"The law of nature is, Do the thing, and you shall have the power:but they who do not the thing have not the power."
                  ---Ralph Waldo Emerson, Compensation
                               (Essays: First Series, 1841)

One major thing that hinders us from accomplishing our goals is impatience. We want instant gratification. We will not stick with the small daily routine or small easy daily tasks long enough to see our goals manifest in the reality. One definition of success is " the progressive realization of a worthy goal." We forget the word progressive means going forward. We are to constantly be in motion. Motion is action. Set a goal, make a plan, do the plan and make adjustments along the way.Don't get hung up on the How To Part. Get started,do what you know,and the final plan will be revealed during the process.You will constantly be adjusting and updating your plan. The key to success is action. You will find out by action the ways that won't work in accomplishing your goal.Your plans will possibly fail many times.This is great, because this means you are closer to finding the solution that will make your goal come true.The daily little things, simple to do, simple not to do are the key.You must keep in motion. Don't base your daily actions on your feelings. Your daily actions must be based on a philosophy. The philosophy is I believe the process will work. It is the law of nature. You can't change the law of nature. The goal is to follow it and use it to your advantage.

Here is the down side. It is just as easy not to do the daily things that compounded over time will make your life successful. Miss a day here, miss a day there and finally you are out of the habit of progressing forward. The error of not doing will not destroy your health today, or bankrupt you today, or ruin your chances of success today. But ,this simple error in judgement compounded over time will kill you. It will destroy you and ruin your chances for success in the future.

Remember, "It's never too late to start. It's always too late to wait."

What's Hindering You?


 
 
Will the government "cash for clunkers" give away program cost the consumer more in the future when they get ready to purchase another vehicle? The Jacksonville Daily News interviewed me and posted the article in Sunday's paper dated August 29,2009. Click here to read the article and let me hear your opinion.
 
 
I have customers tell me that buying a vehicle can be a terrifying experience. They don't know who to trust. Can I believe what this car dealer is telling me? Do I know the history of this vehicle? What kind of repairs have been done? Did the previous owner take care of the vehicle? What's going to happen when I drive the vehicle off the lot? Is the dealer going to stand behind his product? The answers to some of these questions you might never know. For example, did the previous owner or owners take care of the vehicle? It is hard to tell for sure. Here are some things that I look for to give me clues if the vehicle has been taken care of. I look at the appearance of the exterior paint. I determine if the paint is average wear for the year model. I look for dents. You are going to have minor blemishes on a used vehicle. Major dents are not a good sign. I look at body moldings and the gap around the doors. Are the gaps around the door the same width around all the doors. I look underneath the vehicle for excessive rust.  I look on the inside for interior wear. How does the inside look? Is the carpet and seats in good shape considering the year model of the vehicle. In my opinion if a vehicle looks good inside and out and it is clean, the odds are the previous owner probably took care of it. How about this question, What's going to happen when I drive the vehicle off the lot? At my dealership, if you have a breakdown within  the first 30 days, I will take care of it without any questions. I also offer service contracts on the engine and transmission for up to 24 months on most models at a modest price. The key to whether the person is an honest dealer is determined on how he or she takes care of you after the sale if there is a problem with the vehicle. My goal is to make you a life time customer . In order to do that I know I have to take care of and help you after the sale. I want you to tell other people that I treated you good. I am determined to live by our corporate motto: "Be Helpful, Be Honest and Be Fair". I believe that's all any reasonable customer would expect from a business person. I realize it's a priviledge to earn your business and trust. I want to do everything in my power to make this happen. I can honestly say that I try my best to do everything that I can to help people. Sometimes I tell people not to buy a vehicle right now. They can't afford it. I encourage them to save up their money until they have a sizable down payment in order to keep their payments as low as possible. Sometimes I encourage them to keep driving the vehicle that they are driving until they can afford better. I believe that you truly earn a person's trust when you advise them what would be in their best interest. Sometimes telling the customer the truth is not what they want to hear. If you truly care about a person and their needs you will tell them the truth. It will benefit them in the long run. If you know who you are dealing with, and you know that they have your best interest at heart, then you have no reason to fear.
 
 
We had a customer tell us recently "The last couple of dealerships that I visited didn't make me feel important once they found out that I have bad credit.They tried to stick me in an old "clunker" on the back lot." At The Slammer Car Lot you pick out the vehicle. Your needs and situation are important to us. We treat everyone the same whether you have good credit or bad. Rest assured that all of our vehicles are checked out by a certified mechanic and needed repairs, if any, are made. Sales people at many dealerships, especially the franchise dealerships, are under pressure from the sales managers and owners to sell a certain number of vehicles a month. Because of time constraints and the commitment it takes to help the customer with bad credit, most choose the so called easy path and focus on helping those customers who basically can get financed anywhere. I find it personally rewarding to help good people who have made mistakes and who have been taken advantage of by other sources to give them hope and confidence in the fact that we care and we'll do everything in our power to help you get the financing for the vehicle that you so desperately need to get to and from and function in this society. For example; it is a bad feeling for a single parent who is trying to get their child  back and forth to the day care and no one will finance them on a vehicle. How about a typical mother or father who is trying  to get back and forth to work with no vehicle. It's a tough problem. This problem is magnified when no one will take the time and effort to understand them and help the customer find a solution to the problem. I am here to help you and I will give you my personal time and attention.You are important to me. We are a community and as a community we will triumph or fail together. If we pull together we will triumph.
 
 
Selling your own vehicle at first seems to be an easy task. You write up an ad,post it on a web site,or put it in a publication,add some pictures, put in a price,leave a phone number or email address and wait for the calls to come flowing in. That's how it works,right? Not exactly.The start with a lot of the calls that you will receive are bogus, Many people won't show up when they tell you or they won't show up at all. They don't even have the courtesy of calling you up and rescheduling or telling you that something came up. This happens all the time at my car lot. That's ok. I am here all the time anyway. However; you have other committments. Most of you work, and your line of work is not selling cars. It is harder than you think. You soon find that out, when you start to sell your own vehicle. Have you thought about this? Who's going to respond to your ad and show up at your door? Do you want strangers who responded to an internet ad knowing where you live? Think about that. You will find out many of your responders will want you to finance the vehicle for them. Most people are not in the position to do that or don't to do that. You want it sold now and you want cash or a bank check for it. Do you still owe on your vehicle? How do you explain that to the potential buyer in a way that will make them comfortable writing you a check for a vehicle that you don't have a title on? Do you have your vehicle priced right? Is it too high or too low? How do you know? Do you know your local market? The blue book is not the authority. It is only one of many references. You need to research them all. How do you get the paperwork handled at The DMV office. In other words, the new buyer has got to have tags and insurance. The vehicle has to be properly registered. You might say that's the buyer's problem. If you know how to help that person solve the problem of registering the vehicle properly and make sure all the paperwork is done correctly, you have a better chance of selling your vehicle. Do you know how to record a lien on a vehicle. It must be done if the person that you are selling your vehicle to gets financing on it. There Is An Easier Way To Sell Your Vehicle. Find a reputable car dealer in your area who does consignment sales. When you approach the dealer, ask him to give you references of clients that he has sold vehicles for in the past. By you interviewing the dealer, you  will soon find out if they are interested in selling your vehicle or will they let it collect dust on their lot. If you find a good reputable dealer , their commission will be well worth your time. Then you can spend your time doing things you need to do. Points to Remember: If you let a car dealer sell your vehicle on consignment, make sure there is a well written contract, stating a beginning and an expiration date. Make sure the selling price, amount of commission going to the dealer and net proceeds going to you are written out. If you still owe on the vehicle, make sure the name of the finance company, and payoff amount is stated in the contract. A good dealer can save you a lot of hassle. If you live in Onslow County, N.C. or surrounding areas,I can take the hassle out of selling your vehicle.  I will be glad to explain how our consignment program works here at THE SLAMMER CAR LOT. We have been very successful at this. We have customer names that you can contact, we have a well written contract that protects you, the buyer and us. We see to it that all paperwork is handled properly with the DMV and the liens are paid. Our consignment vehicles have been averaging less than 40 days to sell. Feel free to contact me at (910)577--2020. You can email me at theslammercarlot@bizec.rr.com If you live far away, I will still be glad to answer any questions that you might have. If you have a story on selling your vehicle or a story on letting someone sell your vehicle on consignment, I would love to hear from you.
 
 
Everyone is looking for a hero. Someone that they can look up to for support and motivation. I can think of two people right off the top of my head who I consider heroes. The first is my wife , Angela. We have been married to each other for over 31 years. She has stuck with me through good and bad times. She doesn't bitch, belly ache or complain at me or circumstances that are going on in her life. She endures arthritis in her joints while she takes care of her husband, teenage son, cleaning of house, cooking meals. etc. She also keeps our two grandchildren, who are 20 months old and 5 months old during the day. She communicates constantly with our two grown children, their husbands and our teenage son by phone or in person. She always wants to know what's going on in their lives. She is certainly the glue that holds our family together. She is an excellent cook, wife , parent and grandparent. She made a choice a long time ago. That choice is not based on how she feels physically or mentally today. That choice is I am going to love my husband, children, son-in-laws, grandchildren with all my heart. Whatever it takes , I am going to invest in their lives, be there as a sounding board when they want to talk, and do everything in my power  to help them . My wife's "Actions speak so Loud, I don't hear a word she is saying". In other words, she motivates and inspires through her actions. Words can be  cheap and sometimes  worthless. My wife speaks volumes with her actions. I know where her heart is. She is my mentor in teaching me how to build strong relationships. When  I get selfish and want  to think " It's all about me" , sometimes wanting to feel sorry for myself, I look to my hero, my wife for Clarity.  There is no question you've got to take time for yourself. But, to be a hero, you have got to give of yourself to others. My wife is truly a Hero.                                                                               

The next hero in my life is my father. He is 82 years old and in great health. He retired from his business at the young age of 80. He has a 7th grade education and has had 6 patents in the Washington, D.C. office. He has a tremendous positive attitude. He never gives up or quits. I will never forget as a child , my dad would get up early in the morning, get dressed and walk in the dark down the paved road in our neighborhood for his daily exercise. I thought that he was crazy getting up at 6:00 am to go walking. He made a believer out of me. He still walks everyday and it has paid off for him. He showed me by example how to work. He always provided for us and never complained about working. He was committed to his family. We never went hungry. We were not rich, in fact we didn't have a bathtub or shower until he built our new home in 1969. Prior to that , we took baths in a wash tub and used the bathroom outside in an Out House. A lot of people have no idea what an out house is. I thank God for bathrooms. That is all I am going to say on the subject. He taught me the value of honesty, hard work, committment and how to treat everyone fairly. My dad loved everyone. He never met a stranger. I try to live my life the same way, whether it be in business or personally.  I admit I have a lot of flaws, but one thing I have tried to consistently do my entire life , which I learned from my father, is Make People Feel Important, And Treat Them With Respect. I can say my father made me feel important. He is truly a Hero.
 
 
Many people come into my car dealership down and out because of their bad credit.They have been to many dealerships who have made them feel inferior. The key to gaining confidence and realizing that you can improve your situation is first to admit you have a credit problem. Don't blame your situation on other people, even though an ex-spouse, relative who stole your identity etc. may have contributed to the problem. The bottom line is it's your credit report, it's your low score, take responsibility and do something about it. You have got to be patient. You are going to have to save up a good down payment and be prepared to pay higher interest rates until you can get a couple of years of proven credit history showing  that you can be trusted to make timely car payments. You are important, bad credit doesn't make you an inferior person. You just made some mistakes. We all have. Have you experienced something like this? Let me hear your story