| About the Author Why would you want to read this? To give you a clear understanding of how I gained my knowledge and how I prepared to best apply that knowledge to create a favorable outcome for you, the buyer, and in turn assist you in making thebestdealofyourlife! For some of us, as with me, life and work was a series of disconnected events which eventually began to link together to form a chain, finally resulting in an end product. I worked my first paying job at the age of 12; from that time on always working, always learning, always earning. I worked in the onion and corn fields; as a stock boy and bagger in a grocery store; had a 15 mile bike paper route; managed a Drive In restaurant at age 16; and advanced through every job in a full service commercial bakery, all in Iowa. Worked as a bus boy, a bottle washer and boxer in a fruit juice plant in Kansas; picked peaches, cotton, figs and grapes; pumped gas at two different gas stations; and worked as a cook in a hamburger stand (best french fries in the country) in California; picked beans and hops in Oregon; apples in Washington; and dug ditches in Nevada. I quit High School in my sophomore year (1958) to work full time: worked the midnight shift at a gas station, pumping gas, scrubbing the pump and lube bays, cleaning bathrooms and washing windows; as a laborer jack hammering concrete out of the side of a dam on a scaffold and pouring new concrete to fill the holes; a courier delivering documents up and down underground missile silos 3 stories deep; framer building frames in a pre-built home factory; fabricator of modular homes in a trailer factory; laborer moving 300 pound blocks of ice by hand into a shredder to cool peaches; technician fabricating, spray painting, and assembling products in a speaker factory. I learned an important lesson during that time: there is always a job for those who will work, but without an education those low paying jobs really never lead anywhere. However, the vast and varied amount of working experience and interaction with people during those years would eventually pay off. One key lesson and a future help for me came during my work with PG&E (the laborer on the dam). I was twenty, our foreman was a 52 year old tank of a man doing most of the same work as I was. Frequently he would sit with his hands on his knees as though he was propping himself up, breathing deeply and heavily, staring straight ahead. During a morning break I asked him what he did after work. He looked steadily at me for the longest time, propped up and breathing heavily. Finally he said, "I go home and sit in my chair, my wife hands me a drink and I watch TV. She wakes me up and hands me dinner and another drink. I eat and then she wakes me up to get ready for bed. She has my bath ready and hands me another drink. I take my bath and go to bed. Every night. On the weekends I clean up the yard and take it easy. I start all over on Monday". That monologue set me on an irreversible course for nearly two years, starting with this question; "What do I want my life to look like when I'm 52?" I divided my future into increments and asked myself where I wanted to be in the days and years ahead. Now, determined to find direction in my life l joined the Air Force in 1962, wanting a future and a hope. I graduated 4th in class from Air Force tech school, held roles of leadership, obtained a GED with a score equivalent to one with two years of college, shot the first perfect 300 score on base with the new issue carbine, earned top career test scores, finally taking a 3 month early discharge to enroll in college. During my last year in the USAF (and while in college) I worked a full time flex schedule job as a manager of a 90 unit apartment complex. I worked at the apartment complex for several months without pay before it opened to learn what was expected of me as a manager, hoping I would be hired. During my years in college both of my children were born. I also raced two dirt oval tracks two nights a week (missing one race by choice in 7 years), winning every kind of race, finishing in the top 10 my first year and every year after. I earned a Bachelor's degree in Social Science doing the bulk of my work in child development and adolescence, then started my Master's program. It was my intention to be a school counselor and to teach, but my passion for cars won. Most of us have within us a passion for something, my passion was for cars. Tires, wheels, fenders, seats, dashboards, gauges, engines, transmissions; any and every part of a car or truck; even the smell of paint; oil, gas, the interior scent; all always captured my attention and graced my senses. I was forever intrigued by sizes and shapes, body lines, styling, and potential, especially driving/racing potential. In June of 1972 I started my 27 year career in the retail automobile industry, a career in which I excelled both personally and professionally. Did my previous experiences help? All combined, yes: opportunities to learn; to excel; to create; to do; and to interact with the public on a personal and professional level. I am by nature a meddler, constantly looking for ways to improve upon whatever task is at hand, to accomplish the task in better time or better form, and particularly to help others get what they want, and creating the best possible way for that to be done, I manufactured deals (sales and deliveries). By taking all of the pieces and parts and laying them out in logical form, and then by working with the customer and finance source, brought the pieces together and delivered the vehicle. I need to know how things work and why; I especially need to know what people mean when they talk; what they really want, and why. My belief is that by understanding a person, and knowing what that person will do and can do gets the job done. Knowledge. Preparation. Application. What do odd jobs, USAF, college, residential management, and racing, have to do with my car selling career? Everything. Odd jobs gave me the ability to be flexible and adaptable; to be involved firsthand with the many facets of productivity; see how things work; learn how to make things work better. The Air Force gave me the opportunity to focus on a career, to interact with professionals, and to see the full, long term picture. College cemented my future, I was no longer a High School quitter; I had a college degree; I was educated (knowledge) and prepared to create my own future (application); I no longer had to "take what I could get!" Residential manager Seven years of serving residents and interacting with them as customers gave me first hand knowledge of personal interaction with people right where they live, and through one on one discussion learning how to fill their needs. Racing (as a driver) gave me the experience and the knowledge to out think the competition, to think outside the box, and to charge hard. As a long term Board of Directors Member I worked with drivers, track officials, track owners, and local business people in two communities to help create a viable and workable racing organization that would grow and excel for all parties involved. In the end I was better able to serve through Knowledge, Preparation, and Application. Automotive career Starting as a salesperson, human awareness, consideration for my fellow man, the desire to serve, and the determination to figure out a way to make it work for the buyer were my basic fundamentals. I didn't sell, I helped others get what they wanted, knowing that if I did so I would get what I wanted, another satisfied customer. In turn I would make friends and create success and satisfaction for myself. Did that work? Yes. In my 18 months as a salesperson I was #1 in sales and #1 in customer satisfaction. What does this have to do with thebestdealofyourlife!? Everything. It is the essence of what I became through life experiences that allows me to see through your eyes, the eyes of a person, a customer-to understand what your needs are, what you would like to do, and of particular importance-why. With that I am able to give you the tools you'll need to make thebestdealofyourlife! Twenty seven year history Award Winning Salesperson 18 months as a record setting, award winning salesperson-#1 in sales and customer satisfaction. Listen, listen, listen, take notes, be creative, and most of all serve the customer when buying a car, trading a car, leasing a car, financing with good credit or bad credit, or no down payment. General Sales Manager At the end of my second year as a salesperson I was given the opportunity to manage a dealership new/used sales department, overseeing and accounting for the entire workings of that department. I doubled car sales, quadrupled truck sales, and increased profit and customer satisfaction in my first year. How? Knowledge.Preparation.Application. I looked at everything in the dealership and using the same principles I applied as an award winning salesperson created a positive customer buying environment second to none. GENERAL MANAGER That same year I earned the General Manager position, holding responsibility for the working of the entire dealership and in so doing was recognized by Oldsmobile for doubling sales and outstanding customer satisfaction, by GM Truck for quadrupling sales and outstanding customer satisfaction. Finance/Insurance/Sales/Lease Manager Created a program designed to determine what the customer wanted and to lead the way to accomplish that, adding an additional 40 units a month to our already strong car sales; improved gross profits overall; entering into a new era of customer understanding, satisfaction, and fulfillment. Import Manager Built the sales and customer satisfaction program for a new import line at Wheeler Oldsmobile-Cadillac-Mazda. #1 Truck Dealer in that line on the West Coast. In order to become #1 an absolute priority is understanding the customer-listening to understand and then putting that information to work to accomplish what the customer asked for. SM/GSM/GM Same dealership, 23 years. Dealership acquired Jeep, then Chevrolet. Built the sales and customer programs to establish dynamic and productive sales centers for Oldsmobile-Cadillac-Jeep-Chevrolet-Mazda. Key focus-customer satisfaction. WINNING During my career as a manager I won every factory sales contest from all vehicle lines managed. A near impossible feat only accomplished through training, motivation, and reward for the entire sales staff with respect to customer service. I trained, motivated, and rewarded, determined to lead the way in sales and customer satisfaction, to be the best of the best. What I learned, (knowledge), meddled with (preparation), and put to work (application) I am passing on to you in my simply written, fully illustrated, step by step guide to give to you the opportunity to make thebestdealofyourlife! |
Following is
a brief
history of
my life from
which I
gained the
knowledge
I prepared
and applied
in the
writing of
this book.
a brief
history of
my life from
which I
gained the
knowledge
I prepared
and applied
in the
writing of
this book.
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"The path to my #1 selling book, thebestdealofyourlife! NEW and USED CAR BUYING TIPS, LEASING, and SELLING TIPS, SECRETS, ADVICE.
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