Are you sick and tired of the typical car buying experience?

I'm here to help and easy is my goal...

     I started in the car business in January of 2006. Now, I didn't wake up one day and think to myself, what a great job it would be. I'd been to dealerships and dealt with your typical "Car Salesman". It's not a great experience. And while I knew that, I figured I would be good at it so I went in and filled out an application. A couple of days later I got a call saying they wanted to invite me in for an interview.

     For the last two years I had been a stay at home dad with a small, under the radar, moving business that I had on the side with a friend. I didn't have a resume. I didn't have nice clothes. I didn't have experience in sales. But what I did have was confidence knowing that as long as I didn't treat people the way they expected to be treated, I would be successful. I went in to the interview with nothing to lose. I told myself I would just be myself and be 100% honest with them and if they liked my personality they would hire me. I was right. They told me I was going to come back and go through their extensive training program and soon would be making money as a "Professional Automotive Consultant". I knew what they meant was a "Car Salesman" but I took those words seriously.

     I learned early on that perception and reality seldom aligned themselves in the car business. While I'm sure they wanted to portray the idea of their sales people being more consultants than salesman, old habits are hard to break. Most of the upper management were old school "Car Dogs". They worked their way up through the ranks by doing what they had always done. Forcing people to do it their way or the highway. While they stressed in training that I was a consultant, as a "Green Pea" salesman, I was forced to abide by the tried and true methods of the car business, whether I liked it or not. Who was I to tell a car dog, with 20 years experience, I thought there was a better way?
     The General Sales Manager at that time was a man named Collyer Young. He was one of the nicest, most genuine people I have ever met. He told me early on that even though the business was run a certain way, I should be the person that he talked to in the interview and don't compromise my integrity for anyone. So what I did was become really good at saying one thing and doing another. But not with the customers, with the managers. I became really good at making my managers believe I was doing everything by the car dog book but really I was helping my customers the way I would like to be helped, on their terms. I don't mean I made sure the dealership didn't make any profit. I'm a firm believer in the idea that the "Best Price" for a car is the most someone is willing to pay for it. If that means the dealership makes money, that's ok. That's what they're there to do. I don't believe that people get "ripped off" by car dealerships. No one forces anyone to buy anything. If someone pays more for something than they think it is worth, that's their fault. If the roles were reversed and that person was selling something, they would try to get the absolute highest price they can. Dealerships are no different.
     In 2008 when the economy tanked, Collyer left and the dealership started to trend away from even trying to be different. Early on I told myself if I ever started becoming that typical car salesman, I would quit. And that's exactly what I did. About a year and a half later I got a call from one of my old managers asking me if I was ready to come back. I told him that I would be willing to as long as I could run my business my way. He agreed, I came back and I picked up right where I left off, helping people through the car buying process and trying to make it fun and exciting. The way it should be!

Adrian