ua1flyer - A "Real" Up-In-The-Air GS
Feb 24, 2013, 9:14 am
#496
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Apparently you haven't bought a car (in the U.S., anyway) recently... 
When I was a sales manager, I found that some of my better salespeople were hired from the car sales business, but there is usually a LOT of drama that comes along with those people. Salespeople generally have big egos, but the entry-level nature and ultra-fierce competitiveness in the car sales business bred a lack of refinement in the way they tended to handle disputes and made teamwork and camaraderie difficult to achieve in our less-competitive setting (the fact we had the level of teamwork and cooperation that we did was something I was proud of achieving). I guess you can take the guy out of the lot but you can't take the lot out of the guy...
Feb 24, 2013, 10:33 am
#497
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Apparently you haven't bought a car (in the U.S., anyway) recently... When I was a sales manager, I found that some of my better salespeople were hired from the car sales business, but there is usually a LOT of drama that comes along with those people. Salespeople generally have big egos, but the entry-level nature and ultra-fierce competitiveness in the car sales business bred a lack of refinement in the way they tended to handle disputes and made teamwork and camaraderie difficult to achieve in our less-competitive setting (the fact we had the level of teamwork and cooperation that we did was something I was proud of achieving). I guess you can take the guy out of the lot but you can't take the lot out of the guy...
Feb 24, 2013, 1:00 pm
#498
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: ord,ewr
Programs: Lifetime UA GS 22 million,AA 1m ,Hilton Li fetime diamond,marriott lifetime platinum hyatt diamond
Posts: 1,000
I actually stumbled onto your car lot rescue via itunes 2 weeks ago and bought the series subscription as I live overseas and would be unable to get it otherwise. I liked the 2nd episode much better and look forward to your upcoming episodes. I didn't realize what low caliber professionals work in car dealerships. BTW you haven't gotten into any of the service issues or mechanics in the first 2 episodes will you be getting into that side soon? Also the financing end?
Apparently you haven't bought a car (in the U.S., anyway) recently... When I was a sales manager, I found that some of my better salespeople were hired from the car sales business, but there is usually a LOT of drama that comes along with those people. Salespeople generally have big egos, but the entry-level nature and ultra-fierce competitiveness in the car sales business bred a lack of refinement in the way they tended to handle disputes and made teamwork and camaraderie difficult to achieve in our less-competitive setting (the fact we had the level of teamwork and cooperation that we did was something I was proud of achieving). I guess you can take the guy out of the lot but you can't take the lot out of the guy...
Hey bud, how are you doing? Can you catch my show in the mid-east? No, I'm not the King of cars. That was a show years back filmed at a Dodge dealership in Las Vegas. The Towbin Family. If you ask the wife, I'm not sure I'm King of the castle! lol
Last edited by iluv2fly; Feb 24, 2013 at 1:12 pm Reason: merge
Feb 24, 2013, 8:50 pm
#499
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Feb 26, 2013, 4:17 am
#500
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However both of them left me coming back to that old saying about common sense obviously not being all that common. With all due respect to Tom, you could have pulled out the sales staff from both of those lots and replaced them with the girl scouts that sell cookies in front of my local supermarket and still have seen an increase in sales!
Feb 26, 2013, 6:00 am
#501
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,502
Let me address your points/questions. As far as the low caliber of professional in the car business, An overwhelming high percentage of new car dealerships are working very hard in the area of improved professionalism. You still have a number of dealerships that don't prescribe to that thinking. Even in the most professional operations some schmucks make it through the cracks...but usually not for long.
But seriously Tom, I simply don't know how you can stand to fly so much. My fun meter pegs out at 100,000 miles a year.
Mar 9, 2013, 6:13 pm
#504
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Denver, CO
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Tom, with the sheer number of miles you clock, I was flummoxed that you spent a week at these dealerships - that's cutting into prime flying time! How do you get so many miles if you're on the ground for five or so days at a time?
Mar 10, 2013, 6:19 am
#505
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: ord,ewr
Programs: Lifetime UA GS 22 million,AA 1m ,Hilton Li fetime diamond,marriott lifetime platinum hyatt diamond
Posts: 1,000
Having been a new car purchaser from 1974 through now, I can attest to Tom's assertion that at least in the sale of new cars, professionalism has improved across the industry, and I think the Internet has driven this improvement. The days of high pressure "you have to make this deal now because this is the last car available" are over. Unless you as the buyer don't do any research.
But seriously Tom, I simply don't know how you can stand to fly so much. My fun meter pegs out at 100,000 miles a year.
But seriously Tom, I simply don't know how you can stand to fly so much. My fun meter pegs out at 100,000 miles a year.
That's news to me.
We taped the 8 episodes in 2011. I still did over 800,000 that year. I have been asked to do a pilot for an offbeat travel show that would take me all over internationally, but that is only on the drawing board. at this point.
Last edited by iluv2fly; Mar 10, 2013 at 8:44 am Reason: merge
Mar 10, 2013, 4:28 pm
#506
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New York and Vienna
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I had fun even flying a million miles last year. I don't see myself doing it again because of so many domestic committments at this time though. I will do probably 6-7,000,000 this year and will love everymile of it. Have some great trips planned with the wife and some others with friends and family.
Mar 10, 2013, 9:42 pm
#509
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.
Posts: 9,684
Tom, was there in the C18 RCC for UA's presentation to you, so I felt as a UA employee, I needed to repay your loyalty to us with watching your show. Just flipped thru the channel guide and saw that episode 3 is 1/2 over on Spike so I turned it on. Dying of laghter. The sales manager was refering to you as a tool (as in 1 who is brought in to accomplish a particular task) and you replied "You're a tool!" ROFLMAO!!!
Anyway, commercial over, so need to get back and watch the rest of this.
Thanks again,
fastair.
Anyway, commercial over, so need to get back and watch the rest of this.
Thanks again,
fastair.
