I Said WE – Get Over It!

I just got reprimanded by someone in the industry for saying WE as I am no longer one of THEM. Now, they were most likely joking… I hope. And it got me thinking, “Why is it an us versus them?” A dealers vs vendors? Why can’t it just be we? Aren’t we all just car peeps at the end of the day?

Dear Vendors: I don’t know if you recognize this, but many Internet/eCommerce Directors are on YOUR side. WE have for years now functioned in our own little bubble as a department that sometimes isn’t good enough to be part of the sales team, as a department that has to find, vet, and champion vendors all while we hold them accountable because we brought them in. Give us something to champion and we will. We will cheer you on and be advocates in this industry if you give us exceptional service – just ask anyone I partnered with while I was on the dealer side. I didn’t partner with everyone, but the ones I believed in for product or service, everyone knew about. I couldn’t say enough great things. So, dear vendor, are you doing enough to create advocates and cheerleaders? Or is it us vs them?

Dear Dealers: I don’t know if you recognize this, but many vendors are on YOUR side. Many of US want nothing more than to run a moral and ethical business putting dealer’s needs first. Some of us even want to do right by dealers by creating products that make life easier, speaking up online for what dealers deserve, and push to have fair pricing and services. And many of us (if not a majority) have come from where you are sitting, have worked the bell to bells, and cheer you on in a way that you may not believe. So, give us a chance. Communicate with us and we will give you the room, data, or support you need. When you communicate regularly it is easier to hold them accountable AND get the service you need. Heck, many of my vendor partners even worked with me when my dealership hit rough times and I couldn’t afford to keep them all. They assessed the situation and reworked packages and spend to help me for those months I needed it. So, dear dealer, are you going to cultivate partnerships and become a WE?

We’re all just trying to do our jobs as well as we can in an industry we are incredibly passionate about. Are there bad seeds – absolutely – but let’s not blanket statement an entire group because of them. So PLEASE try to form partnerships, quit beating each other up, and let’s just be one giant WE.

I will continue to reference both dealers and vendors as we. Call me crazy (and maybe I still feel in limbo in this journey from one side to the other) but I’m not entirely sure I will reference dealers as anything but WE.

PS. My poor English teacher is hating all this tense change.