From Chapter Fourteen:
The People You Deal with at the Dealership
. . . The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
“No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Poet, Lecturer, and Essayist (1803–1882)
Poet, Lecturer, and Essayist (1803–1882)
"...Aside from the family working at the store, everyone else just landed at their first car dealership job on a “try.” They didn’t plan to get there, like a teacher, vocational tradesman, or legal or medical professional. Instead, dealers seem to attract the situationally challenged individuals ranging from those experiencing a layoff in an unrelated industry to others running from out-of-state arrest warrants.
"Most folks who have great character maintain solid family lives. They demonstrate both loyalty and faithfulness in the household, which rarely morphs or changes in the workplace. Family people don’t want to be away from their families working sixty to seventy hours per week, unless it reconciles with their value system. This means providing for their family in a big way: nice house, nice vacations, great educations, and some toys to enjoy together during time off. Quality of life and plans for the future trump quantity of time with spouse and children.
"People that have disasters for family lives are willing to work any hours provided the money is good. They require less of it, however, because less is shared with others. Outside of personal substance or gambling addictions and mandatory child-support payments . . . Well, you get the picture.
"These supply and demand dynamics in competition for the holy grail of simultaneous talent and character; take dealership personnel costs north to points of foolishness. A dealer spends roughly half of his gross profit on people..."
