Fellow Transplants

[stp1971]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaRoller

Your such a redneck.

I hear by gift the town of Tallapoosa to the great state of Alabama.

My neck is actually more of a sahde of pink to almost pale white from the lack of riding this year.

I second the motion to rid ourselves of Tallapoosa. But why not sell if for about $10 versus giving it away!!

[batpeso]

I accept with information: reasons for moving included
- My mother had just lost her battle with brain cancer, so my family "imploded" when she passed away.
- I had been working on a software project for almost 4 years, and the product was nearing completion, so I was ready for something new.
- My then girlfriend was having problems adjusting to working life in California, and her family was pressuring her to return home.
- In the late 1980's, So Cal was in the middle of a gang turf war, and it wasn't a very safe place to be.

[omegajim]

- My then girlfriend was having problems adjusting to working life in California, and her family was pressuring her to return home.

too bad he didn't think of heading up north at the time, there was a small company call microsoft up in redmond that was hiring at the time.

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by omegajim

too bad he didn't think of heading up north at the time, there was a small company call microsoft up in redmond that was hiring at the time.

We were actually talking about moving to Colorado (Boulder or Colorado Springs) before she decided to move back to Germany. But, there were few opportunities there in the late 1980s.

I'm not sure I fit into the "Microsoft" corporate strategy, just like I couldn't work for Google. I spent 10 years working in a large Pharmaceuticals company, but I've spent the last 10 years in smaller (between 10 and 50 people) consulting companies. I like knowing everyone in the office...

[omegajim]

I'm not sure I fit into the "Microsoft" corporate strategy

you mean living at work for days at a time isn't for you?

actually had an argument with my girlfriend (at the time) that kids were working 80 + hours a week (getting good coin mind you) and she could not accept that was a reality some places.

[intimid8er]

I used to do 70-90 hrs wk sometimes 20-30 days straight.

Granted my face was beet red all the time, and I'd probably be dead right now if I didn't get out.

[omegajim]

do tell.

[womper]

they used to hit him with a phone book and drink at work?

[GeorgiaRoller]

It's official, my brother is moving his family to Tennessee in 2 weeks. Gotta go where the work is.

Gonna loose his house in Eastpointe. Bought it 5yrs ago for $129,000.00. Still owes over $120,000.00 Homes in his neighborhood are now selling for $60,000 - $70,000 only. He's basically screwed on it.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by intimid8er

I used to do 70-90 hrs wk sometimes 20-30 days straight.

Granted my face was beet red all the time, and I'd probably be dead right now if I didn't get out.

Originally Posted by omegajim

do tell.

I ran a specialized credit department in a dealership. Getting loans for people that couldn't otherwise get them.

The people I had working under me, were not being properly compensated for the way I wanted the department to run. That was a decision that was made by the guy whose name was on the sign out front.

Therefore, I couldn't effectively run the system I had modeled out and had a proven track record with. There was no incentive for my guys in their pay to take on any extra duties, so I saw fit not to saddle them with my responsibilities. Unless they were being directly paid for being involved in a deal, I didn't think it was fair to make them interview customers, chase stipulations, handle the closing of the loan, etc..

The way my department would work effectively, is if a regular salesman drew a customer with bad credit, they turn the customer over to my guys, the salesman gets a minimum of $100 for the Turn Over (T.O.), and my guys do all the leg work. If it's a winner, they get the bulk of the commission, which is fair. If it's a loser, they get that too. If it's a headache...they shoulder all the load. Upper management saw fit not to implement my plan, because they feared a mutiny. The dealership was in a bad neighborhood so virtually every salesman had experienced a bad credit deal here and there and thought they were and expert at it.

The truth is, is easy as it seems on the outside, it's a complicated dance that requires knowledge of the banks programs at any given moment, a little human hacking, knowledge of every single vehicle in inventory that works within the guidelines of the bank's programs, have to know the house computer system inside out, familiarize yourself with third party maximizing software, know how to do things by hand, and know contracts and disclosure. Regular salesmen do not know these things. Don't have the patience. Just want to sell a car, and move on. Don't want to do the extensive follow up on specialized loans, and basically half-ass everything.

So to a point. I micromanaged. And managed. I helped my guys be successful, and kept upper management happy. Put over a $150K on the books monthly which was basically found money for them, because they otherwise would not ordinarily be able to sell that car.

Soon enough, I had won enough people over (my predecessor was an %%%%%%%, and put a bad taste in the whole places mouth over that department), and there was talk that I was being underpaid. Truth was...I was...I was offered the job...went and interviewed on a Friday afternoon...was offered a pay plan..just nodded shook hands, had no intention of taking the job. As I was touring the facility, I ran into two defectors from my current place of employment. They were on the phone the minute I left their offices. By the time I got back to my office, there was a plan in place to can me. Since the person that asked me to the interview had left my current place of employment on bad terms. He left for a better paying position and more power. The owner at my current place acted like a petulant child and started dismantling every decision and plan that individual had instilled earlier.

My intent was to ride out the following week. Get the ole paycheck on Friday. And stick it in their wazoo for the weekend. Of course, this would trigger phone calls. I would then announce that I had been offered a job elsewhere at x% commission (of course the amount would be inflated a couple of points for negotiation sake), and that I'd be glad to come back if they could exceed that number.

So that current weekend. I "Shawshanked" my office (when Andy took one piece of wall out of his cell at a time)...I stay lean and mean on the office front. Very little personal stuff so in the odd case you get blown out..you don't have to spend an inordinate amount of time packing your %%%%% and have everyone watch you before you do the walk of shame. Never happened to me, but I was young when I got into the biz, and I'd seen it happen plenty of times. I'd be embarrassed for the people it'd happen to. So I always figured if it happened to me. I could just walk out. I digress. So I quietly removed the few personal items I had. Cleaned up the computer over the weekend, and just prepared everything for my departure.

So on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. the owner walks in draws a chair up to the front of my desks, and utters the words as he's facing the brick wall. Not even to my face! I threw him off his game. I just stared at him and said. Cool. See ya later. Clicked my pen closed. Clipped it to my shirt. Closed a couple of folders. Put them in my active bin. Straightened my blotter, and started pushing my chair away from the desk. He was flabbergasted. He asked if I needed to pack up anything. I told him I already did. I was ready to go. Revealed to him I was going to leave him in the lurch on Friday. He still couldn't believe my stuff was packed. He kept going back to it. He was also worried I might've taken dealership property with me. He wanted to have the "cleaning of the office" supervised and humiliating I'll assume. I said something like, "Oops. You're right. I took the pen out of my shirt. Set it on the desk, and then slid it dramatically across to him. That's yours. Wouldn't want to leave with what's not mine. Are we done here? Because if we are. I'd like to go enjoy the day, and the rest of the week."

He was shocked. He kept asking me if I was going to ask him for my job back. His plan was even though he knew about the interview. He was thinking that if he canned me, I'd ask to stay, and he'd hire me back for less. Again..mind you, I'd taken a department that could barely make $500 a car...to average profit of $2500 per copy. Found money too. My successor promptly flushed the department down the toilet.

Now. I had to take a job I did want, but didn't negotiate the pay. I was stuck. So when people saw what I did at the new place, and how much money I was making everybody, they started a grass roots movement to get me more pay. That was denied. I saw they were content to squeeze me, so I started another exit strategy. So here I am. Eight years later. Don't miss it at all.

[omegajim]

Now. I had to take a job I did want, but didn't negotiate the pay. I was stuck. So when people saw what I did at the new place, and how much money I was making everybody, they started a grass roots movement to get me more pay. That was denied. I saw they were content to squeeze me, so I started another exit strategy. So here I am. Eight years later. Don't miss it at all.

very interesting - especially about the part being "stuck" and how, after awhile, you became "unstuck."

or, as I learned (quite unintentionally from my father) "life isn't checkers, it's chess."

your employer may screw you short term, but in the end, the hens come home to roost.

I know more than a couple of people that left where I work who moved on to better things one way or another, and I doubt any of them look back.

May be getting to that position myself, but as already mentioned "it's not checkers, it's chess."

[intimid8er]

I read back over that tome I scribed out there.

In addendum:

At the new place, the previous two people I replaced just ran the department like hell. Pissed everybody in the whole place off.

I did not want the job at the new place. I liked the other place, but it was becoming increasingly hostile because I was brought in to do exactly what I did by any means necessary, and he left on bad terms. The fact that I made them an assload of money, and triggered bonus levels for everyone, was lost on the fact that they were a "country" store, and I was from the "city", and "we don't do things here like they do in Tampa". Basically, I showed everybody up, and they were resentful. Before I got there..they could barely log $500/copy on a sale. During my tenure, it rose to an average of $2500 plus or minus. And...all done the right way, by the book. My way just required that you dig down, and do your job. It required you to not take the easy route with the customer, and sometimes just man up and tell them the cold hard truth. You had to be willing to let a customer go too. I "grew up" in the old school systems that were hard sell, and I hated it. I soon learned how to manipulate management to think their B.S. way was working, but I'd work the customer a completely different way. I hated the way the industry treated customers in the early nineties. They refused to believe the customer could be informed, had feelings, and "human".

[HAMMERPETE]

Originally Posted by intimid8er

I read back over that tome I scribed out there.

In addendum:

At the new place, the previous two people I replaced just ran the department like hell. Pissed everybody in the whole place off.

I did not want the job at the new place. I liked the other place, but it was becoming increasingly hostile because I was brought in to do exactly what I did by any means necessary, and he left on bad terms. The fact that I made them an assload of money, and triggered bonus levels for everyone, was lost on the fact that they were a "country" store, and I was from the "city", and "we don't do things here like they do in Tampa". Basically, I showed everybody up, and they were resentful. Before I got there..they could barely log $500/copy on a sale. During my tenure, it rose to an average of $2500 plus or minus. And...all done the right way, by the book. My way just required that you dig down, and do your job. It required you to not take the easy route with the customer, and sometimes just man up and tell them the cold hard truth. You had to be willing to let a customer go too. I "grew up" in the old school systems that were hard sell, and I hated it. I soon learned how to manipulate management to think their B.S. way was working, but I'd work the customer a completely different way. I hated the way the industry treated customers in the early nineties. They refused to believe the customer could be informed, had feelings, and "human".

You know this might be going out on a limb. But good barbecue is really rare out here. Ramona has a few decent spots for a resturant or even a day grill. To boot it has all the bike traffic you could stand on the weekend.
Ride during the week and work during the weekend.
So if you guys ever want to give them the big F YOU ....

[inspiron]

I'm just trying to imagine Sean, Tim and Pete together with an ice chest full of beer, sitting around a monster smoker. Talk about one hell of a party...!

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by HAMMERPETE

You know this might be going out on a limb. But good barbecue is really rare out here. Ramona has a few decent spots for a resturant or even a day grill. To boot it has all the bike traffic you could stand on the weekend.
Ride during the week and work during the weekend.
So if you guys ever want to give them the big F YOU ....

As I understand it, good Southern BBQ is somewhat of a newfangled novelty out there right?

It's treated as a new foreign food in L.A. from what I've heard.

Originally Posted by inspiron

I'm just trying to imagine Sean, Tim and Pete together with an ice chest full of beer, sitting around a monster smoker. Talk about one hell of a party...!

[tallannie]

I love this.... I changed one word.... and it perfectly describes how I deal with my unbelievable management......

I think this is the mark of a successful senior manager in many types of roles....and I am truly not sure I would want to be any more successful and join the ranks of those above me....

Originally Posted by intimid8er

.... I soon learned how to manipulate management to think their B.S. way was working, but I'd work the employee a completely different way. I hated the way the industry treated employees. They refused to believe the employee could be informed, had feelings, and "human".

[HAMMERPETE]

Originally Posted by inspiron

I'm just trying to imagine Sean, Tim and Pete together with an ice chest full of beer, sitting around a monster smoker. Talk about one hell of a party...!

Ribs and a Micro brewery. Oh it could be trouble.

[omegajim]

or homemade wine, damn, gonna have to get started soon if I want some for the winter fishing outing the club has in February.

[Tooltech]

On the original topic;
I was born and raised in Ashby, Mn. I moved out here with my mom when I was 13. I have lived in several other states, (Ut, Ca, Az,) but always seem to come back to Co. I love to visit Mn, but don't know if I could live there anymore.

On the threadjack;
We have Famous Dave's here, which everyone seems to like, but it falls into the "cover it in sauce school".

We have one really good bbq place around here "The Rib House" Started by an auto mechanic. He would do his ribs for friends and family. That grew into catering, and finally a restaurant. His ribs are killer! He does a dry rub, and sauce is totally optional. You just give the bone a little twist, and it slides right out, leaving all the goodness behind

Dang, now I'm hungry again.

[stp1971]

Originally Posted by HAMMERPETE

Ribs and a Micro brewery. Oh it could be trouble.

Umm,,, that would be BBQ'd tofu for me now.

Man o Man. Went to the Big Pig Jig for one of the largest BBQ competitions.
Only got one bowl of BBQ.

Seems you can only eat the competition BBQ if you arrive early enough to register with the chamber of Commerce as a Judge.

All I got was a bowl of greasy BBQ with some crappy sauce concoctions labeled as Southern BBQ.

HELP TIM!!!!!! Where were you? You need to go next year and enter so we can sit around with you and watch everyone else drool.