Many years ago a manager told me I had a bad attitude. I replied, “Just because you think I have a bad attitude doesn’t mean I have one. That’s just your opinion.” Now how’s that for being a smart ass?
All my adult life I have been plagued by the urge to be sarcastic. I have to suppress the urge to say something stupid several times a day. My mouth, which can be quite effective in a closing booth, has gotten me in trouble numerous times, and it has spoiled at least one friendship. Is this just a personality quirk, or is it a sign of a truly bad attitude?
The line between a bad attitude and a realistic outlook on life is a fine one. In spite of my vocal miscalculations, I think I have a fairly firm grip on reality. It’s just that this business can beat you down if your not careful. The Others like to complain that we are intent on ripping them off, even though every car man I’ve ever known was just trying to earn a living. From our standpoint it’s The Others that are trying to rip us off! That’s why there’s such a gulf between car people and everyone else.
A guy once told me a great truth. He said, “David, if the car business was easy, housewives would be doing it part-time.” Ain’t that the truth! People see us standing around and assume we are lazy, but we’re just like a swat team ready to jump into action when action is called for. The bottom line is that we are continually getting beat up by people—emotionally and financially. That’s what makes what we do so tough.
I am 58 years old today. I started in the business when I was eighteen, detailing cars, doing dealer trades, handing out brochures when the dealership was closed on Sundays. I started selling on October 20, 1970 a couple of months shy of my 21st birthday. It’s been a long, nasty haul.
Maybe I have earned the right to have a bad attitude, but I don’t think of it as bad. I think of it as being realistic. My attitude may have restricted me from being a great salesman or a great sales manager, but be sure of this: I speak the truth. I know how this all works, its great joys, its great sorrows.
I am a car man and proud of it.
Talk to you later,
David
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