W.W.B.D.
Bert Boeckmann’s wife first heard it on one of the sales floors at
Galpin Motors Inc. a while back, as a salesman was relaying an
issue to his manager.
“Well, W.W.B.D.?” the manager said in response.
Boeckmann’s wife stopped and asked the manager what the
abbreviation stood for.
“What would Bert do?” the manager replied. “When we’re not
sure what to do, we always stop and ask, ‘What would Bert do?’”
Later on, Boeckmann’s wife told him about the exchange.
Boeckmann, a 55-year veteran of the auto sales industry in Los
Angeles, found the manager’s words both humorous and telling.
“I think it’s probably the fact that I’ve been here 50-plus years and
the example I’ve set,” Boeckmann says. “I think it does permeate
our business. It’s a reason we’ve set sales records no one else has.”
From starting out at Galpin as a salesman in 1953, to taking over as
president in 1963, to becoming the majority owner in 1964 and sole
owner in 1968, Boeckmann has made customer service and well-trained employees the calling cards of Galpin, a company that has
grown to become the top dog among California car dealers with
more than $700 million in annual sales, including well-known auto
brands such as Ford, Volvo, Honda and Saturn.
He has done it by creating and closely maintaining a company culture that begins with detailed training both in the classroom and at the
dealership, training that is constantly honed through meetings and
other interaction between management and employees.
After more than half a century, Boeckmann says he’s learned that
having a winning culture is not about secret formulas. It’s about common sense, knowing what you want to value as a company and communicating that to your employees.