AN INTERVIEW WITH JIM PATTISON (PART TWO)
It’s All About the Customer Automotive icon Jim Pattison chats about the past and future of the industry Blair Qualey, President and CEO of NCDA BC, recently sat down with Jim Pattison, Honorary Chair of the 100th Vancouver International Auto Show, to talk about the challenges and opportunities facing the automotive industry. Blair: You got your start many years ago
Blair: What were your challenges in
in the automotive business and you’re
building an outstanding business all
still involved today, so what are you see-
over the world, and what do you see as
ing in the business now, and where do
the biggest challenge going forward?
you think it’s going in the future?
Jimmy: Well, my biggest challenge histor-
Jimmy: Well, the car business has been
ically was the world of finance…where do
hugely responsible for our company. I worked at a used car lot, first washing cars and then selling cars. Then I got a job working with a General Motors dealership, BowMac McLean in those days, and also at Nash. In my opinion, the opportunities for young people today, with all the things that are changing, have never been better. Any time you’ve got a big shift in an
I borrow the money? When I started out, I needed a bank to believe in me, initially for $40,000. Then, as time went on, I got more confidence to borrow more money and I built a track record. So if you’re going to grow, you need financing: you have to spend money to have people to manage the business and you need good-quality people. It all started with borrowing money and I ran the business myself in those days.
industry—which is happening now with
Blair: So going forward, aside from fi-
electric cars and all of that type of thing—it
nancing, which may not be as important
creates a whole new level of opportunity
to some dealers today, what headwinds
for young people.
do you see out there and what opportu-
The car business changed the whole
nities are there?
and then when something goes wrong, not having someone to talk to about it. Blair: So, going forward, where do you see your side of the automotive business? Are you growing? Are you expanding? Are you taking a wait-and-see or a full-steam-ahead approach? Jimmy: We’re still looking at buying franchises that might add to our business. We’re in the market today and looking at what we can add to our group. We’re looking at the right geographic and market fit for new franchises. Blair: A lot of people I talk to, including government decision-makers and consumers, are talking about the uncertainty in the world, south of the border, in China and Hong Kong, and with things like Brexit. How do you see those things impacting the business going forward? Jimmy: Well, it creates uncertainty. I’ve never seen so much upheaval as we have in the world today, and with uncertainty you lose confidence. I think we’re seeing some of that right now. Blair: So what do you recommend to car dealers? How are you managing this? Jimmy: We’re managing to deal with it by doing what we’ve always done—which is focus on customer service. Nothing happens until somebody sells something. In some cases, we’re not doing as well as I’d
of North America. Think of all the great
Jimmy: Well, there are always opportuni-
things that have occurred with mass pro-
ties. The question is what will work and
agers to help fix problems. Because when
duction and all the things that came out of
what won’t? There’s no substitute for hard
you’re in business, you are always going to
the car business to raise people’s standard
work. The thing I’ve found is to be honest
have some kind of problem, but the busi-
of living. Cars have made a huge, huge
and work hard, and the harder you work
nesses that succeed are the ones that deal
impact on the history of the world.
the luckier you get. The people that do the
with the problems successfully.
like us to do…but that’s why we have man-
best and are the luckiest get there because Blair: Do you see that changing at all now? Jimmy: It’s going to be massively differ-
they’ve worked the hardest.
Blair: What advice would you give to young people looking at a career in the
Blair: Now in the auto business we have
automotive business?
some folks who don’t follow the dealer
Jimmy: Be 100 per cent honest; tell the
franchise model and there are all sorts
truth no matter what. We spend a lot of
of questions about where the industry is
time in our company talking about the
going, like whether it will be direct-sell-
customer, customer, customer to our
ing by manufacturers. You have had a
management team. Always go the last
franchise dealer model for many years,
mile for your customer. Some are really
so do you still see the value of having
unreasonable and discourteous. Just keep
dealerships versus corporate stores?
going, put your head down, take the abuse
Blair: For the benefit of the dealers read-
Jimmy: Well, you won’t get the same service
and say, “I’m sorry, what can we do to make
ing our magazine, what do you think is
in a direct model compared to a dealership,
it right?” Then break your neck to make it
the most important thing to focus on in
where you get to know the people who ser-
right and go the extra mile. That’s the key
the automotive business?
vice the car and people who care a lot about
and that’s what’s built our business—the
Jimmy: That’s easy. Looking after your
you when something comes up. I can’t
focus that we’ve had on the customer.
customer.
imagine buying an expensive item like a car
That’s all we preach!
ent. You have more people going here, going there, whether it’s long trips or short trips. But it all comes back to transportation, one way or another. So I don’t know how it’s all going to end up, but wheels are going to be important and it’s going to be an exciting time.
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