I salute your passion. You are looking for a paycheck... as is every stockholder.

I don't see ANY market share improvement from your plan. It's just one fellow's opinion and no insult meant. I don't need to do the math, I've read your plan and there's no "there" there, to my way of thinking...

I'm a stockholder as well. I want to see profit per unit. Nowhere in your plan is there any hint of how that can be done.

Your plan is full of incentive continuances and even some new "giveaways"...
I believe in money invested under the hood, not on top of it...

I don't question your motives, I question your conclusions.

 

I wasn't speaking literally. What I mean is that you were taking your plan to the highest point in GM internals and trying to get it implemented there. That's the wrong place to start with a plan like this.
Your plan would help the dealer network, and doesn't really need too much involvement from GM corporate and doesn't relate to who the CEO is. By the same measure, what I've seen of your plan really doesn't put you in a place to decide who should fill GM management positions. And yes, I know you're going to say "Wagoner's performance decided where he should be," but that's an oversimplification and I think you know it.

How much of today's problems are still a result of our friends Roger Smith and Ron Zarella? I'm not sure of the answer to that question, but neither should you be, IMO. Some of the people on this board who are pretty qualified to judge have pretty uniformly insisited that Wagoner and the rest of GM management are doing their jobs quite well under damn near impossible circumstances.

They've been turning you down for all that time and you never thought of changing your approach? Like PacerX said, the hard sell is not going to work on these guys, and I'm sure it doesn't help that you're pretty much telling them that they're not good at their jobs every time you meet them. That's why they feel threatened. I think if you want to elp GM besides blaming sheer incompetency at corporate, you should look inward to see what you could do to get the plan in place/.

 

What if I'm right?

 

Then that is a chance I am willing to take.

Ignoring post #254 there buddy?

 

What if butterflies carried machine guns?

Well then... birds wouldn't mess with them, would they?


The point is moot. Even if you are right, you shot your whole plan square in the rear end due to the following:

1) Not understanding your customer. GM doesn't like the hard sell.

2) Getting offended when the offer for your "Plan" was too low for your tastes, and instead of recognizing it for what it really was (a test... and an opening...), you stomped off in a huff.

3) Not realizing that what was being watched more than anything was your demeanor.

4) Taking personal pot-shots at the very people you were trying to sell. Bad sales practice. Let's be honest... did you really think that trying to blow a new hole in the CEO's *** was going to help you? Would you really expect someone who reports to Rick to hire somebody that is as vocal (and strident... and irrational... etc...) a critic?

5) You're not really selling anything. Plans aren't worth the paper they're written on unless they can be executed. By definition, a plan of action is only as effective as the leadership of the individual tasked with carrying it out. To quote Patton (loosely...):

"...wars will won by EXECUTION, not PLANS."

 

What you fail to realize my friend is that I went about this in exactly the manner you recommend. In fact for years I tried dealing in good faith. The $5K offer wasn't from LaNeve, it was from John Smith (who insisted I sign an intellectual property release, not exactly what one would term a "door opener"). LaNeve and I hit it off well for about six weeks as I waited for him to settle in. Even gave him the details without commitment because many said he was to be trusted. We made a verbal agreement over breakfast on a Saturday and then the next week he did the backstroke better than Mark Spitz. You fellas have picked up on this way towards the end of years and years of sincere, humble effort. You're right, I do have an attitude now, and if you had been through what I've been through you would have given up. Not me, I chose a different direction after issuing fair warning and offering a last chance for romance. Now it's time to get tough. Never underestimate the power of the individual.
As for Wagoner, when he became COO in 2000 GM was worth $66,000,000,000 today it's $15,000,000,000. You want more?

 

K. It's wasn't LaNeve, it was Smith. Either way, he called your number like the pro I expect he is.


Hmmm... insulting a prospective customer... yet again.

I'll betcha Joe Girard never criticized anyone he was trying to sell in public.


Forgive me, but from reading here and in other places I kinda question the idea of you and "humble" peacefully coexisting at any time.



Ah yes... now you peer into my soul and determine how much willpower I have, and come to the conclusion over the interwebnet that your capacity for will is somehow greater.

Hell, at least Freud made you sit down on a couch before he analyzed your psyche...

This gets better and better.



You're going to wear that arm out if you keep patting your own back with it like that.



Yep, GM is drastically under-valued. Kerkorian knows a deal when he sees one.



In truth, you're just ranting and raving. Having a rational discussion about this with you is trying to squeeze blood from a turnip. So, I should probably let you go back to doing that and only pop in from time to time for giggles. Something about pearls... yes... pearls...

See, for you, this isn't about what's best for GM. It's about ego and money - and I have no interest in stroking your former or giving you the latter... and apparently, neither does GM.

 

Smith was a pro...at losing share.
I have no prospective customer, hence the removal.
Joe Girard believes he's number one, ever heard him in person?
Anti-humble and self defense have common traits.
If your staying power is so great, why are you dropping out of a simple discussion when you obviously have no grounds?
I don't need to pat my back, I need to watch it.
You stroke my ego? Get real. Your money? Bet I make times over your salary.
Want a giggle, look at GM's market share. At least I'm going to do something about it.
You're going away...I say good riddance.
Buickman

 

Pause and focus those last three functioning brain cells on that statement. I know it's hard, but you might be able to get a cogent thought out of them.

Nah, I read his book(s).
Oh... and Joe Girard surely was #1. Year in and year out.


Pearls... swine and pearls.

I've heard that tinfoil hats deflect bullets...

Bet my mom can beat up your mom.

And, erm... how precisely do you think you know my salary?

Hey, why don't ya just whip it out right now and we'll see who's is bigger?


Oh trust me, my insecure little friend, it will take an intellect far greater than yours to drive me off this board.

 

Who cares what you make or what anyone else on this boards "salary" is? This gives us a deep view into your true intentions and character. Would you be willing to work for GM for free if your quest is so great to save them???

You act like this "Return to Greatness Plan" is something sent from God on a Chariot of Fire delivered in the Ark of the Covenant; for crying out loud! This plan is nothing that a green college graduate with a 4 year marketing degree couldn't develop - I fail to see what's so important that it makes it worthy of us to bow down?

GM recognizes a "gold-digger" when they see one...

 

If you haven't noticed, this is for free.
Things are getting a bit brutal.
Recommend we fight the competition instead of each other.
Glad you're sticking around. Let's stay on the subject.

 

I'm not sure that proposals would have averted the upcoming crisis, but on the other hand we're already seeing the results of doing absolutely nothing....or should I say doing absolutley nothing right.


These days, even 25% market share doesn't fell like a realisitic long-term target. These days, a more realistic button would read "20 and 10." Yes, I'm suggesting that 20% sustainable market share with a 10% profit margin is a more realistic goal.

[

 

I'll state this one more time, then I'll get back to the other threads.

1. Buickman has a fantastic plan for improving Customer & dealer realtions. He's drawing on years of experience, and success, and I think his plan has alot of merit.

2. These 20 points aren't gonna "save" GM. Personally, I think you are drifting dangerously to the edge of overselling your plan, my friend. Saturn had perhaps the best buyer experience and customer and service relations of any car company short of Rolls Royce or Bentley. Saturn still tanked due to a lack of product. Last I checked, Corvettes alone were pretty close to outselling Saturn (discounting their SUV).

3. You are on a personal vendetta against Rick Wagoner. You want him fired as CEO, and are using examples of things that took place well before he was CEO. Fiat was bought under Ron Zarella's term. Yet, Wagoner's responsible and should be removed 2 years into his time as CEO, right?

The only fault I can see with GM right now is they seriously misjudged it's allocation of resources. Smith and Zarella sent everything into trucks, and were ready to kill off cars to do it.

Zarella & Smith killed GM's B-body line, which wiped out Caprice, Roadmaster, DeVilles, and Impala. They killed the F-body, which included Camaro & Firebird. They starved Saturn of any new or redesigned models. They killed off the entire Oldsmobile motor division. They killed all plans to produce a version of the "V" chassis here (Buick as well as Chevrolet was involved). The killed the 5th gen F-body development in it's tracks. They set the course of GM's automotive arm in the direction of FWD. All this happened under Zarella and Smith as CEOs, yet you are now attempting to blame GM's problems on the current CEO, Rick Wagoner, who again has been in his position for just about 2 years.... and it takes 4-5 to get any changes through GM!

I think you see why I am having a problem with some of your positions.

 

Buickman, what is that old saying? Speak softly and carry a big stick?

It's a funny thing about human emotion. The louder someone yells the more we are inclined to ignore the noise. The harder someone pats him/herself on the back the more agitated we get...if this plan is as good as you say it is, you need to let it speak for itself and work with GM to get it in place, not adversarily against the CEO.

 

Rick Wagoner was elected CEO of GM 6/1/2000. Fiat agreement was made in November of that year.