Why the most common line on the lot is a buying signal — and exactly what to say back.
05
Handling objections
"I need to think about it." "I can get it cheaper." "The payment's too high." And when to get a T.O.
06
The F&I turnover & delivery
From a former finance manager who watched deals die in his office — and how to earn perfect surveys without ever asking.
07
Where the cars really come from
Internet leads in five minutes, phone-ups, follow-up that brings people back, the service lane, and prospecting.
08
A business within the business
Your own website, your own reviews, your own CRM — a book of customers that follows you to any store.
09
Your first year, mapped
What you should have done by day 30, 90, 180, and 365 — and what "enough" should look like.
The Road to the Sale
Seven steps. Every customer.
The book walks each one with the exact words Ethan used — and includes a one-page checklist you can keep in your pocket.
GreetingThe first ten seconds
Fact-findingFind the real reason they came
WalkaroundSell the car, not the brochure
Demo driveWhere they take ownership
The tradeHandle it without losing them
First pencilPresenting numbers the right way
The closeAsk. Then be quiet.
"Just looking" means buying.The book explains why — and what to say back.
Your first year
Know where you should be
Most new salespeople have no idea if they're on track until it's too late. The book gives you clear checkpoints for the whole first year.
30DAYS
Survive the learning curve, know the product and the process, and get your first deals on the board.
90DAYS
The window managers use to decide who stays. What they're watching, and how to clear it.
180DAYS
Stop living on fresh ups. Follow-up, referrals, and repeat customers start carrying the month.
365DAYS
A book of customers that follows you to any store — and what "enough" should look like.
Plus, in the back of the book
Tools you'll actually use
Dealership slang glossaryUps, be-backs, minis, T.O.s, spiffs — decoded.
Road-to-the-Sale checklistThe whole process on a single page.
First-ninety-days checklistWhat to have done before your manager decides.
24 pay-plan questionsAsk them about any store before you sign.
Get the book
Read it before your first up
Available now on Amazon in paperback and hardcover.
Not sure yet? Read a free sample on Amazon →
131 pagesPublished October 8, 2026ISBN 979-8160890333 (hardcover)
Dealership slang, decoded
Key terms every green pea hears
A sample from the full glossary in the back of the book. See all 40 terms →
- Green pea
- A brand-new car salesperson in their first weeks or months on the sales floor.
- Up
- A customer who walks onto the lot. Many stores rotate ups among salespeople, so “taking an up” means greeting the next customer.
- Be-back
- A customer who leaves saying they’ll come back. Most never do unless the salesperson follows up.
- T.O. (turnover)
- Handing a customer to a manager or a more experienced salesperson to help answer an objection or close the deal.
- The desk
- The sales managers who structure deals, approve numbers, and decide what gets presented to the customer.
- Pencil
- The written numbers (price, trade value, payment) shown to a customer. The “first pencil” is the opening offer.
- Mini
- A deal with little or no profit that pays the salesperson a flat minimum commission instead of a percentage.
- F&I
- The finance and insurance office, where the customer signs the contract and is offered products like extended service contracts and GAP coverage.
- Spiff
- A small cash bonus paid for selling a specific vehicle or product.
- Phone-up
- An inbound call from a shopper asking about a vehicle; the goal is to set an appointment.
Free guides
Start learning today
Car sales basicsWhat is a green pea in car sales?Getting hiredHow to get into car sales with no experienceThe sales processThe Road to the Sale: the 7 steps to selling a carClosingHow to handle the most common car sales objectionsMoneyCar sales pay plans explainedYour first yearYour first 90 days in car sales: the checklistLead sourcesWhere car sales customers really come fromReferenceCar sales glossary: 40 terms
FAQ
Questions, answered
What's a "green pea"?
Dealership slang for a brand-new salesperson — someone in their first weeks or months on the floor. This book is written for exactly that person.
What is The Green Pea Playbook about?
It’s a first-year guide to selling new cars at a franchise dealership: how the dealership is organized, how the pay plan works, the Road to the Sale from greeting to close, objection handling, the F&I turnover and delivery, lead sources like internet leads and the service lane, and milestones for your first 30, 90, 180, and 365 days.
Who wrote The Green Pea Playbook?
Ethan Reynolds, a former top salesperson, F&I manager, and sales desk manager at a Chevrolet dealership. He sold 12.5 cars his first full month with no prior experience and later founded AutoLister Pro and Dealer Forge.
What is the Road to the Sale?
The step-by-step process salespeople follow with every customer. The book covers seven steps: the greeting, fact-finding, the walkaround, the demo drive, the trade, the first pencil, and the close, with the exact word tracks Ethan used.
Is it a good first book for a new car salesperson?
That’s who it’s written for. It assumes no experience, explains dealership slang, and includes a one-page Road-to-the-Sale checklist, a first-ninety-days checklist, and 24 questions to ask about any pay plan.
How long is the book?
131 pages, available in paperback and hardcover.
Do I need any sales experience to get value from it?
No. Ethan started with zero dealership experience. The book starts from how a dealership is organized and how you get paid, then walks through the sale step by step.
Is it only for new-car franchise stores?
It's written from a new-car franchise store — the pay plans, the desk, F&I, manufacturer surveys. Much of the process, objection handling, and follow-up applies at independent and used-car lots too.
I'm a sales manager. Is this useful for training?
Yes — it's the conversation you have with every new hire, already written down. The checklists and glossary in the back are built to hand to a green pea on day one.
Where can I buy it?
On Amazon, in paperback ($19.99) and hardcover ($39.99). Jump to the links.
Nobody explained the business.
This book does.
Your first year on the lot, mapped out by someone who's sold, financed, and desked the deal.
Get The Green Pea Playbook