Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Meyer.
Hi Doug , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started in the car business in 1997 in Omaha, Nebraska at Jim Earp Chrysler/Plymouth/Jeep at the age of 19 years old. My uncle was one of the managers. Now 28 years later I run one of our family’s two Chevrolet dealerships located in Maryville, Missouri. My brother runs our other dealership in Nebraska. I am also partners in The Pub for the last 3 years. The Pub is a large bar in Maryville that has been here since 1972. This week is Northwest Missouri State University’s Homecoming, so I have a lot going on multiple fronts.
I think for me and for most people it is just a lot of hard work, time, and dedication to succeed. I was just telling someone yesterday that my average week is around 70 hours. I work Monday to Friday like everyone else, but on Saturday I worked at the dealership for about 7 hours and then worked at The Pub for 8 hours. Then on Sunday I put in about 5 hours at The Pub balancing our cash, making our deposit, and ordering inventory. Then I was back at the dealership Monday morning at 7:45 a.m.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been smooth times and rough times. Working with family can be very tough at times. Most recently would be getting divorced after thirteen years. Trying to balance time between raising my two boys and running two businesses has been a struggle, but we are doing well with it now. Just had to work through it all and find a routine that works.
I think it is always about finding the right balance of family time, work time, and time to myself. Finding ways to make all of that work is the battle. You have to find what time makes the most sense, and how you can use your time more efficiently. For me I use a couple of services from other local businesses that help me a lot. Most recently would be Local Laundry. They pick up my laundry every week and drop it off the next day. With two boys and all their clothes it can be a lot. I also have a housekeeper that comes every two weeks. For the people that say, “it must be nice!” It is really about prioritizing time and money. The time it saves me for the amount of money I spend on it gives me more time to focus on other areas that are more beneficial to my life and businesses.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have always said after dealing with people for over 30 years, and most of that being in sales, I can read people very well. My uncle told me when I first started selling cars over 28 years ago, “you will become a great salesperson when you know what your customers are thinking before they think it!” At first, I thought he might be a little crazy. I will never be able to read minds. The truth is he was right.
What it really means is that you find a way to connect with people much easier. You can tell what emotions, problems, or feelings they have, and it makes it easier to help them. It also helps with managing employees. I can usually tell when an employee is personally having a bad day. I can be more empathetic and ask them what is going on so I can help them through it.
It is not about some “Jedi mind trick” it’s about connecting and helping people.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I have had so many it is impossible to name them all. Mostly I have always tried to take advice from people older and more successful than me. Most of my close friends are those people who just know more than I do, and I learn from them.
Also, I have never been a big reader of books. But I have read a lot of books on sales, personal finance, business finance, branding, etc. I am always learning. Most recently I have been forcing myself to learn more about AI. I have even created some text to video ads for The Pub.
Business and life in general is always changing, and we can’t get stuck in the past. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great lessons to be learned that repeat themselves, but you have to able and willing to change as the world changes around us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://meyercars.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meyerautogroup and https://www.facebook.com/MaryvillePub
