SalesTherapist & IMU Social Media

Repositionally Positioned

2011-11-08T02:20:00.000-08:00

Back in 1995, I was sitting in my top floor corner office in Dearborn, MI. I remember it as a day of incredible entitlement. After all, I had 23 years with Ford Motor Company. A dozen people were working for me and we were very busy. I thought my job was invaluable. It has been a good year. Work just another 10 years, and retirement would arrive with a nice pension and full paid health benefits. I was amazed at how many of my friends moved into different careers and into different job avenues all the time. I could not understand that. Not me, Vogel was staying until they took the Ford keys out of his cold hands. A Ford guy is forever.

As you might imagine, 16 years later, I am not retiring any time soon and I am not at Ford any longer. The economy got me. It got me good. In less than five years after that eventful day, we left Michigan and moved to a little bedroom town of just under 9,800 people, Apex, North Carolina. After 25 years began again.

My next 10 years were spent in retail automotive with the Hendrick Automotive Group, eventually making it to the Director of Training and Recruiting for the Cary Auto Mall. Back in September, 2008, the car business fall off the economic ledge and every dealership in America was bleeding buckets of money. I was again sitting in my corner office at Cadillac, this time surrounded by cherry wood, marble, and sitting in a cushy leather chair. I had it good. I had just finished the week training a very large class of new salespeople. Hendrick was forever. I was invaluable. The only one in the entire complex that did what I did, there was that sense of security. Staying until they took the HUMMER Alpha keys out of my cold hands, I was a Hendrick guy forever. BUT, the economy got me good again.

I started VTR Consulting LLC the day after I left Hendrick and took my training and recruiting into microbusiness-ville.

I was confident; but the economic situation got very ugly. I soon found out that training retail sales in a bad economy is like selling Alaskan ice cubes in Juneau. There is still a market. Most of the time people can go scoop their own ice off their property.

Then came very long days going door to door for business. No one would buy the training. I was getting infrequent customers and inconsistent income. The economy got did it again.

In February 2010, I started over. I spent a year doing commercial insurance. It was a challenge to start a new endeavor without a great list of leads. Trying to blend training with insurance was tough. I went back to training full-time.

This past July, I decided to go back to a core passion. Half of my career at Ford involved publications; I was a division editor doing an array of writing. With 300 blogs out there in e-space over the past two years, I decided to throw all my marbles into content writing. I created a division of VTR Consulting LLC and called it I.M.U. Social Media.

I am now writing social media content for 16 clients plus Dale Carnegie in six states and the Netherlands. Money is finally coming into the house on a regular basis. I am writing until they take the Vibe keys out of my cold hands. I am an IMU guy.

There are multiple lessons from this insanity that we can call repositioning. The first is that "stuff happens". Always be ready. Keep your reputation, your sense of honesty, and your integrity sound. Your reputation is really all you have in life you can be assured is yours.. Get your education. No one can take college degrees away from you. Be flexible. Be positive. Find people who you can collaborate with as you grow. You cannot do it all alone. And finally, understand you have no clue where you will be ten years from now, a week from now, or even tomorrow. Be prepared to reinvent yourself at anytime. Remember when “stuff” happens, step forward and around it. And keep the faith. The economy is S L O W L Y changing for the better again. If it gets us this time, we all will be ready.

www.vtrconsultingllc
www.imusocialmedia.com
info@IMUSocialMedia.com
www.facebook.com/imusocialmedia.com
919 533 9069
Photo Credit: mybwithsbp.wordpress.com

Identity Message Understanding IMU

2011-11-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

We are up and running! http://www.IMUSocialMedia.com

VTR Consulting LLC's newest division!

info@imusocialmedia.com

Social Media FUN!!!!

2011-10-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!

IMU Social Media is now a division of VTR Consulting.com and partners with three other companies to bring full-service business and personal social media to fruition for all organizations who want visibility and brand awareness!

info@imusocialmedia.com
919 533 9069

Idle Thoughts Return

2011-07-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

Apex Command 7-8-11

My mind is racing idly… slow but sure… here are the current event thoughts of the day.

Saw a bumper sticker yesterday that read, "Stop Crime! Vote Politicians Out after the First Term."

The hybrid vehicles are just too quiet. Can't we put cow bells on their antennas?

Casey Anthony... WOW!!!! No wonder the jury never took notes.

Gas prices are tied directly to the economy. When one goes UP, the other goes DOWN and vice-versa.

Cottage Cheese this morning at Lowes... $3.99... Must be Angus Milk.

Consumer confidence is down. Unemployment up. This all started back in August 2007, and clobbered all of us in September, 2008. It is now 2011... Maybe we all should hose Congress and the White House down with Bactine. What? Bactine is pain relieving spray. Washington seems to thrive on the golf course though. Speaking of golf...

O.J. Simpson... WOW!!! No wonder the jury never took notes.

Our Ford Fusion Sport, anti-hybrid, 3.5 V-6 270 HP, got almost 31 mpg on the highway and it was stock full of people and stuff. Think about it. You do not have to drive a butter dish. At least those things look like a butter dish. Remember that Detroit hybrid sheet metal is good looking.

Pull your map out. The Republic of South Sudan is the newest world nation. Their favorite beverage of choice is White Bull Beer; I like that! Congrats Juba!

The News of the World, after it unofficially changed its name to BRUISE of the World, is a tabloid no more. Rumor is that it could become a coloring book. I have my box of 16 Crayolas ready!

Horrible Bosses looks like a great flick. Allegedly, it has to be a documentary :).

Groupon is mad at the Groupon Clones... Personally I love TWONGO!

Almost 20% of North Carolina is on food stamps. That is the population of Raleigh and Charlotte. Thought of that as I bought my Forever Stamps at the Apex PO this morning.

Have a great weekend! Buy some cottage cheese!!!

The Business Lessons of Weinergate

2011-06-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

The Business Lessons of Weinergate
1.If you are not humble, you will tumble. Often our ego is the biggest enemy in our personal and professional decisions.
2.There is a big FAT OH-OH in the middle of Google. Everything you do in and on the Web and Social Media is non- erasable and can and will come back to haunt both you and your business.
3.Be kind and nice to everyone in every situation; you will need friends, fans, and family if you screw up big time.
4.Be competitive in everything you do; but being “in your face” never sheds a good light on you or your brand.
5.This is a visual world first, a written one second. Go to TMZ if you do not believe me. Put only G and PG videos on your site, Facebook page, Twitter account, and blog. Pictures do tell stories.
6.Take care of your best friend. We all have one. No surprises.
7.You are what you say, both good and bad.
8.You are what you do, both good and bad.
9.Reaping and sowing go hand-in-hand.
10.In an apology, never forget honesty. If you fib, it can get very complicated.
11.If you must lie to get out of a situation, walk away first. Keep your mouth shut second.
12.Henry Ford II once said, “never explain; never complain.” Believe his advice.

Living Large in Small Business

2011-06-13T05:14:00.000-07:00

Double dip recession, consumer dissatisfaction, high gas prices, jittery Wall Street, job creation, lack of growth, real estate concerns, the federal debt ceiling; what is a small business to do with the challenges of 2011 all over the news and the web?

The answer that separates the wheat from the chaff is what is has always been, take care of your employees and have the best customer service in your industry. The best restaurants have the best service. The best retail stores have the most friendly and helpful staff. You can get a great burger in a number of restaurants in town, but how they serve it is incredibly important. A friendly smile is often better than fries.

It is that simple. Great service separates businesses in only two categories. Those businesses that get it and those businesses that do not.

Do an employee/ customer audit this week by simply watching people. Are your employees listening? Are they empowered? How is their attitude? How do they convert problems of any and every size into major opportunities? Now, how do your customers react? Are they enjoying the experience? How do your customers respond when your manager, or you the owner, visit with them for a minute and thank them for being there? How many of your customers know you by your first name?

Small business achieves large rewards when they put both the customer and the front-line first!

VTR Consulting LLC is on a mission. We want to make every business the largest it can be by focusing on the little things. In this thrifty economy, you want to say, “Be my guest!” and mean it.

Our customer service sessions start as low as $129.00; the classes, ranging from Listening to your Customer to our full menu of service ingredients with short sessions on Positive Attitude, Empowerment and Problem Solving, are upbeat and interactive. If you do not like the training, we will not take your money. That is the VTR Guarantee! Remember, we are after all, at your service!

Call us today at 919 533 9069. Mention you are small business and we will do your first one hour session for just $99!

Happy Service is Happy Selling!
Jim Vogel
www.vtrconsulting.com
info@vtrconsulting.com

The Customer Service Jekyll and Hyde

2011-06-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

All of us are familiar with The Strange Case of Jekyll and Hyde, the riveting, classic novella about split personality. It was wonderfully and vividly written by Robert Louis Stevenson in the 1880’s. It was THE read back then and by many estimations, his most famous work.

But this is a “blog-ella” about the Jekyll and Hyde of customer service. Last Thursday night, we went to a local restaurant where the employees must have been trained and nurtured by Hyde University. Crabby and ignoring, every employee shared the same common temperament, indifference with a touch of rudeness. They did not seem to want to be there, especially on a day filled with terribly heavy rains. There were not many patrons in the establishment because of the storms but we probably felt like most of their customers that day, we were more than willing to go outside without an umbrella for relief. It was our first visit and our last visit.

On Sunday, we went to another local restaurant; this one was also for the first time. This time the staff had to have been personally trained by Dr. Jekyll himself. Upbeat and engaging, not only did every employee exceed expectations, they all actually enjoyed their work. When they ran out of a beverage a customer had requested, they substituted another that was more expensive. We even received a free appetizer just to try it, and we truly enjoyed the experience from beginning to end. We certainly will be back. We are now raving verbal billboards of what the culture of this establishment is all about. It is a fairly new restaurant and is quickly building the reputation for excellence. It just took one visit to hook us forever.

How can one restaurant be so different from another? The answer is very simple. It is all about people. If you find upbeat, friendly people who love to put in a day’s work, you will attract the best customers as well. These customers are the ones who, in a thrifty economy, will be back time and again. People pay for a good time and they pay for outstanding service and entertainment. Major League Baseball tickets are not cheap, but raving fans go and spend money regardless of the economic times. Las Vegas is still an experience that is worth every dime; even if you lose a couple of heavies at the table.

Recruiting, interviewing, on-boarding, and training new employees are expensive payables. A bad employee, there for the money only, is a high cost to pay over and above the monies spent to hire.

Businesses who do not vet their perspective employees, or just hire numbers and take the losses as just part of business expense, are making a mistake that affects the future of the companies they run.

We have so many people out of work. We have much more than the public unemployment percentages. We do not include the under-employed and the people who just give up and stop looking for employment. These are good people. What a pool of talent to have in these times. Find the good ones and hire them.

The successful Jekyll business has no trouble finding good people. Word gets around. People stay and grow. When there is a single opening, it is filled quickly. When Jekyll employees need to attend to a personal issue, they can. And these employees never feel guilty, when they are working, the customers have fun; customers enjoy. Everyone shares in the avenue of success.

Jekyll Service is special. Here are some ingredients: active listening, reactivity, great attitude, problem-solving skills, positive focus, expertise and excellent solution finders.

The Hyde businesses operate with unhappy indentured workers who feel trapped, yet the fear of escape to the unknown is greater than the misery of the day-to-day grind. In a strong economy, the workers leave for better opportunity, but the times are still tough. Often too tough to leave.

Will Hyde companies eventually ”jekyll” themselves into the environment of empowerment and contribution? Some might, maybe, but not all transition to, or move to customer service excellence.

Customer Service is doing the right thing at the right time. Not everyone wants to do it.

Hold the Mayo

2011-05-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

If you run a business and have unhappy people who work for you, you just might want to hold the mayo. The mayo is Elton Mayo, the Human Relations Theorist who coined the fact that if you take care of your people and pay positive attention to them, performance increases. If you grab hold of the Human Relations Theory, and put into the work environment, your business will be more successful.

Companies in desperate mode will often go to their employees and ask them for ideas that might help save the business. But businesses today need to tap the human capital in the best and the worst of times to give the business continual life.
Give real and honest positive feedback and make an employee’s day. Give your people an early afternoon off. Give them some flexible scheduling if you can do it. Pay them fairly and give them bonuses when they exceed performance levels. You do not need a $1000 ad in the paper, when your employees are your advertising. And it is contagious; your customers also become your advertising and marketing arm. Surprisingly, great employees lead to great customers.

The VTR Consulting LLC series of relationship building and agreement selling classes have this critical theory as the bedrock of growth and opportunity. Your Business DNA (Desire, Need, and Attitude) just gets better when you communicate well with your employees as growth partners.

The next time your business has employee issues, open up your menu of opportunity and hold the Mayo.

The Ingredients to Relational Success

2011-05-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Being at your best every day at in relationships is not complicated. In Sales, you must first physically take care of yourself. You cannot have a six pack and a pizza every night and be on your A-Game every morning.

Mentally and physically, here is how to maximize opportunity, especially if you sell for a living.

1. Come to work to work; socialize at work only for the benefit of the sale and the customer.
2. Have a definable plan. Goals and objectives are essential.
3. Know your product and services better than anyone else; what is in stock and what is coming.
4 Always be there to lead, help and serve. The customer notices servant leadership.
5. Actively listen with minimum distraction. Be very active, have eye contact, and lean into the conversation.
6. Never have anything less than a POSITIVE attitude from within you. Anything else is unacceptable.

People buy from smiling, listening, organized, energetic, and knowledgeable individuals who want to win for them.

People buy from people like themselves.

Now you are ready for agreement selling. Google "agreement selling" and you will find very little information. It is based on saying YES (Yields Excellence & Success) and is integral to VTR Consulting LLC Sales Training. The customer usually has a problem that needs what we call Opportunity Conversion. Once the problem becomes an opportunity for both you and the customer, regardless of product or service, closing ratio is greatly increased and happiness becomes an objective.

None of this is rocket science, Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, or brain surgery. If you do everything right, there usually is nothing left. It is so simple that we often don't think it will work. Our base human tendency to OVERTHINK is the biggest challenge in any relationship, no matter if it is personal or professional.

It is the responsibility of all of us to bring process that makes clear and definable results. Everything must be definable, measurable, trainable, and do-able, or we should not do it. Relationship success, especially in sales, is a math game NOT a numbers game. Making your numbers are much easier than creating the strategy to make the numbers. VTR calls this SELL-gebra. You sell in an equation of both variables and constants, and things must equal and balanced for both you and the customer to move forward.

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Find Jobs - Sales Representative Jobs in Raleigh- Durham, NC, North Carolina - The Hcard

2011-04-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

Find Jobs - Sales Representative Jobs in Raleigh- Durham, NC, North Carolina - The Hcard

It's a Pain in the Gas!

2011-04-11T05:10:00.000-07:00

Now, as fuel prices climb daily from the Valentine’s Day level of under three bucks, to over four bucks by Memorial Day, it is time to play some Archie Bell and the Drells and “tighten up”! The year was 1968, gas was 27 cents a gallon and I was cruisin’ on five bucks ALL night long in a car that got seven miles to the gallon… Ahhhh, the good ole’ days… Driving for no reason and in no direction. WOW!!!! What very cool memories!

Well, it is 2011 and I have come up with tighten up ideas.

Find the nicest Dollar Store and buy your soups, shampoos, toothpaste, detergent and crayons. These stores carry name brand stuff.

DO NOT have a car payment! If your car payment is $350.00, even at $4.00 a gallon, you can get almost 88 gallons a month. Yep, EIGHTY-eight gallons.

Consolidate your trips like you are driving the downtown bus; minimum miles, maximum stops.

Get your gas where you spend your grocery money. A nickel is a nickel.

Call your insurance agent ASAP and get higher deductibles on every single policy. You don’t play with fire and you do not take the family mini-van on the Saturday night dirt track. Go with the odds.

Remember Wal-Mart has jeans, slacks, dresses and golf shirts.

Clip coupons and get on every store’s discount mailing list. Double and triple coupons are a must on everything you buy.

Get your shoes professionally repaired rather than buying the new ones.

Wear things until holes develop. In fact, with some things, holes are in fashion…

PLEASE spend your money locally; our restaurants need a break too. And the kids need a night out. In fact, you need a night out. Use Twongo! Go to the restaurant sites and print the coupons.

Plant the garden you always put off this year. Cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes grow like weeds in the Triangle. Have you noticed the price of tomatoes?

Time –Warner has 14,622 channels! (Seems like it!). Get the basic back and watch TV movies for free.

Got a green thumb, fertilize your own lawn.

Now, the economy will turn down the road. Just carry these same strategies when gas goes back down to $3.00; you can take me out with all that extra cash!

Commercial Insurance is Essential

2011-03-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

Running a business is complicated enough without having to worry about insurance. Just like homeowners, every business owner needs to protect their hard work and investments. Whether you paint for a living like Schleter Painting and Drywall, or you sell beer for a living like the Beer Dispensary in Downtown Apex, insurance can sometimes be considered an occupational hazard. But there is good news.

Woomer Group - Insurance and Financial Services offers a nice menu of commercial insurance for all kinds of businesses. And there are essential reasons to stay protected. Here are four of them.

1. Property Protection: Your property and business are your livelihood. Any chance of loss is something that must be considered. Investment protection is an integral aspect of your business plan.

2. Loans and Lending: Lenders will require you carry business insurance in exchange for offering funds. They consider your property collateral.

3. Risk Transfer: The risk of financial loss should be in the experienced hands of an insurer in exchange for regular premium payments. General Liability, professional liability, workers comp, and business auto are ingredients to less worry and more focus on what you do best... the business.

4. Legality: Professional liability is essential for errors and mistakes. It is sound and wise, especially in higher risk businesses like the medical arena where exposure can really hurt your future.

Our new website www.woomerinsurance.com lets you quote right on the website or call Jim Vogel at 919 533 9069.

We are independent for you since 1932.

The End is Near!

2011-03-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

Hi Blog Spots!

We need you again, and thank you ahead of time for possibly being one of our regular VIP's (Very Important PINT!). Please go to www.mysignup.com/apexkiwanis and take the two minutes to sign up again for our Spring Kiwanis/ Jordan Lutheran Church/ REX Blood Services Drive. We need 100 pints a day to serve the needs of the Triangle community, seven days a week, and every pint helps so much.

Monday March 28th from 3-7 p.m. at Lowes Foods supermarket (5400 Peakway) in Apex. WE NEED YOU!

If you have already signed up today... awesome... if not, this is a sweet reminder of the the most precious gift we can give, the gift of life!

Thank you for your continued support of community and civic responsibility! We want to continue to be a big part of your calendar. Don't be shy, pass this e-mail to anyone you know who shares our focus of continued life for those less fortunate because of disease, accident or injury.

The Apex Chamber: The Peak of Great Opportunity

2011-02-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

I was in a meeting recently, when the owner of a small business I often frequent complained to me about the lack of things her local Chamber does for her business. She also commented that being in the Chamber is not a great value to her and her business . She plans on leaving it when her membership renewal comes due. She stated to me that there are absolutely no benefits from a Chamber membership. Now, this is not the first time I have heard of unhappiness with one’s local chamber. But this is the first time I want to tell you about why she is wrong.

I respectfully and politely disagreed with her comments and I told her that the local Chamber of Commerce is often the best vehicle for business opportunity. This is what I said.

As a current four business member of the Apex Chamber of Commerce (Kiwanis Club of Apex, Woomer Insurance and Financial Services, T.O.P.S Club of Apex, and VTR Consulting LLC) I have a unique opinion of my Chamber, both as a profit-driven small business owner and as a non-profit organization member.

Without a second thought, my Chamber, the Apex Chamber of Commerce, is where my businesses need to be. The Apex Chamber offers many opportunities for growth. It offers continuing opportunities to participate in the community. It offers key opportunities for business success. With an outstanding website www.apexchamber.com and an excellent business public directory, the Apex Chamber is a continuing investment with very large professional and personal return.

Morning and evening networking events create even more opportunities for meeting the people you need to meet to help your local business grow. Joining the member supported committees within the Chamber give you not only a communal sense of accomplishment and participation, but a straight and true focus of making businesses better.

But it is up strictly up to you. You must make the most of what is offered. Opportunity is an action word. The Chamber is what you put into it. It is a conduit for so many things. And there are many additional byproducts that are benefits for growth. For example, the byproduct of an effective and well established Chamber is a stronger local economy. Another byproduct is having all of our businesses on the same page under the same umbrella moving forward in a tough economy in the same way. Success is a team sport. “We” are always stronger than “me”. An ancient African proverb states this: “no person is truly a person until they are with other people.” This is the true purpose of a Chamber filled with opportunity. The Apex Chamber of Commerce is the principal vessel of local business prosperity through participation.

Finally, here are some things I know the Chamber is not. The Chamber is not an extension of your marketing department. It is not an organization that automatically makes your business more successful. It is not a profit making apparatus. The Chamber is simply what you make it to be. The Chamber works full-time setting up success. But it does not create it. It puts into place the professional opportunities to help you grow. The Chamber is only as successful as the businesses it supports.

In my view, the best move any business can make is to be a visible and contributing member of the local Chamber. Let’s hope this business owner stays in her chamber and makes it a little better.

J.O.B.S.

2011-02-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

Apex, NC

J.O.B.S.

Joy Over Budget Success! We simply need more JOBS!

Squeezing every dollar for value is central to getting our local and national economy back to even 2007 standards... Raleigh is now the 10th biggest coupon clipping city in the US. And it is no wonder. Gas is UP to three dollars and silly, up a little more silly each day. My favorite grocery store has all my regularly bought items like cheese, cream and cereal priced thirty cents higher than the prices in December. On the back of the grocery bill is a coupon for a $7.99 large extra cheese pizza; that coupon was $5.99 last year.

Have your pay checks gone up as well? Thought so...With confusing signals from the stock market and even more confusion with lower unemployment coupled with lack of job creation, it is indeed no wonder Dave Ramsey's show about personal financial strategy on the radio has a huge audience base.

Ahhh, but I am a crazy optimist first, well before my realist persona ever sets in. We are managing our household budget strategies very well as Americans. We indeed squeeze every dime out of that nickel.

Many of us are bustin' bugs to get our taxes done. We are assessing our financial and insurance profiles to see where changes can be made. This simple awareness is making us stronger. We no longer pound our charge cards with impulse buys. We are fixing our cars rather than buying them; and we are cutting our phone and cable bills at a furious pace.

Welcome to the New Normal. It is great to be back at our roots with real world, down home values again. Where a penny saved is indeed a penny earned. It is refreshing.

We now know, we can never return to mindless spending and speculation that created the collapse of the economy back in September 2008; that is pretty cool. You just cannot put a price on that.

Have a great weekend!

Vtr Consulting LLC - Apex, NC (North Carolina) | (919) 363-6989

2011-02-10T10:36:00.000-08:00

Vtr Consulting LLC - Apex, NC (North Carolina) | (919) 363-6989

TOP 10 #Linkedin HOWTOs

2011-02-01T04:44:00.000-08:00

TOP 10 #Linkedin HOWTOs

Promo - Woomer Life Insurance

2011-01-22T14:04:00.000-08:00

The Best Daily Deals in Washington, D.C.: $20 Amazon.com Gift Card

2011-01-19T16:06:00.000-08:00

The Best Daily Deals in Washington, D.C.: $20 Amazon.com Gift Card

Hey guys! $10 got me $20... It is free money! Just pulled the trigger...

Year of the COMEBACK!

2011-01-15T06:17:00.000-08:00

With just two weeks in, 2011 will answer a lot of business questions for many of us. There is economic energy out there across America. The best thing about any challenges we face is that they are front and center. We have been with them for about two years.

Housing and employment are still in struggle mode. Steel, beef, pork, and gasoline are increasing in cost; and inflation is opening its eyelids...

But the car business is breathing with both lungs again. The Detroit Auto Show, where the cars are the stars, is seeing a renaissance of energy with awesome products that consumers want at $3.25 a gallon. Ford is leading the way with technology and with quality. Pictured is the new 2012 Escape. Detroit is less dead now and much more competitive.

Because as Detroit goes, so does our country.

Credit for small business, although tight, is available. Things are getting better. But be prepared to budget what you have in this New Normal. Gas will continue to creep up at the pumps. My guess is $3.35 or so before it slowly goes back under three bucks. There is no way gas will be four and five dollars; OPEC and most economists know the real reason why we were pushed off the financial cliff in September 2008. At four dollars a gallon, people stopped buying EVERYTHING but the essentials and confidence vanished.

This consumer behavior affects everything we do and everything we buy. No one blows $80 bucks on dinner today unless it is a celebration. We ALL clip coupons. We know what the Dollar Tree is and we want generic at the drug store.

So this indeed will be an interesting year. Everything is LOCAL. Take advantage of it. We need to know what you do and how we can help you succeed. Lots of energy goes on right on your block. And it is very simple. I help you, and you help me, and 2011 will indeed be, as my friend Brian Woomer coined, THE YEAR OF THE COMEBACK!

Listening: Top down and bottom up

2011-01-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Listening: Top down and bottom up

Runnin' On Empty

2010-12-30T15:51:00.000-08:00

Runnin’ on Empty
The good ole days, remember them? Jumping in the V-8 coupe, and with Steppenwolf’s Born to Be Wild in the background, you got your motor runnin’ as you headed out on the highway. It was Saturday night. Gas was 35 cents a gallon. Your car was the center point of entertainment.

But this is now. 2010. Gas is pushing $3.25 in the hardest hit economic areas of the United States. Places like Upstate New York and my hometown of Detroit are injured again by the continuing rise in gas prices. And it is at $3.00 or more across the rest of the country. Is it artificially priced? I certainly believe so. Speculation and the increase of fuel usage in both India and China have created this current increase in oil prices and that has pushed our local prices pump prices way up. Speculation pushed prices up in 2008 as well. Remember those days?

This is very big country. According to Payscale.com, the average commute to work is 37.5 minutes. Americans naturally need larger, safer vehicles to drive coast to coast. This is not England or for that matter the rest of Europe. Look at this year’s sales increase in large SUV’s. Up 41% as announced today on CBS Radio; the most interestingly overlooked fact is that the small SUV is down 2.1% during that same time. This is not rocket science. We need bigger and more comfortable. We have families and extended families, business trips, vacations, kid’s baseball practice, and work. Try stuffing all that in a Prius.

We must remember that when the U.S. fell off the economic cliff in September, 2008, it was $4.00 gas that shoved the hardest. Confidence died and America stopped spending on anything. Our economy to this very day is still a big ugly rock. It will not move unless we push it with consumer confidence, lower bills and renewed spending. But that is just not happening, especially now. With gasoline hitting that “mental” mark of three bucks, we again start brown bagging more and we increase our visits to the grocery store. Most importantly, we stop spending on virtually anything else. This is again at the expense of a multitude of small businesses that include coffee shops and mid-priced restaurants. Small businesses suffer. And they are the ones who employ the majority of the workers. They are the heartbeat of America.

Now, I heard today that the reason the price of gas is skyrocketing is because of the stronger economy; the stronger the economy, the higher the gas prices.
If the economy is such a simple math game then why is that not adding up when we look at daily reality. What are these economists thinking?

Now, we are indeed at the cusp of an economic turnaround, but the rising price of gas will be the principal ingredient to keeping us where we are. This is a BIG deal. We drive less now. We drive less than we ever have before. Consumption is down. We combine trips and we carpool. Why? Because gas price increases come directly out of our wallet and our budgets. And the increases happen with real money in real time, more this week than last.

Gas prices are the biggest villain in the current hampering of the local economy. It is not about the big car or the SUV. It is not the car business this time. Drop gas back to $2.50 and the market will take off like a rocket making 2011 the “Year of the Comeback!”

As you pump that next tank and as you use your credit card because you do not have an extra 60 bucks in your pocket, remember it is because of the that stronger economy!

Jim Vogel is the owner and founder of VTR Consulting LLC; VTR is a motivational sales training company located in Apex, NC. Jim spent over three decades in the car business; first with Ford Motor Company, and then with Hendrick Automotive Group, before launching his small business to help make organizations more successful.
Visit www.vtrconsulting.com
http://twitter.com/salestherapist

North Carolina's Morning News With Brian Freeman: Jim Vogel - Kiwanis of Apex

2010-12-28T10:18:00.000-08:00

North Carolina's Morning News With Brian Freeman: Jim Vogel - Kiwanis of Apex: "Discussing how you can participate in a local blood drive. MP3 File"

No One is Perfect! But You Better Be Good!

2010-12-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

Being at your best every day at any one thing is not complicated. You must first physically take care of yourself. You cannot have a six pack of beer and a pizza every night and be on your A-Game.

Mentally, here is how to maximize opportunity, especially if you sell for a living.

1. Come to work to work; socialize at work only for the benefit of the customer.
2. Have a definable plan. Goals and objectives are essential.
3. Know your product and services better than anyone else; what is in stock and what is coming.
4 Always be there to lead, help and serve. The customer notices stuff like that.
5. Actively listen with minimum distraction. Be very active, have eye contact, and lean into the conversation. SMILE!
6. Never have anything less than a POSITIVE attitude from within you. Anything else is mentally unacceptable.

People buy from smiling, listening, organized, energetic, and knowledgeable individuals.

People buy from people like themselves.

Jim Vogel

www.vtrconsulting.com

HOHOHO! But Be Careful!

2010-11-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

Apex NC 11-30-10

Tis the season to be careless... fa la la la la la la la la...

There is nothing as cool as a live Christmas Tree. It looks good. It smells awesome. Decorated, it is a work of art. A Rockwell painting right in the corner.

But trees are like pets and kids, they need to be watched by responsible adults. So please plan to water your tree regularly. Make sure it sits in the stand right. A falling tree in your living room is simply dangerous. Do not place the tree near a heating vent or too close to the fireplace. Get new lights every two years. They are cheap. But cheap can be a problem when there is a cracked wire or an overextended electrical outlet.

Don't let the kids run around the tree. Glass Ornaments are gorgeous; yet if they break they can easily injure dogs, cats and youngsters.

Fraser Firs, found in our beautiful NC Mountains, are value priced and hold their water and their needles very well.

Many homes during the holidays are very accident prone. And they must be protected from fire. AA batteries in every smoke alarm will save a life.

As your Inside 919 Insurance Guy, I want you around for the New Year!

Enjoy your tree! But as with anything, enjoy responsibly. Merry Christmas.

Profile - Brian Woomer

2010-11-19T04:59:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the newest Woomer Insurance Commercial!

Regards,

Salestherapist

Halo Everybody!

2010-11-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Halo Everybody Halo!
First heard on 1940’s CBS Radio, and then continuing through the T.V. Seventies, Halo Shampoo featured the famous jingle that still dances in the heads of most Baby Boomers. It is as familiar as “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should” and “Oh, I’d like to be an Oscar Meyer wiener”; now, before you head to YouTube to play these jingles, please note that this article is not about shampoo, tobacco, or hot dogs. It is about the simplicity of selling. I just want salespeople to be remembered by their clients like those famous jingles of old.

Training people to be successful has always been my passion so I have developed a new sales strategy, Halo Selling, named in honor of that famous shampoo. This is a sales seminar focusing on the systems approach that I have been working on over the past few years. I wanted to introduce the process right here in Carolina Business Connection. Now, since angels are known to wear halos and to be near perfect beings, successful salespeople must be the same, especially in this economy.

A near perfect selling strategy is the only way to have eternally happy customers whose referrals generate even more referrals. It is that simple. This Halo Affect not only minimizes the problems of the cold call, but creates the strategies that can help make the salesperson so popular with the client base that customers will be singing loud praises just like the church choir. In sales, success always brings more success.

Here are the Ten Halo Selling Commandments that should indeed help put your sales into the heavens.

First Halo Commandment: Thou shall always listen more than thou speak. You must always remember that you can upset many customers by over- talking, but you can never hurt a deal by over- listening. Out-listening your customers is the key to sales prowess. You must plan and control your message. Active listening is critical. Listening for purpose is indeed a learned trait that is sometimes difficult to master.

Second Halo Commandment: Thou shall always be enthusiastic and passionate in public. No matter what is going on in your personal life, you are always on stage with your customer.

Third Halo Commandment: Thou shall always control the fear of asking for the business by being prepared. Consider ASK as an acronym for “Applying Strategy with Knowledge”. The order is often yours if you simply ASK for it.

Fourth Halo Commandment: Remember the customer is never wrong when profit is the central variable. Serve the customer; no matter the cost or sacrifice. It is about winning for your customer.

Fifth Halo Commandment: Thou shall not covet commission. Your share of the revenue is the byproduct of your satisfied client base and your individual effort.

Sixth Halo Commandment: Honor your smile and sense of humor. If you have a great smile, use it. If you are funny, use it. No one wants to listen to a boring sales presentation.

Seventh Halo Commandment: Remember to always be patient. Use your sense of urgency and persistence with great care and control. Pushy is never a positive customer satisfaction ingredient.

Eighth Halo Commandment: Remember that the customer can eliminate you at any moment. No sale is a certain one. The customer controls all the decisions, and you are often the only deciding factor.

Ninth Halo Commandment: Thou shall always remember trust is everything in a relationship. If the client trusts you, the sale is a certain one if the needs and wants are met.

Tenth Halo Commandment: Honor the power of attitude. Attitude is a learned skill that only grows with practice. Customers are naturally attracted to positive, upbeat professionals.

The Sales Commandments should help determine your message and your plan of action. These two factors are everything in the sales game plan. You build a customer base just like you would build a congregation. You do it one seat at a time and one pew at a time. Soon both sides of the aisle will fill. Pay attention to your customers in a positive way and involve them in what you do. If you want heavenly sales and near perfect customer satisfaction, use these Ten Halo Commandments. Talk about them at your next sales meeting. Discuss the importance of being the best. You are in sales to serve others. You create solutions. These things must never be forgotten.

Good luck. Visit www.vtrconsulting.com and take advantage of the specials you see on the site.
Have fun and happy selling!

Jim Vogel is the owner of VTR Consulting LLC, a sales training, recruiting, and career services organization that customizes retail sales training to fit the needs and wants of the sales professional. VTR Consulting LLC offers classes and seminars of every length and sales purpose.

Sales Recruiting is now fast and easy with VTR’s “ad to inbox” interview process. Career Services includes resume writing and simple steps to write quality blog posts and articles for social networking.

Jim is also an Independent Insurance Agent for Woomer Insurance in Downtown Apex, N.C. Woomer Insurance is a full service agency located on Historic Salem Street. Its motto is: “Independent for you since 1932.”

A native of Detroit MI, Jim was an editor and internal communicator at Ford Motor Company for over two decades and spent almost 10 years with Hendrick Automotive Group in sales, sales training, hiring and recruiting. He has taught writing and public speaking classes at both the University of Michigan and the University of Phoenix.

May I Have Your Attention Please! Part Two

2010-10-31T07:26:00.000-07:00

Apex NC

With constant stimulus all around us, add in the voluminous amount of instant information we have access to 24-7, we can get overloaded very quickly. Remember that ADD thing I talked about in Part One, ALL DATA DUMPED. We just have too much to pay attention to, to pay attention.

If you are like the majority of us, you need to get your business message out there and have it heard and hopefully remembered. I firmly believe we must get noticed to be successful today. I also believe that it is NOT who you know. It is NOT what you know; it is who knows you!

Everything is relationship. It is all things. Everything human starts with relationship. To steal and change a phrase, all success is local. Look at Inside919. We are family in here, not with DNA, but with commonality.

Look at Twitter. It is also a friendly, helpful place. If you are friendly and helpful on Twitter, you get followers. If you are friendly, helpful, and funny, you pick up friends on Facebook.

So use these three sites as social tools to get the message out. You will not stand out until you get out (there).

Blogspot. Word Press. Slingshot. Merchant Circle. There are numerous other places to get noticed as well. The more people who know you, your product and services, the better they know your message. Cut a video with Alex Ferguson of Inside 919 and get your human message out. Use your smile, voice, and actions. People love to see who they might work with. Join LinkedIn. Most importantly, be active in the sites you belong in. Ask Pat Howlett of Inside 919 to consider you as a sponsor. Join the Chamber of Commerce. Join a community service group like the Kiwanis. Join networking groups. Meet someone who you really would like to meet for breakfast once a month.

Know you are "googled" before you are met... I think that's a good thing. Success is a numbers' game.

There is an African Proverb that goes something like this: no one is truly a person until he or she is with other people.

So go to bed tonight having smiled, helped, and supported just one other person. Do it again tomorrow. Over time, this action creates reaction. And one day, you will not only be successful, but you will be relationship rich.

And you will own a powerful message of service.

And you will have our attention!

May I Have Your Attention Please!

2010-10-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC 10-25-10

We recently attended the always spectacular North Carolina State Fair. It was the last day of this huge event and the weather was absolutely perfect. Naturally, thousands poured into the gates from every parking lot and every direction in the early afternoon. The Midway was packed completely full with people as we inched along. On both sides of this main walkway, the barkers were shouting their various services and wares. With each step, there was a different message with a continually changing volume stuffed with the background of music and non-intelligible noise. From a stimulus perspective, it was as humanly saturating as it was overwhelming to assess the reality of all of the things going on. Focusing was simply impossible; all we could do was forge ahead.

In this ever changing world of 24-7-365 information immediacy , our minds are continually at the State Fair of instant messages. I call it ADD. Everyone has this type of ADD today. It stands for “all data dumped”. We are so stimulated by everything from voice mail, to internet, to gadgetry, to satellite radio, that we miss truly important information; or we forget it passed our eyes and ears. Many of us get 50 phone calls or more a day, and we review hundreds of e-mails. Add in texts and chat, blended with the numerous face-to-faces, and it is a wonder we do not simply implode from all this daily toxic mass information.

I am still hunting for an e-mail from two weeks ago I simply just missed it from the flood of them that I get from five different accounts. I now only read a couple of lines of a long-winded e-mail before I blow it away mentally; too much information please. Just the facts Jack!

Looking back just a few decades ago, when our lives had no cell phones and computers and television had only three channels, we could tolerate the stimulus. If stress was a term back then, it wasn’t used in my family, even at Christmas. Overload back than came from the Sunday sermon, an overused party-line or from kids on the porch and in the backyard. Things were simple then. You could drive to the store and back with both hands on the wheel and without the distraction of anything more than an AM radio on the dash.

Since you probably stopped reading awhile back, I will continue this discussion very soon as a two- part article.

In the second part of “May I Have Your Attention Please”, I will discuss how to stand out as a business professional on the Midway of Stimulus Overload…Don't make the mistakes I did. Until then, take two aspirins; quit looking at your device at the light and stop texting! :)

When There is a Will, There is a Way!

2010-10-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

I am really surprised at how many of my friends and clients are without life insurance and are without a will. I did an unofficial poll recently by asking that question... do you have a will and a life policy? Most people I talked to are without one or the other.

I recommend term life. It gives the consumer the best value. The policy owner chooses the term (number of years) and the financial limit. This policy pays when the owner passes away. It is again, very cost effective. Most importantly, as responsible people, we need to make sure our loved ones are taken care of if we do die.

Wills and trusts are the road maps to asset management. They do not need to be expensive or complicated. But without a will there is no way to manage your material things and make sure your loved ones are treated fairly. Families do strange things without proper instruction. In July, when my Aunt died up in Detroit, in-fighting took over at the saddest time. I was amazed what the lack of planning can do to relationships.

A term life insurance policy and a clear will lets all family members know that you care about their the most important and valuable ingredients of being here on this Earth, them...

Most of you reading this know me. You know I care about your well being. The coolest thing is the fact that my quotes to you are FREE! Gosh, I love free too!

Honestly, look at all your policies like you do your check book or balance sheet and get the right coverage at the best value. Have a great weekend!

I am at Jim.vogel@woomerinsurance.com 919 244 6989 www.woomerinsurance.com

Getting Pumped Up

2010-10-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC 10-21-10

The economy is still stuck in neutral with not much growth. The good thing is that it is not getting worse. Since 2008, the American consumer has changed behavior. We are still in debt in many cases but we do not like it at all. And we are really watching our pennies and using credit less.

With the price of gas again at two dollars and silly, we are really noticing it at the pump and in our wallet. For a number of reasons, none I understand, gas is crawling up and slowly eating more and more of our pocket. When just having a decent paying job in today’s environment is a blessing we just cannot boycott gas stations and stop driving to work.

In the news this morning was yet another discussion of E85 fuel. E85 is not a bad thing; we just need to understand it better. Here is the scoop. You are running 10% ethanol in your tank a majority of the time anyway. A lot of stations add it to increase octane levels. When you pump gas and smell a little sweetness as it goes in, you have corn-blended fuel heading into the tank. That is okay! We can run on it all day long regardless of the engine or the year of car.

If gas gets to 15% ethanol, you should only pump that into a flex fuel vehicle. With about 2000 E85 stations across the United States, there are a lot of good Detroit sheet metal out there that can run flex fuel and these vehicles state it on the back of the vehicle and on the gas cap. E85 is indeed cheaper. But you get less mileage. It is also higher octane, about 95, rather than the 87 we usually pump.

It is important to remember to only put the correct fuel in your vehicle at all times.

To be on the safe side, just use 87 octane gasoline. You do NOT need 89 or 92 octane unless you have to run premium fuel. Running higher octane gas in a vehicle engineered and built to run on 87 is just a waste of money.

You will actually save money by not rabbit accelerating from the light, not tailgating, and keeping the right PSI in your tires. Rotate them with your REGULAR oil changes. And replace your air filter. You will see performance and mileage increases that pay for themselves over time.

Yes, gas is creeping to three bucks. No one likes that. Saving money at the pump is possible by blatant common sense, both in how you drive and how you maintain your vehicle.

Remember ALSO, that I sell car insurance through a number of A rated companies. Hopefully a free quote from Woomer Insurance can bring value to other areas of your budget. Call me at 919 533 9069 in you live in North Carolina.

Meanwhile, drive slower in your well maintained vehicle you will visit the gas station less!

Profile - VTR Consulting LLC

2010-10-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Get Your Business P's In Order

2010-10-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Regardless of whether the recession is over or not, these past two years or so have been quite the professional experience for most of us. If you have been in business for these past twenty-four plus months and have not had a negative change in revenue or an increase in challenge or responsibility, you are the last one standing.

But contrary to many experts’ opinions, applying positive economic change in the Triangle or the country is not rocket science. We just need to take a look at the Business P’s. In core business models, there are certain critical ingredients that always start with the letter P. Organizations today just need to arrange them in their proper order. Some of us might even have them mixed up just a little bit; but even a little out of order is a recipe for failure.

All of us remember what happened in the third quarter of 2008 very well. Lehman Brothers and Wall Street dominated the financial bad news. These out of order P’s were the only reason why our business world changed as we knew it into complete financial collapse.

Here are the Business P’s in the order that they were in back in September, 2008.
Profits, Problems, Payroll, Processes, Priorities, Principles, People.

Note that profits come up first. Now, profits are just fine by themselves. In fact, profits are quite simple to get and quite exciting to manage in ANY economy if our P’s are in the right order. But profits should never be the main focus of any organization. Too much profit attention can create greed and internal conflict.
Greed was the driver of this recession and it kick started the mess we are still in regardless of any recovery headlines we see on the web and in print. Greed affects all the Business P’s and twists them one by one into disorder.

Here is the sequence the Business P’s should be in:
People, Principles, Priorities, Processes, Payroll, Problems, and Profits.

What? Profits cannot be last. Jim are you crazy? Yes, I guess I am. But I am crazy about wanting organizations successful. You see, profits are the BYPRODUCT of all the other P’s. We seldom think of profits in this secondary way. It is not our normal business nature. But the thought is immediately common sense if we look at profits from our human nature with a complete focus on people.

People are and still remain the straightest line to all profitability.
We must take care of our employees and our customers in positive ways (Human Relations Theory) and we must involve them in processes that truly let them contribute to the bottom line (Group Dynamics Theory). If we succeed at these two proven theories we become the leaders within our business orbit. The discussion of these two theories for this article’s purpose is not necessary. But I want you to Google or Bing them and read why they are so essential to the mindset of business. Both theories give us empirically proven strategies for success.

Principles are extremely important as well. Mission and Guiding Values must be solely focused through people. Employees, Suppliers, and Customers are the only reasons we exist as a business. And principles cannot be just words handed out on orientation day in a 20 word mission statement or stuck on page two of your employee handbook. We must back them up with consistent ACTION and complete transparency. Our people and our customers are not dumb. They know when there is shallowness to organizational values.

Priorities must be a blend of both people and principles. If not sure, just ask the people in the business we want more successful. If there is the right organizational climate where risk and work are appreciated equally, the employees will not hesitate to help with ideas that path the business to increased opportunity.

Processes are derived from Priorities. If the priorities are clear, then the processes are definable, trend-able, measurable, attainable and trainable. They become team driven and more easily team implemented.

Payroll is the reward of good people. Pay your employees for what they really do and have them on the same page when performance is assessed. Have a simple and competitive pay plan and be prepared to explain it at any time. A workforce, paid fairly and honestly, will eliminate many organizational problems. The most successful companies have minimized intra-business issues by providing positive compensation and they have converted problems into opportunities.

Finally, let’s look at profits. Remember that byproduct thing I mentioned earlier? If all your P’s are in order, profits will organically and almost magically come. Employees will grow at the same rate that profits and success do. Customers will be more like a referral fan club than just another dollar. Just as health is the byproduct of good living, profit is the byproduct of solid organizations.

Now, I know I am preaching to many of you in the choir. BUT, there are many managers out there who focus on money and profit first at the expense of everyone else and they have employee and customer concerns galore. Such strong emphasis on profits will only create and sustain greed. And it was greed that took down much of what we had in this once strong economy.

I know of many private and one major public institution today, all bureaucratic in nature, that truly need to be walked and quickly to the proverbial shed. For this great country to grow out of this current recessional cycle we must put our people first and our profits last. Our profits will do just fine if all of our P’s are in order.

It simply starts with our people. Make sure they are all good at what they do. Make sure they put the clients first. And that they really care for them. Give employees the tools and the training they need. Treat them right and watch the profits grow. Just remember that this is a major paradigm shift for many, but I urge you to try these ideas and see if your Business P’s can line up and work for the good of the business and in the best interests of both your people and your customers. Your profit depends on it.

Action is the Word

2010-10-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

If you take the words hire, employ, sell, consume, purchase and buy and make a simple adjustment, the economy moves off the dime it has been sitting on. Our economy has not moved. It is not getting worse and it is not getting better. And Washington is taking the heat for good reason.

Here is the simple adjustment but it reflects action: hiring, employing, selling, consuming, purchasing, and buying. If we put some action into these aspects of our economic recipe things get better fast.

No, the recession is not over. I do not agree with certain experts that the recession stopped in June of 2009. I know better. I saw it with my own eyes. I was in Detroit that first week of June 2009; it was UGLY, very ugly. General Motors and Chrysler both fell over hard and unemployment was at unprecedented levels in Michigan and beyond.

Now, I agree that the recession started in December 2007. It hit full-speed with four buck gas in the summer of 2008, and continued right into September with the financial collapse and the demise of Lehman Brothers. The Automotive Industry, already deeply wounded by a confused and jittery public that summer, had SUV’s and trucks galore gathering dust as that aspect of the market went bye-bye at lightening speed. Dealerships could not even give away gas hogs. The business was soon on life support.

But we are a resilient bunch in the car biz. We will come back. We have weathered recessions in the past. 1958, 1962, 1966, 1973-74, 1980-81, and 1991 were tough years. We had a great stretch from 1992 to 2007… record years for gosh sakes. But this newest recession, 2008-2009, was extra special. It knocked us out with a left and right hook and we saw stars as we hit the economic canvas.

Consumer and hiring confidence are the keys to our country getting permanently out of this mess. I know there is cash out there. But people are sitting on it and paying off their charges. Businesses have cut payroll and cut hours. Raises are on the endangered list. Is it a wonder that we are still refusing to buy like in the good ole’ days of zero percent and $1.68 gas?

Detroit, Ford Motor Company in particular, is making great small and medium-sized cars and solidly built larger vehicles right now, but there is less revenue and profit overall. Trucks and SUV’s are selling somewhat better but with much tighter margins. The car business still has the challenge of debt to deal with.

A critical month for the car business and for the American public is the next one. November, 2010 will set records for political change. This change can only help bring an array of positives to this challenging climate. A number of politicians will soon understand what being out of work is all about.

Things should get better fast with new faces in places of political power. I plan on this renewed confidence to steer holiday purchasing. In fact, a friend of mine, much smarter than me, calls 2011 the “Year of the Come Back!”

Let’s get this industry and this economy back to employing and consuming. It is the kind of action we all really need.

Division is Subtracting the Addition of Multiplication

2010-03-29T05:28:00.000-07:00

3-29-10 Apex

Confused... So am I.

I cannot remember when our country was so divided politically. There are very, very clear sides. The "Progressives" and the "TEA" (Taxed Enough Already) people just do not have a lot in common right now. And let's just think of a Republican loving a Democrat and vice-versa. Just look at Facebook and other social media; we see people every day lobbing the right and left bombs that create unpleasant thoughts in multiple categories.

Here is the main multiplier. The government simply is not earning public trust right now... And I mean politically. I am just completing my taxes and really dragging my feet. I do not want to give Washington and Raleigh any of my money right now. The violation of law is the only thing I have motivating me. I am an honest citizen. But we leased a new car in December and now we cannot deduct the sales tax because we did not "buy" it. What? Why would I take out a 60 month loan on something that depreciates as soon as you sign the papers? But again, division; the leasees nope, the buyees yep... I tried to stimulate the economy and get kicked for it. A payment is a payment danged it... That sales tax I still pay!!

As my darlin' wife said as she walked out this morning, "They got us again!" It never ends...

With over 11% unemployment here in North Carolina, and know this; if we add the people who gave up and are not receiving unemployment we are easily at 15%, man we still got issues bringing tissues.

How about foreclosures? How about the way too high price for gas? Too many things to list out here. And are you now doing the work of two people because of the cuts at work?

If we would just focus on every level and fix the economy with job stimulation, people would get health care from their new employers. I like simple. Now it will be way more complicated with a trillion dollar health care bill, I simply cannot read or comprehend. No matter where your political thoughts lie, you just have to be a touch worried.

I am very weary of both high level politicians and commentators with personal agenda on any side!.

But bouncing Obama and Congress makes as much sense as having Limbaugh move to Canada. It is not about those people here. It is not about Nancy or Harry. It is about US! We are who they work for... Yet, we are affected big time as we try to pay our bills and pursue life, liberty, and happiness.

Please Mr. Obama, make us feel better about our future. Make us feel better about our economy. Stop the taxing and more taxing and still more taxing. Keep your campaign promises. But alas, the hits just keep on coming.

Have you looked at your grocery bill lately. There are as many as three separate taxes on it. And is this tax money used like it really is ours? Like it belongs to the people? Just walk into an ABC store to see our tax money efficiently at work.

Stop corruption at the local and state level. The Governor still has a lot of explaining to do. Stop the backroom deals in Washington, and start working for the people again. It is the only way we head in the right direction... or the left direction... Gosh I am so divided! But as Americans it adds up to our growing commonality. We all are getting the short end of the stick.

ToyoDUH!

2010-03-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

Issues of Bureaucracy

Apex, NC 3-5-10

As a native Detroiter, I take no solace in the fact that Toyota is in deep doo-doo. It hurts the entire industry. Slow moving reaction to customer issues is not untypical of any vast bureaucracy. Back burning an issue until it goes away is a common strategy in these organizations. Slow reaction is usually successful when issues need to go away. I know. I have a Master’s Degree in Organizational Communication and my grad thesis was on this very subject.

Do not get me wrong here. Detroit has screwed up in the past too. There is no perfection in the car business. You want perfection you have to look WAY up. The Ford Pinto, pick-up trucks with misplaced gas tanks, and Firestone tires are a few examples. But today, news flies at web speed. There are no places to hide information. It is in on blogs and on TMZ before you realize it.

We have a 2003 AWD Vibe in the garage that features an engine that river dances; the tach sticks at 1800 RPM. It then shoots up and back down to 550-700 RPM. Gunning it for the split second in neutral to get the RPM’s down simply does not work. It has a mind of its own. And that is never good. My guy at the GM dealership says possible vacuum leak. I am not so sure. But I do now how to brake slam and I can go neutral in a split second and I can shut off the engine with lightening speed. I have practiced this maneuver. I have only one life to give. And it is not in the driver’s seat of a car with Stephen King novelistic tendencies.

Toyota needs to fix what is broke. Remember the Pontiac is not even a complaint car. But how many more vehicles have a mind of their own? You must wonder. This story of over eight million recalled vehicles is a lesson, a case study, in not doing it this way again. My Dad told me years ago, you mess up; you fess up. Delays serve no purpose.

Toyota is changed forever. Their reputation for quality and safety took a major kick to the fanny. No one in the business disputes that. And you can bet that on the 12th Floor in Dearborn, over at the Ren Cen, in Auburn Hills, and across both ponds in Tokyo, Seoul, and Stuttgart; there have been formal white boarding sessions going on left and right on a daily basis.

Over time the industry and Toyota will recover. But understand the throne Toyota has been on is packed away and replaced by a desk chair. It is now more than time for them to get back to work to save the lives of their customers. A Congressional Hearing is very serious business. And there have been three of them. Remember that bureaucracy is always slow to change. But I know Toyota will do the right thing. It has to or it is the end of Toyota.

It is not by Accident

2010-03-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to announce to all the salespeople, managers, and F&I producers I helped train over the years, as well as to all my friends who I met when I did sponsorships last October, that I have joined Woomer Insurance Group in Historic Downtown Apex NC. As an Account Executive, I now have NC Insurance Licenses in Property, Casualty, Life and Health. I hope to help a number of families and businesses over the next several years as I build my client base.

I still will do sales training and career services and, I still will teach at the University of Phoenix here in Raleigh. This gives me a brand new avenue to help others. And I believe that is why we are on the planet.

Call me at 919 290 6000, and drop me a line... jim.vogel at woomergroup.com

Go on www.woomerinsurance.com for a free quote!

Idle Thoughts the Early Years

2010-01-12T04:48:00.000-08:00

Apex, NC 1-12-10

This will really date me...

I remember ...

Being sprawled on the basement floor playing cars.

Rushing across the living room to turn the TV station; we had four to choose from.

Riding on the Twin Pines truck around the neighborhood as the large blocks of ice inside melted a wet trail down the middle of the street. How I loved milk chutes!

Hopping on my bike and going to Little League practice two miles away. I was nine.

Using the Carl Yastrzemski rookie cards to make noise on my bike wheels. Didn't like the Red Hose.

Staying out until the street lights came on. Had to go home then.

Trick or treating for two hours blocks from the house and eating all the homemade goodies on the street corner.

Looking at the asbestos ceilings in my grade school.

Playing with mercury. Those little silver balls were pretty cool.

Seeing how scuffed up my hula hoop could get.

Loving my banana seat on my Sting Ray.

Being close enough to the players at Briggs Stadium to hear them swear.

Thinking the fender skirts on my Dad's Black '57 Merc were "neato".

Talking to and being polite to strangers.

Listening to the war heroes talk about the last war ... Korea.

Having a Top 40 song card to look at from WKNR Keener 13.

Knowing what a 45 really is.

Wearing white socks every day.

Sporting a Princeton or a Butch haircut; my Dad gave me a choice.

Wearing HUGE and THICK eye glasses.

Not using my seat belt because there weren't any.

Lifting the big black phone in the hall and listening in on the party line.

The adults using a metal can opener on their beer.

Thinking the hood ornament was pretty swell.

Still loving the sweet sounds of Rosemary Clooney.

Getting an allowance ONLY if I did something.

Those were wonderful times... surprised I didn't kill myself!!

Idle Thoughts the Frozen Variety

2010-01-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

Apex NC … 1-07-10

Where did global warming go? It is 18 this morning.

Attention all Prius Owners. Your car has been recalled by Toyota to remove the Obama stickers. How many HUMMERS still sport George Bush on the back? It is now time…

I saw a “stay off the tracks” sign near the railroad passing. It really first read “please pay attention and keep your phone on your belt or in your purse”. But that message was probably too long.

How many of you have heard this phrase? “Football is on AGAIN?”

Brine is all over the main streets two days early. It is because of the DUSTING we will have tonight. Who says the government does not react quickly to solve problems.

The weather guy is pounding the term “flurries” this morning… Scary weather…

How many of you like the new format on WPTF? We now have real news in the morning and hard news at 5 every night. Losing Limbaugh to 106.1 FM was the reason, but I love the new 680 AM. Finally there is a focus on the local news.

Did you notice drivers still text. Can we report them like we do drunk and reckless drivers?

Research in Motion is moving to the Triangle. Will that eliminate all the BlackBerry hiccups?

Dragnet was the only TV show in the 1950’s that used the TelePrompTer for scripting. The actors read their parts. What President delivers his message like Jack Webb? Hmmmm…

Have you noticed all the new Fords running around the Triangle? Fusions and Edges, a number of Lincolns… This is a historically import-driven area, mostly Toyotas, Hondas, some Kias… This is a great sign for the Detroit car and a clear sign the economy has a crack of sunshine in the clouds. Thank you for buying American.

I am flying to Detroit for a week in February. If it warms up, I am heading through security barefooted and in my undergarments. This should really quicken my time in that line.

Have you noticed? Umemployment in the US is still a problem. In China and India, the problem is employment.

My kid found a Dollar General grocery Store in Knoxville. I want one here. I say it is perfect timing.

I want to thank Rex Healthcare for bringing the Blood Bus to Downtown Apex last week. We helped save 51 lives over the Holidays. We have another Kiwanis Rex Blood Drive on March 19! Please mark your calendars; 3-7 at the Peak City Pharmacy.

How about the Big 10 beating up the ACC? It has been a good bowl season with a ton of exciting games.

The Detroit Lions are looking for a left tackle. So if you know anyone seven- foot- three, 500 pounds, who runs a 5.5 40… send me his name please!! It is the only way Stafford stays off the DL!

Have a great 2010!!

www.vtrconsulting.com

Idle Thoughts Hitting the Windshield

2010-01-03T14:43:00.000-08:00

Idle Thoughts Hitting the Windshield? Kinda bugs me...

Apex, NC 1-03-10

Summertime. It is 90 and you are doing 70. It is evening. And you are collecting a multitude of flying objects in your line of vision. You can’t stop this unique collection. It keeps building.

Just like Idle Thoughts…

Welcome to 2010ish.

In China, it soon will be the Year of the Tiger. In the US, that was last year.

Unemployment is still out of control in this country. Watch for a trade war with China and India. The employment went to these fast growing countries.

The car business is BOOMING in both of those countries. Not here…

As cold as it is in early January, I credit climate change. My wallet still is frozen.

We are truly a divided country. Some people think 2010 is the new decade; others insist it is not until 2011. I guess we better watch the decadence.

Decadence? How about the major theme from 2009? Philanderer.

Philanderer... Yep, there were plenty.

The larger theme central to the last decade? Greed. Greed created issues in a multitude of economic arenas. Oil and Banking are just two. You can think of several.

Smokers are freezing their buns off with the new law. I thought this was North Carolina? Tobacco Road is still a very cool song.

Politicians will get theirs in 2010. The people will speak in the mid-terms and bring common sense back to both parties. Whatever goes around will come around. Watch for some famous faces being escorted to the shed.

Although some mysteries still exist for me, like why didn’t Miss Landers have a first name and what did Ward really do, I enjoyed my four days in November with Jerry Mathers. From the time I picked him up at RDU until I dropped him back off, I found Jerry to be genuine, appreciate, honest, and caring. It was the highlight of my Peak City Film Festival experience. Meeting a celebrity without ego problems is a very rare thing. And to chat, have lunch and dinner with the Beav, and just generally enjoy his company was a prime highlight of my decade. Thank you Jerry!!

I wish all of you a prosperous and wonderful 2010. Time is your best friend in a Recession, and we are slowly getting out of the funk we have been in. Remember local is everything.

Now, I wonder what greedy individual will want the credit for ending the recession.

Wait... I can see him now.

Please make critical thinking and common sense your New Year’s Resolutions. We don’t do enough of it.

Your focus this New Year should include helping others get better… Best wishes!

www.vtrconsulting.com and @SalesTherapist

The Year 2009

2009-12-22T03:59:00.000-08:00

Perhaps since the Great Depression or at least since any of us can remember, 2009 rates right up there as the biggest mixed bag of hope, soap and dope we have ever witnessed. Now, we do not have bread lines or apple sales on street corners, that was 1934 not 2009; but we have very similar situations. Every one of us knows at least one person out of work. Most of us know of a business that has gone under or is teetering on the edge. And as we look within ourselves, how many of us are adjusting or shifting careers and getting into something else that we believe will help us keep our houses and sooth our creditors? 2009 has indeed been economically wacky.

Now, there is Hope. The financial markets are re-stabilizing. Gold and mutual funds have strengthened. Some markets are growing. Businesses like Anna’s Pizzeria in Apex are expanding. The Automotive Industry is slowly straightening itself out. And inflation continues to head in the right direction. Unemployment is easing but we have to continue to watch the “meatless sandwich” that the Obama Administration calls the jobless recovery.

There is Soap… How many politicians and superheroes have messed up their personal lives with the blatancy of their positions? Governors, Senators, heck almost everyone of positional power person takes advantage of it. In North Carolina, the problems of our former governor and the continuing reflection of our current governor in regards to flights have shortened our patience and increased our cynicism. In sports, all the Tigers made headlines. The one living in Orlando is, as they say in the South, a mess. And the Detroit first baseman that partied into the early morning of a home game at season-end cost a critical loss and a pennant.

And finally, there is plenty of Dope. Most recently, Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi gets his face bashed in by an attacker because of his private indiscretions and scandals. How did someone get so close? The White House gate crashing is the security comedic highlight of the year, but there are other stories. Remember the Balloon Boy fiasco? How about the extremely short-lived “buy a grade program” in one of our local elementary schools? In another area, the continuing problems of rebounding oil prices for profit, is the major reason for the struggles of our local economy. Just read the back pages of the Wall Street Journal. When gas prices rise for no apparent logical reason and more money comes out of the wallet, people cut back. They eat at home and bag their lunch. They master “couponing” and the local restaurants and stores have much less traffic. The more revenue that oil makes, the weaker our economy continues to be. Keep gas at $2.00 a gallon for six months and see what happens. This “ain’t rocket science”. The instability of Dubai and the apparent lack of OPEC focus will lessen the chance of the two buck gas idea, but I love the thought for our families and businesses that depend on transportation. The challenges and confusion of H1N1 vaccine distribution continues. Now that everyone can get it are we out of the woods? Afghanistan is taking a lot of our attention as it well should. But as we send more troops in, we announce at the same time we are withdrawing them. Which is it?
Regardless of politics and personal beliefs, we have one commonality, 2009 has been one wild and crazy ride.

In the New Year, 2010 will show steady economic growth. Mr. Obama will continue to improve as President. The mid-term elections will soon dominate the news. Watch the Tea Party party as it gains strength. Hopefully we will continue to improve our professional and personal situations through focus and hard work. That is one thing that has not changed since 1934. It has not changed since 1776. As a nation we are a great people.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
www.vtrconsulting.com

Scary Chris-mess

2009-12-16T07:35:00.000-08:00

12-16-09 Apex, NC
Kindle? I thought they said Ken Doll. I ordered six Barbies too.

Got to love the new HH Gregg radio spot. It is true punishment to listen to it and it drives me to Best Buy, even for batteries!

I want to give Rush, Sean, Bill, Mark and the Prez the important gifts of humbleness and gratefulness. All five of them can’t pass a mirror without stopping in true admiration. This will shock my Crat friends, I honestly think the President will fix that overtime. The others, absolutely no hope…

Ahhh, but I agree with a lot of what the talk show dudes say… But you knew that! Lately, I give all of them, including the President a C! Actually, the President gets an incomplete. He has a ton to accomplish in 2010. I support that!

I want to gift all our celebrities with simple faithfulness. It works. And it prevents completely innocent victims. These individuals should not want to be caught in those woods…

I wish common sense for all in political office. I wish honesty for all in political office.
Do we have any honest, common sense ones? Come on mid-term elections!

On Christmas Eve, I am heading to Walgreens and buying everyone on my wish list a French-English dictionary in paperback, and a bag of green and red M&M’s. Who said Holiday shopping wasn’t easy?

And speaking of Holiday… Do you say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or Season’s Greetings?

I hear snow is coming to the Triangle… Yeah sure… There go the eggs and bread… and beer.

Have you noticed only Geico hasn’t gone seasonal on us when every flippin’ single commercial on TV features an Elf near a bunch of toys?

The Bowl season will soon be all over the place. I predict that Alabama will beat the Detroit Lions 48-3. And that is just after they beat Texas in three OT's... yep… on the SAME DAY!

Ouch, the HH Gregg commercial is playing on WPTF 680 again. Crap… Hang on; I just shut it off. Thanks for waiting.

Also on the radio this morning, an Army WAC came on to wish her children here in NC a Blessed Christmas. She also wished her son in Iraq the same thing. WOW!! God bless her. Remember to say your Pledge of Allegiance and to support all our brave men and women who give us freedom in times when it is not so free.

Did you know that 150,000 women served in the Women’s Army Corps during WW II?

Just fill in the blank… Merry ___________ to all and to all a good blog!

The Peak of Good Festivals

2009-12-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

12-03-09 Apex NC

WOW! What a Festival we had.

Historic Downtown Apex rocked for 72 hours as events, gatherings, awards, films and VIP’s became vogue along Salem Street and in the Halle Cultural Arts Center. We declare the Peak City Film Festival – Family Style a wonderful success.

Jerry Mathers and Charlie Gaddy have quickly become the famous faces of the Festival. These two dynamic individuals, stars in their own right, and who have both set numerous longevity records in the field of news and entertainment, brought their “everyman” appeal to each event they attended. What a pair of true gentlemen. What do you say about well known individuals who are also extremely friendly and giving? It is rare to see as we read the daily headlines. It is simply refreshing to have celebrities who are not self-evolved. Down the road when the Festival commits to a Hall of Fame, the first two plaques are easy. And the wall space is well worth it.

It is exciting to announce that both Jerry and Charlie will again be the faces you will see in 2010 as the second Peak City Film Festival – Family Style comes back to the town of Apex on November 20. It is not that far away.

Although a famous face is critical to the longevity of this effort, John Demers of Studio in the Woods is quite honestly, the heart. His festival vision to bring edutainment and increased family values to this community was central to its success. It continues to need his leadership and energy as year two fast approaches.

With the face smiling and the heart beating, the hands and feet of the festival this year were the senior committee and the simply awesome volunteers who worked BEYOND hard, long and cheap to make things happen. We put you away dirty and wet… And we love you so much for your efforts!

The life’s blood of our festival was the array of film producers whose efforts were the quite the show! You created awesome and wholesome entertainment that brought passion to the screen. Thank you so much.

The body of this year’s Festival is a no-brainer. It is you. The community came out in droves, selling out night one and bringing excitement to the historic street of Salem for three days!

Finally, the soul of the festival is never ending. It continues to be the generous and committed local, regional and national businesses who opened their up pocketbooks or gave “in-kind” donations in this crazy economy to make this unknown initial event an over- the- top success!

When you look deep and think about it, it is the soul that drives the opportunity. The Peak City Film Festival, the Rusty Bucket Kids Club, and the Studio in the Woods are more than committed to being in the business of creating business for our businesses. The Mission of the Festival as it evolves over time is exactly this. If we helped sell one more pizza, one more book, one more oil change, one more bottle of soda or one more dinner, we did it to keep our local community and our local businesses growing in the toughest of times.

Merry Christmas from all of us in the Peak City Film Festival – Family Style, to you and your family, and a Happy New Year!! Godspeed in 2010! Success every day!

The Peak City Film Festival - B2B Style

2009-11-18T08:38:00.000-08:00

Apex, NC …November 18, 2009

We all know that the Peak City Film Festival – Family Style is heading into Apex at 90 miles an hour; Jerry Mathers of the beloved Leave It to Beaver TV series will be in town to receive the Festival’s Continuing Lifetime Achievement Award for his wonderful career. The Apex Herald, Carolina Business Connection, Southwest Wake News, the N&O, and Inside 919 all have run features about this event in recent days. This is a fast paced fun week for everyone involved, from the senior committee and volunteers to the cast and crew. Yes, cast and crew of the Rusty Bucket Kids Club will be around this weekend. The feature film, starring among others, the legendary Charlie Gaddy, will premiere at the sold out Festival Gala on Friday night. Don’t worry; go to http://peakcityfilmfestival.org so you can attend the 9:30 show that night at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in Historic Downtown Apex on Salem across from the Apex Chamber of Commerce. The website is also the place to purchase tickets to see the winning and honored films that have been submitted by a truly international array of film producers. Showings both Saturday and Sunday afternoon will delight families and general audience entertainment fans.

Now let’s slow this down. As we look at the Festival and the new TV show there one distinct commonality. Virtually “everyone sleeps in their own bed at night” stated John Demers, the Executive Producer of both events. And Demers planned it that way. His vision is simple; local supports local. I am on board with this Festival strictly because of his vision. As the Director of Corporate Relations, the department’s sole purpose is the business of driving business to all of our local businesses.

I have been very lucky. I am in the tallest tree in the organizational forest and I get to see all the other trees. What a view! We have hundreds of business; each sleeps in a local bedroom at night. Many support the Peak City Film Festival and every one of them deserves our patronage. I now know a couple hundred of our best business people by their first name. What a privilege. But privilege always comes with responsibility.

Our new Walmart of Apex has not had the consumer activity it anticipated. It has gotten off to a slow start. We wanted to help. Over the weekend you will see a Walmart informational table across from the Apex Chamber of Commerce in the Promenade Building near the enV Salon Color Bar and adjacent to the Common Grounds Coffee House. This is also the area to get The Rusty Bucket Kids Club DVD‘s and CD’s as well as the central location for Festival ticket Will Call.

I know we missed some businesses over the past two months; but the Festival is back on November 20, 2010 in year two and we will be in contact early in 2010 to build the B2B relationship.

And our ability to support business and community is worth the price of admission. So head to Historic Apex this weekend and have some good ole fun in the Peak of Good Living.
Again please go to the our website http://www.peakcityfilmfestival.org

Yeah Yeah Yeah!!!

2009-11-10T03:19:00.000-08:00

11-9-09 Apex, NC…
I was sitting in my office one late afternoon about this time of the year, when an employee rushed in with a big problem. He needed my help. He could not find anyone else. He had a critical report, full of incomplete disinformation , that was due on the big guy’s desk right away. The owner of the sand box wanted it ASAP. He needed to look good in front of everyone in the morning. This poor guy was late and over his head. He needed me to help fill in the some blanks. I listened with great patience, although I was in the middle of something for the big boss too, and with the straightest face I said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah; you and the Beatles!” This stuck in my cranium and I use it all the time.

From then on, I have integrated the Beatles in a true tongue and cheek way to assess the people in our professional lives who we are involved with at least 10 hours a day; yep, our business coworkers, acquaintances, cohorts, associates, customers and alliances. Now I have you thinking. Where is he going with this blog? How can John, Paul, George, and Ringo define the temperament, personality, and habits of the people around us? I mean, geez, this is so Sixties!

Actually there was a voluminous amount of organizational assessment that was launched by disciplines like organizational behavior and industrial psychology in that decade of freedom and self discovery. But this is more White Album than White Paper. And it was not all the Beatles. It was the classic songwriting legends, the duo of Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

And you know, although I am being mostly and highly facetious with what you are about to read, there might be a semblance of something real there.

Hit it Ringo!

Help! Remember the guy above who needed to finish the report?

I Want To Hold Your Hand. These people only work when you do this.

A Hard Day’s Night. Work is everything. Too bad you have forgotten the name of your kids.

Fixing a Hole. These people are always in the middle of something while leaning on their “shovels”.

Eight Days a Week. The boss just put up next week’s schedule.

Good Day Sunshine. You are still sleeping and that guy is already at work.

Please Please Me. These employees volunteer for everything and nothing gets done.

Mean Mr. Mustard. This is the one who owns the sandbox.

I’ll Be Back. Have you ever made a cold call?

Helter Skelter. If your organization or your circle of influence is big enough, you can think of at least one.

Let It Be. Ever played referee in an issue that did not involve you at all?

Yesterday. You ask this coworker to do something and it is already done.

Twist and Shout. Have you ever had a slight miscommunication with a customer?

The Fool On The Hill. Read Mean Mr. Mustard again.

Nowhere Man. Think about the employee with the Golden Handcuffs.

I’m Happy Just to Dance with You. Did you survive the last “off boarding” week when six people were let go due to the jobless recovery?

I am the Walrus. Finally I mention me and all of us who are small business owners!

Maybe I should expand on this blog and make it a seminar!

Hope you had a little fun reading this.

Please attend the Peak City Film Festival that starts November 19. Tickets can be had at www.peakcityfilmfestival.org

And have a wonderful and blessed Happy Thanksgiving!

Remember even though this is not a Lennon/McCartney title, be kind to the turkeys in your life!

Local Loco

2009-11-08T06:34:00.000-08:00

Apex, NC 11-08-09

I am loco for Local. The old saying, "all politics is local" is a very powerful commentary about the human being. Cave people hunted and plundered close to the shelter of the open cave. Over the centuries, need forced us to travel in chariots, covered wagons and eventually automobiles to distant lands for the purposes of success and discovery. Today, there is no need to physically travel to the remotest island in the South Atlantic. I can travel there on google earth and hit the website for gorgeous pictures and commentary. By the way that is the island of Tristan Da Cunha. I have seen the Queen Mary's Peak. In fact I go there a couple times a month. I love it there. My travels are at Internet speed. But when I am there via the information highway (who remembers calling it that) I am a local.

So to say I am a local fan of local is very true. Most of us get it when it comes to local. Some of us are forced to accept it because of the price of bread,eggs and gasoline. But all of our livelihood comes from our jobs near our homes. Our "family" is next store or down the block or across the street. With one of five of us here who actually were born here, we bond with next store who came here from Wyoming, and we share dinner with the family from New Jersey down the street.

Here is my message. We still are not out of what I call the Great Recession. So we want our community to survive and succeed. We want our local businesses to survive and succeed. Inside 919, Carolina Business Connection, and our local Chamber exist with this sole purpose. The inaugural Peak City Film Festival and the new pilot, The Rusty Bucket Kids Club exist strictly for the success of the community. They get it. It is their vision.

Local drives our ups and downs, our losses and our wins, and it even educates our children. Our hospitals, restaurants, and grocery stores are local. Our downtowns are local. And we need to become localites and promote local every chance we can get. Because we live here. Because we work here. Because we love here. It is more than responsibility. It is more than common sense. It is about opportunity.

Support the Peak City Film Festival, the neighborhood grocery store, and your favorite hangout. Do it just because it's local.

I want you to walk over to your refrigerator and look at the drawings, appointments, pictures and magnets that splash the doors with everything local. See I wasn't kidding! It starts with your fridge. You have been doing it all along!

Apex NC Goes Hallewood!!! 11-21 and 11-22

2009-11-04T14:40:00.001-08:00

11-04-09

Jerry Mathers is the special VIP guest for the global debut of the Rusty Bucket Kids Club! We are only days away from the event of the year for Historic Apex, NC!

The Peak City Film Festival-Family Style is now fully dressed in formal attire and is ready to walk the red carpet!

On Friday November 19th, at the Halle Cultural Center, Jerry Mathers, the lovable Beav in the classic television show Leave It To Beaver, will make a special appearance at the Peak City Film Festival Sponsor Night during the premiere of The Rusty Bucket Kids Club Television Show!

Tickets sales are underway for the 1st Annual Peak City Film Festival-Family Style Event. Venues will be open on Saturday November 21 and Sunday November 22 in Downtown Apex!!

Tickets for admission to the screenings of the films and productions that have been entered in the Peak City Film Festival are available for advance reservation through the PCFF website http://www.peakcityfilmfestival.org and at three locations in historic downtown Apex.

These locations are:

Common Grounds Coffeehouse
219 North Salem Street
Apex, NC 27502

The Rusty Bucket
104-A North Salem Street
Apex, NC 27502

All Booked Up Bookstore
104-B North Salem Street
Apex, NC 27502

For more information call 919 533 9069 or e-mail sales@peakcityfilmfestival.org OR rustybucketkidsclub@gmail.com

COME MEET JERRY MATHERS as he spends the entire Festival weekend in good 'ole Apex...

Good Morning Charlie!

2009-10-20T04:04:00.000-07:00

Apex NC, 10-20-09

In 1970, a gentleman named Charlie Gaddy came to the Triangle, joined the WRAL family and started "Good Morning Charlie" on local television. Twenty-four years later, Charlie retired as the anchor on WRAL; but as always, good people never fade away, they continue to touch people's lives. In his final broadcast, July 1, 1994, he stated this to his final audience: " Thank you for being my friends. We will meet again some sunny day!"

The first time I met Charlie it was a sunny day in the Triangle. It was Monday, October 19, 2009. Yep, it was yesterday. Yet, I now count Charlie as one of my friends because his presence makes every day a sunny one. His persona and kindness shine through to everyone. My definition of a Southern Gentleman is a simple one. Charlie Gaddy. He has never met a stranger and treats everyone with respect and commonality, regardless of stature or position.

He was in Apex yesterday filming his role as Grampa Peakson for the new television pilot, Rusty Bucket Kids Club. Unbelievably, this is his first acting role, and he was excellent in character. You will enjoy the twinkle he brings to the small screen.

I stood quietly in the background during the filming yesterday in the wonderfully eclectic Rusty Bucket store on Salem in Downtown Apex. My role in the production company is as critical as it is unique. You see, I am Charlie's driver.

In my 30+ years of work, I have to tell you that this job rates near the top. It is such a privilege to be one-on-one with this legend in broadcasting. It is quite an experience for me.

In the late 70's, Charlie was the master of ceremonies for the Miss Apex Pageant. As he approached the podium and began to speak, the snickers became distracting. Looking over his shoulder, Charlie noticed the X has fallen from the sign that said, the Miss Apex pageant. Just a moment in his professional life that typifies the humanity we all have have in common.

As you spend time with Charlie you realize that his past and present will be our future. Just take care of people around you and involve them in what you do. That is Charlie's success. And it is a simple path to follow.

Walmart Smart

2009-10-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Apex NC 10-14-09

Although it was 55 degrees and cloudy with light rain this morning, it was bright and sunny and 70 degrees in the new Walmart in Apex. I had the privilege to hold the yellow ribbon with new store manager Theresa Drake and our Mayor, Keith Weatherly, as the ribbon cutting and grand opening took place before employees, managers, Chamber members and manufacturer reps, as well as the most important people, Walmart customers. After the ceremony, I was one of the first with a cart. I needed a dorm room fridge for our son, a sophomore at State, and this was the place to get it. Yes,I got a great deal!

Here is the thing, and it is at the heart of this commentary. Apex employment increased by 420 this morning. I counted the smiles! And our tax and revenue base increased big time as well, in what is still considered nationally as a slow jobless recovery. Mayor Weatherly, in his remarks, stated with a vein of humor, "It's about time Walmart found us."

All of us present at this grand opening agree. The store is drop dead gorgeous. Large aisles and well placed items typify the Walmart focus. It is a wonderful place to get EVERYTHING!

Save money. Live better. That is Walmart's theme. This store will bring traffic from Fuquay, Holly Springs, Cary, and Pittsboro. This day is a major moment in Apex history, and further insures Apex, the Peak of Good Living, to be a player on the East Coast for real estate, industry, newcomers, and opportunity for a long time.

Without a doubt, Apex is a great place to live, play and work. I talked to Chris Welborn, the Walmart Market Manager about the first Apex community event that Walmart might associate itself with, the Peak City Film Festival-Family Style. It is a perfect match. The common denominator for Walmart, Apex, and the Festival, is family.

Check out the new Walmart! And thank them for employing your neighbor! Walmart's presence in our town changes how we do business. And that's wonderful news!

Detroit Guy

2009-10-07T04:27:00.000-07:00

10-6-09 Apex, NC

Don't be confused by the location above. I am a Detroit Guy. If you know me you know I grew up in the Motor City. Persistence, passion, hope, loyalty, optimism, success, and hard work are learned aspects of who and what Detroiters are. And for me, I learned them through the Detroit sports teams and my years in the car business!

My Detroit Tigers lost last night in the most bizarre indoor setting and with the craziest result that I have ever seen in baseball. If the ump was wearing my glasses he would have noticed Inge got hit by the baseball and we would have gone ahead. Again. Lost balls, umpire fiascoes, the entire roster playing, and spectacular plays ended the twenty three week Tiger reign in First Place, ended their quest for their very first American League Central Division title and put them in coach for the LONG short flight home. It is the off season now. And nobody in town is believing it. You think I was doing a telethon with the tweets(@salestherapist), the calls and the voice messages I received during and after the game. You see, I take my Tigers very, very seriously.

Believing success this season is one thing; predicting it is another. I never said it out loud but the tiny word "choke" was in the back of my head for 163 games. Maybe it was the sweep at home by Boston in June or maybe it was the Royals home sweep in September, but it did get you thinking. This 2009 Bengal version can lose with relish. I love Leyland and the guys. They play hard and bring their lunch box to the mound and plate. But 1968 and 1984 happen too infrequently. In 1961, the Tigers won 101 ball games and finished second to NY. Those winning-losing seasons happen too often in Motown. I was not here in 1907, 1908, 1909, 1934, 1935, 1940 and 1945.

In football, we have been waiting since 1957 for the Lions to win another championship. Now all of us hope they get to the Super Bowl before we die. The Wings, awesome in the regular season most years, can fall over too. Check where the Stanley Cup is right about now. And my Pistons, with relatively few exceptions since they played in Fort Wayne, are the Pistons.

The best teams are in history. Bobby Hebert and the USFL Michigan Panthers, and the AFL Detroit Drive, exist as champions in our Detroit memories. Who can forget the Silverdome rocking with cheap beer and a full house as Anthony Carter or Kenny Lacy make huge play after play. They are still Champions down Motown Memory Lane.

Lately, you can buy a house in the City of Detroit for 11,000 dollars and there is a 20% plus unemployment rate. But you cannot find a finer community that has suffered so much over the past century. It is a resilient community. Just like the Tigers, they never give up, even in the search for success. History will be kind to Detroit. Greektown, Buddy's Pizza, the Henry Ford, the Riverfront, and beautiful well-manicured suburbs typify what Detroit is all about.

The car business is cyclical and will be back. Quite frankly, Detroit will always be the Arsenal Of Democracy that helped win World War II. The birthplace of mass production is unique and all American.This is Detroit!

But we learn life from sports and we learned a big lesson in the bottom of the 12th last night. Ahh, but there is hope.

"We will win in 2010!!"

Idle Thoughts By Accident

2009-10-05T05:05:00.000-07:00

10-5-09 Apex, NC...

Did anyone see the crash test on YouTube that features a 1959 Chevy Bel Air and a 2009 Chevy Malibu? Front-end at 40 MPH. You will be surprised.

People are still driving down the road checking e-mails, texting, tweeting, and answering their phones. I bet one of two fender benders are caused by cell-phone use.

If you want residual income, use grocery and restaurant coupons; I have saved a $1000at the grocery store this year just by coupon use. Try it. You go to the store without coupons and you lose money by accident. Think of coupons as tiny paychecks.

Big names are crashing as we speak. David Letterman is lucky to have his job and still more rounds of craziness for John Edwards.

Start planning your Holiday shopping and events now!! It will be here before you know it.

I was almost run over again by a silent Prius as I stepped off the curb over at Beaver Commons. Can't they put a beeper on those things when they go electric?

It is interesting as I offer partnerships and sponsorships to businesses for the Peak City Film Festival. The gate keepers come out like Night of the Living Dead in protective mode and everyone is in a meeting, on the phone, off-site, had to leave, etc.

I just smile. My 86 page dissertation in grad school was on bureaucratic inertia and gate keeping.

If you are a business, it is okay to say, "not this year". It saves a lot of time and will not hurt our feelings. Actually, that kind of candor is refreshing. It keeps me from coming back; and you know I will be back...

Finally, according to the Washington Post, there have been 342,000 injuries caused by cell phone drivers.

And that statistic my friends is no accident.

Just Like Us, Only Different!

2009-09-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC... 9-26-09

The term "made in" is an interesting term. We see it everywhere,from clothes to cars. In fact with the automotive industry, the phrase "Made in Detroit" has changed over time. We now see "Made in Japan" and most recently "Made in China" as very credible partners of the U.S car business.

Being a native Detroiter, I still wish everyone drove a Ford or Chevy. But that is not current reality. Imports are the majority of what we drive in the Triangle. In fact, I was stunned when I was passed the other day, while I drove my HUMMER, by a Toyota Prius with DUAL EXHAUSTS! Times have certainly changed.

I was really reminded of that yesterday at the Final Friday Forum, the always excellent opportunity to network, that is hosted by Dancing Elephants in Cary every month.

The guest speaker, the best I have seen this year, was Gary S. Davis. He is a speaker on business networking and is the author of Networking In The South. He had recently visited China and he spoke to us about the commonality and the differences of the American and the Chinese "world view". It was very cool stuff.

That got me thinking. At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show the Chinese had presence. Believe this, China has about 30 automotive manufacturers. Saab and HUMMER are part of this stable. According to DailyFinance.com, auto sales are up 36% from last year in China. And they will soon have a big foot print here in the US.

Chery Automobile, Tenyzhong, Geely Automotive, and Beijing Automotive will be here in the near future with good quality products that will sit in neighborhood driveways.

I will still always drive Detroit. It is my "world view". But the Chinese people are indeed just like us only different. We are as Gary Davis said, "wired the same".

Think of this. Although China is thousands of years old, its automotive industry is less than 20 years old. And it is building steam, and with that opportunity.

And if it helps the car business, man I am all over that. I am not afraid to line Beijing up with Tokyo, Stuttgart and Detroit. It is as inevitable as a Toyota with dual exhausts. Because this Chinese variable will make Detroit and Tokyo better. And I want Detroit thriving again. It will always be the Motor City. I love the town!

In fact, the Oakland County Schools, in a plush suburban community north of Detroit, is teaching Manderin Chinese to its students!

We live in a small world with global posture. We need to be a major part of it. Our commonalities must always overcome our differences. It is a message much larger than the Automotive Industry. And it would fix a lot of things beyond cars!

www.vtrconsulting.com

Community is Everything

2009-09-17T04:15:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC September 17, 2009

I have had the rare privilege to be in the midst of the community over the past couple weeks. I have been meeting with the small and large business owners in Apex and Cary as the Peak City Film Festival seeks partners whose support will make the Festival a continuing success. And from a funding perspective, it has been challenging. Selling sponsorships is not easy. People indeed are having a harder time, and as the 4th Quarter fast approaches, some "marketing" avenues set in January have been met.

There are businesses owners out there, who although it has been a heck of a year, are very much supportive of the Festival and what it brings to community, especially what it brings to the town of Apex and the neighboring community of Cary.

To the letter, the business owners are 100% behind the Peak City Film Festival. It will bring a much needed nudge just before Thanksgiving, with hundreds of people utilizing area hotels, eating at our fine dining establishments and spending money at the local level.

Our community is local. John Demers, the Peak City Film Festival's Executive Producer understands and is reminded of this critical value. He told me: "Jim, I wanted this Peak City Film Festival - Family Style to happen at this time. I think the timing is perfect. We are the right medicine in a world still concerned with so many things!"

He is right about the so many things... Bizarre performances at the MTV Awards, congress verbally imploding; famous people losing their cool or acting in ways we just cannot fathom, man I am glad I have community.

This Festival is an integral part of our community. It is made up of community and it reflects community. It was born from community. With so many of us here in this area with family hundreds of miles away, our neighbors and friends are our family. They help us watch the kids. They bring cookies over during the holidays and they call on us during sickness and sadness. We are US. And that is pretty cool and dang refreshing.

The next time the Evening News makes you sober about your own situation, call a neighbor or go play catch with the kid next store. All Community is local!

And when I walk into your store or call you to say hi, smile when I mention community!

Peak City Film Festival - Family Style

2009-08-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

8-28-09 Apex, NC

The excitement continues to grow as the Peak City Film Festival moves closer and closer to fruition. There are so many quality people on the Senior Staff who want the Town of Apex to benefit from this wonderful endeavor. John Demers and Bob Crowley head up the team, and each member is an expert in a specific facet of Festival creation and facilitation. One thing that came out in last night's meeting at the Apex Chamber of Commerce is the need for sponsorship funding that will really drive this inaugural event. Being a Festival sponsor is a fairly straight-forward process and the opportunity to be a sponsor brings an array of benefits.

Most business will get their logo and link posted directly to the main website www.peakcityfilmfest.org; and at many sponsorship levels, preferred seating at all events and screening tickets are just part of the benefits. But that is not all. Many of the sponsors are on the festival programs, the sponsor list displays at the screening venues, the publicity posters, and sponsors will receive press exposure in multiple interviews and releases.

As one early sponsor stated, "I can't beat the visibility I get for my contribution." Just as "all politics is local", the best marketing strategies are cheap and they are grassroots. Business identity is essential in this economy, and as the families in the Triangle focus on restaurants, services, and products, they are doing it close to home. First Citizen's Bank in Apex, Woomer Protective Insurance, Sony Creative Services, and Scott Lassiter are sponsors already on board.

Being a sponsor for the Peak City Film Festival makes a lot of sense. Drop a note to sales@peakcityfilmfestival.org or call 919 533 9069 and they will send out an info packet that you can assess for yourself or your business. They have had non-business individuals, supporters of the cinematic arts, who have come on board as well; so this is open to anyone who wants to be a part of the Festival in a direct and very tangible way.

The Peak City Film Festival - Family Style will bring blended generations together to watch wholesome entertainment from shorts to documentaries.

The dates are November 20, 21, 22. All the sponsors will get the opportunity to meet the legendary Jerry Mathers of the beloved series "Leave It to Beaver". There will be a huge Sponsors Reception at 6 p.m. November 20 at the Halle Cultural Arts Center that will kick off three days of family fun right in the Historical Town of Apex, the Peak of Good Living! See you there!

CLUNK DUNK

2009-08-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

8-21-09 Apex, NC – Forty years ago, the wreckers pulled up to the mud-dried roads leading to Woodstock and began the slow, grinding process of towing away hundreds of abandoned cars that have been parked in haste or haze near the grounds of the festival. It is symbolic today to see the similar thing happen as the dealerships shoot liquid glass into the hood cavities of vehicles destined to the hallowed grounds of Wreckstock USA. And it looks like both groups, the Woodstock followers and the Wreckstock followers, only have their memories left. The money is just not there.

Dealerships across the country are STILL waiting to get paid, and waiting to get paid, and waiting to get paid. The paperwork fiasco might as well have been written on Zig-Zags. Although the stores are selling more vehicles, they are having a tough time collecting from the coffers of the program. On Wednesday, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood assured dealers they would get paid. He expressed confidence in the program. Remember the last time an owner of a sports franchise declared complete competence in the head coach? Ouch.

This whole thing is not very pretty. Millions of dollars are now outstanding in submitted claims. Now the dealers are used to chasing a bad debt or two; heck, they have pulled cars back when a check bounces, BUT this is much bigger. This is Wrecksville and the government is doing the wrecking. Today it was announced the program will end Monday. The Clunker Dunker date is now August 24, 2009. The smart stores have already stopped the program. Inventory is in short supply and the selections are getting tougher and tougher to choose from. I have a friend who was looking for a 2010 Ford Edge. He is still looking.

Tapping a line of credit to keep cash flowing is a strategy, but it does not quicken the money coming back into the New Car Departments. The customers are frustrated. The New Car Managers are scratching their heads, and many salespeople are waiting for commissions that only come from done deals. Another ouch.

When are we going to learn? The government is a big fat bureaucracy full of inertia and incompetence. It does not matter the branch of government. It does not matter the party. Right about now, I want to wear a WHIG!

In the “what the blank” department things are speeding along. It is the only thing going fast in Washington these days. My taxes are up. My healthcare is being challenged, and the car business I love is kicked between the headlights one more time.

I just shake my head. Is this what we voted for in November?

Tinseltown Southern Style

2009-08-18T05:20:00.000-07:00

THE PEAK CITY FILM FESTIVAL – FAMILY STYLE
If you blend one of the best small towns in America with a heavy dose of tinsel, add the flavor of the start of the Holiday Season, and mix in the correct amount of family entertainment, you have a spectacular menu of community treats for cinematic audiences of all shapes and sizes.

And that indeed is exactly what is happening in Apex, NC, from November 20 to November 22 as Historic Apex, known by many as the Peak City, celebrates a film festival with global magnitude. The Peak City Film Festival- Family Style is truly a defining moment in town history. Consistently named in numerous articles across a variety of media as one of the best towns in the United States to raise a family, Apex is ready to grow in international exposure, just as the town’s population has over the past decade.

Wonderful, enriching family films from around the country and around the world are starting to come in for review. The Festival’s focus of a general audience theme creates a unique opportunity to review a wide segment of the Arts. And the commonality of such films will bring budding cinema artists and students to this event. This Film Festival is creating exciting educational opportunities as well.
And of course, everything that shouts, “Lights, Camera, Action”, involves sponsorships and funding.

“We have an eclectic array of local businesses who want to get on board quickly and take advantage of this unique grass roots marketing opportunity. There is a variety of sponsorships available for local and regional businesses and the sponsor’s corporate logo gets immediate exposure on our website (www.peakcityfilmfestival.org)”, states Bob Crowley, Peak City Film Festival Producer.

He comments further, “It seems that so far the most successful businesses in town want to be involved with this family- themed event. And it makes sense. Apex has always been known for its focus on parents and children and the town features family-based functions during holidays like the Fourth of July and Christmas. So this is a natural. We even have a mascot, Crew the Raccoon, who is starting to get very busy as the news of the Festival grows. The kids love him. And so do adults. He even made a recent appearance in front of the Apex Town Council!”

Jerry Mathers, the star of “Leave It to Beaver”, will be present during the celebration and he will be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of work entertaining family audiences.

Please call or SMS 919 533 9069 for sponsorship information or contact info@peakcityfilmfestival.org

You can send a film in for review to Peak City Film Festival, Inc P.O. Box 2186, Apex, NC, 27502 USA. The deadline for entries Thursday October 1, 2009

1969 Idle Thoughts

2009-08-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

8-15-09 Apex, NC

Yes, I have a confession to make to my friend Bob Butler... I was a Democrat back then.

Forty years ago, my Dad took me by my collar, and out of the pick up bed of Dean's 1964 El Camino... The guys were heading to Woodstock. I had a satchel, eight bucks, and a pair of jeans with me. My Mom had called my Dad at work. I was 16.

To this day, the music of Woodstock is by far the best collection of Rock n Roll ever recorded.

1969 is my favorite year. It was a year of fun, girls, and so much potential. As I look back those 40 years, I realize it was a truly extraordinary 365 days. 1969 was special.

Not only was Woodstock the Diamond of this year to remember, there were other very memorable jewels that made '69 what it was.

There were so many firsts. Apollo 9, the ATM, Seiko's first quartz watch, Wal-mart, the Pontiac Trans Am, the microprocessor, the first human eye transplant, bell bottoms, Sesame Street, and Abbey Road.

People we cannot ever forget. President Richard Nixon's first year in the White House, Clint Eastwood, and Goldie Hawn among others instantly famous in 1969, and Charles Manson's vicious murder of Sharon Tate making headlines in unbelievable fashion.

Funny Girl and Easy Rider were great flicks.

Cars cost, on average, $3200. Apartment rent was $135. Gas was 35 cents.

Who could forget the Draft Lottery?

Chicago and Blind Faith were brand new bands.

The number one song was "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies.

And finally, Zager and Evans singing "In the Year 2525".

Our past is so reflective of our future. And our future depends so much on our past.

That's heavy man... Heavy...

Idle Thoughts Politicio

2009-08-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC... 8-13-09

The Clunker Law is no clinker. Many estimates state new vehicle sales will increase by 200,000 to end up at around 10 million. 16.2 million were sold in 2007; 13.2 million last year.

The Apex Town Council will be a heck of a race in November. Look for Scott Lassiter to have a successful campaign and become an outstanding councilman. Scott, former President of the Student Council at Apex High, and Student Council Treasurer at NC St., is positive and high energy. Go to www.votescottlassiter.com for additional information.

John Edwards. He is a mess as they say in the South.

David Bowden, the Cary resident who put "screwed by the town of Cary" on the side of his house, is finally getting used to his home being a destination for drivers passing by with their thumbs up in agreement.

Michael Vick is now an Eagle? Houses are popping up in Philly with messages similar to the one in Cary.

Let the people vote on Health Care. It is "We the People" isn't it? Don't put it to the people. Put it to a vote.

Neumann's Spiral of Silence is a great theory that will help many of you understand the emotion of the Town Hall Meetings. The implosion of deviant opinion is here. Google it. it is all about Grass Roots.

Woodstock. From Richie Havens to Janis, what would the Boomers be like if there never was a Woodstock?

I love Twitter. It has changed how we communicate. And it is a great tool. Direct messages are replacing e-mail messages in many cases.

Consumers still are not spending money unless it is for need. Economic growth will be slow and gradual. It is not surprising. With all the instability in our political future, it is normal that people are holding on to cash. If indeed they have any.

I love Google Voice. It gives me a phone number on steroids. Mobility is the key. With one number all my phones ring. I get a text of the call to my Blackberry. And I never miss business. I am a big fan!

Remember the Kiwanis is having a Blood Drive Wednesday the 19th, near the fire station in Historic Downtown Apex. 10 a.m through 2 p.m. The community needs blood big time. They have free cookies!

Politically Incorrect Idle Thoughts

2009-08-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

8-9-09 Apex, NC

It is hot outside. Extreme heat should be a Town Hall Meeting not the temp.

Real people getting real mad is at the heart of the health care scare.

Low taxes and high growth are the ingredients of a solid economy. What do you call the opposite? August 2009.

Most of us are considering unpartying ourselves. A third party focused on getting new talent into every cranny of government is not a bad idea.

The polls show the President with low ratings. Keep pushing this agenda and it could get worse. He is the only one who can fix it.

I read Clinton was going to Africa. I wondered which Clinton.

September 1, taxes go up and services get cut. Yes. You read it right.

I know a lot of people who are not in the same income bracket they were last August. Read above the revenue enhancement strategy one more time.

Paula Abdul quit Idol and did not want to settle for five million a year. Five million sounds good to me.

I see a lot more Fords driving around. The new Fusion and the Edge along with the Focus are at the heart of the Ford success story.

The tax free weekend started as a success as well. Until people realized it still cost big money to send children to school, right through college.

Josh Hamilton defines being human. I wish him luck.

The Rex/Kiwanis Blood Drive is August 19th near the Apex NC fire station Downtown. Ve vant your blood! Bela Lugosi will be making a special appearance. 10 am-2 pm.

Things are gearing up for The Peak City Film Festival-Family Style, November 20-22.
If you are a business in town, you will want to be part of the Festival in a concrete way. Sponsorships are a marketing plus for the visibility you need to increase revenue and traffic to your location. Give me a call at 919 533 9069 for details. Put your name in lights! www.peakcityfestival.org

Out of Control

2009-08-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

Out of Control
8-4-09 Apex NC…
There is nothing more challenging in any business than to hurry up and wait. When something is pending there are always a lot of variables. As the Democrats and Republicans make this clunker deal a message on health care, the dealerships across the country have pending oppotunities, and not just a few but thousands. Charlie Customer brought in his 2000 Clunkerr LX, last weekend and is sitting at home waiting to pick up his 2009 BrandX. But nothing is happening as the days quickly go by. It could be a week to 10 days before the Senate reviews the additional funding that was quickly approved by the House; and as we all know, days kill deals. The new car, now days out of detail, is gathering dust.

One dealer principal summed it up. “I thought this thing would last through November, not through the middle of last week.” With the stores across the country, working bell-to-bell to deal with a stimulus program that ACTUALLY is working, no one anticipated this short-sighted wall built by Congress. A little homework was all that was needed. The model, in both Germany and China, has stimulated sales in a tough global environment. Did Congress look that far? Or did they simply throw a billion on the wall to see if it would stick? My guess is the latter. This thing is now a political battle out of control.

Now the dilemma of the moment for sales managers is this; will the customers affected hang in or will they get cold feet, give up, and continue to drive their Clunkerr LX’s until the cows come home? People buy on emotion, and motion creates emotion. So anything in a car deal that kills emotion usually is pretty deadly. Resuscitation is never easy. The success comes from momentum. And right now that has dried up with the car deals pending approval.

Time will tell the tale. But of all the stimulus programs that have helped to ensure the trillion dollar deficit, the Cash/Clunker Law had the most promise to help Middle America and support local economies; now, not so much.

The simple formula is to create buyers who create confidence and that builds the incentive to purchase. Down payments of up to $4500, backed by the government, seemed like a no brainer.

Let’s hope some good news come out of this. But for the car business, it’s still out of control.

The auto industry gets kicked in the can one more time; revival again replaced by survival.

We smelled economic recovery… Now we just smell Congress. People are getting more vocal about the mistakes made by our elected officials. Stay tuned. This will be more interesting soon.

Deep Down Idle Thoughts

2009-07-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

7-28-09 Apex, NC

For Toyota to drop NUMMI, an assembly plant in CA that was a partnering with GM, they must have serious money issues.

Of course, with the end of 2009 in sight(yep, Christmas is only five months out), this will indeed be the worst car year since 1900.

Has anybody else used their gardens this year as a deer, rabbit, and dog eating station?

With the Martians' landing near a Nigerian oil field, I knew gas would go up for a legitimate reason for a change.

I am not a giant fan of Sarah Palin. I think she is a little rough around the edges. BUT, how about just leaving her personal life out of it. All of these politicians have a closet.

The President is in town tomorrow. And I have no urge to see him. I see him enough (DAILY) on TV.

Terrorists in Willow Springs? Go find a service person and thank him or her for serving. This is too close to home.

I remember 9-11. That was too close to home as well.

Do the little things well and have fun in what you do... You just never know.

It's Just Around THE CORNER

2009-07-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

7-18-09 Apex, NC.

I am on an adventure. I am looking for the best breakfast and the best bar food in the Triangle. Yep. Anything comfort food is in this epicurean category. It does not mean I am eating carbs and fat grams all the time by any stretch, a big plate of house salad and a grilled chicken sandwich or egg whites and whole wheat; they all qualify. But if I am falling off the diet wagon, I am playing hard ball. I'm talking potato skins and hash browns. I'm talking food you remember.

I reviewed Rudy's in Apex (Haddon Hall) not too long ago. Awesome bar food and a nice place to grab a salad or patty melt for lunch. That was my first victim!

Today it's The Corner Tavern & Grill at Maynard/ High House, 1301 NW Maynard in Cary NC. Nestled literally in the corner between Kroger and Pearle Vision, the first thing you notice is the bright, clean atmosphere. Big screen TVs and a wonderful outside eating area give the customer added value. The staff is super friendly. Sarah is a cheerful, high energy server which is a must in this environment. Katherine, the co-owner, came over to make sure all was well. So did Clarence the chef in the kitchen. This kitchen serves everything fresh and hand cuts its steaks. It even fresh grinds the Angus beef for a burger just the way you like it. All of the salad dressings are home-made. And so are the fresh soups.

Appetizers include: Wings, Beer-battered Buffalo Shrimp, and hand battered Fried Oysters. Seven kinds of salads grace the menu, and the sides include items like Red Skin Potato Salad and Sweet Potato Fries. Entrees feature a 14 oz. New York Strip and a 7 oz. portion of Grilled Salmon. Now for the fun part, how about a 10 oz. hand patted Angus Beef Burger served on a Pretzel Roll? I had the BALT; crisp Applewood bacon, fresh sliced Avocado, lettuce and tomato served on whole wheat. It was wonderful.

The kids can get... you guessed it, grilled cheese and Mac and Cheese.

The Corner Tavern and Grill has only been open a few weeks. But you cannot tell. Now, I wish chips and salsa were on the menu. And potato skins would be a nice add. But there is a wonderful and delicious array of food on the menu that is well worth regular visits.

I recommend it with or without reservations :). Next will be a surprise breakfast place. I am hungry already!

Inside Idle Thoughts

2009-07-15T05:15:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC 7-15-09

I just realized that I have lived in NC for 10 years. On Tuesday July 13, 1999, we rolled into Apex with our stuff. We soon discovered our new home still had wet hardwood. The builder forgot to tell us. We have been Marriott people since that day.

North Carolina is so fun. Street signs change as you drive as often as the direction does. Have you been on 55 West and noted your compass says south?

Where else can you be where getting lost is an integral part of the commuting experience?

I would like to get lost for 2.5 hours and end up somewhere in Carolina Beach. I like East.

The President took his whole family on a whirlwind; Russia, Italy, Ghana. Wow. I read that the President spent 30 minutes with the Pope, one-on-one. I actually know priests who live near the Vatican. If I want to talk to them I use SKYPE. Do you know how much Skype you can buy if you don't throw in the Secret Service?

I love writing restaurant critiques. I just need to stop doing it for free. I will always do it for food though.

I have not watched the Sotomayor hearings. She is in. What is there to watch?

How come the more the government spends, the more they want to tax. In this economy they have all they can get from us. I wish I could print money, spend it and call it stimulus.

The Administation announced that community colleges will be getting $12 BILLION over 10 years for job placement. I want that plan to succeed. I am in the career services business, but where in the heck is that money coming from?

I am on a diet. It is working. I have too much weight. I can eat anything green and drink anything brown. Brown coffee, what were you thinking?

This country should be on my diet. It has too much debt. And the stimulus is not working. The government eats anything green as well. But the thought makes me want the other brown liquid. People can you say Lager?

I love Ice Road Truckers. How about you?

Geely Holding Group Inc. is a name soon to be remembered. This Chinese automotive group will soon have Detroit office buildings. And there will be others moving to Michigan. HUMMER is undergoing Chinese ownership. I remember when radios and televisions were made in the USA. Zenith comes to mind. Now they are made in China. No doubt the car business is changing with brutal lightening speed. Which is why my company (VTR Consulting LLC) now does non-automotive retail sales training and career services. The car business is just not using vendors for process improvement like they have in the past. Hopefully things will be better in 2010. The business needs stability and strength, not instability and weakness.

We added a new 2009 Ford Edge SEL AWD to the family fleet. 25 mpg on the highway and striking looks; nothing like Detroit sheet metal. Oh yeah. We had a great experience at Pittsboro Ford. Call Rene, the sales manager, and tell him you want the Vogel discount.

The All-Star game last night was pretty exciting. The Tigers played a major role in the win. Granderson and Jackson did well.

How about Nicole Bobek? Involved in a drug ring, she could spend 10 years in jail. She was awesome in the 1998 Winter Olympics. You just have to scratch your head.

When Madoff gets out of Butner in 2159, I am there to see if he will buy me lunch.

He will be ready after 150 years of jail food.

On Tuesday, the first flight of Pet Airways took off in NY. Animals get dinner, playtime and bathroom breaks. Where is my bear suit?

Check me out at www.vtrconsulting.com

Idle Thoughts From the Porch

2009-07-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

7-10-09 Apex, NC

Rudy's, the new local tavern on 55, has the most awesome bar food in Apex. In Cary, the new local tavern is The Corner. I have not eaten there yet, but any bar that has hand cut steaks is on my list.

Did I tell you I am on a diet? I am eating anything veggie and a lot of salad. How come food that tastes good has to have a zillion fat grams. My Dad used to say food does not taste good unless it is surrounded by bones. If you don't believe that, you have not had Dallas Fried Chicken in Apex.

I think I am going off my diet.

Speaking of diets, the State of NC needs to be on one. Let's start with the Governor's salary. I do not want to pay anyone who wants to raise my taxes in a recession.

How about the stimulus that is working; gas is going down. It went down 10 cents yesterday, in one day. Wow... That's what I'm talking about.

Hey Late Show people. Leave Sarah Palin and Michael Jackson alone. Nothing funny with either one of them.

The President is on a global trip with the First Family. I am glad I am not paying for that business vacation. I am? When he comes home, can we fix the economy please?

I heard the term Stimulus 2.0. With trillions in the hole, a stimulus stimulus is what we need.

Today I counted these. The Buicks with the ball cap in the back window 3, and the pickups with a NASCAR driver number in the back window 2. The Buicks win by one.

Why are all those Buicks beige?

The Detroit Tigers will go into the All Star break in first place. Take that RED SOX NATION!!!

With little rain lately, will we have politicians doing those conserve water commercials soon? Ouch.

How about Billy Mays still pushing cheap stuff on commercials? It is sad they are still running. Leave him alone too.

General Motors Company came out of bankruptcy today. No longer General Motors Corporation, their focus is on a $40,000 electric car. I hope they call me with my suggestions FAST!

I still like those Buicks that come standard with the baseball caps.

Service is the New Sales

2009-07-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

7-6-09 Apex, NC

If you think about it, a fixed operation (service) has to drive every sale for both the dealership and the customer. The days are long gone when the customer left with a vehicle, never came back and we simply didn’t care. We’d just go get another one. With sales way down in the car business, June was considered a sales “success” because numbers were just plain bad instead of horrific; these still are times for the automotive record books. The last time the car business had nowhere to go but up was way back in 1981. And we also know nothing happens until a vehicle is sold, but that second buy, from an owner- based client, is based solely on that experience in the service lane.
I was in Knoxville TN over the weekend and I drove past the GM “ghost town” dealerships; yep, the ones that are done for good. In Knoxville, like in every town, the dealerships that survived this sales tsunami are combining efforts for marketing and advertising and they are working hard to achieve outstanding customer service, during and after the sale. The good stores get it when it comes to service and customer pay.
Service is the key term here. People are holding on to vehicles longer and they are considering pre-owned vehicles as they assess their transportation needs. It is the service and parts departments across the country that keep the business afloat. The service writer and the parts counter person are integral to this success. I take four vehicles in for service at the GM dealership closest to me. I trust them to do the job I need and to do it right. But sometimes they are jammed full of oil changes and rotations and I get lost in the shuffle. When eight people show up at 8 a.m., someone has to wait.
Waiting around when there is disorganization and overbooking is the death wish of any service department. The dealerships are leaner than turkey burgers now and one solitary advisor might be the only one in the lane as the customers line up on a Monday morning. People often get whizzed, and CSI suffers. In service, CSI is now the only raise the employees will ever see. These employees are commissioned –based and pay themselves. So it is a double-edged sword when service breaks down. The customer and the service department both suffer.
I ran across a product for Fixed Operations that works for the customers and the advisors. I endorse it 100% because it works. It is simple, and easy to understand. That is why I want to mention it here. It is called SHOPTRAK and can be assessed at www.shoptrak.net
If an old sales guy like me endorses a product for simplicity, it is something you just have to assess for yourself. Drop SHOPTRAK an e-mail. sales@shoptrak.net
I am into the customer big time. It is the only thing to focus on. I like making a profit and I like saving my customer time and money. And I love SHOPTRAK as a software tool for both ends. It is win-win in today’s market. Let me know what you think.
You can reach me (Jim Vogel) at www.vtrconsulting.com

From Here To Eternity

2009-07-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

7-2-09 Apex, NC

Small business is one tough cookie. Why do over half of us do it? It is a wonder there are no shrinks specific to businesses under 50 employees. They would make a ton of money and have offices in every town. Just kidding. But there are certain ingredients you have to have to be in business and some put us on the counselor's couch; I think the number one quality necessary is persistence. That never giving up thing that is a major part of our psyche drives us to do what we do. I have always been persistent. In the early 50's, I arrived on this planet at 3 pounds, four ounces. Then I lost weight(something I don't do well now). In those days, babies in my shape DIED. I always wondered why I did not.

I went to school and got three college degrees part-time. I worked by day and schooled by night. I never missed a class or an assignment, ever. I teach now at the University of Phoenix. Sadly, assignments are late and people miss class. I just can't understand why people are not persistent no matter the challenge, especially when it involves education.

When I sold cars, and I sold over 600, I always sold with urgency. Until the customer said NO, I sold until the last one left the building.

Even now, I am building my business, retail training and recruiting, one persistent effort at a time. And it is quite a time. Unemployment, credit, foreclosures, and economic uncertainty have zipped up customer wallets and purses like I have never seen. If potential customers would just say no I would be cool with it. But most of the time they tell me maybe later, maybe next month, maybe next quarter.

But I can tell you this. I am among many who struggle today, but in good times all of our efforts will pay off. Beans and SPAM will only be fond memories.

This is America. The Land of the Persistent. Today everything gets a a little better, and it improves one day at a time. Efforts do pay off. From now to forever and from here to eternity, success is derived from the struggles we all face. Success is just around that next corner.

Today will soon be tomorrow, and the tomorrows are what we strive for every moment.

Visit www.vtrconsulting.com

Idle Thoughts- Believe It Or Not

2009-06-30T03:46:00.000-07:00

6-30-09 Apex, NC

It is the end of the month and the end of the quarter. I should be in a dealership helping out but I am not...

Only in the South; Carpenters working on a house, cutting wood outside in the driveway, wearing flip flops.

People are getting the flu. Isn't July like tomorrow?

I got a letter from the IRS this week. And it was a nice helpful letter concerning some tax changes with my business.

The First Lady wore a pair of Lanvin's $588.00 tennis shoes at the Capital Food Bank April 29th.

Although every politician elected in November PROMISED no new taxes, guess what is about to happen?

With all the famous people passing in the last week, I am asking myself who is next?

Have you checked out the snack food aisle lately? The BIG FAMILY SIZE bag of chips is now full of air at a whopping 11 ounces total weight.

I am still surprised there is still a dozen eggs in a dozen eggs.

If it doesn't rain soon, Governor Perdue will be doing drought commercials. I hope Mother Nature spares us soon.

Mrs. Easley will fight her NC State firing. Huh?

The brand new McDonald's in Cary is 100% green. And it cost a ton of green to build it.

Bernie Madoff got 150 years. Is that all?

The NY Times recently raised prices: two bucks for the daily and SIX bucks for the printed Sunday paper. Who said Liberals didn't love capitalism?

Check me out at www.vtrconsulting.com

The New Normal

2009-06-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

I just love all the new terms that have found a place in our language. The lexicon is now filled with new terms that in better economic times would never be on the tip of our tongue. Things like “short sell’, “deficit-neutral”, “bubble”, “derivative” and “speculator” to mind. The best one of all to hit the media is what ABC News is calling “The New Normal”. This New Normal is the lifestyle change we have all faced since the total collapse of the economic system back in October, 2008. It was not that long ago that credit was easy, gas was cheap, and people drove SUVs without the guilt trip. That’s not normal anymore.
Interesting that phrases and sayings that were popular in the Great Depression and in earlier tough times have resurfaced with a kind of poetic vengeance.
“A penny saved is a penny earned.”
“Better be on the safe side.”
“You bet your bottom dollar.”

These Great Depression phrases reflect the unemployed in the 1930’s when 25% of our workforce was standing in soup lines. We are nowhere near that situation today. But the times, they are indeed changing. We clip coupons. We group trip, doing several errands at once. We go nowhere on staycations. We pack a brown bag lunch. We now have a garden with tomatoes and cucumbers. We browse the thrift stores and purchase our books on used sites. Many of us are taking on a second income to pay bills. We dry clean less and we take our shoes to be re-heeled. If we buy a car, we look at pre-owned vehicles as well as new. We go to restaurants with less frequency. And when we eat out, it is often out of the pantry.
Times have changed with lightening speed. We are indeed deep into the New Normal. For small and medium businesses, it has made us more focused on customer service. Businesses now “bundle” products and sell these packages at eye-catching prices to attract the wiser and more frugal customer. We constantly sharpen our business plan to attract customers who are not in our typical demographic. We are in a continuous state of re-invention.
But think about this. The New Normal is the best thing to happen to us in decades and with it all of our bad habits are slowly being erased. We in the Triangle were the last region in the country to be pulled into the economic downturn. We will be the first out of it as well. Already we are seeing signs of growth in many sectors.
But one thing is certain. We will be the “More Generation” in the New Normal. We will save more and we will recycle more. We will be more diligent with our habits and practices, and will spend more time with our new business focus and with our families. In these situations, more is the best strategy when all we hear is less. You know what? The New Normal might not be so bad after all.

Rudy's Pub and Grill

2009-06-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Rudy’s Pub and Grill
6-24-09 Apex, NC
Common sense tells us that things have changed a ton over the past few years in most aspects of our daily lives. One thing that has always been hard to come by in any community is a neighborhood establishment that has awesome bar food and great service. If you couple these critical ingredients with a fun atmosphere to match, you have something BEYOND special. Not every town is blessed with such a place. Well, we are extremely lucky in the Peak City because Apex NC finally has one we can truly brag about. Rudy’s Pub and Grill is that and more.
I’m talking real bar food. I mean REAL BAR FOOD. The delicious appetizers will feed two. The cheeseburgers are juicy. The fresh salads are simply huge. And the wings belong on everyone’s plate. It should be a city ordinance. They are that good. Colonel Harland Sanders has visited just to take notes. Me? I use Rudy’s for business lunches. How about $3.99 mid-day meals served by a top quality staff? At that price you usually get a bag handed to you at the drive through.
And there is more. The margaritas are so good they should be the national drink of North Carolina and the beer specials quench your thirst and don’t squash your wallet.
On the nice days you can sit outside to socialize, and on those not so nice days, you can saddle up to the bar and daydream that you are finally home. One thing is for sure, in good times and in bad, great bar food can be had. Come join me anytime. I am the guy eating wings and sipping on a cold one. Common sense tells me one thing is not going to change. Great food, great fun and great prices are all close by.
I am a member of Rudy’s Nation of Apex. And I am a die-hard fan. I am heading right now to Rudy’s where things never change, they just get better. Happy eating!
919 303 5061 Rudy's is near the Harris Teeter in the Haddon Hall Commons.

Jim Vogel
www.vtrconsulting.com
Apex, NC

Idle Thoughts Are Back

2009-06-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

6-17-09... Apex, NC

I went on a website recently that features a "Customer Experience Manager". Every business should have a person focused on the experience. Common sense.

Virtually every time I gas up and click to a round number, the pump always adds a dang penny. Instead of $22.00 it ends up being $22.01. We don't think about it but man, it adds up to profits big time.

Here is the power of Twitter. In Iran, it is the only conduit to the world after the election.

In baseball, most teams have the daffiest away jerseys. The uniforms look like pajamas. At least the Tigers and Yankees look good home and away.

Now that GM sold Saab, looks like they have no more Saab stories to share.

People are calling me and asking me if this is a good time to buy a car. YES! It also is a great time to buy anything. Notice the price of a 40" T.V.?

The President talks of deficit-neutral policies. I thought we were two trillion in the whole. I do love the term deficit-neutral. I think that is on my credit report.

David Letterman, he is a mess. How can you mess up an apology?

Everybody today in my business is an alleged social media expert. Really now?

Had my first teaching gig at the University of Phoenix last night. It is refreshing to see students who actually want to go to college. Success comes in so many categories.

Yesterday morning it poured so hard that Noah was building an ark on 64.

NC St. is an acronym for no comment; see taxpayer.

Two things no one can take away from you, your education and your purpose in life.

You know your favorite website has made it. You use it as a verb. So Facebook me!

Count your breath, your luck, and your cholesterol.

Weapons of Mess Disruption

2009-06-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC 6-14-09.

Here it is, the last two weeks of the first quarter. July is coming fast. Yes I know times are tough. Gas prices are up. Dealerships are more than challenged with day- to- day issues, so many things coming and going. Lost your focus yet? Think about it.

If you are not 100% mentally present at work, completely focused on your job, you will lose buyers. People buy vehicles every day regardless of the economy and they are not at your store for the fresh coffee and neat small talk you provide. If you mess things up and do not focus on their needs, they will leave. The customer’s weapons of mess disruption are two-fold, their feet. If they leave, you only have you to blame. When you stand there and the manager does all the work, and you just hand the customer the keys, you get the number and the full commission, all of it. So when there is mess disruption happening and the customer walks, run to the mirror. It is all yours too. You can only blame yourself when the customer purchases down the street. You simply did not do your job.

So, Meet and Greet with enthusiasm and excitement. Bring your customers inside and help choose the correct vehicle, the one they want and they need. You must have both ingredients. Mentally close them before you do any paperwork or talk numbers. I do not care how long it takes. And ASK for the sale. The customer always appreciates a professional. They probably did not buy their last vehicle from one.

Work hard. Have fun. And stay focused.

Be a salesperson not a fails person. You have just one shot and one opportunity, so keep focused, follow your process, and do your job.

When there is a turn signal, a right turn, and happy customers, you can head back into the showroom with a big smile. Now go get another one!

Be A Career Entrepreneur

2009-06-11T04:21:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC... 6-11-09

Everyone has ideas. Our brains work 24-7-365. But getting those ideas to evolve into action that results in success is one tough cookie!

Think out of the box, the car, near the fridge, at your friend's house; it is critical to think out your plan.

A Career Entrepreneur takes ideas, creates action, and makes results. It is up to you. You are the only one who truly gives a dang about your success. You are your own brand. You are the business. Finding opportunities in a challenging economy is critical. If you have an idea, WRITE IT DOWN. I do not care if it is at 3 a.m. A lost idea is useless. You will act on a written idea much faster than one that is rolling around in your skull.

Failure is the avenue for the implementation of ideas. Yep. You have to fail to succeed. What? You are reading it right. I want you to screw up. Success is never easy. My hero is Thomas Edison. Did you know that Edison failed more than you have? He messed up some big stuff. But he was persistent and LEARNED from the error of his ways. If not for Mr. Edison, your quality of life would be way different... Movies would not exist for gosh sakes.

If you are reading this you are in transition. So put that personal business plan together immediately. Be a career entrepreneur even while sleeping, and fail, fail, fail your way to success!

I have.

Do You Believe In Magic?

2009-06-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

6-9-09 Apex, NC

Well, when you think about it, some of us believe in magic and some of us don’t. Right now the NBA Finals are under way, and the announcers are discussing what team has had a “magical” season, or what team might be the Cinderella story in 2009. Magical is a very interesting word. But when you think about it, the magic in our career might be in the planning and in the technique.

Opportunities come along every day that could be magical if we just realized they were happening. Being ready every day helps our focus. Is it magical to sell seven cars in a week? Is it magic to be in the right place at the right time? Maybe, just maybe, there might be magic in the ingredients of preparation.

Magic could be as easy as specific technique and situation. Think about it. Come to work and have a plan for the day. Know your inventory, spend 20 minutes every morning assessing what is new, what is hot, and what would be a great solution to a current customer’s transportation problem. Make the most of every prospect. Sometimes a simple turnover (T.O.) will change someone leaving into a customer who ends up buying. Follow up and follow through. Let everyone know that you are there for them. A positive call of thanks to your last customer will go a long way. Work deals in your head, and most importantly on paper. Jotting what went right or wrong in a deal after it is finished is critical. These trends, documented over time, will get you better. The more time you put into this job, the better you will be. When you stop and think about it for a moment, it just might not be magical to be the best in this business, it might be a matter of process and effort. Remember that a successful career can happen, if you do the right things. There is simply only just a little magic in being a pro!

Happy selling! Be a salesperson not a fails person!

No End To The Beginning

2009-06-03T04:29:00.000-07:00

Detroit, MI... 6-3-09

I am in the midst of a very unsettling work climate here in Southeast Michigan. Being in Detroit this week where there is a very high unemployment rate is very tough. What are the people doing who have lost their jobs? I can tell you this. The successful ones are in continual re-invention.

Let's get positive. The Triangle is in relatively decent shape. People still move to our region every single day. If you are looking for work, you must sharpen your skills. Your resume must be specific and it must be different. If you are working, you must sharpen your skills and you must keep your resume updated.

Yes, it is the same whether you are in a job or if you are looking for one. There is no end to self-improvement, critical thinking and blatant optimism. If you are employed look for greater success everyday. Are you really in your dream job? Remember people in careers today move several times into different work avenues. If you are out of work, put your plan together, define your goals and set objectives. Connect with one person a day. I call it the vitamin rule... ONE A DAY...

Success is never easy but it is indeed possible.

Good luck!

Requiem for a Heavyweight

2009-06-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

Flint, MI… 6-01-09
When Dinah Shore sang “See the USA in a Chevrolet”, GM was rolling solidly on all four wheels; over 600,000 were employed globally, and they had a fat 51% market share. Now, GM stock is the price of a newspaper and soon to go away, market share is 21%, and when things shake down, only about 40, 000 people will be GM employees world-wide. Being in the broken heart of the GM bankruptcy this week and being surrounded by a very somber state of Michigan is very tough to take. Today is a day to remember.

Because today the headlines should read, Detroit R.I.P.

Not rest in peace mind you. No. The RIP stands for “Results in Politics.” I drove past and around Buick City today. I spent a couple hours in Flint. I will be in Detroit in the morning and for the rest of the week. I want to be a witness. This is my home. But things are changing with lightening speed. The factories closed by GM will be someone else’s soon. All the car songs will change. It will now be “See the USA in your Hyun-dai!’ Instead of Mustang Sally, we will dance to “Tata Sally”. The Beach Boys classic will shout “she’s real fine my hybrid mine”.

Like a heavyweight champ, Detroit was left hooked. Knocked out cold. The people of the United States will now own 60% of General Motors. Our choice to drive what we want will soon be over. Smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles will be the norm. It is not without coincidence that gasoline is rising at a record pace, again forcing people into considering small vehicles. Here is the sad truth. Americans do not want small cars. They want cars with good gas mileage.

Ford, Honda, Toyota, and all the smaller companies will listen and watch this week. Notice there is no comment from them today. Chrysler and General Motors are in essence, nationalized. It does not make any difference if we agree or not. This is the new reality.

When we go from 16 million to 10 million units sold, very ugly things can and indeed do happen. One thing for sure is the Big Three is changed forever. Detroit, the once Arsenal of Democracy is forever a much smaller shadow of itself. Re-invention must come from within. And it will quickly come from being without. Those working and those retired are just hoping to keep what they have.
The days of Detroit as the Motor City are modified forever.

This is the result of car sales that melted to nothing. And consumer confidence will not improve overnight, unlike the gas prices approaching three dollars AGAIN.

D-DAY

2009-05-30T04:34:00.000-07:00

2-25-09 Apex, NC... SALESPEOPLE... CUSTOMERS...It is the end of the month. For the customer this is a no brainer. The deals get a little edge on them at month-end. And the edge is to the customer. The big problem for salespeople today is getting these customers in and getting them to buy or lease. Today let's focus on getting them in.

"Man, I have NO traffic!" Yep. Hear it all the time. Try the TRIO METHOD...Business cards, a great attitude, and a HUGE SMILE get you customers who are not in your owner/ referral base.

Every time you open your wallet or pocketbook to spend your hard earned money, give the person taking your money a business card, a great attitude and a HUGE smile. It takes 15-30 seconds to tell the person who you are and what you do. Two cards are needed in the Wendy's drive-thru. Remember the second guy that hands you your single and fries is a potential customer as well.

Dig into your social network, from your next door neighbor to your Rabbi or Pastor. If the 400+ people you know out of the work environment do not have your card, then shame on you. Heck, this is the easiest group to work.

Finally, your professional network; people you work with will buy from you if you give them a card and always have the positive attitude, coupled with a huge smile. People in the nearby departments, nearby buildings, and nearby businesses will include you in their buying loop if they know you exist.

Remember card, attitude, and smile. Have a 30 second elevator speech ready and DIG, DIG,DIG. It is not rocket science. I have proved it.

Happy selling!

Virtual Certainty

2009-05-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

5-27-09 Apex, NC

Yesterday afternoon, I received a call from a job candidate. This candidate was from out of state and had 12 years of experience. She now found herself on the outside looking in. I get a lot of these referrals; mostly, they come from managers I have done business with in the past. My contacts (connects) know I will listen and help the candidates who call. As I assessed her situation over the phone, I again gave my "you need to become a social media junkie" speech. Use Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Inside 919, Word Press, Blogspot, Live Journal, and Jobing to make yourself known out in the Virtual Reality.

Complete the social platform profiles. Be a regular blogger. I call it Soft Personal/ Professional Marketing (SPPM). The key is not the constant e-hammering of how great you are. No. The strategy is the consistent message that you are a good person who is good at something that is needed, and you are looking for honest work. The recruiters and employers will pick up on that message. Your blog should be useful information about what you are an expert at. Remember that an expert by definition is someone who knows more and more about less and less! And fill the blog with key terms that are easily searchable. I do it automatically in every blog I author. Take advantage of the tags at the base of every blog you do.

You simply have to be different and unique. You must to be Dorothy in the Land of Oz. And you need to be focused only on positives. Life is not over when you lose your job. In fact, now is the time to get your bearings and spend time with family; finish that deck or project. Give yourself time to re-establish a commitment to your new beginning. And why not? You deserve it...

Remember that there is a BIG O O in the middle of GOOGLE. So do not put any oh-oh's out there in the Virtual Reality that will kill your job chances. Get a professional photographer to take your picture and have it photo shopped so you look simply marvelous, and put it out in your profiles along the Ning network. YOU MUST HAVE A PICTURE. And not the silly one someone took at the party.

Finally, PLEASE make your resume accomplishments specific. If I see one more "possesses outstanding leadership skills" rather than "led team of six that saved the company $13,000 in establishing recycling processes within the sales department floor", I will cry...

The generalities will drive employers AWAY!

Remember SPPM...

Good luck. Call me if you need me.

Small is Good

2009-05-24T04:14:00.000-07:00

5-24-09 Apex, NC

Back in September, I left a very good company and started my own business. I knew it would be a challenge. And I knew it would take a while to grow. I, in essence, am doing the same thing I did for someone else; I train and recruit people. But I quickly realized one thing. Small business is the driver of this economy. In fact about half of the people employed are in small business.

Here are some things about the small business people I have met over the past eight months.

When you start a business, you must expect to starve for about a year because every dime you have and make goes into the business.

Your past lifestyle is a pleasant memory. You might even look at pictures now and then.

When you start a business you go from knowing everyone to knowing no one. It is all you now, from the leads to the lights.

Connections are essential. The more people you meet, the better your business will be.

Be prepared to fail a ton! But every mistake is a great learning tool.

Most small business people worked their behinds off before they started the business. That does not change. Have you ever heard of a lazy small business
owner?

Expect a customer or two NOT to pay you for your hard work. Obviously, some people are ethics-challenged.

High energy and vision are critical. Our true leaders come from the small business ranks.

All small business owners are students of business, from marketing to janitorial.

Everything we do is local. One-on-one is central to success. And we like it like that.

We never have time for lunch. But remember when we worked for others? We didn't then either.

The brick and mortar of America are small business people.

The risk-takers define small business.

The only perk I have experienced is a very personal one. My family is 725 miles away in Detroit. Now, whenever I want to go home I can. My current boss always puts family first and he understands that life is too short. My current boss allows me to grow with no restrictions. And my current boss does not play favorites, politics or games. My current boss loves family and he loves the business. My boss will always be ME.

Remember our troops this weekend... It is a Memorial in every respect.

Ho Ho. Hi Ho! It's Off to Work I Go!

2009-05-20T06:57:00.001-07:00

5-20-09 Apex, NC

Sometimes as job seekers, you can get discouraged. And then you make excuses. Man, are you good at those. It's the economy, stocks, banks, the weather, etc. STOP!

Pick yourself up (mentally), dust yourself off and get back to your real job... finding a real job. Call someone today to network with. Do it every day. Sent one resume out, every day. Get business cards, I would use vistaprint, and give a card out to everyone you bump into. The more rocks you turn over, the more creatures you will find. Go to every job fair, business expo, and transition group you can. They are in the paper. Buy one. If you are not eye-ball to eye-ball with people, you will not be successful.

Need strategies? Google them. Take notes and develop a plan from that. Ask the w's, who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Never give up. Opportunity comes from luck, patience, and dedication. Spit-spot your resume. Make it perfect with NO mistakes and make it personal to the job you seek. Put specifics in the thing not generalities. If you are someone with outstanding leadership skills, tell the employer WHY!

I do not mind looking at your resume. But you are cheaper than I am, so first work on it yourself. Take every generality OUT of the resume, and keep it to one page unless you are a teacher, researcher, doctor, or CEO.

Recruiters have candidate ADD (another dang denial). DO NOT be in that pile.

Remember things are half full not half empty. And if you need me, go to my website, www.vtrconsulting.com

Good luck! I am also a tweet away.

Jim (@salestherapist)

Detroit Idle Thoughts

2009-05-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

5-19-09 Apex, NC

Very quietly, every Big Three medical plan has changed. Now there is less coverage and more cost.

RUN don't walk to a Chrysler or General Motors dealership. They are now customer heaven. Work out a good deal that is fair to the store and to you. There have never been better deals.

If you work in or with the auto industry, you are not dreaming. It is a low grade nightmare that is not ending for awhile.

Yes Virginia, there is indeed more Fords running around in areas where there are a lot of imports.

Mr. President, please understand Americans do not want small cars with great gas mileage; they want cars with good gas mileage and cars that are comfortable. The tiny cars you expect us to drive are harder to get into than a Sprint Cup Car, and long distances guarantee pinched nerves and scary moments. Remember Mr. President you cruise I-95 in a bullet-proof stretch Cadillac Limo. What is your MPG?

Toyota announces a new, cheaper Prius; desperate times and desperate measures.

Google The Henry Ford in Dearborn and head there for the day; stay at the Dearborn Inn, the most historic Marriott in the country. And grab a Buddy's Pizza when you are up there. Summer is gorgeous in Southern Michigan.

How about the Red Wings and the Tigers? Good news is rare in this town.

Google American Dream Rally.

Buy American. I check the labels, and the nameplates.

MESSellaneous Idle Thoughts

2009-05-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC 5-17-09

The Apex High Women's Lacrosse Team took home the NC state title after a thrilling 13-12comeback win over Charlotte Catholic yesterday. Great Job!!

I have been thinking that the deflection of incompetence is a growing art form within poor leadership.

Raising gas prices two cents a day, every day, is not good for anyone but big oil. As the economy gets healthier, let it naturally rise based on usage. NO NEED to hurry it up.

Airlines are raising stowed baggage fees again. Why not? Captive audience and easy money make profit.

President Obama and Notre Dame.

Domino's Oven-Baked Sandwiches are just plain yummy.

My beloved Detroit Tigers are in first place. Please pinch me in a non-usable part.

Have you ever had anybody walk out of your life leaving you with all the bills? When dealership tax bases cease to exist; they are coming after us!! And you know who the THEY are.

Former Governor Easley sure has his challenges today. As any good farmer will tell you, you have to dig deep for the richer soil.

GM + Chrysler = 100,000 - X. Whether we want to or not we are solving for X. I cannot even get into the algebraic reality let alone the calculus. But 100,000 fellow Americans still is 100,000. It is the constant not the variable we have to worry about.

On Memorial Day, before you crack open a beer or slice open a bag of hot dogs, get on your knees and pray for our troops, our veterans, and our history of freedom and heroes. There is only one country like the USA.

No one will ever fly into one of our skyscrapers ever again because of our brave men and women in the Armed Forces, the CIA, the Secret Service, and the FBI. Keep them in our prayers. Their business is Freedom and their product is Bravery. Godspeed.

Finally, here is career advice. Find out what you have a wild passion for. Plan honest profit from that passion. And then draw customers to your passion.

But remember changing careers can sometimes be a simple process, BUT it is never an easy one. If someone recruits you and promises you easy money, turn and run... FAST!

Have a great week and happy selling!

40,000

2009-05-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC 5-15-09

40,000. Quite a number; stadiums would love that many fans piled up for a game. This number is the population of a good sized town. For example, Northwood University, the largest automotive university in the country, is nestled within the wonderful Mid- Michigan town of Midland. It is the home of Dow Chemical. And it has roughly 40,000 people.

40,000 is a lot. And it is the amount of Chrysler Dealership Employees soon to be out of work. That is about 50 people per store. As a recruiter, I am trying my dangest to help as many as I can. The calls I made this morning were to big box used stores looking for quality people. Keeping people employed is one thing. But these are your brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, best friends, and neighbors. You know these people by their first name. These are the same people who participate every year in a Toys for Tots program. They are the ones who put uniforms on your kid's soccer team. They sit next to you at church.

They are us.

And we need to help them in any way we can.

You see, it is not about you and me. It is about them. Placing them back into the work environment as quickly as possible is paramount to the United States and to the Automotive Industry.

They have been there for us. When we needed a part or service they were open for us. When we needed a car and could only shop on our day off, they were there.

The business needs our help. Figure out a way and show your support for the brothers and sisters who now need it more than ever.

Slowly Shutting Detroit Down

2009-05-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

5-15-09 Apex, NC

As I listened this morning to WWJ Radio 950 in Detroit, I sat stunned and sullen. The radio newscaster was reading the Chrysler Dealership Closing list. It sounded just like a snowstorm hit and a list of school closings were being announced. Here in the Raleigh NC market, we have not heard who will be hit; but in Metro Detroit 15 dealerships are done.

This cannot be happening as my mind races to the past when health and profitability were the ingredients of Detroit. The business has to be saved. American manufacturers have to remain alive to produce American vehicles for the American public.

The car business is a gritty hard working group of blue and white collar individuals. But these closings affect employees in the stores and affects every business within 20 miles of these stores. Government will lose millions in taxes and it has to come from somewhere. it will come from us. It will come from Americans. Japan, South Korea, Germany, Great Britain, China, Italy, and even Russia all benefit from our market. These nations will just watch this taking place. I do not foresee baskets being passed out to save Detroit.

WE MUST ALL STAND IN CAMARADERIE and keep the car business alive. In 1959, the car business died in Cuba. Today Cubans use duct tape and wire to keep their 1950's vehicles rolling. I do not believe that people in this country want to pass their vehicles to their children 25 years from now.

If the actions today do not push you to patriotism, then wait until June 1 and watch General Motors fate.

Those of you who scoff at Detroit going away, think about this. One of seven Americans is directly or indirectly working for the car business. Detroit nameplates produce quality vehicles high on JD Powers and Consumer Reports lists of quality cars, trucks and SUVs.

Detroit does not lead manufacturers in recalls; the Japanese companies do.

You will soon know if all these sad events affect you and your family. My guess is you will know someone affected by this day. My advice is to stock up on duct tape and wire.

Good luck.

Idle Thoughts Yet Again

2009-05-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC 5-13-09

Reality and common sense; are they still around? Just asking...

Ford outsold Toyota in April. Nice job Dearborn.

If you know any college grads out there without a job, help find them one.

Gas has gone up at the pumps. That is a bad sign for wallets and purses, and a great sign for the economy.

Memorial Day should have more drivers on the road. Everyone must be tired of the $15 a bag fee with the airlines that started when it was four bucks a gallon.

This is the time to buy a car. The lots have inventory and the sales managers have incentives. If you have good credit, you will get awesome rates.

Cheerios is under government assessment for alleged health claims. The White House has also authorized background checks on Tony the Tiger and Capt'n Crunch.

You know times are still challenging when Las Vegas has 10% less visitors so far this year than last. Not a bad time to go to Vegas in your new car, how American is that? And we kill two birds with one stone.

General Motors execs are dumping stock. This is never a good sign. It's like Smokey the Bear leaving the forest ahead of the big fire.

When the car dealerships shake out throughout the country, only the ones that move sheet metal will survive. Remember only you can prevent your local store from vanishing.

How come if there is nothing but time, we never seem to have enough of it.

Are You Feeling It Yet?

2009-05-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

5-6-09 Apex, NC... The signs of recovery are on the horizon. The market is up. Gas prices are rising. Credit is available to those who qualify. And the Chrysler makeover coupled with the shedding in GM has created a calming effect to the economic
situation. Mr. Obama is losing his new car smell as he puts some miles on his experience as the most powerful person on Earth. Considering what we have lived through the past seven months, this peek into the second quarter has some very positive signs.

We get the car business stable and we get the economy stable. If people start buying cars at a 15 million (a year) pace as we head to Summer, things can only get better.

If the automotive industry goes upbeat so will the vendors and suppliers. And I am one of those. Small business across the United States will also benefit. Unemployment will lower and consumer confidence will rise. Both will move in different directions at about the same rate. People are not dumb. But they are worried and they are watching.

Time will tell but I really feel it coming!

The New New Chrysiat

2009-04-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

4-30-09 Apex, NC

We will never forget this day. Ever. It is dark, cloudy and pouring rain in Detroit. And Walter Chrysler is turning over. The Dodge Brothers have tears running down their cheeks and are now the Blues Brothers. And everyone in the now defunct Chrysler LLC is on pins and needles waiting for the shiny shoe of the White House to drop.

Interesting it was done on the last day of the month and the last day of the quarter. Perfect timing to go bankrupt. Any car guy would have waited a day or two. But the spokesperson, the announcer, the gentleman with the shiny shoes, is no car guy. He is the President. Wow... No one from Chrysler announced this powerful change.

Over time this could be a good thing. But we are looking at 12-18 months from now. Allegedly Chrysler Financial goes away and GMAC walks in. GMAC? I would be careful with that too. Time will tell with GMAC financing Chrysler customers.

What happens to dealers, suppliers, employees, inventories, floorplan, warranties, and the success of all the local businesses tied to Chrysler? One in seven are directly or indirectly supported by the auto industry.

Bankruptcy can be messy... Does Delphi come to mind?

Chrysler as a company stops right now. It goes to bankruptcy court. Assembly plants close NOW. This impacts every aspect of the US economy and this will set back consumer spending.

I have family at Chrysler. I have good friends at Dodge stores. I just pray and hope everyone making this decision today knows what they are doing.

Godspeed and BUY AMERICAN.

(Scarier) Idle Thoughts

2009-04-29T13:18:00.001-07:00

4-29-09 Apex, NC

This is the time of month to go get a car; the deals have truly never been better for you the customer. The salespeople already know tomorrow is the end of the month. Hope both parties take advantage of it.

Pontiac going bye-bye does not mean your warranty and your service disappears. My daughter's Oldsmobile visits the Cadillac store on a regular basis.

Someone will buy HUMMER. Someone will buy Saturn. Saab will survive. The main companies will go to the Toyota model very soon. Toyota-Lexus, Honda-Acura, Nissan-Infiniti, Cadillac-Chevrolet, Ford-Lincoln, Chrysler-Fiat; oh this will happen sooner rather than later. Volvo, Dodge, Mercury, GMC, maybe even Jeep will go the way of nameplate heaven. Gosh I loved Ramblers.

Actually I want a big block turquoise 1964 Tempest coupe... The fastest pre-GTO type of car.

Now the fun stuff...

OctoMom the Musical started auditions today in L.A.

We now must time the washing of our hands to the tune of "happy birthday" twice... Sense the irony? Man, I cannot make this stuff up... In an aside, the President was filmed eating cake. Honest AND...

YES... You can eat pork. Just cook it to 160 degrees. Swine Flu has nothing to do with PIGS... dang I need a RED hot dog STAT. And a big fat juicy pork chop...

How can the Feds give big banks stress tests? I thought a human heart was a necessary ingredient.

Check out companies like Macy and JC Penney. They know the 4th quarter will bring buying consumers. Look at the stocks. Anticipate a strong holiday season. Retail stocks rise in recovery.

The President has been in office 100 days. I have seen situation comedies less crazy. Press conferences almost six days a week, aggressive agendas, stimulus and BIG spending, health care, energy, General Motors, Pelosi, Reid, nominations, re-nominations, re-re-nominations, education, whew... what is next waterboarding corporate bonuses? I have never, ever seen a more interesting administration. I have to get that list of campaign promises! Lots of things to keep my thoughts IDLE.

Check out tinyurl.com

Hockey Prediction... Red Wings win against the Canes in 6 games for the Lord Stanley Cup.

Baseball Prediction... The Red Sox will be strong all year.

Basketball Prediction... Cleveland needs to win something.

Football Prediction... The Detroit Lions will win four games!

Gas Price Prediction... We will not see $3.00 a gallon in 2009.

Social Media Prediction... Twitter will be off the charts by summer. @salestherapist

Automobile Sales Prediction... 12.6 Million in 2009

Happy selling!

Idle Thoughts Really Again

2009-04-27T03:43:00.000-07:00

4-27-09 Apex, NC

Talladega needs to keep the cars on the ground. The catch fence did just that. Up to seven fans were hurt when debris blazed through the fencing. How long before we slow it down there?

You have to grab the book "How to Ask for the Appointment and Get It" by Chris Morrissette. No matter what you sell, it is worth it. Go to www.forfreeandforfun.com

The media and U.S. Health Officials have us all worried about Swine Flu. The cases here in this country are infrequent and mild in nature. And yes, you can eat pork. In North Carolina, where there are more pigs than people, the industry must communicate this fact.

What will save GM as it considers all sorts of options is growth. GM CHINA.

Twitter is growing leaps and bounds. A type of "text" Facebook, Twitter is generating all sorts of publicity. You can follow me @salestherapist.

Have you noticed all the gardens popping up in the backyards of America? It is no wonder, I paid way too much for tomatoes from Fresh Market.

Things are coming together for Fiat and Chrysler. But, by the time you read this, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and HUMMER should be GM orphans.

Things are getting better in Michigan. My brother Mark goes back to his job today after months of unemployment. Things are getting better...

Happy selling!

Shutting Detroit Down

2009-04-24T03:30:00.000-07:00

4-24-09 Apex, NC

Oh boy. It is serious now. It almost looks inevitable that Chrysler is going into Chapter 11, and that General Motors will become Gen Mo... Cut in half with elimination. It is a very scary mess. That Kangaroo station down the street, that local grocery store, restaurants across America will be affected. When Gen Mo closes factories for NINE weeks this summer, the ripple will be felt everywhere. This single act alone will set the economy back again.

The new song, "Shutting Detroit Down" rings true. I have never seen it in my lifetime. To think that Fiat SpA will save Detroit is cutting edge crazy. This is way bigger than that. If you are thinking of buying or leasing a vehicle do it now and only buy Detroit. Sales will save the Big Three. Oh Baloney! I hear you out there.

The quality and MPG of Detroit sheet metal rivals and exceeds that of Toyota and Honda and that is across the board. Jump in a Malibu. Drive a Fusion. Most Detroit trucks get 20 mpg highway; and that includes the infamous HUMMER. The H3 can go 400 miles on a tank of gas. The illusion still exists. Take a gander at what manufacturers lead in recalls. It is not Detroit!

I hear you again. That is bull too. Detroit built what people bought for years. There have been 17.5 million vehicles sold in a year very recently. Until May of 2008,since 1992, every year was a record year in sales. People were buying and buying big. When Detroit and the economy take a step back AGAIN this summer, look in the mirror!

Detroit needs you right now. In WWII, it was Detroit who built the tanks, planes, and jeeps to keep us free. It was Detroit who created the Middle Class in this country. And it is Detroit who needs you now!

Life on Earth 1970

2009-04-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

4-22-09 Apex, NC...

Well it is Earth Day again. I remember the first one. As a high schooler, we had projects and presentations. It was a big deal. The next year not so much! But it does symbolize how far we have come as a "global" community.

Here was 1970 for my generation... The Beatles and the Supremes broke up. Computers were the size of small rooms. To call someone you had to find the chord. Bob Hope and Vietnam partnered together. Dick Nixon was president. I discovered a new comic and started reading Doonesbury. There were still World Fairs, this one was in Osaka. Paul VI was the head of the Catholic Church. The Vega and Pinto rolled the streets. Hippies and Frats existed.

It was a simple time actually. Gas was still 23 cents a gallon. I had a V-8 Comet that I ran hard and put away wet... My first car... Vinyl roof and two doors. AM radio played cool stuff 24-7. Working for the car companies was fairly simple, if you knew someone on the inside. I did. They were hiring like crazy especially in the salaried white collar arena. Globally, Ford had somewhere near 70,000 salaried employees. In fact, 8.4 million passenger cars sold in the US in 1970. The industry was strong and muscle cars cruised on a Saturday night, or parked at the drive-in.

Today Earth Day actually still has purpose. The people who exist today conserve water. They recycle. And they at least know what a hybrid is. I smiled this morning when I found out that a Toyota Camry hybrid will pace the Coca-Cola 600. This in a sport that still runs carburetors and just changed last year to unleaded fuel.

NASCAR is going green... Me, I still LOVE the rumble of a V-8 so don't take my HUMMER away... where are my bell bottoms? I still love the feel of jeans!

Happy selling!

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

2009-04-20T05:01:00.000-07:00

http://heavens-gates.com:80/usworkers/

salestherapist is a very proud Native Detroiter.

Domestic Please, with All the Fixins!

2009-04-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

4-18-09 Apex, NC

Most of these thoughts apply to everyone in any business. BUT THIS is...

An open array of fixins for all my car brothers and sisters, from Fritz to Detail...

If you are not passionate about fixing the car business now, or if you are staying in it for money first, please feel free to use the restroom on the way out.

Do not loan money to customers who cannot pay it back. Remember the last time you loaned someone a buck?

Know your product like the back of your hand. And put that knowledge into solution-based common sense that your customers will understand.

Let your trainer train. He or she cannot hold 10 other positions that no one wants to do. Training happens all the time until it is interrupted by a customer.

DO NOT let the White House and Congress tell you how to operate your business. They would go bankrupt if they did not have our tax money.

Dealers, manufacturers, and suppliers must sing on the same page. That would be a historic first.

Our business learns from mistakes. It never learns from profit.

Pay employees a salary when they are learning, not a draw. Groom them into commission.

On your busiest day, typically Saturday, spiff your first deal. In fact spiff every deal. Pocket money is a great morale booster.

In your deals, be as honest as a boy scout, as frank as a traffic cop, and as understanding as your Mom.

The fixins have not changed. We just need to focus on the ball. Sell people a product they want and they need. And be realistic if they trade.

Happy fixins!!

Idle Thoughts NOTTAGAIN

2009-04-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Apex, NC 4-17-09

Interesting that this past week there was nary a mention in reference to President Lincoln's assassination or to the sad tragedy of the Titanic.

The same economists who did not predict the October collapse are hinting at the recession being over by third quarter. This time I hope they are right.

In 1907, Henry Ford needed salespeople. The best ones did not want to get into the car business; did not trust the new venture. What did Henry do? He paid them more than they were getting selling whatever they were selling. He got his salespeople.

In 1930, in the depths of the recession Ford was holding its own. Ford was always blindly optimistic. He did not care about economic conditions. He knew his optimism would win out. He was right.

You want pink slip protection? Do your job.

Southwest Airlines lost money again. Why? They are the best example of success. Well no one is flying. How do I know that? Because no one is driving. How do I know that? Gas is still two bucks...

Google's growth has slowed. People are searching BUT not buying. One gets fussy with wallet and purse when there is not much in them.

If you are owed a tax refund in the State of North Carolina it is coming by turtle. If you paid on the 15th, North Carolina already cashed your check.

Hero... It is spelled Captain Phillips.

The administration has recommended that GM shelve GMC. Allegedly the President just is not impressed with the GM plan. See what happens when you are forced to take money. Now everyone is a car guy. What goes away next? Sedans?

Today's newest trends: smart phones, social marketing, tiny burgers, Wii, Chapter 11.

There are career fairs out there charging people who are out of work. Huh??

Finally, Limbaugh had a great point today. When capitalism is challenged, government gets stronger. BUT it never works the other way.

See the Business!

2009-04-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

4-13-09 Apex, NC... I sent a friend of mine to the dealership over the weekend. He wants a Trailblazer SS. I suggest that he go see the HUMMER H 3 Alpha as well. It too is a V 8. It is fun, unique and very high profile to ride around in. There are not a lot of these around. It is different. He likes that. Plus you can climb anything in the truck, from an ant hill to Grandfather Mountain. The MPG is the same as the Chevy.

He shows up at the dealership I sent him to. Now remember, this guy is a buyer. He is ready. The salesperson tells him that there are no Alphas in stock . The salesperson does not take his name or his number. He does not suggest driving a used one. He does not ask him if he would be interested in anything else? (Like the Trailblazer SS)!!

My friend leaves. He calls me and tells me the story. I hang up, go over to the wall, and I start beating my head. Because I know there are plenty of salespeople out there who walk their customer. Management never knows. Lost business in this economy simply should not be tolerated. Look at the time wasted.

But I do not blame the salesperson, well not completely. He did not see the business. I blame the training or lack of training this guy has got recently. I mean recently too. Unless training is regular and reaffirmed by management, it goes POOF after a few days.

Now, I am a sales trainer, not half bad; and I am not as busy as I was six months ago. Dealerships are saving money right now. Training ain't cheap. Let the managers do it. Here is a personal message to that salesperson and the manager responsible for results... TRAINING IS AN INVESTMENT. You lost a sale that day. My friend will probably not buy the HUMMER, and he won't be buying the Trailblazer, at least from you.

Oohh. He is a buyer. And he will be buying. Too bad too. I wanted him to buy from you...

I can help you... All you have to do is call.

Happy selling!

Customer, Profit is Your Fault!

2009-04-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

4-11-09 Apex, NC... Holding gross for salespeople is the same as giving the store profit to the customer. Many customers often want something for nothing and are way out of whack with what they believe their trade is worth. Many salespeople want to make as much money as possible as the deal gets structured and want three of those deals a day. This creates a head banging scenario with the customer leaving and the salesperson bruised because of the non-results and time spent.

First be competitive. Your price presentation had better be marketplace driven. DO NOT present price until you have created value. Fair price and profit go hand-in-hand.

Partner with the customer as you assess the trade. Do it together. Assume the trade is a problem. The sales manager knows what the vehicle is worth. The customers have an internet-driven number in their heads that is often an issue.

Ray Kroc once said, "Look after the customer and the business will take care of itself." So listen to your customer. Customer... do not pretend you are in the car business. The Internet is full of creative disinformation. So do your homework as well. Times are getting better; sales are up. Salespeople expect to be paid, that is the profit part. And customers expect a fair and honest transaction. So give it to them. The profit will fall out. If done right, it is the byproduct of the opportunity.

Remember, the $3.49 hot dogs you bought at the grocery store did not cost the store $3.49. The $4.49 salad at the restaurant did not cost it $4.49. Expect profit. The lights will not stay on long if the dealership is breaking even. Profit means a pay check. I know many of you get your paycheck in the normal way, same amount every time, 15th and 31st. That does not happen in the car business. Then add 12 hour days and seven days a week sometimes.

Customer understand your salesperson. Salesperson understand your customer.

Nothing happens until you sell or buy a car...

Happy selling and happy buying and most of all Happy Easter!

Idle Thoughts Yet Again

2009-04-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

4-09-09 Apex, NC

With Southwest Airlines flying in and out of LaGuardia now, there is unusual activity happening at the airport, on-time departures.

GM and Segway unveiled an electric two seat, two wheel vehicle. With GM soon to be cut in half, two wheels seems appropriate.

The land of Facebook has 200 million people. That makes it the fifth largest country in the world. Its motto? What's on your mind.

The G-20 tackled a number of key issues last week. They were also credited with two assists, a pass defensed, a sack and a safety.

The President refused to discuss the Pirates this morning. I think it is because he is a loyal White Sox fan.

Seriously, the Pirates off the African coast can pirate because no one is stopping them. Now we have an American Captain help hostage. Yes Navy, that is a hint.

With consumer confidence slowly growing, oil is going up. Man, I was just about ready to start putting beans with my rice and bologna with my mustard sandwich. Darn.

Locally, because of budget, our school children needing summer school will be denied unless they are graduating next year. I tried to check on this but there are two people saying they run education in North Carolina. And one of them is a Czar.

Ford and GM have started offering payment protection for people who are losing their jobs. Most of the eligible are Big Three employees.

Last night on American Idol, Frankie Avalon sang Venus in honor of Simon Cowell's birth year, 1959. The biggest hit that year was the now little played, "Rude Englishman in a Black T-Shirt" by the Idolettes.

Don't Leave Me a Voice Mail!

2009-04-05T04:53:00.000-07:00

4-5-09 Apex, NC... Things have changed so much since I sported that neat looking gadget on my belt back in 1999. I had the coolest pager on the planet. I could not wait for it to buzz my belt. I would pull over and run to a pay phone, or wait until I could get to a free one to call the number back; "You paged me?"

I loved it... Then I got this HUGE cell phone for my belt. It was so big that I almost had to put it on a two wheel cart to carry the dang thing. I merged to a weather proof one, then a "state of the art one", then one that I was "always over on my minutes", but it had a very neat number pad.

I upgraded again to what was called a BlackBerry.. It was the size of a table calculator. But my boss payed for it so I really loved it... No bill!

I learned to communicate in e-mails to get things done. It was much faster than any phone call. Times being the way they are, last summer, the boss giveth and the boss can taketh away. I had to get a newer nicer BlackBerry on my dime, the Curve.

And now as a small business owner, I now have the right communications' tool.

Now I SMS people, BB messenger people, e-mail and tweet...

If you want me you text me. I react very quickly to this medium. I communicate with my two kids almost 100% in the SMS mode...

I react to e-mails quickly too.

But if you call me at the home office, or leave a message on my Crack, er, BlackBerry, I might not respond for 24 hours.

I tell people, especially my new contacts to "drop me a text first"...

I am knee-deep in the social business networks. If someone in one of those networks needs me, they send me a message from that site. I get it on my BlackBerry, and return the message that way.

My BlackBerry has killed the business telephone.

It has crushed voice mail.

I am deluged with messages. I spent awhile cleaning out the Curve yesterday and I still have 329 messages.

Do not take this wrong; I will return your call. I am in sales for gosh sake... but even my Mother who is 76 knows that texting is the way to go...

See ya voice mail... you are on the way out!!!

Happy selling...

And Happy Palm Sunday, may you stay on HIS good side...

Idle Thoughts (NO NOT) Again

2009-04-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

4-3-2009 Apex, NC...

The number one issue for the FBI is political corruption... Really now.

The President of the United States is considered a rock star by the people in Europe. Nothing new, we consider Elton John a rock star here.

The G-20 protests in London are against capitalism. Here we need to gather and protest against socialism.

North Carolina will probably win it all, but for Detroit's sake and really for the state of Michigan, you have to be at least pulling for Michigan State in the Championship game. They need something. The last feel good story for Detroit was so long ago, I forgot.

That cash for clunker bill better pass in Congress. Now, if I can just get the heap started.

Love him or hate him, Bill O'Reilly's favorite fan is himself... by a mile.

Dave Letterman dislikes Rush Limbaugh... another, really now!

GMAC is financing sub-prime customers again. Bernie Madoff can stop that... Let him out.

General Motors will soon be parted down the middle like the Nile. The "Good" GM stays and the "Bad" GM goes bankrupt. Now, which is which?

Jeff Gordon will win for the first time in Texas,in the NASCAR race on Sunday.

March car sales are way down, but compared to last month, way up... Talk about March Madness...

Look at the market... things are turning the corner. The market has to go way up before my wallet does!

Have a great weekend!

The Newest Hybrid

2009-03-31T15:55:00.000-07:00

3-31-09 Apex, NC... The newest hybrid is one ugly ride. This crazy blend of White House strategy and Automotive challenge is turning this two door into a junk heap. You simply cannot combine politics and economics and see the headlights. For the first time since the 1970's I cannot predict what the heck will happen over the next 30 days and through the 2009 model year.

I know this though, the people running the government are not there for their business sense or their business prowess...

I am worried for our compatriots. I am worried about our middle class and our children. I am worried about the business I love. And I am powerless to stop the Federal decision making process as they pick and choose their targets...

I say keep plugging. Keep selling. And keep your chins up... you are a proud lot. Those of you in the business who voted on 11-4, is this what you voted for?

I think not... especially the union people; you have been let down...

What the %$#&????

2009-03-30T06:10:00.000-07:00

3-30-09 Apex, NC

This will be brief. The White House has a brand new (old) scapegoat. Now it is playing tough guy and hardball with the car business. Out is Wagoner. Fiat better be obliterated into Chrysler...

It is so easy to walk across the playground and pop the 45 pound first grader. Hit 'em while they are weaker and littler. Now, after today, the President can look like a tough guy.

The White House hard ball strategy should slap the Senate Finance Committee. They should pop Barney Frank. Get the paddle out for the fiscal sector NOT the car business. Smack the G-20 while they are all at the same luxury hotel. They should take the Treasury Department to the shed. Whack the oil industry as they enriched themselves on the way to $4.00 gas...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, anything in a full service MEGA-bank like Bank of America needs a whup on the side of the head. How about lining up all those goofballs who let people have credit when they could not even pay attention, let alone their bills. These people in these houses could not even BUY their Mama's love let alone their mortgage. We car people were born at night... just not last night.

I am furious. Wagoner? Come on... He was going to exit down the road anyway, but the timing here stinks.

Get your own (White) House in order. Clobber the bankers who pushed weak paper. Obama is calling this announcement today the Auto Industry's last chance.

UNREAL!!!! I do not think I can calm down. I have something to say to our President and it is not STIMULUS.

Until the people TRULY responsible for the economic mess are brought to justice, these automotive strategies are simply CRAP...