A Meeting at a Car Dealership

Yesterday, I met with representatives from a Japanese automaker’s dealership. My parents were looking after the kids that day, so I took the train. (Taking the train is great for getting work done—I can use my laptop along the way.) Their manager and some senior executives joined us, making it feel a little like a job interview. I was slightly nervous, but we exchanged plenty of information and had largely aligned on the details when the conversation turned to my love of cars.

We got talking about how, when you visit a dealership, a salesperson will often say, “If you make a decision this month, I can give you a better price.” The group laughed, and someone said, “Oh, we do that too!” The mood was relaxed and friendly. But as we kept talking, I got carried away and started speaking more passionately than I meant to:

A car is the culmination of engineers’ and designers’ blood, sweat, and tears. It carries the history of decades of improvements made by the people who came before them. That’s why I wish dealership salespeople would take more pride in what they sell. I don’t want them to hand out discounts so casually just to hit their sales targets!

For some reason, those words came out with a lot more force than I expected.

“A Much-Appreciated Message”…?

The moment I finished speaking, I suddenly came to my senses and froze.

Had I just completely put everyone off? ((；ﾟДﾟ))

We’d been chatting and laughing moments earlier, but the mood had changed completely. I started fumbling for words when one of the people from the dealership said:

“What you just said really hit home. You’re absolutely right!”

The atmosphere had turned a little hard to read, and then it was time for me to leave. In an email they sent afterward, they wrote:

“Your comments about the automotive industry, including your perspective as a customer, were very much appreciated by those of us who uphold the management philosophy of ◯◯—even if they were a little hard to hear.”

I felt terrible that they’d had to be so considerate of me. If I ever have another meeting with people in the automotive industry, I’ll have to remember not to get so carried away and lose myself in the moment. That’s what I’ve been telling myself lately.