Comments for b/c http://bslashc.com because silence itself is a message. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:37:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Comment on TrueCar Goes Too Far by Steve Stauning http://bslashc.com/2012/01/11/truecar-goes-too-far.aspx#comment-643 Steve Stauning Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:37:47 +0000 http://bslashc.com/?p=305#comment-643 Tom, Thank you for the kind words and especially for the terrific subtitle idea! Best wishes, Steve Tom,
Thank you for the kind words and especially for the terrific subtitle idea!
Best wishes,

Steve

]]> Comment on TrueCar Goes Too Far by Tom Kelly http://bslashc.com/2012/01/11/truecar-goes-too-far.aspx#comment-642 Tom Kelly Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:02:44 +0000 http://bslashc.com/?p=305#comment-642 .......And Steve...your blog, "How TrueCar.com Caught Car Dealers Off Guard" is the very best I have read on the topic sir! Tom …….And Steve…your blog, “How TrueCar.com Caught Car Dealers Off Guard”
is the very best I have read on the topic sir!

Tom

]]> Comment on TrueCar Goes Too Far by Tom Kelly http://bslashc.com/2012/01/11/truecar-goes-too-far.aspx#comment-641 Tom Kelly Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:58:17 +0000 http://bslashc.com/?p=305#comment-641 Well Arnold...."there they go again"..... A straight forward question goes unanswered.... again.....This time the TC president drives by for a hit and run. Believe it when I say that I think the dealer body allowed and encouraged what I'll call Painter and Company and everything he has brought to our industry. As for our excuse for letting it happen....too trusting?, greed?, laziness?.....most dealers would pick too trusting I think....but I would say greed and laziness. I have been pleading for years that dealers take the time to understand vendor/consultant models and follow the money, and understand the full impact of a relationship before they sign. We are for the most part a group of followers and Painter exploited it well. This is not new nor is it only the top level vendors or consultants that back door dealers in a variety of ways. The only difference between Painter and Company and many others amongst us is Painter's monster ego, and thank goodness for that. We were willing to take the injury because we are followers and lazy....when Painter added insult to our injuries with his proclamations about the number of dealers the future holds and the roll of salespeople going forward...and most importantly wanting to take full credit for having made/make it happen (enter the monster ego)....Then and only then did the dealer body wake up. Actually, I agree with Baumberger, I bought his book 3 years ago, contacted him and corresponded with him...I found someone who shared my views of where we were at and where things will certainly go eventually. With or without Painter and Company we will "adapt or die". I am hopeful that there will be a lesson learned but I suspect it will wear off soon or we will not be able to translate these lessons. Steve....I am anxious to read “How TrueCar.com Underestimated America’s Car Dealers.”!!!...may I suggest a sub-title? "proof that hitting the dealer in the head with a thousand pound ego repeatedly will eventually wake them up" Tom Well Arnold….”there they go again”….. A straight forward question goes unanswered…. again…..This time the TC president drives by for a hit and run. Believe it when I say that I think the dealer body allowed and encouraged what I’ll call Painter and Company and everything he has brought to our industry. As for our excuse for letting it happen….too trusting?, greed?, laziness?…..most dealers would pick too trusting I think….but I would say greed and laziness. I have been pleading for years that dealers take the time to understand vendor/consultant models and follow the money, and understand the full impact of a relationship before they sign. We are for the most part a group of followers and Painter exploited it well. This is not new nor is it only the top level vendors or consultants that back door dealers in a variety of ways. The only difference between Painter and Company and many others amongst us is Painter’s monster ego, and thank goodness for that. We were willing to take the injury because we are followers and lazy….when Painter added insult to our injuries with his proclamations about the number of dealers the future holds and the roll of salespeople going forward…and most importantly wanting to take full credit for having made/make it happen (enter the monster ego)….Then and only then did the dealer body wake up. Actually, I agree with Baumberger, I bought his book 3 years ago, contacted him and corresponded with him…I found someone who shared my views of where we were at and where things will certainly go eventually. With or without Painter and Company we will “adapt or die”. I am hopeful that there will be a lesson learned but I suspect it will wear off soon or we will not be able to translate these lessons.
Steve….I am anxious to read “How TrueCar.com Underestimated America’s Car Dealers.”!!!…may I suggest a sub-title? “proof that hitting the dealer in the head with a thousand pound ego repeatedly will eventually wake them up”

Tom

]]> Comment on TrueCar Goes Too Far by Arnold Tijerina http://bslashc.com/2012/01/11/truecar-goes-too-far.aspx#comment-640 Arnold Tijerina Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:37:08 +0000 http://bslashc.com/?p=305#comment-640 Thanks for the comments, Steve. I believe your proposed blog post would be a very interesting read. I did enjoy your blog post I referenced. I thought it was very logical and "real" and not just an attack. Thanks for the comments, Steve. I believe your proposed blog post would be a very interesting read. I did enjoy your blog post I referenced. I thought it was very logical and “real” and not just an attack.

]]> Comment on TrueCar Goes Too Far by Steve Stauning http://bslashc.com/2012/01/11/truecar-goes-too-far.aspx#comment-639 Steve Stauning Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:32:57 +0000 http://bslashc.com/?p=305#comment-639 Arnold, The purchase of these domains reveals the true feelings at TrueCar, regardless of what Mr. Hansen writes. Actions, as they say, speak louder than words. If he knew about the purchases, then he's a liar; and if he did not, then he's a lousy leader. The President of any company should set the tone; and when they do not, then they are ineffective. Along the lines of actions speaking louder than words: one of my clients told me they were suspended in the past 30 days by TrueCar because they refused to send selling price and dealer cost along with the rest of the sales data that TrueCar claims they only use for a sales match. Of course, we all know you don't need those numbers to make a sales match, so I cannot take TrueCar at their word when they say they are not using dealer data against the dealers; clearly their actions say otherwise. Thank you for the kind words about my blog post, though with the crazy momentum in the retail space right now, I may have to do a follow-up post entitled "How TrueCar.com Underestimated America's Car Dealers." Arnold,

The purchase of these domains reveals the true feelings at TrueCar, regardless of what Mr. Hansen writes. Actions, as they say, speak louder than words. If he knew about the purchases, then he’s a liar; and if he did not, then he’s a lousy leader. The President of any company should set the tone; and when they do not, then they are ineffective.

Along the lines of actions speaking louder than words: one of my clients told me they were suspended in the past 30 days by TrueCar because they refused to send selling price and dealer cost along with the rest of the sales data that TrueCar claims they only use for a sales match. Of course, we all know you don’t need those numbers to make a sales match, so I cannot take TrueCar at their word when they say they are not using dealer data against the dealers; clearly their actions say otherwise.

Thank you for the kind words about my blog post, though with the crazy momentum in the retail space right now, I may have to do a follow-up post entitled “How TrueCar.com Underestimated America’s Car Dealers.”

]]> Comment on TrueCar Goes Too Far by Tom Kelly http://bslashc.com/2012/01/11/truecar-goes-too-far.aspx#comment-638 Tom Kelly Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:47:41 +0000 http://bslashc.com/?p=305#comment-638 Arnold.....No matter what, who, where, when, the responsibility rests with TrueCar for the distasteful, disgusting , vulgar domains. Hansen may not be stupid..... but when he says "we're not stupid" he speaks for TrueCar..someone at TrueCar is beyond stupid....I don't give a rip if it was MarkMonitor Brand Protection acting on their own, someone at TC hired them. These domains are the absolute most disgusting things I have ever been exposed to in my 30 years in the business....I am embarrassed for the entire dealer/vendor environment. Tom Arnold…..No matter what, who, where, when, the responsibility rests with TrueCar for the distasteful, disgusting , vulgar domains.
Hansen may not be stupid….. but when he says “we’re not stupid” he speaks for TrueCar..someone at TrueCar is beyond stupid….I don’t give a rip if it was MarkMonitor Brand Protection acting on their own, someone at TC hired them.
These domains are the absolute most disgusting things I have ever been exposed to in my 30 years in the business….I am embarrassed for the entire dealer/vendor environment.
Tom

]]> Comment on TrueCar Goes Too Far by Arnold Tijerina http://bslashc.com/2012/01/11/truecar-goes-too-far.aspx#comment-637 Arnold Tijerina Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:04:18 +0000 http://bslashc.com/?p=305#comment-637 Stephen, people are asking me who authorized the purchase of those domains if you didn't know about it. Care to answer? Stephen, people are asking me who authorized the purchase of those domains if you didn’t know about it. Care to answer?

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