Welcome to Pothole Season!

Monday morning. The sun is shining, the temperatures hover around zero, the birds are chirping and the potholes are multiplying! It is spring after all. It seems particularly bad this year with the warm entry into March and the cold, winter like temperatures that have greeted spring! The warm and cold fluctuations are a perfect breeding ground for potholes. Motorists be warned.

I'm not the only one to notice. Below you'll find a link to an article from the Globe and Mail that discusses what to do when encountered with a large pothole. Be sure to read it, it's sure to put a smile on your face!

Personally, I just shut my eyes tight and hope for the best. My car isn't too old and therefore my suspension hasn't had to endure to many spring potholes. Aging cars beware! If you're at all unsure whether your vehicle can handle another fissure, another crack on the roadway, another pothole big enough to swallow a large dog, then come and see me and I can help find the perfect Honda pothole warrior!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/car-life/road-sage/the-hole-truth-about-pothole-season-in-canada/article1952283/

Plea to Mother Nature

The weather has an effect everything when you live in a cold climate for much of the calendar year! Of course the obvious things that it affects how we dress, what we eat and often our moods, it also affects how we shop!!

Now that spring has officially arrived, we are waiting for the temperatures to rise along with the change in season. It hasn't yet. Its cold and windy, though sunny most days. But every where you go people are talking about the cold and how they wish the warmer weather would arrive...the sooner the better. Winter certainly makes folks appreciate spring! Even a 5-10 degree upward change in temperatures lifts sprits like nothing else!

But until that warmer weather arrives, people are holding off on taking that test drive, walking the lot and buying cars! Its very interesting to watch since combined with the cold spring temperatures we are having the best March for sales! As soon as the mercury rises just little bit people are out in droves but when the temperature drops to produce that wintry chill in the air, people find other things to do!

So mother nature, since I'd rather be busier than not and since I too am tired of winter coats and boots, hear our cries and send some warmth with that sunshine!

Talk to me...I'm listening!

I certainly don't have all the answers. Being brand new to the car business I get asked questions all of the time that I don't know the answers to. Fortunately I have great colleagues who are more than willing to help me out when I need to know something and I surprise myself all of time by the little things that I pick up.

The other day I was dealing with two gentlemen on a Accord Coupe. It's a great car...sporty, sexy, fun to drive. That's the car I would love to drive! The conversation turned to body styles and when new Accord might come out and when they had last changed. I was able to answer the question confidently! I had picked up a little information on that just listening to some of the other sales guys talking to customers.

Another tidbit that I overheard one day...unique to Honda is that all panels are galvanized steel to inhibit rust. Other manufacturers only use galvanized steel in "critical" areas. I have used this a couple of times myself. My colleagues are full of these little gems that I can employ so long as I'm listening when I'm not with a customer.

Which begs to ask, what did you learn last when you closed your mouth and really opened your ears? You can surprise yourself at what you'll learn when you really pay attention!

My Car the Garbage Can.

I like to look after my cars. Like my desk at work, its seems that it is one of those places that you can actually have some control over. It used to be that way when my kids were young...its seems now that they're older and there are other drivers behind the wheel, I have had to put up with the mess of those who don't see the point in throwing things away in a garbage and not the floor of my car!

Thus it seems as though poor lil' Suzie has been suffering some abuse the last couple of years. Now I am the first to admit that when that car is new and still has some of that sheen and smell, its pretty easy to convince everyone that plants a bum on the seat that we should all work together to keep the car nice. Somewhere along the way though, the mindset changes. Is it that first napkin that makes its way to the floor and not removed upon arrival at the destination? Then the fast food drink that spills a little in the cup holder and not wiped up, leaving a sticky residue?

Next thing you know your car has been transformed and not in an exciting "Transformers" kind of way. From new and clean to industrial waste zone....

Trent Valley Honda has a detail shop...I'm going to have to look into their servcies when they have a free 5 hour block of time. Suzie deserves it.

With gas prices hovering at that dollar twenty mark, now is a good time to consider a smaller vehicle. There are many drivers out on the road today that could really get away with a smaller car without sacrificing comfort or style. There are many choices today and of course a great choice is the Honda Civic. Not only does it hold its value over time (just take a look at the prices of pre-owned Civics!)but they are reputed for quality and longevity on the road as well as the low cost of ownership over time.

But the real reason to consider the Civic is because Honda has been making fuel efficient vehicles long before gas prices hit double digits!

Granted the first Civic that was produced, a 1973 model year, came out during an oil crisis and thus was created to help meet the demand for fuel efficient vehicles. That philosophy of fuel efficiency and low emmisions stood to serve each successive generation of Civics.

Looking forward to today, the 9th generation 2012 Civic is due out this April and is reported to have a 10% increase in fuel efficiency over the current model which is already one of the most fuel efficient vehicles in its class.

Anyway, I am a little biased here, but when you're buying a car, its serves to consider, what the company that you're buying from, stands for.

I'm Back Baby!

I am back to work after taking a day off yesterday. I wish I could say I was doing something fun and exciting but in reality I was in bed with a terrible cold and I didn't venture far from the sheets. Fortunately I don't get sick very often and with my kids home for March Break and a partner who was home most of the day yesterday too I was well looked after! Hot soup and sandwiches in bed, dinner made for me, hot tea and cold drinks brought bedside...its a wonder I didn't try and milk it for a second day!

However, I knew when I got up this morning that I was feeling much better and it was time to get back to work! Missing one day of work feels like an eternity! It appears that it was a busy day yesterday too and I missed out on all the action! That's what I really love about this business is that when it gets busy its fun and exciting and the time flies by. When its not so busy its a great time to catch up on all the work you don't have time for otherwise.

So with an eye to learning something new today and helping customers find that perfect vehicle I leave you 'till tomorrow!

Spring Seems a Little Closer!

So I have to post this because not only am I finding it a slow day but I am under the weather. :( I hate getting sick and it only happens every few years but once and a while I can feel my body fighting off an infection. So here I am. It has been quiet here for me today. Unlike the other sales guys who have hundreds, if not thousands of cutomers to work with, I am at the mercy almost exclusively to incoming foot or phone traffic.

When the weather is nice, people like to come and walk the lot, mill around outside, bring their family. When the weather is nasty, people tend to stay indoors and snuggle up. Who can blame them? Only the brave venture out, but atleast they are more likely to be serious buyers...if I can convince them of the merits of buying Honda (of which there are many!).

But the clocks have been moved forward and rain has been forecasted which will help to melt the dirty snow that remains. As I am new to the car business I find ways to fill the time when I am not working with customers. Listening to sales webinars, working with Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook, reading auto news and Honda news. There is always something new to read and ingest...and now something to write!

Welcome to my inaugural blog posting! What brings me to put fingertip to keyboard is the position that I accepted in January of this year. I started at Trent Valley Honda here in Peterborough and am I very excited to find that I am becoming quite the car girl! Yes its true, where as before I enjoyed cars as much as the next person, now that I am immersed in all things automotive every day, I find that following industry news, learning about the inner workings of the automobile engine and deepening my product knowledge on one of the best built cars in the market has been a challenge that I am great enjoying!

I still have alot to learn...that's the beauty of this business though, it's ever evolving. Who knows what the transportation of the future will look like?

Just to be clear, I am in sales here at Trent Valley Honda. The lone female salesperson. The auto business has been dominated by men for far too long, but it has been changing slowly over time. I have been fortunate that the guys I work along side are all very good at what they do and they don't mind sharing what they have learned over the years. That and the family run dealership is run by a bright, confident woman with a long history with the business. Its a unique mix of people here at Trent Valley Honda and overall its a fun place to work and earn a living. I think our customers can feel that positive vibe when they come here too! I certainly work to add to that vibe and I look forward to working with new and existing customers of Trent Valley Honda.