Transcript 0:00 This is In The Dirt with ASOTU. [engine revving] All right, so I'm sitting here with Tracy. Tracy is better known as the chemist of the Ferman organization, right? Yes. Yeah. 0:12 So how did you get the title which is now recently known? How did you get the title of the chemist? Um, actually, we were trying to come up with something for the laboratory. 0:20 You know, uh, coming in, saving deals, training the salespeople, holding them accountable to do everything they're supposed to do. So I guess chemist, I... Yeah, chemist, chemist would work. Yeah. I like it. All right. 0:33 So explain to me, because, uh, most dealerships don't have a place that they call a laboratory. 0:39 That's normally held for colleges and medi- medical professions, but what is the laboratory for the Fer- uh, for this group at Ferman? Um, the laboratory is, um, basically holding salespeople accountable. 0:51 Um, sitting with them, going over, um, all their walk-in leads, going through internet leads, just making sure we're not missing anybody. Um, a lot of them still need training. 1:01 Even if they've been here a long time, they forget things, so it's a constant reminder, which is, which is actually really good because as we're reminding them in here, when they go out there on the floor now, they're doing it themselves. 1:14 You know, 'cause they know eventually, you know, I try to sit with them at least twice a week, that they're gonna have to sit and do it in here, so they're doing it out there. 1:24 So it's, the more people I can get do it out there, the more opportunities we have to bring p- more people back in. That's awesome. What do you love most about this particular job? 1:35 'Cause you were a sales manager before, right? Yes. I love helping the salespeople. I love being creative with them. I... You know, getting a guest back in, you know, doing the videos, uh, helping them, uh, with words. 1:48 You know, a lot of them don't like getting on the phone. They don't like getting on the phone 'cause they don't know what to say, so I'm loading their lips as they're getting on the phone. 1:56 Um, if they're not answering, telling them what to text them, telling them to go shoot a video. I mean, it's just... It, it's on and on and on and on, and it's relentless. And they a- [laughs]... they actually love it. 2:08 They really love it. I'm actually so passionate about it because they have bought in, so that's my excitement. That's my... I love helping them. 2:18 I love that they come in and find me, wanting to sit in here, instead of me going to chase them and bring them in, which I thought when we started this, that's the way it was gonna be, but it's the opposite. 2:29 They wanna come in here and sit. I love it. Yeah, because people are passionate about growing. They want the... 2:34 Like, people want a career path no matter where they're at, and career path happens not just w- like, to the next thing, but also within your current career. 2:42 Can you g- like, I'm sure you have a story or a couple stories of really cool successes that you've seen out of people leaning into their career. I do. All right, here we go. Um, I have the, the biggest one. 2:54 Um, when I first came in here, I had one of the used car guys come in here, and we were going over his weekend traffic. And he mentioned this guy in the Jeep, and he only wanted that Jeep. 3:04 We couldn't get to his payments. And it's like, "But we got four other Jeeps out there." "Nope, he won't take any other Jeep." They... If I hear that, I mean, I... 3:11 If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I would probably be a millionaire right now. But anyways, I said, "That's okay. Let's call him anyways. 3:18 Let's offer him that other vehicle again" Well, it just so happened we called them. They went shopping. They realized, yes, that was out of their budget, even though that's what they wanted. 3:27 They had to have all these options. Well, they started settling. So, uh, we called at the perfect time, got them in. 3:35 They ended up buying another Jeep that they didn't even really want, but they started settling because they realized what they wanted, they couldn't afford. So... 3:43 And there are so many stories like that, you know, where I'm forcing the salesperson to get out of their comfort zone and call these people, see how their shopping's going because they're not gonna call us back after leaving here, so we have to do the follow-up with them. 3:55 So, but that's one of the s- success stories that i- it made a believer out of that salesperson now. 4:01 Don't ever believe what the guest says because once they go shopping, that they couldn't afford it, they're gonna start stepping down, you know, and go after something that's more reasonable for them. You know, it... 4:12 For, uh, the sh- there's other salespeople or managers that maybe don't have the opportunity to sit with someone like yourself in our industry, h- what... 4:20 how would you encourage them to, like, pick up their own, uh, stuff and, and, and find their own way and make sure that they're progressing in the way that you get to help people if they don't, maybe don't have someone like you in their store? 4:32 Uh, they're just gonna have to find time, really. I mean, sitting at the desk, um, sometimes gets a little convoluted. Like, you're trying to help salespeople. You need to be there to desk a deal. 4:42 You have a guest that's complaining. So having this separate is huge. I mean, it really is, 'cause then you can focus right on that salesperson, and they know you're focusing straight on them. 4:52 So they like that attention, too. They like to be... They like to be noticed. They want everybody to help them, so having it separate, it ju- it just helps. It's, it's a win-win for the dealership. That's awesome. 5:05 And how long have you been in the industry? Oh my gosh. I'm not gonna say, 'cause- [laughs] About 35 years. Congra- that's amazing, though. No, that's awesome. 5:15 So to people that are, like, maybe they've just started in the industry or they've never been in an, an industry before, uh, or maybe they're, they're... 5:22 they've been in it long-suffering and they're going, "Oh, I'm just tired," what would you say to those people that, that... like, how to get them continuing in earnest toward a career path? Um, I would say honestly, just 5:37 somebody that's been in the business for a while, you gotta love it. I mean, really, you have to love it. Um, if you don't love it, I would say get out quickly. 5:46 [laughs] Um, find something that you're passionate about, that you love. But we're fortunate here. We have a lot of people that, that love cars, love selling cars, and they're just very talented people. That's awesome. 5:59 That's awesome. Well, thanks for spending a little bit of time. Congrats on your new role as a chemist. [laughs] Yay. And thank you so much for caring for the people in our industry in the unique way that you do. 6:10 I really appreciate it. Awesome. Thank you for listening to In the Dirt with ASOTU. We love the automotive industry and the people who make it run day in and day out. 6:20 We would love to connect with you more through our daily dose of fun, a free email that you can sign up for at asotu.com. That's A-S-O-T-U dot com. We put our heart and soul into it every day. Thanks again for listening. 6:33 Join us next time for more conversations In the Dirt with ASOTU. [upbeat music]
