If there鈥檚 anything that can be said about Ford, people feel an emotional connection to their favourite car. After all, they鈥檙e connected to it over a lifetime. This is equally true not only for the people that drive them, but also for the people that sell them.
Nowhere is that more true than with Bill Kramer of Royal Ford, whose remarkable career has spanned 40 years.
鈥淪ales is a tough job, but it鈥檚 been a good run. I鈥檝e seen 鈥榚m come and I鈥檝e seen 鈥榚m go,鈥� laughs Kramer.
鈥淚鈥檝e worked with some great people, but it鈥檚 time to hang it up.鈥�
Before that, though, Yorkton This Week caught up with Bill to reflect on his remarkable career.
It鈥檚 a testament to Kramer鈥檚 skill and passion that he has had such longevity. Everyone knows Bill. People know him by name and, in many cases, have been buying cars from him for years.
In an industry where sales staff may stay at a particular dealership for, say, a few months, to perhaps a year or so -- sometimes switching brands or careers altogether -- Kramer has sold Ford vehicles, and only Ford vehicles during his entire 45 year career. Every single one of those years have been at Royal.
鈥淚 started in 1974,鈥� remembers Kramer.
鈥淚 had worked for CP transport here [for] nine years. Then I decided to move to North Battleford because that鈥檚 where my wife was from. I got a job with the Ford company there, selling parts on the road.
鈥淪o, we were there six months; bought a house and everything, and got the Yorkton paper all the time. And there was an ad. So we thought, what the hell. Let鈥檚 go back.
鈥淚 came and saw Russ. He said, 鈥榊eah, Move back!鈥� and that鈥檚 when I started. Never looked back.
Bill鈥檚 initiation to car sales from parts was a trial by fire, to say the least.
鈥淥h, God,鈥� he laughs. 鈥淲ell, the first day I worked, I knew nothing. I knew absolutely nothing. We were on 1st Avenue -- that鈥檚 where it started. Then we were on the corner of 6th and Broadway. Russ had bought that property. It was just gravel! And he would put used cars there. Well, they dropped me off there one day when I started.
鈥淚 went in there and one salesman was mad at me, boy, moving in there. The other salesman was good, though. He helped me out. If it wasn鈥檛 for him, maybe I would鈥檝e quit that same day. But he helped me out and away I went.
鈥淟ots of s*** happened,鈥� he laughs.
鈥淚 had customers that bought years, and years, and years from me. People were dedicated. They didn鈥檛 wander, but when the computer age came out and you can go online looking. It didn鈥檛 matter where they bought.
鈥淚 had an older gentleman once, said 鈥楤ill, I gotta tell you something. He says, 鈥業 went shopping!鈥� I said [jokingly], 鈥楽hame on you!鈥� He felt bad! That was so cute.
鈥淎nd the prices from 1974 to now. Like a Grand Marquis, you know -- a Lincoln -- we were selling Lincolns for seventeen nine in 鈥�79. That was the year they were changing. Well, they鈥檙e $89 000 now. Trucks -- $90 000, $100 000. But the trucks, they鈥檙e beautiful now. They ride like a Lincoln.
鈥淓very year we had a Christmas party. That was always a good deal.
鈥淚鈥檝e been here 45 years, so lots has changed..
鈥淚鈥檝e had the odd guy get mad at me, naturally. We cool 鈥榚m off though.
鈥淪taff now have changed since we started. At first, there were only two or three of us in a one car showroom.
鈥淣obody taught me, either. It鈥檚 not like now. These young guys are being taught how to sell. Over there they just dropped me off and said 鈥楬ave a good day鈥�, so you learn pretty quick.
鈥淪o it was an experience when I started but I got on to it and away I went.
鈥淲hen Terry had the grand opening of this place, the lady who was the president of Ford [Ford Motor Canada CEO Diane Craig], she was here. That鈥檚 a milestone because it was like, 鈥榃hy would the President of Ford Motor Canada come to Yorkton?鈥� But she was right there. And you know she went out, and talked to some of the guys in the back. She was really nice. Smart, too. And we had the Premier here at the same time. President of Ford Credit was here. Mr. Karndoff, the owner from before was very impressed that finally met the President of Ford because he鈥檇 been with Ford a long time. So that was a good deal to meet all these people at once.
鈥淭he older guys, they still come here. They like the service. That helps us a lot.
鈥淭he name has been around a long time.
Are the same sort of cars popular now as they were in 1974?
鈥淏ack then, we had the Grand Marquis, and the T-bird [Thunderbird]. We had the Mercury dealership though at that time. There was another gentleman who had the Ford [dealership]. We had Mercury, so we had the Cougar. We still could sell the Mustang, but the Grand Marquis was a good seller. A very good seller.
鈥淭hen, when he [the previous owner] quit, Russ got both dealerships. So then we had the Thunderbird and the Cougar, we had the Grand Marquis, the LTD Crown Victoria. So we had a good selection of vehicles.
鈥淲e had smaller ones, like the Fairmonts and the Grenadas, you know. They sold. We had an Escort, a Pinto...Pintos, you know, they complained they blow up,鈥� he said with a laugh.
鈥淢y daughter had a Bobcat. A yellow Bobcat. It had no air. No cassette. No nothin鈥�! But she had it; she was happy. But now, well, holy shit. Can鈥檛 buy one of 鈥榚m without air conditioning, power windows, navigation.
鈥淣ow, we鈥檝e got four lines of SUVs. Very popular. And they鈥檙e good. They鈥檙e not junk. They鈥檙e just excellent, excellent vehicles. People aren鈥檛 buying cars. They鈥檙e buying SUVs. If they want a car they can go to Honda over here.
鈥淪elling is a change. Selling has changed now. I liked it before. Before the computers and that, people came in. They came in to ask about the car. What鈥檚 the price. Now, you punch in royalford.ca and it even gives you the payments and everything. It鈥檚 different, but you still have to sell.
鈥淓verybody鈥檚 different. Everybody that comes in, buys and sells...different, and you鈥檝e gotta treat 鈥榚m, well, you listen very carefully to them, and you find out their hotspots. You work on them from there. They know the prices already. The price is on the window. Years ago, we didn鈥檛 have prices on the window. So you could do what you want with the pricing, but we didn鈥檛. But we used to put our own price on the vehicle if we thought it was right. Ford used to have the MSRPs, but then along came the stickers. Eventually it became law that you had to have the stickers around the window. But now, with the computers, they鈥檝e got it all.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e interested in a certain vehicle, you know? You can get all the information you want.
鈥淏ut like I said, the young people, they鈥檙e a little different.
鈥淚 dunno, you look back 45 years. We鈥檝e switched from commission to straight wages. No more commission. The whole dealership is that way.鈥�
Not to say that there haven鈥檛 been some colourful incidents, especially early on in his career in the 鈥�70s.
鈥淚 grabbed a guy by the throat once,鈥� laughs Kramer, 鈥� 鈥榗ause he called me a liar, but, eh, I was young. That was years ago.鈥�
鈥淎fter I retire, well, I don鈥檛 know what I鈥檓 going to do. I鈥檝e met so many people. I鈥檓 going on a cruise to Alaska!
鈥淲e鈥檝e got some good customers. But, you know, Terry鈥檚 been good to me. I can鈥檛 complain.
鈥淪ee, when Terry started out, and he had the company, he went down to Alabama for two weeks on training. So salespeople used to get trained. Perfect, real well. Because we were busy, eh? Lot of people. Things have changed, though. Don鈥檛 have the training we used to. And, you know, financing. Back when we started out, we used to finance you. I did the appraisal, I did the bill of sale, I would phone the bank and write a contract. We had no financing. Then, when Terry took over, her started financing and I thought, what do we need him for?鈥� Laughing, he admits it was a good idea 鈥淚t all worked out, you know? We do most of the financing right here now. And we deal with all banks, doesn鈥檛 matter who you want. Plus Ford. So, it all fits, eh? Now we have a general manager, we have a sales manager. We have Jane here, who does marketing. So, different. It鈥檚 a real business now. We had business before, but it used to be a closer type of thing. It鈥檚 bigger now. But I have no complaints.
鈥淎nd I鈥檝e had no desire to go elsewhere, to be honest with you. I鈥檝e had good staff and good friends. Real good friends.鈥�
