You Be the Doctor (Chevrolet Conference) 1965

certainly today's typical Chevrolet dealership is a picture of Health but sometimes as every sales manager knows situations arise that need prompt diagnosis and treatment if the dealership is to remain healthy now a healthy Chevrolet dealership naturally means a busy sales manager maybe one that's too busy sometimes you've probably felt that you're too busy but with the wrong things busy taking care of problems and situations that aren't really productive responsibilities and sometimes our everyday frustrations and aggravations become so much a part of the routine that we regard them as normal or incurable the question is are these Troublesome situations really incurable or could you cure them if you pinpointed them diagnosed them and then prescribed and followed through with treatment are our presentation today is going to portray some of the illnesses they aren't all new they bother some sales managers more than others the point is any stumbling block to efficient operation is a health hazard to the dealership but they can almost always be cured once the sales manager applies himself to the job of getting rid of them now ordinarily a sales manager doesn't conduct his business from a hospital emergency room such as is this but sometimes a dealership is a different kind of emergency room with emergencies continually arising the job is to diagnose those emergencies and to find the Cure that will keep the dealership and the sales manager healthy that means using whatever tools or techniques you have at your disposal now this of course is not normally one of the tools you would use but it brings to mind a very interesting case that had the medical world puzzled for some time one which took a doctor with a very special specialty to diagnose and cure [Music] what do you think doctor serious situation has he got a chance hard to tell what's your guess doctor I'd guess less than 50/50 that bad I spent four years in the Army saw some of the bloodiest action of the war but in all that time I've never seen a man make seven passes in a row come on little joke not enough patience to keep the orderly busy he doctor only one doctor haven't been able to diagnose his trouble were you the one that called me down from the psychiatric ward doctor you are Dr Stacy aren't you right Ben Stacy you Jim pilare you look familiar doctor ever worked with the police department never did Doctor you guess not what's a patient's problem very strange case State of Shock look psychomatic that's why we called you just lies there with that glassy stair what do you think looks creepy to me that's what the night nurse [Music] said what about hypnosis doctor what about it let's try it all right now George just watch the clock look at the second hand very carefully George when I say go you'll let the second hand make one complete Revolution and then you will wake up all right George go [Music] you're in General Hospital George emergency room how do you feel George how would you feel what are you trying to say George trying to say I feel rotten tell us what's wrong George from the beginning my name is George Farthing well I'm a Chevrolet dealership sales manager everything began to close in on me the day I tried to explain to my dealer why I need an assistant sales manager just why do you need an assistant George because I'm wasting too much time with Minor Details that I can't get out of isn't that the story with all of us yeah but I can't get the important things done now look I know a man who could really help this operation but he won't come cheap now if you let me put him on I'll bet that I can raise the profit on new car sales by at George I won't gamble where the dealership's concerned but I tell you what you Pro to me in facts and figures that an assistant sales manager can help sales and profits and I'll give it a try but remember I'm going on vacation tomorrow so you'd better get yourself organized pretty fast one day to get facts figures one day to make a breakdown of my own schedule to show why I needed help are you trying to say that one day isn't enough for a breakdown George I'm saying one day isn't enough time for anything except a breakdown a nervous breakdown for instance it wasn't until about 9:00 that morning that I got started getting my information together and everything started to bust loose why should I work up prospects for you work up what Prospect where's your name on him this guy comes in here and says I've been thinking about a chel Malibu what am I supposed to do ask him to fill out a questionnaire on who he's been talking to well that's pretty funny all right but how do you think he decided on a Malibu I sold him on it that's how well you didn't sell him too well if you let him walk out on you well it's hard to tell without seeing it man why don't you bring it in I'll have one of our best men figure our very best deal for that's right man' farting well you're welcome man' not a good one here George you want to take a look he good going Charlie you more like that now we'll clean out the lot and get rich let me ask you question Jim did you contact the prospect since the first time he came in well no I didn't think I had to after all did you keep his name well you know it's silly to get the name of every looker who comes in the front door did you give him your name and ask him to ask for you if he came back well I don't remember I probably did but so what I was still the first one to talk to him and I sold him on a Malibu well Jimmy didn't contact him you didn't uh get his name you didn't write him up sounds like all you did was pass a time a day like Joe says where's your name on him I still say if I sell a prospect on the car it should be my Prospect hey George how about a little help with the service department what do you want me to do with the service department well I got a customer who's been waiting 2 weeks for delivery every night he swings by the lot to check if his car came in he checks every order number on Bel Air Station Wagons when he doesn't find his he calls me up and tells me he's canceling so what's that got to do with service his car just came in fine but what's that got to do with service he says he's going to come by and pick it up on his way home he's supposed to go out of town day after tomorrow and that means right Joe Rivers says he's got too many cars in line in the service department and he won't have this one ready until tomorrow night oh come on Brad you mean you and Joe can't get together over a simple thing like this Susie get me Joe Rivers hello Joe George rad tells me you guys can't get together on that b a wagon he wants to deliver faster over here in the service department George we have hundreds waiting for repairs I can't take all my time getting these new cars ready for you and it kept going on and on that way time kept going by plus I had to keep going out to help on closes and find time to make out the new car order and on and on and on hypnosis wore off doctor are you trying to say the hypnosis wore off doctor let's spring we on again oh wait doctor yes doctor that's too much of a strain are you trying to say the patient can't take it doctor no doctor I'm trying to say that I can't take it let's try this where was I you were saying people kept coming around with their problems oh yeah for instance around 2:00 that afternoon look I can't get another 75 bucks out of this guy Jack I want to help you and I want to help your prospect good then we're all set but if we're going to go on helping people we've got to stay in business and in order to do that we've got to make a profit in this case $75 more doar of profit fighting well speaking oh hi Jerry It's Jerry in newed cars yeah I approved that deal well I praised it myself nobody else was around okay so I uh I slipped up on that one with all I I've got to do I just don't have time to stay on top of the used car market uh hour by [Music] hour say what does it take to get a car out of the service department on time around here why I've wait a minute I've already heard that one today what's more I'm tired of listening to complaint but I'm not all I want when are the salesmen in this place going to start solving their own problem I don't know the point is the point is I've got enough to do without playing nursaid to a bunch wait a minute this is Farthing well hello an Emma why yes it certainly has been a long time an Emma a car for Little Billy sure we will well of course I'll give him a discard you just sent him right in yeah goodbye anma now look you stop bugging me about the service department and I'll let you have the deal on that car for my ant Emma son see when didd you start working here work here I don't work here I'm just trying to get my car out of the service department by that time the day was almost over I began to hear this buzzing in my head I know what you mean George was it a loud sort of buzzing George it was splitting my head I know I can hear it myself can you hear it doctor how do you figure it out doctor empathy reaction doctor very common in Psychiatry the only consolation I had was Charlie who kept bringing in those high gross deals he you're really hot today Charlie another full gross deal to tell the truth George I I think I found the secret but I I won't know for sure for a little while yet when you're sure let the rest of us know will you f well yes I'm the sales manager I see when you slam the door the lights go out uh I'll uh take it up with the service manager right away meanwhile will you uh call him and make an appointment to bring your car in yes sir you're welcome hi Edith this deal was turned down Mr Farwell and this one and these two four deals turned down for credit let me see the day was almost over R George yeah I still hadn't done a thing about proving to the boss that I needed an assistant oh there you are Mr Farthing well the boys heard you were here thought it would be a shame for you to have nothing to do yeah wouldn't be able to stand a strain yes that's what we all thought so I brought these orders for you're okay better for a sick person's morale isn't it doctor yes ma'am yes ma'am that's looks pretty good say tell Charlie uh needs another 50 on this one Charlie that little double Crosser all the time I thought he was the one guy who was carrying the load when all he turned out to be was the last straw uh Charlie about this uh deal you wrote up earlier today did you know the guy's about to stand trial for embezzlement and that they just repossessed his last car no kidding you think I ought to get another 50 bucks from him Charlie let's talk about this selling secet SEC you say you found sure boss what do you want to know what's the secret well you always say write up every Prospect right sure Charlie I've been saying that right so suppose a guy comes in and wants a green Impala with there would you say to him no sir I can't sell you that car no Charlie I wouldn't say that but uh well I wouldn't either I just write them up just like you've been saying R well oh fine Harry uh how are you a trade sure sure if you got something I can use what do you need are you kidding I can use about 10 of those myself I better Lu next time now then Chie you were saying you write them up sure that's just part of it too you mean there's more well yesterday this guy comes in a to a full gross deal I know his credit shaky but I wrote him up just like you said then he sends his friends in and you know what what I found a whole new market that's the secret Charlie if their credits no good you're just using a paper oh some of them don't make it but you always say write up every Prospect some of them are going to get through by the way how about checking around on the rest of them I promise delivery by [Music] Saturday you better leave ma'am shall we bring them around again doctor yeah tragic case you have a diagnosis doctor salesman manager syndrome bad can we help him can anybody help him might be one man but I don't know you mean there's only one man that can help him that's what I mean a specialist doctor special specialist what's his specialty sales manager syndrome who is he doctor the only man who can really understand a sales manager's problems you mean [Music] it's true indeed that nobody understands a sales manager's problems as well as the sales manager himself but the question is are those problems really necessary is it really unavoidable to spend time mediating disputes between salesmen or between salesmen and the service department is it really necessary for you to make the appraisals to repeatedly J justify dealership policy to your salesman to answer customer complaints about other departments and waste time on deals which won't be delivered George Farwell thought his answer was an assistant in other cases it may be more or better in dealership training and individual salesman counseling or maybe just a better understanding of dealership policies the point is every problem calls for its own prescription and the only one who can write that prescription is the manager himself so you be the doctor you've had the experience in curing illnesses in your dealership what prescriptions have you found to be most effective in keeping your organization smooth running and productive