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shirohniichan Original500© Member  Obscurius per obscurum
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My dealership went through a lot of drama last year when our general manager got transfered to another store. I wanted to quit back then, but I decided to ride out the changes and to see what would happen. The corporate powers that be decided to bring in a whiz kid who talked a good game, offered to work for less, but had no experience. They told him to keep things as they were since our store was doing so well. Within a month he had driven away the management under him and brought in friends from the last dealership he was at. Because he let me run my department the way I liked, I stayed on while the rest of the store fell apart before my eyes. After about 4 months of his mismanagement, he was forced to quit. The company higher ups took over 2 months to find a replacement general manager and let the store languish in the mean time. The new guy came in and brought us out of the downward spiral and got us on our feet again. We were actually out of the red and into the black again. Yesterday he was fired, and the main cause was his incompatibility with the district boss. I guess the higher ups prefer brown-nosers to those who know how to run a store. Yesterday I also was informed my assistant's position was eliminated. To cap things off, I had to sign a new pay plan that will cut my income 35 to 40%. Thanks, guys. The former general manager warned his bosses that the good salesmen (including me) will leave when the pay plans were so drastically cut. I heard from another source that they said something to the effect that "a monkey could do [my] job." Before he left, my GM told me not to panic but to stay on for a bit to see what would happen. He didn't want to tell me what was happening, but he said there is a struggle going on above him and he said I should wait and see how it turns out. I've already been contacted by another dealership about heading up a new fleet department for them. While I really don't like changing jobs (I've been at my current store for the last 3 1/2 years), I have to keep an open mind so I'll be ready should things completely fall apart where I'm at. I'm going to talk with them to see what they have to offer. Maybe I can make an even better income than before. To continue the ship metaphor, we've struck an iceburg and I'm waiting to see how bad the hull damage is. We're taking on water quickly, but I don't know if we're going to sink for sure. Do you have a checklist to decide when to abandon ship?
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cdmead Original500© Member 
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There are days I'm so happy I didn't go into Sales. I've seen your situation before. An overperforming salesperson does what he or she should to sell the product, and management is ticked because he or she made so much money not realizing how much more they made because of you. Personally, I'd seriously consider the other position. At least talk to them if it can be done quietly, without your current bosses knowing. As far as a checklist is concerned, by cutting your pay by a third, management has already shown they don't care whether you stay with them or not. It's tough moving to another job because the current place becomes a comfortable routine. Unfortunately, your routine is, as you have said, taking on water. Charlie
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sirlamre Pioneer100© Member Official Forum Troublemaker
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"As far as a checklist is concerned, by cutting your pay by a third, management has already shown they don't care whether you stay with them or not." Agreed--- that, and if they don't see the wisdom in effective sales, you'd better start running... As a customer, I once wrote a letter to the heads of a company like that-- Went right above the local sales/technical folks who I knew were getting their chains yanked. Went right above their managers--- and right to the top. Told the national level management team and THEIR bosses that it was clear to the customer side that there was politics and careerism going on at the regional management level.. And that if their motive was 'competition between regions/sales levels' is a good thing-- then they weren't getting what they thought out of it--- that I knew of half a dozen angry customers, who were all angry NOT with their local salespeople, but with the obvious political games going on a couple levels above the customer contact level--- It straightened out some chit -- in just a couple of months, they'd made some big changes at that level of management just above the people a customer ever meets...the guys that are the bosses at the office where customers never go... .but that isn't "top corporate" either...
 Turn thou unto God and say: O my Sovereign Lord! I am but a vassal of Thine, and Thou art, in truth, the King of kings. I have lifted my suppliant hands unto the heaven of Thy grace and Thy bounties. |
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shirohniichan Original500© Member Obscurius per obscurum
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Personally, I'd seriously consider the other position. At least talk to them if it can be done quietly, without your current bosses knowing. That's going to be my plan of action. I'm going to an interview at another dealer tomorrow that's owned by a different auto group. Once I have a lifeboat ready I can make my move. One of my other options is to see if I can move to another dealer within my current network. If the GM at that store and I can work out a decent pay plan, I can stay with the company and work even closer to home.
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DBeavers Guest
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Your post makes me even more thankful about my decision to go it on my own 2 decades ago and start my own business. While I enjoy sales, I can't imagine going to work everyday wondering if I'll have or want the job come 5 PM. If it were me, I'd be talking to the other dealership outside your corporate structure. Staying within the company by moving to another location jsut postpones the hard decision until the next manager/dealer goes down. Just my personal opinion. Dennis Bevers BASSCO, Inc.
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shirohniichan Original500© Member Obscurius per obscurum
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If it were me, I'd be talking to the other dealership outside your corporate structure. Staying within the company by moving to another location jsut postpones the hard decision until the next manager/dealer goes down. I hear you. Our corporate structure has Market Presidents (MP) overseeing approximately 8 to 12 stores each. Each MP receives guidelines from corporate headquarters, but still has some leeway in how he structures pay plans for sales and other positions. My current MP is supposedly the stingiest of the bunch. I'm going to see what the other owner can offer before seeing if transfering makes any sense.
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BNE Original500© Member 
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I also agree: it's time to look elsewhere. Asking you to take a pay cut reflects what they think of you. Regardless of "what happens" after your highly compensated superiors act out their little mudfight, they've let the sales staff know they are now viewed as scum. Find someone who values you. That being said, I would explain my reasons for leaving (politely) to the GM, tell him you'll be keeping an interested eye on what happens at the dealership in the future, and that -- if things work out the way your GM expects -- you would be happy to consider an offer to return. (No sense in burning bridges. . . .) P.S. I hope your new position is with a foreign make. American auto manufacturers are committing suicide, gleefully.
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shirohniichan Original500© Member Obscurius per obscurum
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P.S. I hope your new position is with a foreign make. American auto manufacturers are committing suicide, gleefully. Yes, I sell Japanese cars. I wish I could buy a great American car. There are more decent ones around these days, and some are even "good". Unless you're willing to pony up big bucks for the better American cars (I've heard Caddies are much better than they used to be), you'll have a hard time finding a reliable, well-made car from the Big Three. I went to another store today for my first interview. The difference in the whole feel of the store surprised me. Morale seemed much better (surprise, surprise), and there were more employees busy at work. Everyone was dressed nicer, also. It made a very good impression on me. Too bad I'd have to drive twice as far to get to work. I showed them my sales numbers and former compensation package, so I'll see if we're on the same page when I go back. I'm going to one more dealer closer to my house this week or early next week before my second interview at the far-away store. I met with the General Sales Manager today and will meet the General Manager on Thursday of next week at the distant store, but I can go directly to the GM of the nearby store since I already know him. Wish me luck! 
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BNE Original500© Member
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Go get 'em! And practice saying: "Ya gotta get that Tru-Coat, that's good stuff!"
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shirohniichan Original500© Member Obscurius per obscurum
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Things are really moving now.  Yesterday I applied for a transfer to another store in the same owner's group. The market president turned me down, and he went on to say that if I tried to quit and get hired at another store within the dealer group to go around his transfer denial, he'd make a note that I am not eligible for rehire. That gave me two options, to go over him for a transfer or to leave my current dealer group (the far-away dealer isn't part of our group). I decided to play politics and keep a few options open. I called the manufacturer's district operations manager (the one who sells the manufacturer's cars to dealers) and told him I may be leaving his market. Since he didn't want to lose my business, he called my dealer's owner and came down hard on them to let me transfer to the other store in they own (which is in his district). Now that the market president sees he has been out manouvered, he had a sales manager from my dealer call me to see if we can work out a deal. At this point it is too late. The market president has shown humself to be petty and ruthless. Why would I want to continue working for him? He took away my assistant and slashed my pay 30%. What can he offer me now? On Thursday I have another interview to go to, and in the mean time I'll see if the store I'm considering transfering to can come up with a decent pay plan to keep me within the same dealership network.
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pmh1nic Pioneer100© Member 
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Kudos Shiro! I hope things work out well for you wherever you end up.
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shirohniichan Original500© Member Obscurius per obscurum
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On Wednesday night my Market President found out he'd been out-manouvered and that I could transfer if I wanted, so he called to tell me there must have been "a misunderstanding" and that he didn't mean to cut my pay so much. I wonder if taking away my assistant was a misunderstanding also. I dunno-- I thought I understood his message quite clearly when he did both of those things. I went to my second interview at the other dealership group and was offered the job. They didn't come out and ask me if I would sign on the dotted line and made some assumptions, so I was a bit surprised when their HR department told me to come in on Monday to complete my background check and to start training. I had to call the GSM (General Sales Manager) and ask him for the pay proposal in writing before I'd commit. On my way back from my interview I got a call from the GM (General Manager) at the other dealer within my group asking me to stop by and see if there was anything we could do so I could transfer over there. He also showed me a proposed pay plan but didn't give me a hard copy, so I have to wait and see what both places offer today. Whatever happens, I can't imagine myself at my current store any later than next week. I just need to look over both offers and take the one that makes the most sense.
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sirlamre Pioneer100© Member Official Forum Troublemaker
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good deal! I would say that the MP at the first dealership is to be NO more trusted than Saddam... He may HAVE to give in now, and play BS politics... but since you've embarassed him publicly, by making his chit clear to the higher ups--- you can be sure he'd have it in for you, and next time, he wouldn't do it in a way that the higher ups would disagree with. We had that happen at one of our customer sites (when I was a vendor) --- a guy shirohniichan wrote: On Wednesday night my Market President found out he'd been out-manouvered and that I could transfer if I wanted, so he called to tell me there must have been "a misunderstanding" and that he didn't mean to cut my pay so much. I wonder if taking away my assistant was a misunderstanding also. I dunno-- I thought I understood his message quite clearly when he did both of those things.
Turn thou unto God and say: O my Sovereign Lord! I am but a vassal of Thine, and Thou art, in truth, the King of kings. I have lifted my suppliant hands unto the heaven of Thy grace and Thy bounties. |
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shirohniichan Original500© Member Obscurius per obscurum
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A lot has happened in the last few weeks. I decided to transfer within my dealer group to the dealer nearest me. It almost didn't happen because the Market President (MP) overseeing my former store threatened to make sure I would not get paid any more at my new dealership. The ironic thing is that while he said it would be "unfair" for the other dealer to offer me more money, he would give me more money if I stayed.  I told him I was leaving no matter what he did, so he approved my transfer. He acted like the proverbial "woman scorned" and tried to mess up my pay plan at the new store. He made a proposal that all MPs use the same pay plan so my pay would be just as bad at the new store as it had been at his store after the cut. So far we have found a way around it. If he continues to harrass me and make things difficult for me at my new store, I can always leave the dealer group and go to the store farther away. For now, at least, I am selling more cars and enjoying life more. Let's hope it stays that way. 
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24HourNut Administrator  Body pillows rock!
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Good for you, Shiro. It sucks how some people have to be real jerks, eh? At least you have options and are adapting, fighting back, and winning.
The best human beings start good new topics and vote on the better posts. |
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