# What did all the CA’s go?: WSJ “Dearth of a Salesman: Auto Dealers Struggle to Recruit....”



## Ibiza (Jun 15, 2007)

*What did all the CA's go?: WSJ "Dearth of a Salesman: Auto Dealers Struggle to Recruit...."*

Dearth of a Salesman: Auto Dealers Struggle to Recruit, Retain Younger Workers

Interesting article from todays Wall Street Journal. Explains the lack of CA engagement and participation as quite a few of the original sponsors have either retire, passed away or been promoted.

Does anyone know if Lester Glenn Auto Group in NJ has a BMW franchise? If so CA's are assumed to be paid $250 per BMW sold by the dealership and the BMW NA sponsored Profiles in Achievement bonus.

I'm sure that BMW dealerships are experiencing the same issues despite the lack of an interview from a BMW dealership representative.

"Turnover is rising in showrooms as more millennials enter the workforce uninterested in selling cars.

Car deal*er*ships are fac*ing a road*block: con*vinc*ing work*ers in their 20s and 30s to work and stay in an auto re*tail busi*ness de*fined by long shifts, week*ends on the sell*ing floor, hag*gling and com*mis*sion-based pay.

Nearly 60% of deal*er*ship hires are mil*len*nial work*ers, and more than half of those new hires turn over an*nu*ally, ac*cord*ing to a study by Hire*ol*ogy, a tal*ent and man*age*ment firm.

Many mil*len*ni*als say car deal*ers have an out*dated ap*proach to sell*ing that doesn't al*ways fit their val*ues, even if the jobs have the po*ten*tial to pay well. Younger work*ers aren't in*ter*ested in hag*gling with cus*tomers and are far less tol*er*ant of the "bait-and-switch ad*ver*tis*ing" and "old boys' club" at*mosphere that is still com*mon at many deal*er*ships, said Earl Stew*art, owner of Earl Stew*art Toy*ota in North Palm Beach, Fla.

"Car deal*ers are sell*ing cars like it is the 1960s," Mr. Stew*art said.

With more buy*ers walk*ing into deal*er*ships armed with pric*ing in*for*ma*tion pulled from the in*ter*net, sales*peo*ple are find*ing it more dif*fi*cult to re*tain the up*per hand in ne*go*ti*at*ing a car's fi*nal price. That has caused prof*its on new-car sales to shrink in re*cent years, and along with it, the po*ten*tial com*mis*sion a sales staffer can earn upon clos*ing a deal.

Adam Kraushaar, pres*i*dent of Lester Glenn Auto Group with mul*ti*ple stores in New Jer*sey, said his em*ploy*ees used to be paid a per*cent*age of the gross profit of a ve*hi*cle sale. But as mar*gins on new-car sales com*pressed, he re*al*ized he couldn't con*tinue to pay his sales*peo*ple that way.

"They would starve if I kept the old pay plan," Mr. Kraushaar said.

About five years ago, Mr. Kraushaar said he be*gan of*fer*ing a flat pay*ment per ve*hi*cle sold, be*tween $100 to $250 de*pend*ing on the brand, along with bonuses from both him and the auto maker for reach*ing cer*tain sales tar*gets.

There are nearly 17,000 new-car deal*er*ships in the U.S., which di*rectly em*ployed 1.1 mil*lion peo*ple last year, ac*cord*ing to the Na*tional Au*to*mo*bile Deal*ers As*so*ci*a*tion. Deal*ers say they are strug*gling to con*trol em*ployee turnover, which has steadily in*creased over the last five years even though U.S. auto sales have re*mained ro*bust. A low un*em*ploy*ment rate has also con*tributed to staffing dif*fi*cul*ties. Deal*ers ex*pect the prob*lem to worsen as gen*er*a*tions younger than mil*len*ni*als en*ter the work*force.

Some younger work*ers also say they are turned off by the prover*bial im*age of the smooth-talk*ing, pushy car sales*man out to trick buy*ers into pay*ing more for a ve*hi*cle. [Good think for Bimmerfest to educate the Festers]

Drew Lowe, a 32-year-old sales*man at Lexus of Lehigh Val*ley in Al*len*town, Pa., said many of his friends were sur*prised when he told them he was go*ing to sell cars. When his friends hear the term "car sales*man," they think "plaid coat and gold pinkie ring, 30 trips up to the of*fice to talk to the man*ager&#8230;and the sales*per*son pre*tend*ing to be your friend," Mr. Lowe said.

Mr. Lowe said he sur*prised him*self with his job choice, since he had never con*sid*ered work*ing at a deal*er*ship be*fore. But he found a re*tailer with a one-price pol*icy that didn't force him to hag*gle with cus*tomers. "Morally, I couldn't do it," he said.

Nis*san Mo*tor Co. said it has had 100% turnover for sales staff at its deal*er*ships in the last year. That means some po*si*tions are turn*ing over more than once a year, a rate that is costly for deal*ers in both time and money, said Jim Hooke, a se*nior man*ager at Nis*san's dealer train*ing group.

The churn can be frus*trat*ing for con*sumers. Ve*hi*cles have be*come more tech*no*log*i*cally ad*vanced, re*quir*ing sales*peo*ple to be more knowl*edge*able. But in*stead, po*ten*tial buy*ers are in*creas*ingly deal*ing with staff who may know less about a ve*hi*cle's fea*tures and tech*nol*ogy than they do, deal*ers say. Even as more buy*ers are do*ing their car-shop*ping re*search on*line, state laws still re*quire that most pur*chases be made in-per*son at deal*er*ships.

"An au*to*mo*bile now is es*sen*tially a col*lec*tion of com*put*ers," said Keith Yancy, a di*rec*tor at Fiat Chrysler Au*to*mo*biles NV dealer train*ing in*sti*tute. "And that takes a lot more skills to sell and ser*vice."

Mike Gnitecki, a 33-year-old para*medic, said he was ready to buy a new Hyundai Ac*cent when he stopped by his lo*cal deal*er*ship to look at one, but was so turned off by the sales*per*son's lack of knowl*edge about the ve*hi*cle that he left the store. He said the Hyundai sales*per*son kept turn*ing to the car's win*dow sticker to an*swer ba*sic ques*tions.

"If I could buy a (new) car on Ama*zon.*com or eBay.*com, I would," said Mr. Gnitecki, who bought a Toy*ota Prius from a more in*formed dealer in*stead.

Chace Pate, a gen*eral man*ager at Hyundai of Longview-the deal*er*ship Mr. Gnitecki vis*ited-said turnover has been a prob*lem. The dealer re*cently be*gan re*quir*ing on*line train*ing for sales*peo*ple and changed the pay struc*ture, so em*ploy*ees are paid by how many ve*hi*cles they sell a month, rather than on a tra*di*tional profit-based com*mis*sion, he said.

Some deal*ers are also in*sti*tut*ing no-hag*gle poli*cies, where the dealer sets an ad*ver*tised price and sticks to it, re*liev*ing sales*peo*ple from hav*ing to ne*go*ti*ate to com*plete a sale. Oth*ers are in*creas*ing pay, short*en*ing work*day hours and of*fer*ing perks such as free col*lege tu*ition for em*ploy*ees who stay. The av*er*age car sales*man earns $44,700 a year, ac*cord*ing to 2017 data from the Bu*reau of La*bor Sta*tistics, much higher than the av*er*age an*nual pay of $27,500 for all re*tail sales jobs.

Ryan Gre*more, pres*i*dent of O'Brien Mit*subishi in Nor*mal, Ill., said he re*cently in*creased com*mis*sion-based pay for his sales staff by 5% and be*gan monthly sales bonuses. The ef*forts have helped with re*ten*tion, he said.

"They aren't look*ing around the cor*ner or jump*ing ship every time there's a bad month," Mr. Gre*more said."


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## Lennysx5 (Dec 16, 2017)

The day will come when you’ll place your order via an application and take delivery in your driveway. And it’ll be sooner than you think. 


Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest


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## Autoputzer (Mar 16, 2014)

Actually, BMWUSA.com already has an "Order" button at the end of the Build Your Own BMW page. I can't imagine anybody using it, but it's there.

Here's an NPR documentary from a few years ago, where they spent a month at a Long Island Chrysler dealership. After listening to this, you can see why nobody wants to be a car salesman. The whole process of selling new cars in the US is very inefficient and has evolved into something unpleasant for everybody involved. Selling BMW's is about a good as it gets, and a different planet compared to selling Kia's and Chrysler's.

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/513/129-cars

The local father and son VW-Honda dealership sold out to a mega-dealer after 45 years. The son didn't want to take over the business when the father retired. The father is an acquaintance of mine. He said that both VW and Honda were on them to build a new facility, and that would mean a $10M mortgage. That was the final straw for the son. We bought an Accord from them right before they closed up. Our salesman was their top guy, and he lasted about three months under the mega-dealer. The new owner's business plan was to hire too many salesmen, and see who survived. When we took the Accord in for service, salesmen would literally start running behind our car as we drove through their parking lot. Once, the running salesman behind our car was actually crippled, so he couldn't catch us. I almost felt sorry for the guy.... almost.

Back in the 1980's, a lot of dealers tried to become sort of factory outlets, with little to no new car inventory, most sales through factory orders, no-haggle pricing about $100 above "invoice," and very few salesmen and they weren't on commission. There were so few salesmen that you pretty much had to make an appointment to see one. But, the concept didn't work with the typical US new car buyer. The impulse buyer is a big part of the market, and a lot of customers actually like the confrontational atmosphere surrounding buying a new car.

BMW used to offer a test drive session at Spartanburg for a few hundred dollars. You could drive the cars you were interested in and had a dedicated specialist as a host and to answer your questions. I think Porsche has something like that at their new PCNA headquarters in Atlanta (built on the site of an abandoned Ford final assembly plant that built the Taurus). Porsche tried to do away with the whole dealership concept back in the 1980's, when their distribution contract with VWoA expired. Porsche's plan was to have numerous, Porsche-owned service and sales "centers," and regional body shops. But, Porsche+Audi dealers lawyered up, and that was the end of the concept.

I've factory ordered every new car I've ever bought. So, the current sales concept doesn't work for me, or me for it. We were going to buy a third Honda, from the mega dealer. But, I lasted less than a minute there. The sales manager said we couldn't order a car, and we must take something off the lot. He was wrong, though. That's how Frau Putzer got her new X3.


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## caswcu (Feb 20, 2005)

Isnt BMW invoice pricing not accurate these days? Hasnt the invoice price been inflated to protect a BMW dealer? Remember seeing the lawsuit from the Florida dealer.


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## Rusty34 (Feb 3, 2017)

The pay plan is a moving target. It's no wonder they have turnover when dealers change the compensation structure so often which experienced sales people view as usually favoring the company. Back in 1960s and 70s technicians in the service departments were paid 50-50 commission meaning they earned 50% of the customer pay hourly rate times the book time for each operation. For example the shop labor guide book might quote 1.5 hours to replace the water pump on a 1972 Chrysler Newport with AC. An experienced technician (mechanic in those days) with the right tools might be able to do the job in an hour but he still gets paid for an hour and a half because this is what the customer was charged. 

All of that is changed nowadays as the dealers have dipped into the pockets of the mechanics also by regularly revising the ways they too are paid which is far less now than with the old 50-50 plans. This has resulted in frequent service department turnovers too as the more experienced and knowledgeable technicians become disappointed and frustrated and decide to leave and find work somewhere else. 

A reliable way to find a good technician is to ask one of the major name brand hand tool sales representatives which visit the dealerships weekly. The most popular are Snap-On Tools and MAC Tools which drive in around back where the technicians work with fully stocked tool trucks with a huge assortment of all the various regular type and specialty hand tools technicians need for the many different kinds of jobs encountered in their service bays every day. Because the mobile tool salesmen offer running tool tabs they maintain a regular close relationship with their technician customers they usually know who the best of them are and the ones they would try to avoid if they brought their own car in for service work.


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## friskygeek (Jan 5, 2015)

Lennysx5 said:


> The day will come when you'll place your order via an application and take delivery in your driveway. And it'll be sooner than you think.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest


It cant some soon enough. Buying a car is the most painful thing I have to do.

f.


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## CTSoxFan (Oct 20, 2006)

Autoputzer said:


> Here's an NPR documentary from a few years ago, where they spent a month at a Long Island Chrysler dealership. After listening to this, you can see why nobody wants to be a car salesman. The whole process of selling new cars in the US is very inefficient and has evolved into something unpleasant for everybody involved. Selling BMW's is about a good as it gets, and a different planet compared to selling Kia's and Chrysler's.
> 
> https://www.thisamericanlife.org/513/129-cars


I listened to this a while back, definitely worth the time (it's around an hour or so). Very interesting insight for those not as familiar with the workings of a dealership.


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## gkr778 (Feb 8, 2013)

Ibiza said:


> Does anyone know if Lester Glenn Auto Group in NJ has a BMW franchise?


It does not have a BMW franchise. Brands represented by Lester Glenn Auto Group are Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Mazda, and Subaru.

The nearest BMW dealership to Ocean Co., New Jersey (where all Lester Glenn dealership locations are sited) is BMW of Freehold, operated by DCH Auto Group which in turned is owned by Lithia Motors.


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## gkr778 (Feb 8, 2013)

Autoputzer said:


> Actually, BMWUSA.com already has an "Order" button at the end of the Build Your Own BMW page. I can't imagine anybody using it, but it's there.


That feature is a lead generation utility for BMW dealerships in the USA, with all that entails.


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## Technic (Jun 24, 2002)

To me, I can't wait for the time that all dealerships die. You guys have created a sorry-ass place to do business pretty much from the get-go.


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## Autoputzer (Mar 16, 2014)

Technic said:


> To me, I can't wait for the time that all dealerships die. You guys have created a sorry-ass place to do business pretty much from the get-go.


Things evolve to the way they are for good reasons.

"They" (dealers) had a lot of help in making the current mess. Car buyers can be just as nasty as any car salesman. Also, car buyers can be stupid, and a crooked car salesman and dealership can make a lot more money off of an idiot with deceptive practices than an honest car salesman and dealership can. So, the crooked salesman and dealer win, and the honest one loses.

I've seen our local VW-Honda dealership go to crap after the father and son owners sold out to a mega-chain, and I've seen an honest, locally owned dealership grow into an honest mega-chain with ten franchises, and say honest.

My contribution to helping things evolve in a good way is to never give money to a dealership that I find to be crooked, and reward good behavior at the honest ones by buying cars there at a reasonable price, and having my service done there.


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## [email protected] (Jan 27, 2014)

It is a wild ride, for sure. Anyone who has questions about specifics and would like to chat, feel free to PM me. I am an open book as those who have emailed me know. 


Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest


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## Ty Vil (Dec 19, 2002)

As someone who sat on "that" side of the desk for 8 years and just bought my first car as a lay person - it goes both ways.

One of the worst parts of trying to get out of the automotive industry was simply trying to get out of the automotive industry - I have a four year degree from a state university and it felt like all anyone saw me as was "car salesperson." I'm really happy now though and I'm glad I have friends like DPad (who is a former co-worker and personal friend) to help me out.


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## Art234 (Jun 25, 2011)

About 25 years ago, I had my own automotive electronics business, which I had to close due to a partner with a substance abuse problem (he stole inventory and money). I was desperate to find a job, and there were no good ones in my industry. My friend recommended me to a local dealer, and I started selling cars (always been a buff anyway).

I spent 3 and a half years at the dealership, learned alot and within 2 months was in the top 3 of an 18 person sales team....the dealer had moved to a new showroom and hired up the kazoo to see who would last..... I earned a reputation for honesty and for telling the truth, and outlasted 4 teams of management. I was the only salesperson who had permission to run my own lease numbers (they bought me the software to hook up to their system from my laptop). I was offered a management position but turned it down due to the high turnover. My record was 42 cars in a month, with 8 written in one day (a Sunday!), and 11 deliveries in one day (had help of course)...

The hours were a killer, but what did me in was a dishonest manager who once hosed me out of a $5000+ CSI bonus. My last year, I had to hit 300 cars to be eligible. My scores were between 98 and 99, and I was right at the number..until my manager took two deals from me because I didn't come in on my day off (my daughter's birthday) to deliver my own cars--I had a co worker do it. This left me at 298, and no amount of pleading would make it happen--he just did not want me to have that bonus...so I gave notice the next week, and found my way back into my current industry, and have been happily employed by a major digital imaging company (pro photo and medical printers) for almost 20 years now!!

It used to be fun, but it's not worth the hours and the aggravation. The NPR program hit home for me, and brought back some intense memories (good and bad)..but at least I am able to negotiate killer deals for myself, family and friends, and now enjoy the process from this side of the desk... I am fair, but firm...always let the dealer make something, but I determine the final numbers, and always stay in control of the negotiation.


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## Ibiza (Jun 15, 2007)

David and Ty, thanks for sticking around!


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## Ibiza (Jun 15, 2007)

Art234 said:


> About 25 years ago, I had my own automotive electronics business, which I had to close due to a partner with a substance abuse problem (he stole inventory and money). I was desperate to find a job, and there were no good ones in my industry. My friend recommended me to a local dealer, and I started selling cars (always been a buff anyway).
> 
> I spent 3 and a half years at the dealership, learned alot and within 2 months was in the top 3 of an 18 person sales team....the dealer had moved to a new showroom and hired up the kazoo to see who would last..... I earned a reputation for honesty and for telling the truth, and outlasted 4 teams of management. I was the only salesperson who had permission to run my own lease numbers (they bought me the software to hook up to their system from my laptop). I was offered a management position but turned it down due to the high turnover. My record was 42 cars in a month, with 8 written in one day (a Sunday!), and 11 deliveries in one day (had help of course)...
> 
> ...


Congrats for your numbers, very impressive!! Thank you for sharing as it***8217;s unfortunate that jealousy exists within management when a sales associate is very successful like yourself.


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## Art234 (Jun 25, 2011)

Ibiza said:


> Congrats for your numbers, very impressive!! Thank you for sharing as it's unfortunate that jealousy exists within management when a sales associate is very successful like yourself.


Thank you for the kind words. It was a different world back then, the internet was in its infancy, but it was always much easier to deal with people who had done their homework.

From the sales side of the desk, it is always better to be honest. It's horrible when the dealership gets caught doing something or gets caught in a lie... I had alot of referrals, even from people who came in and didn't buy.

For the record though, it was not a high line brand, it was Nissan, but right at the time that the original Altima was hot....and if you think BMW over-residualizes, the Altimas in the mid to late 90s were residualized at as much as 74% for a 27 month lease!!! God knows what the leasing companies did with them when they got them back!!!


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## gkr778 (Feb 8, 2013)

According to Rikess Group and NADA, the average new automobile salesperson in the USA sells fewer than 10 vehicles a month. This low productivity combined with high turnover results in a "vicious circle" for dealerships according to Rikess.


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## Ibiza (Jun 15, 2007)

gkr778 said:


> According to Rikess Group and NADA, the average new automobile salesperson in the USA sells fewer than 10 vehicles a month. This low productivity combined with high turnover results in a "vicious circle" for dealerships according to Rikess.


Wasn't it mentioned in a previous thread a few months back that BMW centers were upset hiring BMW Genius reps, as the article states "Apple Store Genius-type salespeople providing the knowledge and transparency earning them the right to request an appointment."

A majority of the former active Fest CA's were looking for the easy European Delivery sale, that didn't count against their allocation, and using Bimmerfest as the online sales portal. The remote delivery was the Welt then followed by PCD. The reduction in the ED discount from 7% to 5% disruptive this business model, as how many CA's are actively advertising ED? Greg P was referring east coast Festers to Adrian who has moved onto finance. When I first joined the Fest 10+ yrs ago it was all about ED sales.


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## Lennysx5 (Dec 16, 2017)

Made the deal for my current X5 via email and text. Delivered to my driveway. Never set foot in the showroom. 


Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest


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## MJBrown62 (Jun 15, 2016)

gkr778 said:


> 100% online used car retailing sounds great to me in concept, assuming of course that customer service including return/refund/exchange policy is top notch. But the most prominent companies in this sector not affiliated with traditional dealerships are in major trouble. Carvana and Vroom are both racking up major losses, and Beepi went bust last year.
> 
> Perhaps companies who collaborate with traditional dealerships to provide consumers a seamless online buying experience (for both new and used cars) will do better. Roadster, CDK Global, Cox Automotive, and fair.com all adhere to this business model.


Cox Automotive is trying. First by purchasing major vendors in the industry (DealerTrack and Dealer.Com, for example). This synergy of companies has led them to develop a digital retailing platform on Dealer.com sites that allows consumers to essentially "desk their own deal" online: pick the car, choose incentives, and structure a deal. Online applications flow through the captive finance company or through DealerTrack.

All that's well and good, but it doesn't end with a Carvana-like vehicle delivery. It still ends up in a salesperson's hands to get them in for a test drive.

I see this as much more viable with a new vehicle as margins are well known and vehicle condition shouldn't be an issue.

But no one should want to buy a used car without seeing it and driving it first. No would a dealer set a deal in stone util the customer sees it. And then there is trade-ins ...


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## Autoputzer (Mar 16, 2014)

gkr778 said:


> I wouldn't be surprised if this is the primary reason why the "vicious circle" described by Rikess Group exists at some (many?) dealerships.


It's not just at car dealerships. It's everywhere. I worked for the Navy. That flowchart. replacing "salespeople" with "engineers," was how both engineering labs I worked at operated. I was on two projects where all the top people were on the way to getting fired or demoted.

The first place I worked was the worst, though. Only about a third of the workforce were engineers. Their personnel plan was "grow our own experts." That's fine to a point. But, when you have high school grad's arguing with engineers about... engineering, it makes for a long day. Throw in "you must respect the opinions of others" BS, and some very bad engineering goes out the door. The Navy finally closed the place down. When I started there, I predicted it'd be closed in five years. I was close. It lasted six years.


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## namelessman (Dec 23, 2004)

Autoputzer said:


> It's not just at car dealerships. It's everywhere.


True that. In any industry, how candidates are screened and how interviews are setup(all done by insiders) already dictate the culture and mix of workforce.


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## gkr778 (Feb 8, 2013)

namelessman said:


> True that. In any industry, how candidates are screened and how interviews are setup(all done by insiders) already dictate the culture and mix of workforce.


+1
I'm in the third year of a five year apprenticeship as an elevator/escalator repairman. I'm grateful that my employer (which is non-union) invests heavily in employee training and development above and beyond the apprenticeship itself. All employees no matter what their job are required to read the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. My journeymen instructors always emphasize the following points from the book, which are an integral part of my employer's culture and hiring policies:


First, get the right people on the bus - and the wrong people off the bus - and then figure out where to drive it
If you have the right people on the bus, the problem of how to manage people largely goes away. The right people don't need to be tightly managed: They will be self-motivated by the inner drive to produce the best results
Great vision without great people is irrelevant
If you begin with "who," rather than "what," you can more easily adapt to anything the marketplace throws at you

These principles apply to any and all industries.


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## CTSoxFan (Oct 20, 2006)

gkr778 said:


> +1
> I'm in the third year of a five year apprenticeship as an elevator/escalator repairman. I'm grateful that my employer (which is non-union) invests heavily in employee training and development above and beyond the apprenticeship itself. All employees no matter what their job are required to read the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. My journeymen instructors always emphasize the following points from the book, which are an integral part of my employer's culture and hiring policies:
> 
> 
> ...


Agree. Always said give me someone with "A" attitude/effort and "C" knowledge 100x before someone with "A" knowledge but "C" attitude. I was reading an interview with a food writer who recently opened a restaurant and he hit this concept right on the head

"it's much better to hire people who give a s-, even if they have no previous experience or skills, than to hire someone who has a great résumé who doesn't really understand the concept"


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## eazy (Aug 20, 2002)

gkr778 said:


> It does not have a BMW franchise. Brands represented by Lester Glenn Auto Group are Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Mazda, and Subaru.
> 
> The nearest BMW dealership to Ocean Co., New Jersey (where all Lester Glenn dealership locations are sited) is BMW of Freehold, operated by DCH Auto Group which in turned is owned by Lithia Motors.


Actually circle bmw in Eatontown is closer to ocean county than freehold. Circle along with bridgewater is one of the few family owned bmw dealer left in New Jersey. The rest of the bmw dealers in New Jersey are owned by open road, Lithia, Penske, Holman, celebrity, and fleminton.

Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest mobile app


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## NickDi (Feb 20, 2017)

Negotiated my last two last deals over email and the experience was outstanding. The Internet changed the industry.


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## Lennysx5 (Dec 16, 2017)

NickDi said:


> Negotiated my last two last deals over email and the experience was outstanding. The Internet changed the industry.


Same here. Been doing it since 2007 both with a car off the lot as well as ordered to my spec.

Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest mobile app


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

NickDi said:


> Negotiated my last two last deals over email and the experience was outstanding. The Internet changed the industry.


It sure did. It changed my life too. I just lucked out being the first BMW retailer to capitalize on it back in 1998. And then came Bimmerfest in 2000. Feels like a lifetime ago already.

Back in 1999 I received over 13,000 emails from BMW buyers across America. The problem is that I replied to every single one, which is what led to 20 plus years of chronic back pain..


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## namelessman (Dec 23, 2004)

Jon Shafer said:


> It sure did. It changed my life too. I just lucked out being the first BMW retailer to capitalize on it back in 1998. And then came Bimmerfest in 2000. Feels like a lifetime ago already.
> 
> Back in 1999 I received over 13,000 emails from BMW buyers across America. The problem is that I replied to every single one, which is what led to 20 plus years of chronic back pain..


Season's Greetings, and welcome back! 20+ years of bimmerfest is an eternity on the internet.


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

namelessman said:


> Season's Greetings, and welcome back! 20+ years of bimmerfest is an eternity on the internet.


Thanks! Happy holidays from the Shafer family.


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## gohawks23 (Oct 27, 2008)

Hey Jon...what a handsome family!:thumbup:


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

greginchi said:


> Hey Jon...what a handsome family!:thumbup:


Thanks Greg! I am feeling much better now too, got my bionic hip installed last July..


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## gohawks23 (Oct 27, 2008)

Jon Shafer said:


> Thanks Greg! I am feeling much better now too, got my bionic hip installed last July..


That's awesome...how is it doing? Can you run, golf, etc?


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## quackbury (Dec 17, 2005)

namelessman said:


> Season's Greetings, and welcome back! 20+ years of bimmerfest is an eternity on the internet.


Probably not for much longer. I've heard a rumor that on 1/1/2019, the site is going to be renamed "Tesla-Model-3-is-better-than-3-series-fest". (If you don't get the reference, take a look at the F30 board. Or what used to be the F30 board.)


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

quackbury said:


> Probably not for much longer. I've heard a rumor that on 1/1/2019, the site is going to be renamed "Tesla-Model-3-is-better-than-3-series-fest". (If you don't get the reference, take a look at the F30 board. Or what used to be the F30 board.)


Oh no, haven't looked yet... :-/


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## Alpine300ZHP (Jan 31, 2007)

Jon Shafer said:


> It sure did. It changed my life too. I just lucked out being the first BMW retailer to capitalize on it back in 1998. And then came Bimmerfest in 2000. Feels like a lifetime ago already.
> 
> Back in 1999 I received over 13,000 emails from BMW buyers across America. The problem is that I replied to every single one, which is what led to 20 plus years of chronic back pain..


Hey Jon. Good to see you here!! Hope retirement is treating you well.

Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest mobile app


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## rkinra (Dec 4, 2006)

Jon Shafer said:


> Oh no, haven't looked yet... :-/


Hi Jon, Welcome back! Great to see you back on Bimmerfest. Hope you're doing well & Happy New Year.


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

Alpine300ZHP said:


> Hey Jon. Good to see you here!! Hope retirement is treating you well.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Bimmerfest mobile app





rkinra said:


> Hi Jon, Welcome back! Great to see you back on Bimmerfest. Hope you're doing well & Happy New Year.


Thanks and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!


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## Elias (Jun 26, 2005)

Jon Shafer said:


> Thanks and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!


Glad your doing so much better, you had me worried for a while there. I know first hand
how crippling chronic back pain and hip pain can be. Happy New Year to you!


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

Elias said:


> Glad your doing so much better, you had me worried for a while there. I know first hand
> how crippling chronic back pain and hip pain can be. Happy New Year to you!


Thanks! My back has been bad since 1998, crippling at times..

I appreciate your support!


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## Art234 (Jun 25, 2011)

Jon, great to see you here. Hope you continue to feel better!
Happy, healthy and prosperous new year to all!


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## [email protected] BMW (Aug 2, 2010)

Interesting thread... FWIT there are a few of us that hang in and ride the wave. I'm here for any Festers that need input. Happy 2019 to Jon. and everyone else.


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## Greg @ East Bay BMW (Jul 6, 2013)

Happy New Years to all the festers! :thumbup:


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

Art234 said:


> Jon, great to see you here. Hope you continue to feel better!
> Happy, healthy and prosperous new year to all!





[email protected] BMW said:


> Interesting thread... FWIT there are a few of us that hang in and ride the wave. I'm here for any Festers that need input. Happy 2019 to Jon. and everyone else.


Thank you!


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