So the Big Three say they need a bail out too huh? I could use a bailout. How about you? Hey I got an idea, let's bail out every single business in the United States that doesn't know how to create value and make money.
Let's bail out every company that the CEO's can still afford to fly around in private jets while their employees are wondering if they will have a job next year. How's that?
I can tell you why the big three are almost bankrupt, and it's not because they make shitty automobiles. As a matter of fact I think they make great automobiles; I have a Chevy Avalanche sitting in my driveway that I love and I know the engine will get 300,000 miles without breaking a sweat. I'm a Chevy guy all the way.
I used to sell Chevy's. As a matter of fact, not so long ago I got fired from a Chevy Dealership because I didn't do enough ass kissing. They would tell you it's because I didn't sell enough cars but we both know the truth. But that's another story.
The biggest reason why these guys are losing their shirts is because they gave their cars and trucks away, plain and simple. Now I know most of you reading this are saying bullshit. But I know this for a fact because I was there. I was on the front line trying to get peoples business so I could put food on my table for my family and keep my home.
Our biggest problem wasn't the foreign auto makers. They weren't our competition, our biggest competition was ourselves. A Chevy guy was a Chevy guy and a Ford guy was a Ford guy, and they were gonna buy it (from the dealer with the best deal of course). I bet from any one of us there is at least 4 chevy or GM dealerships within driving distance.
When I was the Internet Manager for this last Dealership I would literally give cars and trucks away. And you know what? That still wasn't enough for the savy consumer. I would offer vehicles at dealer cost, below dealer cost; what ever it took. Plus the consumer would get factory discounts that put them well below what it cost to make that automobile; and it still wasn't enough. Even then I would say to myself I don't know how these guys can stay in business giving everything away. For that matter...I didn't know how (I) could stay in business.
A friend of mine who is still in the car business told that during employee pricing they had to let these cars go for below even that to get the customers business. This is insane!!! We have to sell the car for less than what we could buy it for just to make $100.00 or less?
And the reason why we had to sell cars so cheap? Because the guy down the street would sell the same product for 100 bucks less just to get the business in hopes that this customer would tell a friend or come back and buy another car in the future. Which usually rarely happened.
Well, those days of customer loyalty are long gone in the car business. When it comes right down to it these Auto Makers and Dealers were so greedy that they just saturated the market with Dealers and Automobiles who were all trying to get the same guy/gal/families business. Tell me, how are you supposed to create value when there are that many places to go and get the same product? There is no value, it will always come down to price.
Why do you think Mercedes doesn't have a dealership in every town? Why do you think Harley Davidson doesn't have to give away it's product's? Because they know how "not" to compete with themselves and they know how to create value in the products they sell. It is not because they make a better automobile.
I do not believe these companies should get bailed out. Why? It's just throwing good money after bad. The ones that should get bailed out are all the people who staked their whole lives on these companies to take care of them in their old age. They should get this money. When or if the automaker goes under and these people lose their jobs or their pensions give them the money to start new.
Give them the money to start their own business or to find a new line of work.
So what does this have to do with you? Well, if you don't have your own private jet to dart around the county in, then I would say it has everything to do with you (and me).
The days of working for a company for 20 or 30 years and expecting them to be around to pay you into your old age is gone. This revolution is over and a new one is just beginning and new millionares will be born from it.
Every American should go on strike, stop working, stop paying any and all of their bills and let the whole system fall apart. Then maybe...just maybe the government will divide this money that they have so much of too give, to the people that really deserve and need the bailout.
You and Me!!! (Not the assholes in the private jets)
Just a suggestion...
Nuff said.
Allen Long
http://www.Allenlong.net
