| The reason the Feature of the Week forum was created was to honor people who have a positive influence on this community.
To qualify the person has to be an active member
and one who contributes to the positive atmosphere here at AdlandPro. Here are the criteria for nominating a member for the Feature of the Week
(also referred to as the Person of the Week, POTW).
This criterion can be seen at the site below:
Criterion
How Do I Get Selected as Person of the Week?
To be chosen as Person of the week you:
• Are highly visible on the community
• Are always seen as respectful, professional, and helpful.
• Must be nominated for the program by another member
of the Community and voted on by other members.
• Must have a real photo of themselves on their profile.
This week we're honoring Gunther G..
Gunther is involved in the community and is seen everywhere supporting and posting in many forums.
Gunther is a very interesting and active member of our community . Gunther is always willing to lend a helping hand and is an avid supporter of our forums. Although he claims not to have time for on line activities he is seen all over AdlandPro and one post alone exceeds the time he claims to have for his online activities. Miracles do happen.
Congratulations Gunther G.
on your POTW win! 
Wow! Thank you everyone. I will do my best to deserve this honor.
About me? That's a tough task.
How can one put 59 years of a very full and wonderful life into a couple of paragraphs? I'm sure no one here at ALP is interested in my being born in a small farm house, on the side of a mountain, across the range from Austria, in the German Alps. Nor is the fact of my emigration to Canada with my mother aboard the MS Stockholm, crossing the turbulent North Atlantic and celebrating my 6th Birthday aboard ship, in the winter of 1955/1956, of much interest here, I'm sure. My growing up, while adventurous and interesting to say the least, in the late 50s and early 60s in Canada, again, would not garner much interest at a business oriented venue like AdlandPro. My having to quit school when I turned 16 to care for my ill mother and then being able to earn, including good investments thanks to a friend I met through work, enough to take my mother and myself back to Germany in 1967 also would be quite meaningless to most of the members here. The trip back to Germany, aboard a Russian ship, the MS Alexander Pushkin, at the height of the Cold War, was a life experience, a wonderful one because of the friends I made onboard, worthy of a book all by itself. Learning to live as a young man in a new country, Germany, was beyond interesting, to say the least. Being drafted into the German military, my mother's fight to keep me from actually being inducted into the German Army, and the exceptional circumstances that led to my 6 months as a Formula B (now Formula Atlantic) auto racer, traveling throughout Europe, too, would make an interesting read, as a separate book. My nefarious departure just days before my military life was to begin is of little matter to the readers of this short introduction to me as an individual. All this having happened, before I was just barely 19, while interesting, is not what I want to relate to you here.
My life as a salesman, I am certain, is much more appropriate as an introduction to me. It's also much easier for me since I've already written it on another web page. ;)
Here are a few things about me you may want to know.
I had to quit school at age 16 to earn an income for my ill mother and myself, there was no one else. At 19, after my return from Europe, I began my customer service career as a U-Drive clerk in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
After a brief stint "working for wages" I discovered that I had a natural talent to motivate people to see things in a positive light. When I was promoted quickly into an area where I was dealing with clients, Assistant U-Drive Manager, I realized that I truly enjoyed dealing directly with all kinds of people. "Customer Service" became the focus of what I did to move up in life.
As a "life long learner (I learn something new every day of my life)" I challenged the Grade 12 Board of Education Exams in my home province of Manitoba a few years later and earned my Grade 12 Diploma.
As soon as I turned 21, which was the minimum age one could obtain a salesman license, I quit my job as an Assistant U-Drive Manager and applied for a commission salesman job with a local car dealership that had a salesman opening. After an initial interview with the New Car Sales Manager I was invited back to have an interview with the General Manager of the dealership the following Saturday. I arrived at 9:30AM, properly dressed in suit and tie, for my interview.
The dealership was very busy with customers and everyone, including the managers, were involved with doing business. The New Car Sales Manager saw me and asked me to wait and watch and told me that the General Manager would see me as soon as he had the time to spare. With all the salesmen busy it wasn't long before someone, a customer, approached me, since I looked the part of a salesman, and started asking me about a car in the showroom. I explained that I wasn't working there yet. I asked one of the busy salesman, in passing, where I could find the information the customer was requesting. He pointed it out; I provided the answers; more questions, more directions from salesmen followed. Finally the customer asked me "how much" was the car he was looking at. I again asked a passing salesman where I could find the information, an order form, and what the price of the car was. Again I received quick directions from the salesman where to find the information I needed. After I had proceeded, with a very understanding customer, filling out the order form, line by line, the customer, who knew more about buying a car than I did about selling one, made me an offer to take to the manager for approval. I did so. As I had seen another salesperson do, I went in boldly with the customers offer to see the New Car sales manager. He told me he needed another $150 to make the deal. I returned to the customer with what the sales manager had told me and after throwing in some floor mats, and $150 added to the offer, I again went back to the sales manager with the offer. The sales manager signed it and told me to arrange delivery. I did as I was told. I had just sold my first car. 5 minutes after I finished with that customer a school teacher I had had said, "hello Gunther, are you working here?", my second sale. At a little after 6 PM the dealership closed and the last customer had left, I was finally able to have my interview with the General Manager. In the General Manager's office the New Car manager said to me, "well Gunther, since you sold 5 cars today, I guess we have no choice but to hire you", and the sales manager and General Manager laughed and welcomed me onboard with the "paperwork" to be filled out on Monday.
Thus started my career in "sales". I loved every minute of it, because you see, I never "sold" anything. I simply made a lot of friends that trusted me enough to purchase something from me. That first customer bought 6 cars from me while I was selling cars plus several of his relatives and friends did as well. Why? Because I was their FRIEND and therefore much more than a "car salesman". I had managed to "sell myself". It's almost 20 years now since I was last in the "car business" and I still have a goodly number of people, friends, asking me where and what cars to buy. I still advise them.
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It is time to congratulate Gunther on his POTW win. Please invite
Gunther to join your list of friends if he isn't already on it.
Gunther G.,
Ana Maria, Jim and I are glad to be honoring
you in this week's POTW forum.
You've been a great asset to our wonderful
community.
Enjoy your week as our
POTW and King of AdlandPro!
Thank you Adland Friends for supporting
the POTW Forum
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