"Choose this day who you will serve" As for me and my magazine, we will serve the dealers. Thanks to all who called, wrote and emailed to express your support of our Dealer Advocate position after our last issue. It may be a risky, dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. Your feedback proves it is not a thankless job. One dealer even sent in a check for $100 to show his gratitude.
When I started this magazine, my primary goal was simple: I wanted DEALER to be a conduit for information to flow between the top experts and consultants and dealers, and also between dealers themselves. Most would agree that, by any standard, the goal has been achieved.
My secondary goal for DEALER was to be an advocate for dealers by allowing opinions to be expressed openly in a way that had never been done by any national publication in this market. Through our letters section, in which we run letters anonymously after verification, through our new "Dealer Undercover" feature and, of course, through Jim Ziegler's columns, my dealer advocate goal is being achieved.
Other publications in this market hide behind policies of "objectivity," "political correctness," or simply have taken up residence in the manufacturer's pocket. Why? As I stated earlier, advocacy is a risky job. What's at risk?
Advertising dollars. I lose literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad revenue each year. The factories and their captives avoid us (can you blame them, considering some of Ziegler's columns?). Because insurance consultant Roger Beery espouses bidding insurance coverages every year (which I believe is prudent), we can't get any of the insurance companies who spend ad money in this market to advertise in DEALER (they don't want you to bid, they want to have a relationship). Even more specifically, there are two companies which advertise in every major publication in this market but declined advertising in DEALER in 2000 because it is "controversial." DUH. That's why you read it!
The point I would like to make is thisDEALER is totally advertising-supported and without our advertisers, you don't get DEALER. By advertising, these companies have chosen to support dealers by supporting the magazine which clearly advocates the dealers' position. I don't mean they necessarily stand behind or agree with what we say, but they support your/our right to say it. They support DEALER, we support you, and all I ask is that you consider my advertisers in your purchasing decisions.