When my dealership hired Chris Collins, and I began to be mentored by him, life changed for the better. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I gave his systems a chance, and didn’t just throw it away in my self-deluded misery. I got an opportunity to start over.

He was blunt and very direct: “I will give you every opportunity, and the know-how to transform yourself into a powerful manager and turn around your service department. If you won’t do it, then you might as well go flip burgers instead!”

I kept thinking about what he said, getting madder and madder each time. I remember thinking, “Who the hell is he to tell me to go flip burgers? I’m not a loser!!” I tried to be angry at him, but really, I knew that I was just mad at myself for falling below the expectations I had set for myself.

It really felt like he was seeing right through me and saying, “Well, Mr. X, you’re not on the path you know you should be; I’m offering you all the knowledge of how to do it. Are you going to do it, or are you just going to give up for life?”

Right then and there, I made a conscious decision to change my life. Chris Collins had issued a challenge. He would teach me how to become an irreplaceable service manager, and I would do my bit by turning the department around and boosting profits through the roof. Finally, I had something concrete to focus on. I was going to crush my goals!

I quickly realized that where there’s a will, there’s a way. It may be a cliché, but all clichés have to start somewhere– and that’s usually because they tell the truth. I started seeing results immediately, and it was astounding! I was gaining my power back. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t do…