Three weeks had passed. While sitting at my desk, I looked up and there was Al, standing before me with a big grin.
"Tonight — my house — 6 o'clock" he announced.
"Done," I replied.

We sat poolside and reviewed the past month.
"Congratulations on being top salesman, Pete. What's happened; something's different; what did you do?"
His questions were coming so quickly; he didn't give me a chance to respond.

"Al, I stopped selling cars and started selling myself. I did exactly what I did in plumbing for 20 years. I gave customers attention and patience and taught them how to make an informed choice based on their needs. Once the need was identified, it was filled by someone they had come to trust. I showed your long-time sales people a little respect and helped them in any way I could. They reciprocated by answering questions no one else would or could. That builds team spirit, Al, a sense that we can all help each other. The new people find that attractive and they want to participate."

All I have to do now is generate a list of questions that green peas need the answers to and prepare a course outline. Maybe we can produce a training video? Al, let me put it into a nutshell. The green peas are burning too many opportunities, that's true. But, this organization is burning all of its green peas — that's your mountain to conquer, and it's done with training, teamwork and the right culture; the feeling that we're all in this together and there is always someone there to help out."

It's amazing the similarities that one can find between the car business and our industry. I was giving Al the same seminar I had given to thousands of contractors.

The next step was to get Al involved personally with his sales crew. "Al, how about you doing a little training? Let's set up a specific time each week and have a sales meeting with the crew. All you have to do is answer their questions. You'll get to mingle with your people and find out their concerns." He agreed.

That first meeting was a huge boost to that dealership. Al was a phenomenal speaker in front of a group. He had so many personal experiences to share that we all watched him wide-eyed. He is a dynamic personality and he believes everything he is saying to you. He talked about opportunities in the automobile industry, dealing with difficult customers, effective negotiating, recognizing customer's buying signals, customer questions and how to answer them and he went on an on with priceless tips he had stored away for years. This man was the fountain of information we were all looking for. Al has now put on several such Question and Answer sessions. What a difference in everyone's attitude; including the management.

Turnover has all but halted, new employees are blending in more readily and there is considerably more laughter than before. He and his employees now share a mutual respect and a common vision. Oh yes, the sales continue to climb.