about posts on Edmunds.com, I notice that you've got 2020 posts in about the same amount of time as I've been on here, since April 13, 2001.
Only there's one thing wrong. I don't remember seeing your posts through the years...only the ones this year in this thread about the UAW and a few others.
Question: did you get a new nickname part-way down the line? If you can disclose it what was your old nickname?
Nah, marsha7 goes a fair way back. I'm surprised his posting numbers aren't higher but that could be the same reason mine aren't higher. I was kind of on hiatus for a while.
He used to drive me crazy but now I know almost exactly how much salt to take his posts with....
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
I thought they were just voting this weekend, but the NY Times says approval is likely.
"Members of a group within the United Automobile Workers union known as the Soldiers of Solidarity are passing out fliers at some factories, urging workers to vote against the deal that was reached last week. They say that the deal does not protect workers from layoffs, and as evidence they point to thousands of job cuts announced by General Motors and Chrysler after contracts at those companies were ratified."
Just keep in mind that just being able to spew out car specs and facts won't sell cars. Your ears are your best tool. Use them to your advantage. Anytime your talking, your not listening and you can talk your way right out of a sale.
If you end up at a dealership that sells a lot of trucks/suvs, learn about real world towing ability. The potential customers that do a lot of towing will see right thru your BS if you tell them they can tow their 32' 8,000lb travel trailer to Florida from Michigan along with hauling their two kids, a weeks worth of gear/supplies, along with a 4 wheeler in the bed. Just because the specs state a 1/2 ton Sierra can tow up to 8,900lbs doesn't mean it can safely in all situations.
Some advice for you. Sales Training courses are fine and good, but no replacement for practical experience. It will take roughly 2 yrs for you to really learn HOW to sell cars. So, keep your eyes and ears open,and your mouth shut.
Just because you like a certain type of car doesn't mean that you will be able to make money selling them. Enthusiasm for a brand is great, but the brand has to be worthy. I was like you when I was young, I was a BIG TIME domestic car fan. Then my first job in the car business cured me of that affliction. I worked at a Mercedes store,and the difference in quality,as well as the difference in how the manufacturers operated was sooo apparent, that I could no longer defend the domestic car companies. If you spend enough time ata GM store, you will see how the General operates, and why they are in the position they are in. Especially if you jump ship to an import brand. The imports are like the Patriots and the doemstics are like the Raiders. It's that much of a difference. Have fun selling!
My professional trainer worked for both domestic and import dealerships in his career. He said the owners make or break your employer/employee relationship more so than anything coming from the manufactor. I know you are in the buiz and have your views but honestly volvomax, I will be more happy selling domestics than imports. I also have 3 brands to sell from instead of just one which is nice. They had Scion, but do they even count. Maybe 1.5 brands ? :surprise: :P I also should have a easier time making a friendly connection with a domestic buyer. I'll bite my tongue now from going into details !!! :P
Shut-up was stressed dieselone.
It's also been a long time since you worked for a domestic dealership I assume volvomax ???? Perhaps things have changed a bit ???? I know GM, is focusing on their CSI scores and LaNeve, has been stressing customer service.
Rocky, Yes, the ownership of a dealer can make a big difference. However, they cannot make up for a deficient motor compnay. Being in management, I deal more w/ the motor company than a salesperson does, and having dealt with different manufactiurers I have found that the imports by far have better people, better processes, and much better results. One of my biggest stresses has been adjusting to the switch from an independent Volvo Finance to one run by Ford Motor Credit. The independent VFNA was well run, by people who knew what they were doing and their processes were second to none. Ford Motor Credit is run by lobotomized monkey's. THat is sadly typical of the domestic car companies. Remember, there is a REASON why Ford GM and Chrysler are in the tank. Regardless, I do hope you are happy selling domestics.
No, I registered as marsha7 from the git-go...but I do go on hiatus every now and then...I generally participate in the Auto Insurance and Gap Insurance topics, which probably keep down my posts, altho I now am active in the Politics and UAW topics...I do seem to find rocky, gagrice and others in many of my topics...
Then, I also post some in a different topic every time I get a wild hair on a different car I think I might want, then I drop off forever...some examples are Santa Fe, Veracruz, DTS, STS, 4Runner, Pathfinder, Explorer, Grand Cherokee...
Once I think of a new vehicle, I will generally post the same questions that I did in a previous topic, simply because I want to know the same questions about the vehicle...the participants are always nice and patient with my inane questions, but I probably drive the hosts nuts, because once they see me in a new topic, they probably think "Oh no, here we go with a barrage of those same questions all over again", but they have yet to throw me off a topic, but...give them time...
There are many posters, if they have not seen me sign a post with "Bob" will refer to me in the third person as "she", simply because of the moniker "marsha7", but that is because I used my wife's name when I created my userID...
Yes, your thought is correct...I tried marsha1, but it was taken, so I tried marsha2...up to marsha7, which the computer accepted...
So, here I am...sometimes I ask questions that bore folks, sometimes I can actually offer useful information, since I am a PI attorney, so I can sometimes offer folks in the Auto Accident topic some useful advice on what to do after (and before) an auto accident...
To continue my droning message in the afterlife, I think my epitaph should read "Do YOU have Medpay???...I did"...
I see what you are saying pal. I do know one thing and if I'm not happy selling domestics I probably won't be happy selling anything else. I do not know how long I will last in this business, but my plan is to make the best of it.
I have some other opportunity's that are suppose to open up for me in the future so we will see where my path will take me ? :surprise:
I just hope GM & Ford, do well. I'm afraid Chrysler, will be a Chinese car distributor and if that happens I can only pray they fall flat on their face.
I just hope GM & Ford, do well. I'm afraid Chrysler, will be a Chinese car distributor and if that happens I can only pray they fall flat on their face.
And GM has never sold any imports under their name?
I work for Chrysler - have been for nearly 24 years. I hope to make it to 30.
When my girlfriend bought her Buick LaCrosse, we had a great sales experience. I wouldn't say the guy was Mr. Personality, but he seemed honest and knew a lot about the car we were looking at. My girlfriend knows very little about cars, despite being around me for nine years, but the guy explained everything quite well and made the financial end of things as easy and painless as possible.
Our best experience was a the Chevrolet dealer. The guy went out of his way to help her get the Impala and wasn't annoyed at my girlfriend for coming back at least six times over a six-month period before she finally bought something.
What I hate is guys who come on too strong and assume I'm going to buy that day, (cough-cough...Toyota!) I also hate guys who totally ignore me. Find a happy medium.
A few weeks ago we had a guy leasing a Supercharged Range Rover. It would be his sixth or seventh Range Rover since the mid 90s. The lease payment was a little over 2,000 dollars a month which is typical for that vehicle and the mileage he wanted.
He makes 100,000 plus dollars a month with a mid 700 beacon score and they kicked him back saying they wanted him to put more money down so his payments would be in the 1,800 range. :confuse: :mad:
Our F&I manger had to spend 30 minutes on the phone with a supervisor before they said ok to everything.
After Chrysler's announced cuts, I NEVER expected this contract to be overrwhelmingly approved and really thought it was going to be rejected by a slim margin.
It's no secret there are cutbacks in the works at Ford, so I'm not sure what to make of this.
You cannot make the argument that Ford needs all the workers they have now. So, it should be obvious that cuts are needed. The UAW workers have a choice between some of them keeping their jobs,or all of them going under. It is in their best interests to ratify the deal.">
However when is it ever going to be in the best interests of the workers again ????
COME-ON how many more incompetent multi-million dollar executives must be hired before somebody with common sense and a plan rights the ship. All we have heard now for months or talked about is cut backs from the IUE-CWA & UAW hourly. :sick: How bout somebody holding these executives accountable to hold up their end of the bargain and keep the big 3 in business with the manufactoring of automobiles that people want to own.
It's so one-sided in this country anymore it really makes me sick !!!! :sick:
Your rant assumes that "People want to own" union made Yankee vehicles. This is not the case. Look at national sales figures for all vehicles sold here.
The Yankee quality has been diminishing for over 25 years and the top floor executives are doing all they can to counter that impression the nation has of Detroit iron.
Because their methods, education, expertise, and professionality are very high and above our understanding and appreciation, it is not very accurate to simply label them incompetent.
how many more incompetent multi-million dollar executives must be hired before somebody with common sense and a plan rights the ship.
You keep forgetting they are hired by the board of directors. How many $million plus executives do you think Ford has? I would be surprised if more than 10 executives make a million plus per year. There are thousands of mid level managers making under $200k per year. That is not that far removed from the UAW members. I think Ford suffered from too many family members being involved. Bill Ford Jr was not very impressive to me. Yet with his connections to the board he got himself in the top seat. You and I will never be given those opportunities. Some things you are born to. Some make it to greatness all on their own. Hard to think of many in the last 30 years. Maybe Ted Waitt, Michael Dell, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
There are not many that went from rags to riches working at a Union Job. a Union job is to be assigned to middle class mediocrity. I know as I am one.
Well maybe if those union made "Yankee" vehicles were engineered to the consumers criteria they would sell a few more to a larger audience. Remember it wasn't the UAW that hired the Roger Smith type executives who through out to the consumer the worst automobiles in General Motors, history and had the mentality they will buy it because they don't have a choice. :mad:
The UAW, workers count on their over paid multi-platinum stringed executives to deliver a product that consumers want to own and when the consumer says "no" the UAW, workers lose there jobs not the "skull & bones" executive cult. :sick:
You keep forgetting they are hired by the board of directors.
That is a rank and file similar to a union. The board of executives of a large firm are basically a small union. The best example I can give to back my position was with Dr. K and GM's board. They showed him that Dr. K was not in charge !!!!! :P
How many $million plus executives do you think Ford has?
Annual salary over a million probably a couple of dozen ????
I know my father boss who was a ground level supervisor was making well into the six digits. The guy who was second in command was at $167K ( if memory is correct) and the plant manager was over $200K.
Delphi, Coopersville hired a college graduate from Kettering with more degrees than the sun and paid him something like $576,000 and the guy played computer games because they had nothing for him to do. He finally quit because he was bored. :surprise: That is the type of incompetent leadership I'm talking about.
I would be surprised if more than 10 executives make a million plus per year.
Perhaps, but it wouldn't surprise me. I also wouldn't be surprised at all if you could put another zero behind that 10 who make more than $200,000
There are thousands of mid level managers making under $200k per year.
Ummm I guess that depends on what you consider mid level ????
That is not that far removed from the UAW members.
They also have to live at the plants to make that kind of money. My step-dad is skill-trades and has worked some over-time and won't get close to six-figures so I'm not sure how you figure ???? :confuse:
I think Ford suffered from too many family members being involved. Bill Ford Jr was not very impressive to me. Yet with his connections to the board he got himself in the top seat. You and I will never be given those opportunities. Some things you are born to. Some make it to greatness all on their own. Hard to think of many in the last 30 years. Maybe Ted Waitt, Michael Dell, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
I agree with all of that gagrice, but the simple fact and my point of my arguement was that nobody is publicly holding these executives accountable for the failures at the company. All I keep hearing is the UAW, workersbetterswallow this poison pillor else !!!! They might be correct but it kills me nobody is looking at how they arrived at the trash compactor. :sick:
There are not many that went from rags to riches working at a Union Job. a Union job is to be assigned to middle class mediocrity. I know as I am one.
Well I don't know your childhood to know if you went from rags, but riches compared to most folks many might argue.
Well I don't know your childhood to know if you went from rags, but riches compared to most folks many might argue.
I know what poor is. I can remember many nights going to bed hungry. We did not have school lunches and breakfast for the poor kids when I was growing up. My folks died as poor as ever. I paid for both to be buried. My dad filed for bankruptcy when my mom died leaving him with lots of bills. I saw how my folks lived and never saved a penny. So instead of getting a new car every 5 years I saved the money and drove a beater. I do not feel bad for those that spend faster than they earn. We are in a country that gives us the freedom to succeed of fail. The Union can be a blessing or a curse. I think the UAW has become a curse to those that feel entitled to anything but fair market wages. I think the vote at Ford shows the workers are starting to see the light. They are only as good as what they produce.
I think you put more blame on management than I would. And I have NO love of management. If the UAW had anything in their contracts that would tie the hands of the automaker to make changes that would keep them competitive, the UAW is also to blame for the current situation. I think there is plenty of blame to go from the top to the bottom of the Big 3. If they all go away how is that any different than the other car companies that have fallen by the wayside? Some of the best were trampled by the Big 3 over the years. Now it may be their turn under the boot.
who should replace the current team of top level executives, then you are obligated to abide by them.
Oh sorry, I forgot to answer your question euphonium :surprise:
My Answer is ME, MYSELF, and I
I would not of allowed automobiles like the Catera, Aztek, Avalanche, Grand-Am, Grand Prix, LeSabre, Cobalt, Malibu Maxx, among many others to see the light of day theway they were configured. I actually have common sense and know what the consumer wants. I know I sound arrogant, cocky, and that is because I am confident I could do a helluva alot better job than these overpaid idiots at GM, Ford, and especially Chrysler. I would have a management team in place to be my numbers guys but ultimately you need a marketing team who knows exactly what Joe and Jane Six-Pack "middle america" wants to drive.
I could also take a few of my edmunds buddy's and run GM, and get better results. These Hilton staying empty suits are so out of touch with reality and middle america that products like the Aztek, Sprinter, Five Hundred, were made. :mad:
Rather than complain, construct. Rather than [non-permissible content removed], build. Rather than whine, back the winners.
What Winners ? I'm yet to see them ? ARM/Fields are both clueless, Chrysler, has been clueless since Lee Iaccoa, and GM, hasbeen clueless since Lutz, and while Wagoner, looks like a superstar CEO, it's because of Lutz, and Ed Wellburn. Wagoner, ran GM's North American Operations into the ground in the 90's but was intellegent enough to hire Lutz, who border line senial and well Wellburn, does have is stuff togeather even thoughhe has stage fright.
WOW, did not know that about you but I was talking more about your current situation than your past !!!!
I like I said before feel their is no excuse why this country will not protect it's business and workers from unfair trade policy's which the UAW, are faced with along with currency manipulation, 3rd world wages. I share Lou Dobbs, view that it's "War on the Middle Class" by special interest groups like Fisher Price, who do all their business over in communist China, and dump poisonous lead tainted products on our market. If you haven't noticed like I have these Chinese made products by these big american corporations have not yielded less expensive prices either. I for one was already looking toys for Christmas, for my children and was sticker shocked at some of the products at the big box stores. Especially for the quality and shoddy craftsmenship of these toys. :mad:
Give me american union made stuff once again as a choiceand just maybe we can save a few jobs and this country, and not forget the health and safety of our children.
Were your folks simply poor or just poor with their money? If they were simply poor, I wouldn't blame them for not be able to save anything.They needed every penny just to keep things going from week to week.
Now, not every union member is a spendthrift. You just see the extreme examples of the union garbage man driving a new truck every three years and towing a new bass boat. Sometimes people who've had no money their whole lives are bad managing at soon as they come into it. That's why you see a lot of lottery winners ending up broke 20 years later. A lady down the street from my parents won $11 million in the lottery back in the day. She split the fortune with her two sons. One ended up gambling away his share of the money and came back home to live with his mother. All he has left to show for it is a truck. I understand he is now living on disability.
I remember when Fisher-Price toys were very well-made when they were manufactured in the United States. Heck, I think I had a few that once belonged to my mother when she was a child and they were passed down to my sister who is nine years younger than me.
The way they're currently made, you're lucky if they last until next Xmas! What's really sad is seeing foreign children slaving in overseas factories making those toys when they should instead be playing with them!
Shoot, can I be the head of Buick in your new General Motors? Then we'd see stately Roadmasters, powerful Wildcats, elegant Rivieras, and high-performance GS's and Grand Nationals again! Heck, if all I did was manufacture and sell the Chinese Park Avenue and LaCrosse here, nobody would even need to look at a Lexus.
My folks were like many that moved around where the construction work led them. They just never got ahead of the bills.
Now, not every union member is a spendthrift.
No they are not. The ones crying in the Detroit news that they were not able to pay their bills when the overtime was cut out, are spendthrifts. If you buy a home and pay more than 25% of your base wages for the payment, you are not being wise. If you buy a boat, dunebuggy, 4wheeler, jetskis, or a big screen TV on time you are not being smart with your money. Life has no guarantees. To live right up to your income no matter how large or small is not using your brain. Union jobs are almost always paid better than the non union jobs in a given locale. There is no excuse for a Union member not saving for that rainy day.
Toys made in China, cars made in Korea and Japan. What is the difference?
I remember when a Tonka toy would last FOREVER. Now as you have mentioned if toys last till New Years, you figure it is a quality toy. I do not see much difference in the toys for kids and the toys for adults. Our cars are made of cheap plastic just as the toys from China. As far as lead, that seems to be wide spread, even US companies are making products with high lead content. Latest lead scare is with casino chips. Don't let your kid chew on a poker chip.
What was stopping you? You were brought up in a middle class American home. You could have gone to college and worked your way into Big 3 management. With hard work and a drive to succeed you had as good of a chance as anyone else. Wagoner did not start near the top. He took a lowly white collar job that probably paid less than the UAW member was making in 1977.
By the way the Sprinter was built in Germany until this year. It has sold over 1 million units and is still selling better than ever. So maybe you are not as in tune to what the consumer really wants.
Too bad none of the Big 3 came up with the Sprinter van: Klaus Schade drove his newspaper courier Sprinter 900,000 km without repairs in the 10 years he owned it. Only regular maintenance was necessary, of course. That's 559,234 miles, the equivalent of driving 22 times around the world. Since the introduction in 1995 more than one million Sprinters were sold while also receiving multiple "Transporter of the Year" awards.
The Sprinter is a great vehicle. I remember when our UPS hub switched the majority of their metro package cars over to sprinters. The drivers loved that van. It was much easier to drive in congested city areas and was more comfortable to drive in. The high roof line of the cargo area meant that even the taller drivers could stand in the back comfortably.
What was stopping you? You were brought up in a middle class American home. You could have gone to college and worked your way into Big 3 management. With hard work and a drive to succeed you had as good of a chance as anyone else. Wagoner did not start near the top. He took a lowly white collar job that probably paid less than the UAW member was making in 1977.
Nah, armchair quarterbacking is much easier. I know people who say the same thing. They can't even maintain a checking account or their credit status, yet they know they could turn GM around, LOL!!!
It simply isn't designing cars people want. It's taking that design, being able to produce and sell it at a profit. That is the hard part when your saddled with a company that has a culture and corporate structure created in a time of oligopolies in the US auto industry.
I don't care what kind of vehicle you design. The market place has so many competitors that it is virtually impossible for GM to win back a 30-40% market share it needs to support its corporate structure.
Like it or not, GM needs to develop world class vehicles merely to maintain market share while selling vehicles w/o huge incentives. That still means they need to reduce employment.
Sorry Rock, I'd bet my life savings that if you took over GM, they'd be bankrupt within a few years.
Sorry Rock, I'd bet my life savings that if you took over GM, they'd be bankrupt within a few years.
You have to have a capitalistic drive to make a profit and stay in business. The first thing you have to worry about is having a product that people want. I am afraid Rocky would worry more about the employees and their feelings. That would be a sure recipe for failure. America was built by risk takers. Union workers are not risk takers. Henry Ford was hardly a pushover when it came to wages and working conditions. It would be good to work for an employer that cared about the workers. In my 45 years of employment that was never the case.
you trip over the truth and simply keep on walking..."...keep the big 3 in business with the manufactoring of automobiles that people want to own"
That is the point...whether you blame unions (as I do, altho mgmt shares blame) or mgmt, as you seem to, no one wants the product, or at least not enough to maintain the level of employment from the 1980s...
I always come back to the same thing...companies are NOT established to provide jobs for anyone but the owner...if production and profit rises, then, maybe, a job is created for someone else...
All rocky talks about is maintaining UAW jobs, as tho money comes out of the air...even if you fired all the 6 figure salaried mgmt, the savings would be a drop in the bucket, compared to the billions needed to make the cars...altho mgmt is fair game, firing them all would not make the compnay profitable except for maybe a day or two, if that...
rocky, if we don't want the product, the union has no jobs...and if there are those of us who feel that poor assembly by union workers is a reason not to buy Big 3, you have a lot of work ahead of you to make us think that the quality has improved but the union is the same...
It would be good to work for an employer that cared about the workers. In my 45 years of employment that was never the case.
Employers that care about their employees do exist. My dad has been fortunate to work for such companies. When my dad's first employer decided to retire and sell the company, he put employment of the employees in the deal with the new owners. At that time, my dad had a 2 year old '92 Crown Vic as a company car. The owner of the company, sold company vehicles to all the employees who had them for a $1, even though the accountants screamed and yelled. My dad still works for the company who bought them out and they have provided him with a great job.
My wife works for a fortune 500 company that has treated her/us very well. My wife has worked for the same company since she was 17. They helped pay for her to go to college and guaranteed her employment when she graduated. But these examples have one thing in common. They are profitable. No doubt if things go south she is expendable. It wouldn't be the end of the world, we'd adjust and move on. I wouldn't be on a message board screaming and crying that someone in a suit screwed us.
Loyalty is a two way street. An employee that sees the company is not doing well should not be hesitant to take a cut in pay along with the rest. We took a $57 per day cut in pay in 1985. Plus they laid off half the crew. No one was happy about it. We did get it back in the 1987 contract. We could have quit. The Alaskan economy was in the dumps at that time. We survived and came back stronger. It looks like the Ford employees are taking a realistic look at their company.
OCCUPATION: Chief executive officer and president of Ford Motor Co.
FAMILY: Wife, Nicki; five children.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of science and master of science in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from University of Kansas; master's in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY: Joined Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 1969 and worked as an engineer or program manager on the company's 727, 737, 747, 757 and 767 airplanes; subsequently named a vice president of engineering and placed as general manager of the 777 program; named senior vice president for Airplane Development for the Commercial Airplanes Group in 1994. Named president of Boeing Information, Space & Defense Systems in 1997. Took over as president of Commercial Airplanes in 1998. Added the responsibility of chief executive and president of that unit in 2001. Named chief executive and president at Ford.
OTHER: Serves as co-chair of the Washington Competitiveness Council; sits on advisory boards of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. Private pilot, enjoys tennis, golf and reading. .As for tennis, he was on the semi pro circuit and as for airplanes, he flies his own plane.
No doubt Alan Mulally had nothing given to him and he has worked his butt off to get where he is. Is it to late for him to turn ford around. I like the fact Ford has an engineer at the top spot.
Loyalty is a two way street. An employee that sees the company is not doing well should not be hesitant to take a cut in pay along with the rest. We took a $57 per day cut in pay in 1985. Plus they laid off half the crew. No one was happy about it. We did get it back in the 1987 contract. We could have quit. The Alaskan economy was in the dumps at that time. We survived and came back stronger. It looks like the Ford employees are taking a realistic look at their company.
Very true. Sticking your head in the sand and screaming I'm entitled to my job and pay won't get you very far.
Comments
Only there's one thing wrong. I don't remember seeing your posts through the years...only the ones this year in this thread about the UAW and a few others.
Question: did you get a new nickname part-way down the line? If you can disclose it what was your old nickname?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
He used to drive me crazy but now I know almost exactly how much salt to take his posts with....
-Rocky
Yeah now 13,116 posts later yes I'm a car nut. :P
-Rocky
Well my "EX" had a lot to do with those 13K posts !!!!
-Rocky
-Rocky
"Members of a group within the United Automobile Workers union known as the Soldiers of Solidarity are passing out fliers at some factories, urging workers to vote against the deal that was reached last week. They say that the deal does not protect workers from layoffs, and as evidence they point to thousands of job cuts announced by General Motors and Chrysler after contracts at those companies were ratified."
-Rocky
Just keep in mind that just being able to spew out car specs and facts won't sell cars. Your ears are your best tool. Use them to your advantage. Anytime your talking, your not listening and you can talk your way right out of a sale.
If you end up at a dealership that sells a lot of trucks/suvs, learn about real world towing ability. The potential customers that do a lot of towing will see right thru your BS if you tell them they can tow their 32' 8,000lb travel trailer to Florida from Michigan along with hauling their two kids, a weeks worth of gear/supplies, along with a 4 wheeler in the bed. Just because the specs state a 1/2 ton Sierra can tow up to 8,900lbs doesn't mean it can safely in all situations.
Best of luck, I'm sure you'll do well.
Good luck with the domestics.
Some advice for you.
Sales Training courses are fine and good, but no replacement for practical experience.
It will take roughly 2 yrs for you to really learn HOW to sell cars.
So, keep your eyes and ears open,and your mouth shut.
Just because you like a certain type of car doesn't mean that you will be able to make money selling them.
Enthusiasm for a brand is great, but the brand has to be worthy.
I was like you when I was young, I was a BIG TIME domestic car fan.
Then my first job in the car business cured me of that affliction.
I worked at a Mercedes store,and the difference in quality,as well as the difference in how the manufacturers operated was sooo apparent, that I could no longer defend the domestic car companies.
If you spend enough time ata GM store, you will see how the General operates, and why they are in the position they are in. Especially if you jump ship to an import brand. The imports are like the Patriots and the doemstics are like the Raiders. It's that much of a difference.
Have fun selling!
My professional trainer worked for both domestic and import dealerships in his career. He said the owners make or break your employer/employee relationship more so than anything coming from the manufactor. I know you are in the buiz and have your views but honestly volvomax, I will be more happy selling domestics than imports. I also have 3 brands to sell from instead of just one which is nice. They had Scion, but do they even count. Maybe 1.5 brands ? :surprise: :P
I also should have a easier time making a friendly connection with a domestic buyer. I'll bite my tongue now from going into details !!! :P
Shut-up was stressed dieselone.
It's also been a long time since you worked for a domestic dealership I assume volvomax ???? Perhaps things have changed a bit ???? I know GM, is focusing on their CSI scores and LaNeve, has been stressing customer service.
-Rocky
P.S. What the Raiders upset the Patriots ?
Yes, the ownership of a dealer can make a big difference.
However, they cannot make up for a deficient motor compnay.
Being in management, I deal more w/ the motor company than a salesperson does, and having dealt with different manufactiurers I have found that the imports by far have better people, better processes, and much better results.
One of my biggest stresses has been adjusting to the switch from an independent Volvo Finance to one run by Ford Motor Credit.
The independent VFNA was well run, by people who knew what they were doing and their processes were second to none.
Ford Motor Credit is run by lobotomized monkey's.
THat is sadly typical of the domestic car companies.
Remember, there is a REASON why Ford GM and Chrysler are in the tank.
Regardless, I do hope you are happy selling domestics.
Then, I also post some in a different topic every time I get a wild hair on a different car I think I might want, then I drop off forever...some examples are Santa Fe, Veracruz, DTS, STS, 4Runner, Pathfinder, Explorer, Grand Cherokee...
Once I think of a new vehicle, I will generally post the same questions that I did in a previous topic, simply because I want to know the same questions about the vehicle...the participants are always nice and patient with my inane questions, but I probably drive the hosts nuts, because once they see me in a new topic, they probably think "Oh no, here we go with a barrage of those same questions all over again", but they have yet to throw me off a topic, but...give them time...
There are many posters, if they have not seen me sign a post with "Bob" will refer to me in the third person as "she", simply because of the moniker "marsha7", but that is because I used my wife's name when I created my userID...
Yes, your thought is correct...I tried marsha1, but it was taken, so I tried marsha2...up to marsha7, which the computer accepted...
So, here I am...sometimes I ask questions that bore folks, sometimes I can actually offer useful information, since I am a PI attorney, so I can sometimes offer folks in the Auto Accident topic some useful advice on what to do after (and before) an auto accident...
To continue my droning message in the afterlife, I think my epitaph should read "Do YOU have Medpay???...I did"...
I guess 7 is the lucky number.
I have some other opportunity's that are suppose to open up for me in the future so we will see where my path will take me ? :surprise:
I just hope GM & Ford, do well. I'm afraid Chrysler, will be a Chinese car distributor and if that happens I can only pray they fall flat on their face.
-Rocky
And GM has never sold any imports under their name?
I work for Chrysler - have been for nearly 24 years. I hope to make it to 30.
Our best experience was a the Chevrolet dealer. The guy went out of his way to help her get the Impala and wasn't annoyed at my girlfriend for coming back at least six times over a six-month period before she finally bought something.
What I hate is guys who come on too strong and assume I'm going to buy that day, (cough-cough...Toyota!) I also hate guys who totally ignore me. Find a happy medium.
Yes, but not made by the communist Chinese.
I work for Chrysler - have been for nearly 24 years. I hope to make it to 30.
I sure hope you can and do also.
-Rocky
-Rocky
God isn't that the truth.
A few weeks ago we had a guy leasing a Supercharged Range Rover. It would be his sixth or seventh Range Rover since the mid 90s. The lease payment was a little over 2,000 dollars a month which is typical for that vehicle and the mileage he wanted.
He makes 100,000 plus dollars a month with a mid 700 beacon score and they kicked him back saying they wanted him to put more money down so his payments would be in the 1,800 range. :confuse: :mad:
Our F&I manger had to spend 30 minutes on the phone with a supervisor before they said ok to everything.
Ford contract is cruising (Detroit Free Press)
It's no secret there are cutbacks in the works at Ford, so I'm not sure what to make of this.
So, it should be obvious that cuts are needed.
The UAW workers have a choice between some of them keeping their jobs,or all of them going under.
It is in their best interests to ratify the deal.">
COME-ON how many more incompetent multi-million dollar executives must be hired before somebody with common sense and a plan rights the ship. All we have heard now for months or talked about is cut backs from the IUE-CWA & UAW hourly. :sick: How bout somebody holding these executives accountable to hold up their end of the bargain and keep the big 3 in business with the manufactoring of automobiles that people want to own.
It's so one-sided in this country anymore it really makes me sick !!!! :sick:
-Rocky
The Yankee quality has been diminishing for over 25 years and the top floor executives are doing all they can to counter that impression the nation has of Detroit iron.
Because their methods, education, expertise, and professionality are very high and above our understanding and appreciation, it is not very accurate to simply label them incompetent.
If not the present team on the field, then who?
You keep forgetting they are hired by the board of directors. How many $million plus executives do you think Ford has? I would be surprised if more than 10 executives make a million plus per year. There are thousands of mid level managers making under $200k per year. That is not that far removed from the UAW members. I think Ford suffered from too many family members being involved. Bill Ford Jr was not very impressive to me. Yet with his connections to the board he got himself in the top seat. You and I will never be given those opportunities. Some things you are born to. Some make it to greatness all on their own. Hard to think of many in the last 30 years. Maybe Ted Waitt, Michael Dell, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
There are not many that went from rags to riches working at a Union Job. a Union job is to be assigned to middle class mediocrity. I know as I am one.
The UAW, workers count on their over paid multi-platinum stringed executives to deliver a product that consumers want to own and when the consumer says "no" the UAW, workers lose there jobs not the "skull & bones" executive cult. :sick:
-Rocky
That is a rank and file similar to a union. The board of executives of a large firm are basically a small union. The best example I can give to back my position was with Dr. K and GM's board.
How many $million plus executives do you think Ford has?
Annual salary over a million probably a couple of dozen ????
I know my father boss who was a ground level supervisor was making well into the six digits. The guy who was second in command was at $167K
( if memory is correct) and the plant manager was over $200K.
Delphi, Coopersville hired a college graduate from Kettering with more degrees than the sun and paid him something like $576,000 and the guy played computer games because they had nothing for him to do. He finally quit because he was bored. :surprise: That is the type of incompetent leadership I'm talking about.
I would be surprised if more than 10 executives make a million plus per year.
Perhaps, but it wouldn't surprise me. I also wouldn't be surprised at all if you could put another zero behind that 10 who make more than $200,000
There are thousands of mid level managers making under $200k per year.
Ummm I guess that depends on what you consider mid level ????
That is not that far removed from the UAW members.
They also have to live at the plants to make that kind of money. My step-dad is skill-trades and has worked some over-time and won't get close to six-figures so I'm not sure how you figure ???? :confuse:
I think Ford suffered from too many family members being involved. Bill Ford Jr was not very impressive to me. Yet with his connections to the board he got himself in the top seat. You and I will never be given those opportunities. Some things you are born to. Some make it to greatness all on their own. Hard to think of many in the last 30 years. Maybe Ted Waitt, Michael Dell, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
I agree with all of that gagrice, but the simple fact and my point of my arguement was that nobody is publicly holding these executives accountable for the failures at the company. All I keep hearing is the UAW, workersbetterswallow this poison pillor else !!!! They might be correct but it kills me nobody is looking at how they arrived at the trash compactor. :sick:
There are not many that went from rags to riches working at a Union Job. a Union job is to be assigned to middle class mediocrity. I know as I am one.
Well I don't know your childhood to know if you went from rags, but riches compared to most folks many might argue.
-Rocky
I know what poor is. I can remember many nights going to bed hungry. We did not have school lunches and breakfast for the poor kids when I was growing up. My folks died as poor as ever. I paid for both to be buried. My dad filed for bankruptcy when my mom died leaving him with lots of bills. I saw how my folks lived and never saved a penny. So instead of getting a new car every 5 years I saved the money and drove a beater. I do not feel bad for those that spend faster than they earn. We are in a country that gives us the freedom to succeed of fail. The Union can be a blessing or a curse. I think the UAW has become a curse to those that feel entitled to anything but fair market wages. I think the vote at Ford shows the workers are starting to see the light. They are only as good as what they produce.
I think you put more blame on management than I would. And I have NO love of management. If the UAW had anything in their contracts that would tie the hands of the automaker to make changes that would keep them competitive, the UAW is also to blame for the current situation. I think there is plenty of blame to go from the top to the bottom of the Big 3. If they all go away how is that any different than the other car companies that have fallen by the wayside? Some of the best were trampled by the Big 3 over the years. Now it may be their turn under the boot.
Rather than complain, construct. Rather than [non-permissible content removed], build. Rather than whine, back the winners.
Oh sorry, I forgot to answer your question euphonium :surprise:
My Answer is ME, MYSELF, and I
I would not of allowed automobiles like the Catera, Aztek, Avalanche, Grand-Am, Grand Prix, LeSabre, Cobalt, Malibu Maxx, among many others to see the light of day theway they were configured. I actually have common sense and know what the consumer wants.
I could also take a few of my edmunds buddy's and run GM, and get better results. These Hilton staying empty suits are so out of touch with reality and middle america that products like the Aztek, Sprinter, Five Hundred, were made. :mad:
Rather than complain, construct. Rather than [non-permissible content removed], build. Rather than whine, back the winners.
What Winners ? I'm yet to see them ? ARM/Fields are both clueless, Chrysler, has been clueless since Lee Iaccoa, and GM, hasbeen clueless since Lutz, and while Wagoner, looks like a superstar CEO, it's because of Lutz, and Ed Wellburn. Wagoner, ran GM's North American Operations into the ground in the 90's but was intellegent enough to hire Lutz, who border line senial and well Wellburn, does have is stuff togeather even thoughhe has stage fright.
Well I hope I cleared that up for you !!!!!
-Rocky
I like I said before feel their is no excuse why this country will not protect it's business and workers from unfair trade policy's which the UAW, are faced with along with currency manipulation, 3rd world wages. I share Lou Dobbs, view that
it's "War on the Middle Class" by special interest groups like Fisher Price, who do all their business over in communist China, and dump poisonous lead tainted products on our market. If you haven't noticed like I have these Chinese made products by these big american corporations have not yielded less expensive prices either. I for one was already looking toys for Christmas, for my children and was sticker shocked at some of the products at the big box stores. Especially for the quality and shoddy craftsmenship of these toys. :mad:
Give me american union made stuff once again as a choiceand just maybe we can save a few jobs and this country, and not forget the health and safety of our children.
-Rocky
Now, not every union member is a spendthrift. You just see the extreme examples of the union garbage man driving a new truck every three years and towing a new bass boat. Sometimes people who've had no money their whole lives are bad managing at soon as they come into it. That's why you see a lot of lottery winners ending up broke 20 years later. A lady down the street from my parents won $11 million in the lottery back in the day. She split the fortune with her two sons. One ended up gambling away his share of the money and came back home to live with his mother. All he has left to show for it is a truck. I understand he is now living on disability.
The way they're currently made, you're lucky if they last until next Xmas! What's really sad is seeing foreign children slaving in overseas factories making those toys when they should instead be playing with them!
Now, not every union member is a spendthrift.
No they are not. The ones crying in the Detroit news that they were not able to pay their bills when the overtime was cut out, are spendthrifts. If you buy a home and pay more than 25% of your base wages for the payment, you are not being wise. If you buy a boat, dunebuggy, 4wheeler, jetskis, or a big screen TV on time you are not being smart with your money. Life has no guarantees. To live right up to your income no matter how large or small is not using your brain. Union jobs are almost always paid better than the non union jobs in a given locale. There is no excuse for a Union member not saving for that rainy day.
Toys made in China, cars made in Korea and Japan. What is the difference?
I remember when a Tonka toy would last FOREVER. Now as you have mentioned if toys last till New Years, you figure it is a quality toy. I do not see much difference in the toys for kids and the toys for adults. Our cars are made of cheap plastic just as the toys from China. As far as lead, that seems to be wide spread, even US companies are making products with high lead content. Latest lead scare is with casino chips. Don't let your kid chew on a poker chip.
Lead poker chips
What was stopping you? You were brought up in a middle class American home. You could have gone to college and worked your way into Big 3 management. With hard work and a drive to succeed you had as good of a chance as anyone else. Wagoner did not start near the top. He took a lowly white collar job that probably paid less than the UAW member was making in 1977.
By the way the Sprinter was built in Germany until this year. It has sold over 1 million units and is still selling better than ever. So maybe you are not as in tune to what the consumer really wants.
Too bad none of the Big 3 came up with the Sprinter van:
Klaus Schade drove his newspaper courier Sprinter 900,000 km without repairs in the 10 years he owned it. Only regular maintenance was necessary, of course. That's 559,234 miles, the equivalent of driving 22 times around the world. Since the introduction in 1995 more than one million Sprinters were sold while also receiving multiple "Transporter of the Year" awards.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Nah, armchair quarterbacking is much easier. I know people who say the same thing. They can't even maintain a checking account or their credit status, yet they know they could turn GM around, LOL!!!
It simply isn't designing cars people want. It's taking that design, being able to produce and sell it at a profit. That is the hard part when your saddled with a company that has a culture and corporate structure created in a time of oligopolies in the US auto industry.
I don't care what kind of vehicle you design. The market place has so many competitors that it is virtually impossible for GM to win back a 30-40% market share it needs to support its corporate structure.
Like it or not, GM needs to develop world class vehicles merely to maintain market share while selling vehicles w/o huge incentives. That still means they need to reduce employment.
Sorry Rock, I'd bet my life savings that if you took over GM, they'd be bankrupt within a few years.
You have to have a capitalistic drive to make a profit and stay in business. The first thing you have to worry about is having a product that people want. I am afraid Rocky would worry more about the employees and their feelings. That would be a sure recipe for failure. America was built by risk takers. Union workers are not risk takers. Henry Ford was hardly a pushover when it came to wages and working conditions. It would be good to work for an employer that cared about the workers. In my 45 years of employment that was never the case.
Sorta. The parts were made in Germany and shipped to a plant in South Carolina for assembly.
That is the point...whether you blame unions (as I do, altho mgmt shares blame) or mgmt, as you seem to, no one wants the product, or at least not enough to maintain the level of employment from the 1980s...
I always come back to the same thing...companies are NOT established to provide jobs for anyone but the owner...if production and profit rises, then, maybe, a job is created for someone else...
All rocky talks about is maintaining UAW jobs, as tho money comes out of the air...even if you fired all the 6 figure salaried mgmt, the savings would be a drop in the bucket, compared to the billions needed to make the cars...altho mgmt is fair game, firing them all would not make the compnay profitable except for maybe a day or two, if that...
rocky, if we don't want the product, the union has no jobs...and if there are those of us who feel that poor assembly by union workers is a reason not to buy Big 3, you have a lot of work ahead of you to make us think that the quality has improved but the union is the same...
Employers that care about their employees do exist. My dad has been fortunate to work for such companies. When my dad's first employer decided to retire and sell the company, he put employment of the employees in the deal with the new owners. At that time, my dad had a 2 year old '92 Crown Vic as a company car. The owner of the company, sold company vehicles to all the employees who had them for a $1, even though the accountants screamed and yelled. My dad still works for the company who bought them out and they have provided him with a great job.
My wife works for a fortune 500 company that has treated her/us very well. My wife has worked for the same company since she was 17. They helped pay for her to go to college and guaranteed her employment when she graduated. But these examples have one thing in common. They are profitable. No doubt if things go south she is expendable. It wouldn't be the end of the world, we'd adjust and move on. I wouldn't be on a message board screaming and crying that someone in a suit screwed us.
NAME: Alan R. Mulally.
OCCUPATION: Chief executive officer and president of Ford Motor Co.
FAMILY: Wife, Nicki; five children.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of science and master of science in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from University of Kansas; master's in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY: Joined Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 1969 and worked as an engineer or program manager on the company's 727, 737, 747, 757 and 767 airplanes; subsequently named a vice president of engineering and placed as general manager of the 777 program; named senior vice president for Airplane Development for the Commercial Airplanes Group in 1994. Named president of Boeing Information, Space & Defense Systems in 1997. Took over as president of Commercial Airplanes in 1998. Added the responsibility of chief executive and president of that unit in 2001. Named chief executive and president at Ford.
OTHER: Serves as co-chair of the Washington Competitiveness Council; sits on advisory boards of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. Private pilot, enjoys tennis, golf and reading. .As for tennis, he was on the semi pro circuit and as for airplanes, he flies his own plane.
Very true. Sticking your head in the sand and screaming I'm entitled to my job and pay won't get you very far.