Where's your Intent?

You may find this surprising but I did not come to such marketing genius on my own :). Along with the other two Divas, there are many people who I look to for guidance and counsel - one of them being Bryan Neale. He's a sales/life coach here in Indy. ...and get this, he believes if your "intent" is right and you are truly focused on helping others, then good things will come. I love this concept and fits in with who I am. So I guess today will be brief - this is an intent check. When you talk to your first prospect, up or client today, where's your head? Are you thinking of how much you can gross on a deal or moving aged inventory or are you thinking of the person standing in front of you and how they need help? If it's the latter people know it, and in my opinion all the sales tricks & motivation in the world don't stack up to someone who is an expert in their field and genuinely wants to do what's best for their client. ...even if sometimes that's saying - I don't think I can help you.

Automotive Reinvention 2010

I'm back. The Diva blog has been on a hiatus for a few weeks as the team and I sat down to look at where we were headed for 2010. Like many of you, we made goals, strategies and implementation plans on how to get the most out of the year. Now it's nothing but full steam ahead as we move into a new decade. We've worked hard the past year to position ourselves for this moment. The moment when things turn and our economy begins the steady trek up again. Every dealer, manufacturer and supplier business in the automotive industry has reason to be proud today, they are still here and they are looking toward the future. While the big dogs plan their reinvention - shouldn't we all be doing the same? For many of you the charge will be led from the top to some degree. The marketing machine coming from the manufacturers will dictate your brand's focus, but what about that of your dealership? Will you focus on better customer service? Increasing service business? Improving your image in the community? Increasing gross on the front end? The back? I'm so excited for what the new decade holds for us as a company and a nation. I'd love to hear from you what your reinvention looks like and where you are putting your focus!

Smile & Move-what a philsophy!

Smile and Move

3 words with a big impact.

Please check out this website sometime today. If you can follow the simple principles it will enhance your life and the lives of those around us.

Here's my favorite quote from the site:

Ever caught yourself beginning a sentence with "Knowing my luck..." and concluding with something negative? For many of us (even you), perhaps it should be "Knowing my luck, I'll win the lottery."

I LOVE this. There is a lot we could all choose to complain about with the current economic situations, and especially this past week in the automotive industry. But we all have so much to be thankful for.

Please check out the site today (click on "smile and move" above) and start this week off on the right foot!

PS: Yes I could have found a picture of a smile, but this is the way Charley "smiles & moves" and how can you not smile when you see her!?

Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team

"Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team"

Have you heard this quote? I've mentioned it before and it came from a past manager we had here. This was also mentioned in the book Axiom by Bill Hybels. He writes, “If you cannot say ‘Follow me’ to your followers - and mean it - then you’ve got a problem. A big one.” We are all leaders in one way or another. I know owners, GM's and Sales Managers in the auto industry read this blog-but others do too. We're leaders at home, in the office or in social settings. Recently I was talking to a client about how he's managed to collect thousands of email addresses. He told me how his guys complain and moan about how "old people" don't have emails. Then he told me how he stepped up and took 4 or 5 ups that all happened to be older one morning. In front of all the guys he got all but one email from these customers. Now that he led by example I imagine he won't hear that excuse again in the near future. Today I hope we can all say "do as I do" instead of "do as I say." PS: Anytime I can get Penquins in the blog it's a good day. How can you not smile when you see them?!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I'm not Irish--but how can you not love a day that promotes all things green? It seems today just about anything that can be died or dressed in the mossy hue--is. I've always been a big fan of the color as Kelly Green is the official color of the New Castle Chrysler High School Trojans. Yes, I proudly cheered for the only high school in the country with a vehicle manufacturer in the name for six years. New Castle's other claim to fame is the largest high school fieldhouse in the world-I mention this, only because, it's mandatory as an alumni to bring it up. In addition to my fascination with green, we also had a "baked potato bar" at lunch which was pretty awesome in itself. This St. Patty's Day I'm seeing things a little differently, with the current uptick in the market and used car sales continuing to increase--I think this "lucky day" may be just what we all need. Have some fun this afternoon - all of our luck is changing!

The Fieldhouse at New Castle Chrysler High School-Can seat up to 10,000 fans!

The Canal here in Downtown Indianapolis dyed this morning by the mayor:

Why I do it...better yet, why do you?

Lately when someone asks you what you do--what's the reaction when you mention you're in the automotive industry? People tend to look at me like they would a grieving widow and offer their condolences! Seriously. So I know business isn't what it was 2 years ago, but a lot of us (everyone in or connected to the industry) are still out there working, helping others and bluntly, making money. In the booming times it's easy to be happy about what you do, when times get a little harder is when you really figure out if you're where you are supposed to be. So why do you do it? Why do you stick with it, through the ups and downs? Here's my take on why I'm still here-and enjoying it! Please share your own stories as a comment! I started at Tri-Auto in 2004. I had just graduated from Purdue University and had no earthly idea what to do with my life. You may not believe this, but it's tough to get started in the Direct Mail business. A typically day is making about 100 cold calls to GM's, owners, and sales managers. They have no clue who you are, and it's likely you are not the first or last to call that very day trying to discuss mail with them. After three months I finally had my first client (bless you Mike!), and after a year I was bringing in enough business to reach our internal benchmark when you're considered to have "made it." Now, five years, 32 MILLION pieces of mail, and almost 1000 events later I'm still here. Why? Because I freaking love you guys. I get to work with and talk to car guys (for the most part-I love my girls too!), all day every day. Car people are FUNNY-most of you are laid back and just really smart business people. Every day I learn something new and you definitely keep me on my toes. It's also really fun and good for the soul to help people every day. That's how I look at my career. I get to help dealerships bring in more customers, so their sales people can sell more vehicles and provide for their families, the Sales Managers can be heroes to theGMs and Owners, and now more than ever, so that Dealers can continue to prosper--turn a profit and stay in business.

This job that I love also helps my family and me to dothe things we enjoy--spending time on the water, traveling, going out with friends, and donating to & volunteering for those that need it. So why do you still do it? What keeps you motivated and waking up every morning ready to get back to business? Here's my little piece of motivation--my family out on the lake this winter. Me, Andy & Charley