What's That Noise?

With the year coming to a close, I thought it might be fun to keep in tradition of many television stations and news publications by offering you the top Hardman Car Company story of 2009.

In the car business we have the opportunity to meet all kinds of colorful people. Sonny and Eric often find themselves in situations unlike any other; pleasing customers, cleaning cars, fixing problems, and creating stories. This year the top story beat out stories of test drives turned to drug deals and Range Rover's driving through garage doors. It is a funny tale that teaches things are not always what they seem.

Uncle Jim is the youngest in Sonny's mom's family. A tall, stout man with a love of the Yankees and knowledge of hundreds of trivial facts. He and his wife, Aunt Debbie, visited Sonny at the dealership sometime last year. They wanted to trade in their Honda Odessy mini van. Their four children were all grown now and they had little need for the extra room. They looked for a nice four door sedan and with Sonny's help decided on a Nissan Maxima. Happy with the vehicle and excited about the price, Uncle Jim and Aunt Debbie drove home.

Early this year, Sonny got a phone call from his Uncle. Uncle Jim explained his recent frustration with his new vehicle. Apparently in the past week or so, it had started making an awful growling sound every time he turned to the right. The sound had been so troublesome, he took it to his mechanic who confirmed that there was most definitely something wrong. They drove in circles at a local parking lot for almost a half hour, hearing the grinding sound every time. The mechanic was sure there was something very wrong, no car could be healthy with such a horrific growl coming from it. Not knowing exactly what it could be, he scheduled an appointment for uncle Jim to bring in the car the following week. They would put it up on a lift and begin taking it apart in order to diagnose the problem.

A few days after the mechanic's visit, uncle Jim, aunt Debbie, their daughter Megan, and granddaughter were running errands around town. The noise was as horrific as ever, grinding and growling every right turn they made. As they drove, Megan recognized the sound as oddly familiar. Knowing she had heard something like it before she began looking around the back seat for its source. She succeeded when she spotted her nephew's toy fire engine stuck under the driver's chair. Every time the car turned to the right, it would shift just enough to transform the engine to a growling Godzilla toy. As the car turned back, pressure would be taken off the toy and turn off the growl. Sonny laughed along with the family and the mechanic when they all found that the source of the infamous growl was only a child's play toy.




I hope this new year brings all of us stories that we can laugh and learn from. Happy New Year!

The Greatest Gifts...

The days until Christmas are closing in and small magical moments of excitement are popping up with them. As presents under the tree grow, my children's faces glow brighter with anticipation of what is inside. At dinner last night Grayson asked, "Mom, have you noticed that the days seem to go by so fast during the rest of the year, but around Christmas they are moving in slow motion?"

A perspective quite opposite of my own adult view, where the days seem to move in fast forward during the holiday season. His comment helped me remember how I felt as a child though. I remember nightly counting the festively wrapped packages under our tree with my siblings. We would make piles for each of us and compare how many and what sizes we had. We would speculate and dream about what great item lay inside. One year, a Cabbage Patch doll was all I hoped for. When Santa delivered, I was ecstatic to find it, reading his enclosed adoption papers and quickly signing my name as the mother of the little boy doll.

As a teenager, one of the most exciting Christmas presents opened was not even my own. My older brother was given a large box Christmas morning. At our house, not only Santa delivered gifts but a whole collection of his associates did also. The gift tag read, To: Ryan From: George, Santa's mechanic who recently replaced the entire sleigh engine for increased speed and greater reliability. Knowing the gift had something to do with a car, Ryan unwrapped the large box to find a smaller wrapped box inside. The pattern continued until 5 boxes were unwrapped with the final small one containing a single key.

I think I screamed louder than he did as we ran out the door into the dark December morning in search of a new car. Nine children in matching pajamas filing down the sidewalk to find a new/used Ford Escort waiting for my brother. For me, this gift meant no more embarrassing rides to school in our old 15 passenger van and my self imposed personal humiliation in riding in it over.


On Monday night I was driving home from my Grandmother's 93rd Birthday/Christmas party and Sonny was still at work. He was helping a customer, giddy with excitement over their new car. Coming from Southern Utah, they arrived late- around 10:30 PM in order to beat the next day's snow storm. They had purchased a Jaguar from us that we had sold on ebay. The ending auction price was a phenomenal deal and the customer knew it. They could hardly wait to pick up their car! Signing papers with smiles on their faces all they could say was, "I can't believe how great this is!" So happy in fact, they drove off the lot on fumes, not wanting Sonny to put a cent of gas in it, feeling almost guilty about their low purchase price.



Now, as a parent, I anticipate my own presents very little. What I anticipate are the reactions of my children when they open theirs. I envision their excitement as they tear the paper from their gifts and find (hopefully) what they've been waiting for. The smiles on their faces are what make the gifts so grand.

I wonder how this Christmas excitement will evolve as I continue to grow older? I reflect on my Grandmother's reactions the other night. She was given many gifts, but the one that brought tears to her eyes were the people in her home helping her celebrate. At 93 she has no want for material things, it was the company of family that brought her most excellent gift.



Grandma Dora Curtis


With Christmas almost here, watch for that little spark that jumps in your chest with gift getting and giving excitement. Whether it be a toy doll, a new car, a smile on your children's faces or the company of others, I truly hope this season brings you one of your greatest gifts.

Snowy Service

"AHH, Grayson hit me!!" Asher yelled while holding his cold, pink nose with woolly mitten covered hands. Tears were falling. An apologetic older brother stood close by with a broken children's snow shovel that we've "borrowed" indefinitely from the neighbor.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry. I can't help it- the wind keeps grabbing the snow and making me do it." I glared at Gray, dropped my adult snow shovel, and crouched down to look at Asher's face.
"It looks okay, I bet you'll be just fine in a little bit." I told him while prying away his hands from the injured spot. "I know it hurts honey, but Grayson really didn't mean to do it."
Asher finally looked up at me and started crying harder. "Is it bleeding?!"
"No."
"Well yours is!"
I thought I felt something.

On Saturday morning there was a fresh layer of snow covering the yard, driveway and sidewalks. With Sonny already out the door and cleaning up the car lot, I knew it was up to me and the kids to get the snow moved from the walkways. Still dressed in pajamas, the boys were happy to go outside in the new winter wonderland. I handed each of them a toy shovel or rake, grabbed the big shovel myself and headed out the door.

I thought this would be a good opportunity for them to do some service. One of my goals for the month was to do extra service and to give my children service opportunites. Earlier that week we put some secret Santa baskets together for a few families that could use some extra help. The kids were pretty excited with gathering everything and wrapping the packages, but after we had to drive for almost an hour to hit all three houses, they were done with secret Santa. In fact the last one I did by myself. I snuck the presents onto the doorstep, rang the bell and narrowly escaped getting caught by sliding on my bum behind a tree. The kids sat in the car and watched "Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer". Cranky kids at the end of the night, didn't seem like a service experience success. Hopefully scooping snow would be better.

Grayson quickly started shoveling the front sidewalk, anxious to do the work, but without much training. He scooped the snow forward and then threw the shovel up in the air- making the newly scooped snow fly everywhere. I just let him enjoy himself and was glad he was out trying to help. Until, one of his scoops flew up into my face. It nailed me on my nose, causing me to yell out a short- GRAYSON!- and then place my tear streaked face in my hands. It hurt, but being strong, as all mothers must do when they actually want to scream and yell and pout just like a child, I told him "it's okay" and continued.

I didn't check my face until Asher said, "Well yours is!" A small gash opened the skin on my nose, and a few scratches by my eye and mouth finished off my want to share service with them. It was time to go inside. I was frustrated. My month's goal was not working out so well.

Sunday morning greeted us with even more snow. Inches falling down by the second, making my efforts of the previous day meaningless. We bundled up and jumped in the car (grateful for a 4wheel drive) to attend church and worry about the snow later. It was on our way home when I saw a group of six teenage boys, armed with snow shovels, that I felt a renewed effort to pursue my goal. With smiles on their faces, these boys chose to spend their Sunday afternoon scooping people's driveways. Braving the cold weather to serve others instead of taking naps and watching football games. As I watched them, I realized that in about 8 years, one of those boys could be my Grayson.

With tears in my eyes once again, I asked Grayson what service we should do today. He quickly responded, "I need to set the table for you mom, and I think I'll smile at a stranger."

"Sounds great." I gave him a kiss on the cheek as Sonny walked out the door. Bundled in snow gear, he was ready to join the senior class president and plow the neighborhood's driveways.

Relax!!

I love cookies. I make them at least two to three times a week. So, lucky for me, on Saturday my dear friend Amber and I attended a Christmas cookie baking class. We sat in a perfectly modern stainless steel teaching kitchen to watch chef Bob prepare four delicious cookie recipes. He shared his cooking knowledge, baking secrets, and samples of his perfect treats with us before he let us loose to try making them on our own. At our first station, the ingredients were laid out, the high tech mixers ready to use, the oven was preheated, and we were set. Following chef Bob's recipe; we mixed the ingredients, shaped the dough, put them in the oven and produced a hard pile of sugar and oatmeal. Our cookies were nothing like the ones from the demonstration. Sadly, we threw away the rest of the dough and started over.


What had gone wrong? I followed the recipe, the one chef Bob said would work! He lied to me! I paid for his services to teach me to bake wonderful cookies, but he did not deliver, right? I wondered if I should yell at him. I could tell him he had a horrible business, he had no right to advertise his skills and that I would report him to the commission of cooking schools. Then maybe I could storm off and pout.

Obviously this reaction from someone in a cooking class is completely out of line. After careful examination of my dough I learned I had accidentally doubled the butter in the recipe. Making the disastrous turn out of our cookies my fault.

Unfortunately, customer reactions like this are a little more common in the used car industry.

Let me share a story with you.

On Tuesday, a gentleman came into the dealership to purchase a 1996 Beretta. It was a trade-in we'd had for a week or so and was a good little car for the price. After knocking $600.00 off the sticker, the gentleman signed all of his paperwork, handed over a check and drove off under the afternoon sun.



That night, a phone call came from that same man. He was angry. His newly purchased 13 year old used car was having problems. It kept dying on him and he was sure it was a problem Hardman Car Company already knew about.

"You need to get a tow truck out here now! I can't believe you would sell me such a piece of junk!" He yelled.

Eric, our trusty co-worker responded by asking him, "Does it have enough gas?"

With the needle close to empty, but not yet in the "red" the customer assured him it did and the problem was something major.

Eric politely asked him to please put some gas in it and if there was still a problem, to call him back and he would be happy to get a tow truck for him.

He waited until today to make his call. Now a somber, embarrassed customer, the gentleman apologized for his behavior, realizing he was in the wrong when the car worked perfectly with a full tank of gas.

A whole incident of someone getting angry (and then embarrassed), a salesmen feeling worried, and an owner anxious about his business reputation could have been avoided. If the gentleman would have just stepped back, and taken a look at was really happening, there would have been no need to get so worked up causing a big, ugly confrontation.

I share these stories with you as a business owner, a friend, a sister, a daughter,a consumer, a mother and a neighbor. All of these relationships are hot spots for angry confrontation. Although it is sometimes difficult, it's up to us to follow the golden rule and just take a second to look at the big picture. I hope that especially during this holiday season we can all step back, maybe grab a couple of scrumptious cookies, and just RELAX.

Thankful for the trials

On Monday my four year old came home from preschool with a perfect Thanksgiving prop. An Indian inspired headband made of colorful construction paper feathers stapled to a thick brown strip of paper sat on his head. Three of the feathers were were adorned with black sharpie marker. Words obviously written by his teacher's hand communicated what Asher was thankful for. The feathers read:

"I am thankful for my baby brother."
"I am thankful for my baby brother's toys."
"I am thankful when my mom makes my baby brother stop hitting me."

(apparently he had his 2 year old brother, Beckett, on the brain that day.)

Cute. I smiled and chuckled at the innocence of his childhood and started to think about what I would write on those feathers.

I quickly thought of many things I am thankful for; my family, my home, my friends, and my health. General categories that most of us could write on construction paper feathers. Then I thought a little deeper.

This past week I also learned of four more people who have lost their jobs, a friend who ended up at Primary Children's hospital with her 1 year old, another friend who was attending a funeral of a young mother who'd died of cancer, and one more friend with unexplained health problems leaving her almost unable to walk.

So many different trials that so many of us face. I believe that all of us are given the trials that WE can handle. At times it seems so hard to find something to be thankful for when we are experiencing them, but as we struggle through them, they turn out to be events that bless our lives in other ways. My Asher has helped me realize this blessing more than anyone.

When I was 36 weeks pregnant with him, I went in for my regularly scheduled appointment. While there, the doctor said my baby's heart was beating too fast and told me I would need to deliver that day. Diagnosed with a heart condition called Super Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT) my premature infant was taken to Primary Children's hospital while I sat alone in a hospital room miles away.

The next few days were full of NICU visits, monitors, alarms, medication and diagnoses. In the NICU there are 6 patients to a room where mothers can sit by their sick babies and nurses work hard to help them. The baby next to Asher laid in a medication induced coma while scars from recent surgeries healed on him. Watching that baby I whispered to Sonny, "Wow, we are lucky Asher has the problems he has. That poor family."

After a week of seeing the other mothers every day, the mother of that baby in the next bed said to me, "The first night when your baby came in it was so scary. His monitors kept going off, his little heart beat was going crazy- I was so glad that wasn't happening to my baby." She had the same thoughts about our family's trial as I did about hers. It was a moment that helped me believe that the trials we have are given to us because WE can handle them.

So, as I finish out this Thanksgiving week, I am going to write on my feather- "I am thankful for my trials." I now have a happy, imaginative four year old that reminds me every day how trials have blessed my life. I hope that you will add this feather to your Thanksgiving headband too.

The New Rich

This is a picture of a recent incident in Texas, where a man accidentally swerved off the road and drove his $1 MILLION dollar sports car into the marshy water. The car he drove is a Bugatti Veyron and is currently the world's most expensive car. Apparently a low flying pelican distracted him, making him drop his cell phone and while reaching for it, veer off the road. Reports say the celebrity driver (no name released) was in a pretty good mood about the whole thing. In fact he shared with the tow truck driver that he had just been on a call with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and kept getting so many other celebrity calls, he finally had to turn off his phone.


This article was the second thing this week that sparked my curiosity about those who live under the "New Rich" label.

On Thursday, I attended an event that my father invited me to. It was an appreciation dinner for those involved in a specific non-profit organization. It was held at an enormously fancy french restaurant nestled in a popular Salt Lake canyon. I felt out of place from the beginning. Pulling my car-seat filled, crumb covered SUV up for valet parking was a first for me. I gathered up the books and lunch bag resting on the passenger seat and threw them in the back before Mr. Valet took my keys.

Walking into a private ballroom decorated with live vines, plants, and trees from ceiling to floor, I was greeted with a rose and escorted to my reserved seat. I got there before anyone else. I knew no one, but the event coordinators were kind and complimentary of my father, so I felt a little better. Sitting alone at the table for eight, I was soon joined by two others.

A man who looked to be around 70 years old dressed in a nice dark suit, blue tie, large gold cuff links and a diamond encrusted watch pulled the chair out next to me. His wife, a beautiful 30-something brunette wearing bright red lipstick, six strands of diamonds, a fur wrap and an enormous diamond ring took her seat as he gingerly pushed it back under the table.

With no one else to talk to, the couple introduced themselves to me and we began chatting. The gentleman was FULL of things to talk (or brag) about. He talked about his previous ownership of the property behind the magnificent restaurant, his connection as chief advisor to the prince of Ethiopia, their trip to Morocco, ordering cheese and bread to their room every night and spending over $10,000 in one boutique alone. They talked of their travels, their purchases, their connections, and their seemingly happy life.

It was interesting to notice how inadequate I felt during the course of our conversation. I thought about the clothes I was wearing. The fake diamond earrings in my ears. The scuffs on my shoes, and the lack of knowledge I had about world travel.

I also thought how annoying it was to listen to him talk. It was especially annoying in this atmosphere. An event intended to share the need of help for children and families in developing countries. We were looking at pictures of kids living in huts, families trying to make a living and wells being built with old tires. It was oddly hypocritical.



These experiences have really driven home the fact that it is so much more admirable when a person is humble. I see this all the time with Sonny. (Who is probably squirming in his seat reading this and will want me to take it off.) For example, Sonny has owned a Ferrari, but drove his $500 chevy truck trade-in he got 4 years ago instead. He always tells people he's a car salesman, that's it. He doesn't ever say he OWNS a car dealership. People always assume he's the "lot tech" because he details many of the cars. He doesn't correct them by spouting his credentials, he just lets it go.

His attitude about humility teaches me every day.

I hope that as life continues and success grows (fingers crossed) that someday I will be sitting at that table again. I will know that I too have the money that could buy the lifestyle of these "New Rich" but the only acknowledgement I will give of that fact, will be a wink to my husband sitting next to me. Then, at the end of the night I can secretly write a big fat check to help build a school instead of buying designer clothes at a boutique in Morocco or a million dollar Bugatti Veyron.

www.interweavesolutions.org

*** In case you want to help someone now, Interweave Solutions is a non profit organization that can make that happen.

A Decade

Our Wedding Day Nov. 6, 1999

Today is my 10th wedding anniversary. It is a beautiful unseasonably warm November day. Crisp yellow, red, and orange leaves pepper the ground. The air is calm and the sun feels hot on my bare arms. Ten years ago, this day was almost exactly the same as it is today, but my life surrounding it is not.

We celebrated last night. Thanks to Grandparents and Aunt Brenda, our biggest change in ten years (three children) were well taken care of. Sonny drove home a Pontiac GTO for us to take out for the evening. After climbing in the sleek, lowered, two door sports car, and taking off with just the two of us inside, memories of years past flooded in.

With the corvette engine under the hood, smooth leather interior, and powerful stereo pumping through the speakers, Sonny couldn't resist pushing the gas pedal, throwing me back against my seat. The feeling was so familiar to me. When we started dating 12 years ago, I found myself in a different sports car (Nissan 300zx), with a different loud stereo, and a different version of the two of us. Our conversations in that car were about homework we had, friends we hung out with, movies we watched, and if we should ever get married. As we drove to the same Bed and Breakfast we stayed in the first night we were Mr. and Mrs., I thought of how happy I was that those conversations had evolved, changing with our lives.

We reminisced about the goals we had when we "started out". We talked about our achievements, our milestones. Driving along the familiar streets of our college town, we shared memories that took place in different buildings, parks, roads, or parking lots.

"I bought a guy's motorcycle there."
"The first dealership I worked at was there."
"We had our first date there."
"We bought your wedding ring there."
"We cashed our first tax refund there." (thought it was so much money!)
"We celebrated graduation there."
"We bought that great '70's jacket that gotten eaten by the neighbor's dog there."

Happy and sad, memories were fun to recount.


This is us now!


Sitting at dinner, with just the two of us- I felt so content. Despite stresses and challenges that show up as we age, I am glad to have lived through them. Though fast sports cars are fun, I am happy that I now permantely drive an 8 passenger SUV. A vehicle that carries the most important evidence that I've changed in the past 10 years, my family. The same people that Sonny's fortune talked about from his cookie last night- "Someone is looking up to you. Don't let that person down."

I don't know what will happen to us in the next ten years, or what kind of car I might be driving. I do know that I am going to do everything I can to live in the moments that make up those years. Then, on my 20th anniversary, I will feel just as happy as I do today.



Just Kidding, This is us now.

Cash Money!

October is coming to an end and winter months are starting-this is a scary time of the year for car dealers. The months of September and October were some of the worst used car-selling months in America's history. I've been looking at some of the articles and data about the industry and most agree that the financial problems of the United States have hit us hard. Unfortunately, Hardman Car Company has felt a pinch too, but we will continue to work hard to make it through this.

As a wife, and a stay at home mom, it has been hard for me to see the stress and worry in Sonny about money and not feel like I could do much to help him. So, me and my friend decided to start a women's money group. We call it Fiscally Fit Chicks and our goal is just to motivate and educate ourselves to be more financially savy. Our first meeting was last month (only the two of us showed up, but that's ok) and it has been exciting to work on the goals I set. It has been fun to change my mind frame from, "I can't do anything to help" to "I WILL do something to help"

Here were the 3 goals I set for the month:
1. Put an extra $300 in our savings account.
2. Put $25 in each of the boy's accounts.
3. Research and find new ways that I can make money.

So, I know that it is not a lot of money to put into savings- but I hadn't been in the habit of putting a set amount in every month. It was hit and miss, and lately, with the economy it was mostly miss. So, after the "book briefing" of Rich Dad Poor Dad that my friend gave in our meeting, I was re-motivated to make sure I always pay myself after paying 10% charity.
In order to find the money I did a few things:

First, I challenged myself to only spend money two days a week. I could only buy gas, groceries, food, etc. on two days of the week. I could not spend money on any other day. Second, I used coupons. (I've been couponing for a while now and am finally seeing a benefit. I get 3 papers every Sunday, browse all the ads and take a lot of time comparison shopping. I then go to Wal Mart because they match all competitor prices and shop, just once a week. So far I've cut around $200 a month on groceries. I know I can do more.) Third, I don't allow myself to eat out. I make sure that I make dinner, even when I don't want to, and I bring food in the car from home if I know we'll be driving over lunch time. I have never eaten out too much, but it saved about $50 just by avoiding drive throughs.

I then worked on my third goal of finding ways to make extra money and used that extra to help fill my first 2. These are some ideas I came up with:
First, I was able to get on the sub list to teach yoga for Gold's gym. Knowing I didn't want a full time commitment to any job, and not wanting to be required to teach at certain times and certain days- a sub was exactly what I wanted. The classes are before Sonny goes to work or after he gets home and I can choose if I want to take them or not. Just by picking up 5 yoga classes a month (something I would be doing anyway!) I will make an extra $150 a month.

Second, I started selling on Amazon. It was so easy to sign up to sell old books that are laying around my house. It takes very little time. I just type in the isbn number, they show the picture of the book, I describe the book's condition, put in the price and that's it. Amazon emails me when someone has bought something and I send it. They give a $3.50 commission on top of what you sell it for so depending on the price of shipping, sometimes I make even more than what it sold for. It usually isn't very much, but it is more than it would be selling for a $1 at a garage sale, or sitting on the shelf in my basement. That extra money gets directly deposited into my savings account.

Third, Ebay. I have never sold things on ebay before, but in an effort to accomplish goals 1 and 2 I jumped in. It is a little more work than Amazon, but it is still more money than you'd make from garage sales, consignment stores, or cluttering up your closet. I found that my name brand items sell best. I took pictures of a bunch of clothes, loaded onto the computer, wrote up descriptions about them and posted them for auction. I have to check my email a lot and see if people have questions about the items, but I usually am on the computer for a little bit every day anyway. Just from selling some old clothes I was able to come up with an extra couple hundred.

Fourth, babysitting. My good friend started a new job and needed a sitter for her daughter that is the same age of my son. I only watch her one day a week, we have fun playing and going to the library. She is a friend that would most likely be at my house anyway and it is really easy to have her with us. My friend pays me for watching her, an extra bit of money I get to put directly into savings.

Future Ideas: I also read up on some other easy ideas to make money as a stay at home mom that we are going to talk about in our next meeting. I am doing the "book briefing" on the book Multiple Streams of Income by Robert Allen.


He has some big ideas with real estate, stock markets, and that sort of thing. (which I plan to get more involved in too.) but some other little ideas I found are:

1. Selling your photos or videos. If you take lots of pictures did you know you can sell them as stock photos or video? It is only a few cents per picture, but if you have hundreds, why not give it a try?

2. Renting out your home for movies or commercials. I looked at the websites that do this and most of the homes they are looking for are in the LA area, but all you do is register your home on their site and if they choose it, you get paid. My cousin rented her flower shop one time for a movie to be shot in and it worked out really well for her!

3. Selling your craft items on sites like etsy.com, zazzle.com, or cafepress.com I am not a crafty girl, but some of my friends make the greatest cards, clothes, pictures. This is like having your own business, just online.

4. Be a mystery shopper. You get paid to shop so companies can evaluate their customer service, store cleanliness, things like that. You can make between $8 to $20 a trip, check out mysteryshop.org

Anyway I came up with a lot of new ideas. I actually have felt pretty excited this month and not depressed. It really has been fun and motivating to try some of these things. I can't believe that I get so excited to save just a little bit of money, but when I see it add up in my savings account. I LOVE IT!

My hope is that you don't need to worry about any of this extra stuff, but in case there are any other car dearler's wives out there, maybe this can give you some motivation during such a down time.

You deserve it.

On Friday, I pulled into my in-laws long driveway, searching for a glimpse of the new present. My father-in-law had gotten home at four AM that morning. He had driven thousands of miles to pick up the well deserved gift that now sat under a tarp on the back of a trailer in the front of their house.

Gary is a mechanic by trade. He has worked on cars since he was a small boy, helping his own father with his mechanic work when he was young. Whether working for large companies or fixing a neighbor's car that sat in their driveway, Gary's talents were exemplified almost daily. Before retiring last year, he woke up at five every weekday morning to make it to work on time, and spent every weekend in his garage, usually under someone else's car. Having the skills that Gary does, you would think the Hardman family was well stocked with nice vehicles but that is far from reality. A multi-colored Dodge Colt, a dented up Ford Escort, a smoking VW Rabbit and a rusty old van are just a few of the many misfits that have lived at their home. Though Gary's dreams of having beautifully restored antiques (like his 1932 Ford 5 window Coupe that he's had since he was 16!), have always been part of him, life has rarely allowed him the time or money to see them fulfilled. That is why this gift was such an exciting one.



This is Gary's 1932 Hot Rod. He has already put it together once in his life. Now he has begun to rebuild it again. This has been in many pieces inside his garage for all of Sonny's life.




My mother-in-law, Bonnie, opened the back door while I got the kids unloaded from our car.
"Have you seen it? How does it look?" I asked with Christmas morning like anticipation.

"Not yet." She hadn't even seen it herself.

Gary was out front right then, taking the tarp off. We hustled down the stairs, through the garage and out to the driveway. Gary smiled wide as we approached the trailer. Showing off his new gift, with the pride much like a new father, he unveiled an almost perfectly restored 1920 Dodge Brothers Touring.

The antique black convertible had the same wooden wheels, Dodge Brother's emblems, and convertible roof that it did in its glory days. We "oooed" and "awwed" over it. When I told Bonnie and Gary I wanted to take a picture of them sitting inside, Gary ran into the house, returning a few minutes later with an authentic 1920's gentleman's hat on his head.








After relishing in all the fancy details and watching Gary (and Bonnie's) excitement grow over the new member in their family, I thought about how deserving my father-in-law was to get himself a gift like this. A man that has always worked so hard and never asked for much. Someone I look up to, not just for being a good, kind, father and grandfather, but for raising a son that is the same way. I am thankful to have him as an example for my boys. I hope that this gift can be a great teaching moment; that it may take a long time to get what you want, but with hard work and perseverance dreams can come true.

Is it worth it? Grapes, diamonds and trade-ins.

Autumn smells sweet at my house. The grape arbor in the backyard swells with ripe purple and green fruit begging to be picked and converted to juice or jam. Unfortunately, these grapes live in a yard that belongs to me, a "non-canner", who guiltily ignores their pleasant scent, watching them shrivel up at the end of the season and die.


Well this past Saturday, my mom and sisters decided to take advantage of the bounty, using the grapes to their fullest potential, and came to my home to juice and can. It was a horribly messy task, but the end proved successful and worth it. A few minutes after my parents left, I got a call from my mom. She said she had lost her diamond from her ring. Somewhere in the mess of used up grape guts in the garbage or down the disposal or out in the grape arbor lay her $2,000 diamond. I was so sad for her! Even though this wasn't her original wedding ring (that was lost years ago) it was still one dad gave her.

I went to the garbage can and pulled out the boxes that held the grape waste and put it in the garage. My dad was planning to come back on Monday and search through it. In the next two days, my garage started to smell rotten and fermented and the bottom of the boxes were soaked through with grape juice. On Monday, my dad and I opened the smelly mess and holding our breath, picked through the vomit textured sludge. I made the comment that "this stuff would be perfect to use in a dare for someone to eat dog poo- cause it looked just like it." It was gross. We chuckled and grimaced. We searched a bit, but after awhile it just wasn't worth it. Dad went home empty handed but also resolved that digging through disgusting garbage for hours was not worth $2,000.




At the dealership, Sonny often has customer's weigh out whether trading in their car or selling it themself is "worth it". A couple months ago, a customer came in wanting to buy a car. He still had a vehicle that he needed to sell before he could buy the one he was looking at. He had always been told that dealerships never give you what your car is worth when trading it in, so he chose to sell his car on his own. He left the dealership in his old car, planning to return soon to buy the new one he really wanted.


Two months later the customer walked back through the door. Frustrated, he handed over the keys to his vehicle and said, "this isn't worth it. I'm trading it in." Their customer did not anticipate the cost of trying to sell his car himself. Paying for ads, taking customer calls, detailing, reconditioning, and washing the car, meeting people for appointments, negotiating, and worrying about buyer's financing were all costing him. Sonny paid him for his trade, got him a car he wanted and saved him several hundred dollars in sales tax because of his trade. The customer walked away happy, learning that his time was more important to him than the hassle and worries that come with selling a car on his own.

Since we all have different personalities, deciding whether something is "worth it" is always a personal choice. For me, the time and mess of juicing my grapes is not worth it. For my mom and sisters, the proud feeling they get from producing juice and jam that they can keep in their pantry's and save for food storage is worth it. For my dad, sifting through grape goo for a diamond is not worth it, but for another that has a sentimental attachment to the diamond or a need for $2,000 it is. Similarly, for some, the time, money and energy it takes to sell a car on your own is worth the effort. For our customer, saving valuable time and energy by trading in his car proved to be worth it.

So the next time you make a decision, from cleaning your house to selling a car, you can ask yourself, "is this worth it?"

Word of Mouth

A few weeks ago my friend went into Kid to Kid (a local children's consignment shop) to see if any of her old baby toys could be sold there. She had her one and two year old in tow and brought in several armfuls of things into the store by herself. It was busy inside, children were running around, mothers were shopping, and employess were ringing up sales. A sales woman approached her, and said, "I can tell you right now, we will not take anything like that." as she waved her fingers over a pile of my friend's things. She then looked through the remaining items quickly pulling one at a time and making comments like, "stain." "tear." "too old." She did not make eye contact or try to interact with my friend at all. In fact the only time she even looked up was to tell her that her kids couldn't play with the toys. (even though the particular toy they were playing with happend to be one of their own).

My friend gathered her items up, brought them all back to her car by herself, loaded up her kids. And started to cry.

I wonder if this sales woman has any idea the effect she had on my friend and in turn the negative effect she had on Kid to Kid's business? My friend has told that story to me and to many of our other friends, I am telling it to you, hopefully creating a word of mouth epidemic encouraging people not to shop at Kid to Kid. Sadly for them word of mouth is pretty powerful.

On the flip side, I also want to share with you a positive sales experience that hopefully will create a word of mouth epidemic to support business.

The other night, Sonny got home late after selling a car. When he sat down at the table to eat some now over cooked taco soup, he told me about the sale he had just had.

Sonny answered his phone a few days before and listened to a thick Middle Eastern accented voice offering to buy one of his cars for a couple of thousand dollars less than the asking price. The man was living in Arizona, finishing his degree before returning to his home in Saudi Arabia to work in the oil industry. He had just sold his vehicle and only wanted to spend the amount he profited on a new one. (He just happend to want a new one that was out of his price range.)

Sonny thanked him for his call and explained to him why the car was priced the way it was. "Because we are a small dealership and have less overhead than most large dealers, we are able to keep our prices low, but we really don't have that much mark up in the car to sell it for what you are asking." Sonny explained. He told him that the amount he was offering was less than what a dealer could currently sell the vehicle for at auction but reassurred him he wished he could help. They said "good-bye" and Sonny hung up the phone, thinking the man would just find something closer to home.

The next day, the gentleman called again. He told Sonny about his experience in calling dealerships throughout Utah, Arizona and California. He asked each dealer the same question and offered the same amount for the car he was looking for. He told Sonny that most treated him horribly. Salesmen told him he was "***ing crazy" to ask for such a price and "there was no dealer in the world that would sell it for that." They left him feeling insulted and upset. Sonny was the one dealer who was kind and helpful, because of his pleasant phone call, he now wanted to buy the car from him. He borrowed some money from a friend and boarded a plane with his new wife to fly to Utah and pick up the car.

Sonny picked them up from the airport, getting to know the young couple a little better. He drove them to the dealership, filled out paperwork and handed over the keys to their new car. Shaking hands, the customer walked away happy even though he had to pay a little bit more than he originally wanted and Sonny was happy to sell the car even though he had to take the extra hours to make it happen.

Now this is the kind of story that helps business. Sonny left his dealership that night knowing he had created a happy customer. Someone that will hopefully tell his car buying story to someone else and with the power of word of mouth create positive results for our business.

As consumers I hope all of us out there realize the power we have through word of mouth. I, myself have decided to use that power to its fullest potential, even though in the past I have not been very outspoken about negative or positive buying experiences. I think these stories give me a good base to judge them though, if they make me cry or use any words that require me to write *** in place of letters- bad experience. If they pick me up from the airport and stay late at night just to help me out- good experience.

Tall, Dark and Handsome

Wanted: Young professional with expensive taste, impecable charm, rich features and a love of scenic drives throughout the countryside.

Sounds like a great personal ad right? Lists of physical and emotional characteristics that you might find ultra appealing in a potential companion. All of us are wired with certain likes and dislikes that guide us to the important decision of who to love for a lifetime, or who might be better just to date. We go through mental pro and con lists, categorizing the prospective mate's attributes as we get to know them better. -He still wears the purple silk shirt he got in high school, Con. He always compliments my cooking, Pro.- It is something we all do, whether we realize it or not.

Choosing a used car is done in much the same way. In fact, I found a car that fit this particular ad perfectly.


A 330i BMW that is only three years old. It screams professional and expensive at everyone who views it. It holds all the charm of the BMW name and features like leather interior, sunroof, keyless entry, 18 inch alloy wheels are very rich! Not only does it look good, but as soon as you get in it, you'll want to drive forever. It is such a smooth ride.
A perfect match for that personal ad, but not so great for someone with an ad requesting a loyal companion, hard worker, with enough room in their heart for a family. That person may be looking more for a Ford four door truck. A vehicle known to last a long time, handle heavy loads, but still have enough space to fit a family of six.

In response to my reader's question, "what should I look for in a used car?" I want to emphasize that it is a personal adventure. You need to look for characteristics that you think are most important in your life. You need to decide if the vehicle you are test driving has what you need from a long term companion or if one date is enough. Why not make your own checklist? Write out a personal ad of your own, walk up to a sales person and say- this is what I want. Know beforehand what fits best for your lifestyle, your family, your taste- and go for it.

Just like looking at one personal ad and deciding that was the one for you, you'll probably have to search a few different places for the used car of your dreams, but when you find it- it will be so worth it!

The Porsche and the Metro

In this world there are two groups of people. Those who know cars and those who don't. The people that know cars live differently than those that don't. They notice details like, what size rims a vehicle has, or the headlights on the car in front of you are aftermarket. When describing their personal automobile they tell their full name, “a 2007 five series BMW” and sometimes share their features, “oh, it has navigation, climate control, satellite radio,...) Their attention to their vehicle is somewhat like the attention given to a child, or maybe a pet. The people in the world that don't know cars are very different. They notice details like, the car in front of you holds an overweight man picking his nose. When they describe their automobile they can't even remember the name, “uh, it is that green one over there- with the wheels.” Features are of no significance to this group and the attention given to their cars resemble the attention given to an old box of stuff in the corner of the garage. I descend from the latter.

My family never knew much about the cars we were driving. We were just happy if they were big enough to fit all nine of us kids and if they continued running even during the cold Nebraska winters. Sure we knew the names of some of the famous ones, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes- but we never formed much of an attachment to any of our personal vehicles. In fact, I don't think I knew a make or model of any car until I turned sixteen.

My dad has always taught us to be self sufficient, so when I finally got a driver's liscence he made it my responsibility to research, call and test drive the vehicles I was interested in. I would then have to present my top three findings to him for final selection. I am sure he thought this experience would be a wonderful way to teach me important social behaviors like talking to others, negotiating, setting a goal and accomplishing it- things like that.

Armed with a budget and my best friend to drive me around, we hit the five small dealerships in town. At the first dealership, a dark green four door caught my attention. We had walked onto the lot and browsed, but were unable to get anyone to talk to us. Salesmen sat inside a run down brick building, watching us through a window but none of them made an effort to work with us. Finally we walked into the building and asked if we could test drive the vehicle and we were denied. (If women think they have a hard time getting legitimate attention at a car dealership, try being a sixteen year old girl-with wholesome values- it is absolutely impossible.) We visited three other lots but were greeted with the same coldness. My dad's plan wasn't as brilliant as he thought, so I was finally able to talk him into coming with me and the entire experience changed.

We found a new 1995 aqua green GEO METRO at a Chevy dealership. (the only reason I knew it was a metro was because the letters METRO adorned the windshield.) The sales woman was equally kind to me and my father. The sale was easy for her, I thought it was “super cute” and dad thought the gas mileage and sticker price were “super great.” So we settled on it and I fell in love, with a tiny green two door that was affectionately referred to as the go-cart by many of my friends.

It was not until I met Sonny that I realized there was a whole other world out there. Full of brand names, special features, and amazing styles. You see he descends from a car family, with an entirely different car culture than my own. (Sonny's first car was a Porsche 914, it didn't really run ever, but it was pretty.) I have learned a lot from him over the years and after my four year old informed me we should buy a Kia Sedona because the commercial shows they are the greatest van on the planet, it looks as though the car gene will pass on to the next generation. I think we are a good mix though, you know the old saying, “opposites attract”, well in this case, a Porsche and a Metro came together very well.

The question

Every time I introduce myself to someone new, or talk to someone I'm not very close with, the first question they ask is; "Oh, so how are car sales doing in this economy?" It is always asked with a look of sympathy. A small cock of the head, an intense "I really care about you" look accompanied with a hand on my shoulder and a pat of support.

My response? It changes with the month and the person that's asking the question. I was taught that whenever someone asks about your business you should always answer positively. I usually do- something like, "We're doing pretty good." or "This was a great month!" or "Sonny does a really great job.". All of these answers work but as news of the falling car industry increases, it is a little more difficult to navigate an appropriate answer. I know the person asking already perceives our family struggling to make ends meet and I know that they are probably ready to hear a sad story. Lots of times I wish I could answer with something like, "We are doing Awesome! Economy, shonomy- it sure hasn't effected us. In fact, we're thinking of expanding!" (Of course I would use my most enthusiastic voice and possibly throw my arm up in the air to emphasize "Awesome" a little more.) but besides coming off a little cocky, it would not be very true.

My true answer? "It's been tougher. We aren't selling as much as we were last year. We feel lucky though, we are still in business. We can pay all our bills and we are lucky to have lower overhead than lots of other dealerships." I guess that's the truth. This past year has absolutely been stressful. We've made changes in spending like most every other person I know but, that is probably a good thing.

We are glad our dealership is in Lehi, a place Sonny feels especially connected to. We are happy to be a part of that community and hope we'll stay there for a long time.

My wish is that things will turn to the upswing for all of us effected by this financial disaster and soon all of our answers can be "Awesome!" accompanied with our arms exuberantly shot up in the air and maybe a few spirit fingers thrown in.

Salesmen suck no more!

I feel like the last person on earth to join life in the blogging world, but I've finally decided on a reason to do so. Recently, I read the first few chapters of a book called What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis. He writes about the effect of the internet on business and in particular what blogging can do for an industry. Bloggers have power, they can make you win or lose. So, after reading a bit I switched to the computer and searched for blogs about the car sales industry.

Wow! The stigma of lying, fat, smokey, pushy salesmen still totally exists. Apparently it is not just a stigma but supposedly true stories about their repulsive horrible behavior and consequently sickening car buying experiences run rampant in the virtual world. Most of the comments I read were from women, discussing how poorly they were treated at this or that dealership. One woman even claims the experience so horrific she will never buy a car again. Sad. Seeing as women now make up about 60% of the car buyers in this world, I think it's time this stereotype be changed.

Well, if Mr. Jarvis is right, then I plan on using blogging power to help the car salesman win. You see, my life is better because of a car salesman. My husband, Sonny, and I have been married for almost ten years. He's been selling cars for longer than that. He is skinny, he doesn't smoke, he doesn't even swear. He opens doors for people, donates blood, and only yells when his football or basketball teams are losing. I would not be the only one to describe him as charitable to a fault and absolutely honest. I know, you think I'm just bragging- and I am a bit, but I think it might be interesting to share with the rest of you the other side of car salesman's life.

I plan to share our stories. I hope that after doing so, you might find the stereotype of a car salesman changed a bit. Being a part of the industry for so many years, Sonny would be the first to admit the rotten salesman does still exist, but there are others out there. Maybe a few good apples in an idustry littered with bad ones can get their voices heard and change the stigma at least a little.

So welcome to our little world. I hope you enjoy reading and commenting on my life as a car salesman's wife.