Dave Aycock remembers how proud he felt as a young Marine infantryman buying his first vehicle, a used Chevy Blazer, from one of the car lots near his first duty station in Washington state.

And he remembers all too well how bad he felt when things started to go wrong with the truck just a few days later.

"They acted like they didn't even know who I was," he says.

When he got out of the military after a few years, a Marine Corps buddy convinced him come try a job as a car salesman. Aycock wasn't sure what made a good salesman, but he knew exactly the kind he didn't want to be.

From the very start, he says, he wanted "to change the bad reputation of the car business one customer at a time."

By all accounts, he's been doing just that ever since.

Now the general manager of the Haselwood Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership in Bremerton, Washington — just down the road from where he bought that old truck — Aycock says success in the business is all about building authentic relationships, among both employees and customers.

"Luckily, I started at a really great facility with a general manager who was a great leader. He became my mentor."

He also found a great place to work. The auto group that owns his dealership has been around for 65 years and is active in the community, supporting the YMCA and building a local ice rink.

"There's a lot of esprit de corps," he says. "You're proud to be working here. It's very elite. It's not just a car store."

For more than a decade, he has worked his way up the dealership ranks, starting as a sales associate, eventually becoming a sales manager and now running an entire dealership.

And he looks to hire former service members. In fact, about 20 percent of his employees are veterans.

"They're used to working outside normal 9-to-5 business hours," he notes. "They appreciate camaraderie and have some thick skin and can take a little heckling from people they work with. And at the same time, it takes a person who has perseverance and vision and a very goal-oriented, no-lose, take-no-prisoners attitude."

Finding the real deal

Who you work for is important, especially when it comes to car dealers, Aycock notes.

"You want to be proud of where you work. No matter how big any organization is, that doesn't mean they're employee- and family-focused. Even if you think it's going to be short-term — maybe just a stepping stone until you go back to school — it could turn into something great."

Indeed, more than a decade later, he's still working for the same company. That Marine buddy who convinced him to apply? He's now the general manager for the same auto group's Toyota dealership.

"Do your research. Find a dealership that's been around for decades and look at what they do in the community and what their mindset is. What are their values, and do they fit your values?"

Then check out their leadership.

"The fish always stinks from the head down," Aycock says. "Just like anywhere else, if the leaders aren't practicing what they preach and not leading by example, that's a big indication you're in the wrong spot."

Best way to find out? Shop around. Literally.

"I've had a lot of employees come here because they liked how they were treated as a customer. They like the environment and the energy and they could see themselves working in a place like this and applied."

Little details will show you "they're not just wearing their Sunday shoes, but that they're the real deal," he says. "That's where you're going to see true colors. How are you treated as a customer? It's going to give you a pretty good idea of how you're going to be treated as an employee."

Marine veteran Dave Aycock, general manager of Chevrolet dealership in Washington state, helps a customer with financing a new vehicle. (Staff/Jon R. Anderson)

Marine veteran Dave Aycock, general manager of Haselwood Chevrolet Buick GMC in Bremerton, Washington, helps a customer with financing a new vehicle.

Photo Credit: Jon R. Anderson/Staff

In an industry known for its nonstop grind, Aycock says he makes sure his employees get two consecutive days off every week, and he encourages flex schedules so parents can spend time with their kids.

"There needs to be a life balance. If there isn't, it will dramatically affect your work life," he says. "You keep fresh legs that way. It's like a new pair of socks on a hike: You get better performance in the long run."

Getting hired

Of course, when it comes to landing a job, the best dealerships will be the most competitive. Your military experience, though, is one of your greatest assets, Aycock advises.

"When you get out of the military, it can be kind of scary. You're used to doing things a certain way for four to however many years. But you get a lot of education in that time. It's the kind of education that you can't replace outside of the military," he says.

"The structure, the camaraderie, the history, the discipline you're achieving and receiving, the appreciation for what you have and what you get, and just knowing how to roll up your sleeves and do some hard work. A lot of kids don't experience any of that these days. As a military person, you have a huge leg up because of all those experiences, no matter what branch you're coming from."

When interviewing, Aycock says the first question he usually asks is what questions the potential new hire has for him.

"I want to know where their mindset is. If it's all about the pay plan and how much commission you make, those are the guys I stay away from," he says. "The ones that intrigue me are asking about what kind of training programs we have, what kind of tools do we give new employees to be successful. Those are the kind of people who are in it to learn their craft and be successful and won't step over a customer just to make a quick buck."

He also likes to see what people have learned — the good, bad and ugly — from previous jobs.

"You find out pretty quickly if they're a victim or if they bad-mouth previous employers, which is never a good sign. I want to be able to leave my wallet on my desk and not ever have to worry about it. So that's the quality of individual I want around me."

When you start anywhere, you want to make money, provide for your family and be successful.

"But you don't want to be immoral either," Aycock says. "You don't want to be that pushy, sleazy, salesman."

On-the-job success

With so many online tools, the way cars are sold has changed considerably in recent years. Most customers have done hours of research before they even walk onto the car lot and know exactly what a good deal is.

"This is a volume-based business now, which is great for the customer, but at a lot of places, you just turn into another number," he says.

Success, he says, hinges on building something real with customers.

"It's all about breaking down walls. There's a reason people are reserved, or angry or standoffish or aggressive or fearful. It's because, just like anything in life, you've had a bad situation in the past, or they've heard about other people's bad experiences," he says.

"It's like being at a party where you don't know anyone, so you try to find common ground so you can start breaking down those walls, so we can have a conversation."

He remembers one customer a few years back who came in clearly irate and angry. He'd had a bad experience at another dealership and was defensive. And offensive.

"We just talked and got to a place where he felt comfortable and could trust me. Later, he felt so good about the experience, he gave me this really nice engraved knife."

Bottom line: If you do it right, you might be surprised at how much the job changes you for the better, he says.

"The greatest thing about this business is learning the psychology of communication between two people. It's awesome, because you become a better person from it. You're able to really help people.

"If you come in with an open mind, positivity and no fear to tackle anything that gets thrown at you, you'll do great in this business. ... This isn't Iraq or Afghanistan. No one is shooting at you. And at the end of the day, you get to go home."

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