Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: HONEST (05/31/18)
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TITLE: The Honest Ollie Truth | Previous Challenge Entry
By Donna Powers
06/06/18 -
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Here at Honest Ollie’s, we take our name seriously. We always tell our customers the truth about the cars we sell and service. But, hey: let’s be serious. This is a business and we're here to make a living. With used cars, there’s the truth - and there’s the Honest Ollie truth.
Let’s say we got a car what’s been used by a traveling salesman. It’d probably have a really large number on the odometer, right? But why does the customer need to know that number? After all, a car like that has proved its reliability for a few years, and it's probably good to go for a few more thousand miles. So maybe the guys in the garage tweak that odometer so it reflects a better picture of that car's capability, right? Nobody’s gotta know, right?
And speaking of the guys in the garage, let’s talk warranties. Of course, your customer wants a warranty - and you gotta give him one. But if we fixed every little problem our customers complained about, we'd go broke. So when we write each warranty, we begin by leaving off those routine services like oil changes and winterizing. And then we use what we know about the car. If the former owner had a problem with the steering, we change the warranty to limit services related to steering. Or, if there's retreads on the car, we don't put a clause in the warranty about replacing the tires.
And what about those retreads? They usually look pretty good and lots of people can't tell the difference. So, if the customer asks if the tires are new, we know those tires ARE new - for that car. So you look him in the eye and tell him the car's got four new tires. Easy peasy, right?
And then, there's the question of price. When someone comes to buy a used car, they're looking for a bargain. They wanna feel like they got the best price. So, all our cars got a big price tag on the windshield. But that's just your starting place. You'll be trained to use our Honest Ollie computers, and if your customer's a little nervous about that windshield price, or if your customer's a haggler, you look at the car on your computer. You'll find a few lower prices listed for every car; you look him right in the eye and tell him you'll do him a favor and give him that lower price. You can peel that price down a few times to let your customer think he's getting a bargain. Most of our customers fall for that and everybody's happy. And every once in a while, you get some pigeon who grabs the car at the windshield price. When that happens, you'll see the difference in your commission check.
As for car choice, we don't got only one brand of auto on our lot. And, all those auto companies gotta make a living, too; so they give us a piece of their pie if we sell a lot of their cars. Some customers aren't choosy about car brands, so you can cheerfully point to Ollie's Make of the Month. You'll find that listed on your computers, and you can talk it up to your customers and make yourself - and Ollie's - an extra piece of change. The customer gets a car, and everybody's happy, right?
Your computer's gonna become your best friend. It'll tell you everything you'll need to know about our cars, and you'll learn which of those things to tell the customers.
Now, some of you may think we take a few too many liberties with the truth. But, as you'll see, nothing we say is a lie; it's just the Honest Ollie truth. And if any of you folks feel you can't live with that, we thank you for coming you can use the exit door behind you.
Anybody?
Well, sorry to see you go, young man. Guess he's checking into the local seminary, right? Now, for the rest of you, let's begin by showing you those Honest Ollie computers.
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John 18:38 (NLT) "What is truth?" Pilate asked.
Proverbs 12:22 (NLT) The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.
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