Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/567620
MTD September 2015 I learned a long time ago that winners win. It's as though you can't keep a winner from winning. Last month's article outlined the management style of race car driver and living legend Parnelli Jones. In the article, I quoted Jones as saying, "I couldn't do anything without my partners." Jones owned a new and thriving business, plus was a champion racer. He relied on others to run the business while he focused on racing. Jones also believed that you can't grow without placing faith in others. Tis month's column is about the men he placed his faith in. W hen Jones was approached by Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. and asked to open a dealership, he was not interested; he was focused on his driving career. However, he understood the opportunity and later decided to open a retail tire and service store. True to his beliefs, he hired two of the best in the industry at the time. Robert "Bob" Gatzke and William "Bill" Sauer were winners. Gatzke ran the most proftable district in the country for Firestone, and Sauer ran the most proftable retail store on a sales- to-botom-line operating proft basis. You can imagine these two guys running a retail store together with the hotest name in racing on the building, Parnelli Jones' Firestone. Teir frst store in Torrance, Calif., became famous for selling high performance tires and wheels. People drove from all over Southern California to purchase high performance products and services. Gatzke and Sauer were a dynamic pair. Tey were winners and they believed deeply in customer care and service. At the end of each day, they would review each and every sales ticket for lost sales opportunities and customer satisfaction. Te store quickly became a high-volume location, and they had to hire more skilled people. Gatzke and Sauer also subscribed to Jones' philosophy regarding people. As I said last month, expectations were high and quotas were real. Tey, too, hired people they could place faith in, and as a result, the business had a great foundation. Jones was a winner; he hired winners, and they hired winners. Not everyone they hired was a born winner, but when placed in a winning environment with realistic expectations and clearly outlined goals, a winning team was established. Te goal of this column is to help you understand the winning edge. Winning at the sales counter starts long before the doors are opened and customers arrive. Gatzke and Sauer were huge believers in the importance of people, people, people! Tey preached this consistently. Many of us who worked at Parnelli Jones knew we were rather ordinary, yet we felt the winning atitude and rose to the challenge. We understood that winning not only included hitting goals and objectives, but also taking care of the customer. I remember the day when all that winning atitude and customer service stuf sank in. I realized it was more than a moto or a mantra; it was the core of Gatzke and Sauer's business beliefs. Understanding that fact changed my perspective. I believe that day I became a winner, moving beyond reciting the language and the mantra to actually owning the philosophy. I fnally and more fully joined the team. I recognized the diference it made in me and many others. Tere is a feeling of camaraderie that accompanies true teamwork, a feeling that supersedes personal inner satisfaction. Te great Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lom- bardi is quoted as saying, "Winning is not a sometime thing." We who experienced the winning atitude and teamwork at Parnelli Jones' Firestone knew we were experiencing something special. Winning does not happen spontane- ously; it's planned, it's communicated, it's the execution of sound strategy considered and agreed upon before the actual execution. Winning is built on belief. Counter intelligence I worked with winners Winning is the execution of sound strategy By Wayne Williams Parnelli Jones is in the center in this 1970s-era photo, fanked by Bill Sauer on the left and Bob Gatzke on the right. Working at Parnelli Jones' Firestone meant you were part of a winning team with realistic expectations and clearly outlined goals. 72