NADA's 2009 Chairman John McEleney says 1,000 dealerships or 50,000 jobs were lost in 2008 and another 1,200 dealers will leave in 2009 because of the economy so it's no surprise that this year's NADA was filled with inspirational speakers. Former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, Christopher Gardner who inspired the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, President George H.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton. President Bush says we are a strong country and we have a way of bouncing back while President Clinton told the NADA audience to never stop thinking because fear paralyzes - keep your head.
One of the best speakers was Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co. Colliver, speaking to the American International Automotive Dealers Association (AIADA), says now is the time for positively embracing change and focusing on knowing your customer, competition, manufacturer and yourself. What the automotive media overlooks while reviewing new vehicles is the importance of sales people - they make and break deals no matter how great the car is. Colliver stressed the importance of attracting and retaining top sales people. All speakers agree that we are in uncertain, unprecedented times, as Colliver put it - "we are ships at sea in a difficult storm". In an attempt to forecast 2009, Colliver said U.S. vehicle sales could be anywhere from 10 to 15 million - "we flat out don't know". Positive thinking is good but is has to be accompanied by available credit for small businesses and car buyers.
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