Erica: Stephanie, tell us about yourself.
Stephanie: After a lot of deliberating, I’ve finally figured out who I am. I feel like it’s changed a lot from my 20’s and 30’s to now (my 50’s). When I think of who I am – I think of someone who has relied on her intuition and gut to get her through; everything from dealing with people, to making decisions, to navigating situations & obstacles. I tend to take on the weight of others because at my core, I am helpful. I like to help the underdog. I like it when things are fair and just and if I don’t see justice, I like to help work towards achieving it. I like to help people who are in need to overcome that need and be successful. I don’t like seeing people who have been made to feel less than.
There is another part of me that is creative and passionate and driven and thoughtful. I am passionate & compassionate both with my work & personal life.
Erica: How did you find yourself in the Automotive Industry?
Stephanie: My entrance into Auto was an accident! It was a necessary accident; I was a struggling actress after I quit my corporate job to pursue my dream. I moved to LA, and I was broke as hell. My friends and family were probably so sick of hearing me complain. It was a challenging time because I drove all the way from Chicago to California to make this work!
After hearing me complain about struggling financially, a friend of mine told me about doing Auto Shows. She said “You’d be so perfect! You’re great with people and you have a background in sales & marketing. You are training to be an actress and a model.” She worked for Ford, and they were one of the few OEMs that really trained their people to be certified product specialists. They changed the look of their auto shows from having just a pretty model next to a car to having corporate trained and knowledgeable talent that could answer questions. It was not easy, you had to know your stuff. It was heavy in product training, and you had to earn certifications to be on the show floor. But I loved that because I love learning and being helpful. I’m also very competitive so I would be eager to know more than anyone else, get leads, and present the information to a customer and help them decide on the right car for their lifestyle. It was the perfect combination of sales, marketing & acting, plus I got to perform on a stage. It really was a Sales Performance. It's hard to believe that it spiraled into a whole 20-year career in Automotive. I started working for Ford as a contractor and stayed for 13 years doing other experiential marketing events for brands like Aston Martin and Cadillac before moving into dealership training for Hyundai. Then in 2021 RockEd found me on LinkedIn and asked if I’d be interested in doing learning and development in a totally different way, through an app.
Erica: What's the greatest career lesson you've learned that you wish someone had prepared you for?
Stephanie: How important it is to know your worth. It’s crucial. I wish someone would have told me that on my very first interview straight out of college. We are taught how it is important to learn about the company you are interviewing with and know all the details about their business and culture, but we aren't told of the importance of how much you are WORTH to them. We spend time asking questions like: “How much is the salary? What are the opportunities to advance and grow? What will my responsibilities be?” But we ignore the research on your worth. Especially as women and women of color! I just assumed the pay range was the pay range, and I was lucky to get the higher part of that range because I wasn't an expert yet. Of course you may not know everything right now, but you must start thinking about your overall potential, because if you don't get it up front, you will never get it. I wish I knew this 20 years ago, but it’s only been the last 7 years or so that I’ve really embraced this. I used to think my resume would speak to my worth and all my achievements and you think “Ok, they’ll pay me based on that” but that's not reality. You need to ask for it! Because no one looks to see if you are being treated fairly. You must look after yourself and fight for yourself.
Erica: What piece of advice would you give to someone entering the Automotive Industry?
Stephanie: I would say is that it's so important to be good to people. To be good to your peers. To be good to your employees, your customers. Take care of people and they will take care of you. I feel like whether you’re in leadership or want to be, you never know when you may need to lean on someone. This business is not a naturally nurturing environment, probably because it's a more male dominated business (whereas women excel in nurturing relationships.) I think for people who enter Automotive they need to make this a priority: take care of your people by putting them first. If people feel that you are doing that, you’re going to have people who want to take care of you right back. They will work harder, accomplish more, and be happier. Throwing stuff, yelling, cursing, and embarrassing people is not acceptable. When I first got into the dealership world, I would hear people say "you need tough skin." That should not be the way forward, it's demoralizing and leads to massive burn out.
Yes, you must be tough to deal with the public, but your workplace should provide a soft landing and empathetic environment that’s compassionate to offset the angst. You need somewhere you can go where you count on people to be there for you.
You’re going to make more money if you just take 5 mins to check in on somebody. They’re going to be so grateful and be more productive.
Erica: What keeps you going in this industry of so many ups & downs? What keeps you passionate about it?
Stephanie: What keeps me passionate about this industry is what we have been talking about: CHANGE. I know that change is possible. I know that there are opportunities for huge potential growth and this industry is filled with HARDWORKING people. What I love about automotive is it's a rare industry that ANYONE can enter. You don’t have to have 3 degrees or a perfect record to make six figures. There is so much opportunity here. I think there’s a shift – you can feel it. There’s a younger generation coming in that’s going to fuel a difference. They prioritize family and work-life balance. They know how to work smarter not harder.
I think of it like selling cars vs. selling homes. It is my hope to one day see the same high-end customer experience buying a car as you would when buying a home. It’s one of the largest expenses you will spend money on, yet the experiences are vastly different. I want to see customers having the elevated experience they deserve. There are so many people committed to making it better. I feel like after being in it after 20 years, I’m one of those people who is also committed to helping it improve.
Erica: If you weren’t in the car business, what would it be? What has stopped you from making the change?
Stephanie: This one made me stop and think and a couple things came to mind but then I thought “What has stopped me from doing that??”
I think I would be a vegan chef and content creator. I am a certified holistic health practitioner and vegan chef, but I only cook for myself and my Fiancé. People know they can come to me and say, “I don’t feel well” and I will give them 'the protocol'! I love helping people and I have a passion for being creative in the kitchen. I combine foods and spices people don't think to put together and they're vegan and healthy but also delicious! I think I fear the unknown/fear of failing, that imposter syndrome has kept me from exploring that option. “Can I do that? Could I make a living doing that?” although I see people doing it on IG coming out with cookbooks and flying all around the world. I am sitting here just giving away my recipes for free!!! I Just need to do it. It’s the same thing as how I got into this industry- follow a dream and take a chance, and I am not sure why I don’t try the same philosophy. Automotive keeps changing and evolving and every time you think you’re going to exit stage left, something happens and you’re like “Oohh I want to help navigate this and see how this plays out!” so it keeps bringing me back in.
Want to read more about the people featured in Auto is for everyone?
Read our Blog:
Comentários