Twitter, Facebook, myspace, text messages, and the like have changed the way we communicate with each other. Gone are the days where we have hours to get our points of emphasis across to our customers. This presents some serious challenges for all of us.

Now, we have but seconds to communicate our selling propositions. Our customers have become accustomed to this "nano-second" communication and we must follow suit in order to be competitive.

Over the years, we were taught to communicate without the use of slang and industry jargon, but now the game has suddenly changed. LOL, WTH, BRB, IMHO, : ), ; ), P ), have all replaced normal english as an effective means of communication. If you don't know what these various symbols mean, you better catch on fast. It's a new language that we must all master.

The real challenge becomes how do we communicate in this environment while still being professional and credible? This shortened communication span makes the use of sarcasm, humor, an...

People ask me all the time what it is we are doing to sell the number of cars we are selling in the middle of an extremely challenging environment. For those of you unfamiliar with me, I am involved in a brand new Suzuki start up currently selling out of a temporary (read mobile home) facility in Wichita, Kansas. We opened the doors in October of 2007 and are the 10th highest volume Suzuki dealership in the U.S. through July (I state this not to be self serving, but to give some background).
So, what is it that we do that others are, apparently, unable to do? You could make an argument that our people are better (the management team has been together for over 15 years), our processes are better (yep, we track and measure everything), our economy is better (we are fortunate to be in the Midwest which has been spared many of the challenges affecting other parts of the counrty), or even our product is better (umm, probably not). Luck might play a part as well.
I believe the answer ...

The current business environment is as tough as I can ever remember. Major lending institutions are tightening underwriting, laying off staff, or ceasing operations all together. There are parts of the country that are in absolute economic purgatory, stuck in a quagmire of doom and gloom. Strong dealers who were highly profitable only twelve short months ago are closing their doors at an alarming rate. Reading the latest news publications only serves to further reinforce the end of our business as we know it. Or does it?
One of my good friends, Greg Goebel, likes to say that things are never as good as they seem when they are good, and never as bad as they seem when they are bad. While this is absolutely true, it doesn’t necessarily help those who are facing the toughest battles of their lives. How then do you not only survive, but thrive in this perfect storm?
Decide NOT to Participate!
Decide NOT to buy into all the negative news and figure out a way to dominate your mark...

I am excited about being invited to blog about an industry that I truly love. This site has an amazing collection of talent and I am proud to call many of you friends. I look to learn a lot from many of you and hope that my contributions will help some of you as well.
One caveat; I am opinionated and head-strong. I will make comments that many of you will not, neccesarily, agree with. I will ALWAYS keep it within the spirit of education and the quest for learning. I don't take things personally and will never make a personal attack. We can agree to disagree from time to time; this is how we learn. I look forward to learning and sharing from/with you.
Thank you for the opportunity to be involved in such a tremendous network.
Tom White Jr.
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