Advice & Reflections from a Car Dealer: It?s Our Turn? And We Have Our Story!!

As you go through life, there are specific memories that stick with you. You are not certain why, but then later in life it comes full circle. For me … 18 years later it has come full circle.

It could have been eighteen years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was at my Grandfather’s house in Hawaii for Christmas Break. I had just played golf and was hungry. I opened up the refrigerator and was trying to figure out what I wanted to eat. I type of stood there and was trying to make a decision … probably between a sandwich or a quick snack.

“Courtney, shut the refrigerator door.” “I’m just finding some thing to eat.” “Decide what you want to eat Just before you open the refrigerator door.” “How can I make that choice when I don’t know what’s in the refrigerator?” “You have to strategy ahead or you will waste electricity.”

That was my exchange with my Grandfather and I thought it was ludicrous. I bear in mind tellling my Mother I thought the discussion was a bit extreme. She told me it is part of what happens when you grow up in a Depression.

I also don’t forget when I received my Driver’s Permit and my Grandmother told me I could drive her around. I was so excited (even though it was a Enormous Chevy Caprice Classic). She told me I could take her to the grocery. We would be going to three diverse groceries due to the fact that is where her coupons could be applied. I bear in mind thinking … they live in this enormous house … why is SHE cutting coupons??? As soon as once more, my Mom explained it was component of growing up in the Depression.

Quick forward to about five years ago. Life was great … we had been selling a ton of utilized cars and my Dad decided to give me this “lecture”. “You have By no means been through a Bad time in the automobile business. You don’t know what it is like. You have no concept what bad times are like.” He employed to tell me that occasionally when you construct a relationship with a bank, it is not all about rate. At times you will take a higher rate in return for availability of funds. Let’s just say this makes a whole lot far more sense now than it did five years ago!

Guess what? We can now check poor times off the “bucket list”!! My generation has arrived and now we are acquiring very first hand expertise! Yes, we have our story. I wonder what my Grandfather would feel these days. When he was a Dealer, GM had over 50% of the marketplace share. Do you feel it ever occurred to him that they may go bankrupt? In today’s thinking, I suppose it would be like thinking that Google would go bankrupt? Perhaps it is a hard comparison because right now, it does feel like ANYTHING can occur.

So as I reflect on the refrigerator door incident, cutting coupons, and the availability of funds, what have I learned? What will I tell my children and Grandkids?

* Accountability throughout the good times is a necessity simply because the poor times will expose the sins of the excellent times.

* Pay down debt. If every thing is paid for, you can survive all kinds of situations.•We all have relationships with the factory, but we need to learn to operate our stores independent of the factory due to the fact you never know what could happen.

* Constant understanding and training is a necessity. If you are willing to change, you will be fine. The people that do NOT embrace change are getting ready to close their doors.

* Maintain your priorities in order. There will be a ton of tension over the years but if you have Faith, Family, and then work … you will have the ability to maintain everything in perspective. This will possibly add years to your life.

The excellent news is that my Grandfather served in WWII and the store was basically “closed” for 3 years. When they returned, he told me they made much more cash than they ever imagined. When the smoke clears, there will be some big wins to offset these days.

There are a lot of more items and I would enjoy to hear what everyone is understanding from these times. With that said, what is YOUR STORY?

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Courtney Cox Cole, Hare Chevy

This is a guest post by Courtney Cox Cole, owner of Hare Chevrolet in Indiana. She has worked for 13 years in the automotive industry and vehicle acquiring tips and she and her sister Monica recently bought the enterprise from their Father. Hare Chevrolet is the largest GM retailer in the State of Indiana and has been for 4 years. Hare has the distinction of becoming the oldest transportation business (considering that 1847) in the Nation … Courtney is 6th generation. There is an article in the February 2009 edition of Vehicle and Driver Magazine that gives an superb history of their organization.