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Authors: Stuart Harrison
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don’t you think? Gives a man stability,
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something to work for. My only regret is that neither of my kids were interested in coming into the business. They’ve both done well by themselves, though. One of them’s a lawyer, the other’s a doctor. I’m proud of them. You got kids of your own, Mike?”
“Just one,” he said. “A girl.”
Wilson considered this for a moment. Michael had the idea that being divorced was a mark against him, but Wilson must have decided it was something he could overlook, and he waved a hand as if dismissing the subject.
“Let me tell you about the job, Mike,” he said.
They sat down, and Michael listened as Wilson outlined what the position involved. It was about what he’d expected. The business had done well enough over the years, but as Wilson had recognized, things were changing. Competition from out of town meant that some people, especially the younger ones, were tempted by deals and all kinds of offers. A lot of fancy stuff on the side, as Wilson put it. The company’s reputation, which was what they’d always traded on, was getting forgotten about when it was measured up against the glitz and glitter of their competitors.
“This business has been around a long time, Mike. My dad started it after the war, and he had a philosophy that’s always worked well for us: Treat people right, they’ll do the same by you. That’s it in a nutshell. See, we look after our customers, and that’s why they come back. Of course, it means the automobiles we sell cost a few dollars more because we back every one up with a guarantee, but people come back because they know they can trust us. We’re good people, I guess.” He grinned at himself. “Guess that sounds old-fashioned these days.”
“I don’t think the values you’re talking about ever go out of fashion,” Michael offered. “It’s the way you communicate them that has to change.”
Wilson cocked an eyebrow. “Values. That is what I’m talking about, I guess. It’s a word you don’t hear too often these days. I think you may have hit the nail on the head, Mike. Values is what we’re all about here. We stand for the way things used to be, when it wasn’t all a fast buck and make it anyway you can.” He shook his head sorrowfully. “Nowadays, seems like that’s all young folks care about.”
“I guess it seems that way sometimes,” Michael ventured.
“Even a town like this isn’t immune to it.” Wilson gestured with
a sweep of his arm toward the window. “We’ve always provided a service here, a fair deal for a fair price, and we’ve always taken care of our customers. If you have a problem with a vehicle you bought from us, we’ll take care of you. Not like some of these places. Once they have your money, they don’t ever want to hear from you again. If you got a problem, it’s your problem, not theirs. People forget that when they sign up on some deal that gets them a fistful of Texaco vouchers and a free case of beer. That won’t do them any good when the damn head blows a mile or two down the road.”
Wilson shook his head ruefully. “I guess there’s no point in just complaining about it, that won’t do any good. We have to move with the times, I can see that. We have to let people know about what we stand for. Tell them about our values.” He paused. “You’ve had a chance to take the place in a little. What would you do if the job was yours, Mike?”
Michael gave the impression of giving the question some contemplation before replying, though in reality he could see what the issues were. “My opinion is that what you’ve got here is essentially an image problem,” he said eventually.
He watched for Wilson’s reaction to see just how open to new ideas the old man was. It was okay to pay lip service to the recognition a business needed to change, but sometimes when it came down to it, the people in charge balked at the practicalities. Wilson, however, indicated
44
something to work for. My only regret is that neither of my kids were interested in coming into the business. They’ve both done well by themselves, though. One of them’s a lawyer, the other’s a doctor. I’m proud of them. You got kids of your own, Mike?”
“Just one,” he said. “A girl.”
Wilson considered this for a moment. Michael had the idea that being divorced was a mark against him, but Wilson must have decided it was something he could overlook, and he waved a hand as if dismissing the subject.
“Let me tell you about the job, Mike,” he said.
They sat down, and Michael listened as Wilson outlined what the position involved. It was about what he’d expected. The business had done well enough over the years, but as Wilson had recognized, things were changing. Competition from out of town meant that some people, especially the younger ones, were tempted by deals and all kinds of offers. A lot of fancy stuff on the side, as Wilson put it. The company’s reputation, which was what they’d always traded on, was getting forgotten about when it was measured up against the glitz and glitter of their competitors.
“This business has been around a long time, Mike. My dad started it after the war, and he had a philosophy that’s always worked well for us: Treat people right, they’ll do the same by you. That’s it in a nutshell. See, we look after our customers, and that’s why they come back. Of course, it means the automobiles we sell cost a few dollars more because we back every one up with a guarantee, but people come back because they know they can trust us. We’re good people, I guess.” He grinned at himself. “Guess that sounds old-fashioned these days.”
“I don’t think the values you’re talking about ever go out of fashion,” Michael offered. “It’s the way you communicate them that has to change.”
Wilson cocked an eyebrow. “Values. That is what I’m talking about, I guess. It’s a word you don’t hear too often these days. I think you may have hit the nail on the head, Mike. Values is what we’re all about here. We stand for the way things used to be, when it wasn’t all a fast buck and make it anyway you can.” He shook his head sorrowfully. “Nowadays, seems like that’s all young folks care about.”
“I guess it seems that way sometimes,” Michael ventured.
“Even a town like this isn’t immune to it.” Wilson gestured with
a sweep of his arm toward the window. “We’ve always provided a service here, a fair deal for a fair price, and we’ve always taken care of our customers. If you have a problem with a vehicle you bought from us, we’ll take care of you. Not like some of these places. Once they have your money, they don’t ever want to hear from you again. If you got a problem, it’s your problem, not theirs. People forget that when they sign up on some deal that gets them a fistful of Texaco vouchers and a free case of beer. That won’t do them any good when the damn head blows a mile or two down the road.”
Wilson shook his head ruefully. “I guess there’s no point in just complaining about it, that won’t do any good. We have to move with the times, I can see that. We have to let people know about what we stand for. Tell them about our values.” He paused. “You’ve had a chance to take the place in a little. What would you do if the job was yours, Mike?”
Michael gave the impression of giving the question some contemplation before replying, though in reality he could see what the issues were. “My opinion is that what you’ve got here is essentially an image problem,” he said eventually.
He watched for Wilson’s reaction to see just how open to new ideas the old man was. It was okay to pay lip service to the recognition a business needed to change, but sometimes when it came down to it, the people in charge balked at the practicalities. Wilson, however, indicated
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