Aikido and the Car Guy

Technorati Profile

Failure

Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.
Morihei Ueshiba

Made in the U.S. of A

I am compiling data on where, and how much of where, the cars we buy and sell in the States are made. There is info out there but alot of it is slanted in the direction the presenter wants it to be. Imagine.  I am not trying to convince anybody to buy or not to buy (I feel a category coming on) particular brands or products.  Frankly, I will sell you any brand you want. I am a car wh.., uh' I'm an automotive liberal.  I do think that there is a way that the facts should be considered and I will try to present that.  The following has already been printed and reprinted and I won't do much of this, but it does get the topic rolling.

According to the federal government, a vehicle with a 75-percent or more domestic parts rating is classified as a domestic vehicle. The web-based resource site Cars.com has compiled the 'American Made Index' that lists the top ten vehicles made i n the U.S. according to where their parts came from, where they were finally assembled, and even how many were sold in the U.S.

The ten vehicles and where they're assembled are:

1. Ford F-Series - Dearborn, Mich.; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; Norfolk, Va. (Except Ford F-650, F-750)
2. Chevrolet Silverado - Fort Wayne, Ind.; Pontiac, Mich.
3. Toyota Camry; Camry Solara - Georgetown, Ky. (Except hybrid Camry)
4. Ford E-Series - Lorain, Ohio
5. Chevrolet Cobalt - Lordstown, Ohio (pictured)
6. Ford Explorer - Louisville, Ky.; St. Louis, Mo.
7. Chevrolet Malibu/Malibu Maxx - Kansas City, Kan.
8. Ford Escape - Kansas City, Mo.
9. Toyota Sienna - Princeton, Ind.
10. Chevrolet TrailBlazer - Moraine, Ohio (Except now discontinued TrailBlazer EXT)

[Source: Cars.com via PR Newswire]

Not a Ford car in the bunch.  No Chrysler product at all. I bet next year's list has Toyota's Tundra trucks included.  More to come.

Homichek's Law

I have often said that someday I would compile the Car business version of Murphy's Laws.  In my head the list was always Murphy's Laws of th Car Business.  Today, as I thought about my first post on the subject I decided that this wouldn't do.

I have met many characters in this business.  Lots of 'em.  And many of the Laws can be attributed to them.  And I am sure that in most cases, the Law did not originate with any particular person and even if it did, I can't remember whom I first heard invoke the thing.

There is no, real, Homichek.  He is a composite of the Car Lot Sages I have met over twenty plus years.  He is, in my mind, a wise man and a wise ass.  Many of these bits of wisdom are interchangeable with other industries.  Most, that are focused at the customer, can be reversed and aimed squarely and accurately back at the business I am in.  So don't get mad.  Stay centered and relax.  A first Law follows.

How do you know if a customer is lying?... Their lips are moving.

If you have a suggestion for additions to Homichek's Laws, post a comment or email me.

The Art of Peace

To practice properly the Art of Peace, you must: Calm the spirit and return to the source, cleanse the body and spirit by removing all malice, selfishness and desire. Be ever grateful for the gifts received from the Universe, your family, Mother Nature, and your fellow human beings.

Morihei Ueshiba
founder of Aikido

The four principles of Aikido

Basic Aikido lesson number one.  There are, according to various translations of the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, O Sensei, four basic principles of the philosophy and martial art of Aikido.  They are:

• Relax completely.  Always a good idea, regardless philosophical leanings.
• Keep weight underside.  Maintain your balance.  Don't get carried away. Be strong in your position.
• Maintain one point.  Focus.  Keep your eye on your goal.  Concentrate on the task at hand.
• Extend Ki.  Put all of your energy , all of your being, into your purpose.

Think about anything that you may want or have to do.  Whether defending yourself from an physical attack or dealing with a disagreement at work or home.  Maybe you are changing a flat tire, in the dark, on a rainy night on the freeway, in a snowstorm and you're late for something.

There is a saying in martial arts about achieving black belt rank.  It goes something like, "Once you have reached black belt, you know enough to be considered a beginner."

I have felt the four principles of Aikido work for me, at times.  I don't use them often enough. I forget.  I am still a beginner. 

 

This place is going to rock!

I started selling cars for a living in the fall of 1985.  Gary Tipton was then the new car sales manager for Jim White Toyota and I give him credit, or blame, for hiring me for my first auto sales job.  Most of my working life up to that point, had been spent in the wholesale grocery business.  I really didn't see myself as a long term car salesman.  Twenty one plus years later, I am back at Jim White Toyota.  This is actually my third stint.  For me, it really is the only place I wanted to work when I closed my business in 2006. Took me about a day to decide and fortunately, there was an opening for me. 

The next time you are ready to buy a car, new or used, remember  how I felt about where I wanted to work.  Buying a car can be a miserable task.  So too, can selling a car. The atmosphere, the people and the product that made Jim White Toyota the only real choice for me, are the same reasons that you should buy your next vehicle at our store.

In a few more weeks, an all new dealership will finally emmerge from the long remodeling ordeal.  The building will be new and clean and spacious.  But the people and the feeling that you are welcome and not pressured and can get an honest answer to your questions will be the same as it has for twenty one plus years.  It's a great place to buy a car.

Aikido and the Car Guy

I'm new to the "naming a blog" game. I have wanted to start a website or blog that might be of interest and value to friends and clients, both old and new.  I have plenty of ideas. We'll see if I can put them together in a spirited and harmonious way.