COVER STORY
Nicola Byrne, 11890; Oisin Geoghegan, Fingal County Enterprise Board; and Bill Cullen launching Fingal EnterpriseWeek
people and writing to them.” Cullen is generally recognised as outstanding among motor
dealers because of his ability to forge success in adverse circum- stances. His philosophy on selling is that it’s “not about selling but about getting people to want to buy fromyou. “It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, people are going to buy
into the person asmuch as the brand.The best conversationalist is the listener. Getting the rapport going by asking someone where they’re from, for example, is important.Ultimately, you’re trying to find out what the customer needs and then give it to them. “In car showrooms I always asked people first how they were
and would they like a cup of tea.There was always a little café, and this got things off to a good start and put people at ease.” He is heartened by how his employees “stood up to the plate”
when he implemented the changes and recognises that his approach to leadershipwas important in achieving this. “I’mstill at the front line, talking to all the staff in Ennis, Portlaoise and Galway. People accepted the cuts and worked harder.This has made the company leaner,which is a difficulty for people unem- ployed at the moment.Organisations don’t need to employ as many people anymore because everyone has upped their game. “It’s about working smarter to bring out people’s innovative-
ness. I don’tmind peoplemakingmistakes through experiment- ing, as long as they don’tmake themtwice.”
MAKINGMISTAKES
So,whatmistakes hasCullenmade himself then? “I have learned that you have to have the right people. In JimCollins’bookGood toGreat he creates a simple analogy of how to get fromgood to
great.He says you have to make sure you have the right people on the bus, get the wrong people off the bus and make sure the bus is pointed in the right direction. “Themore I thought about it I saw that I hadmademistakes
in terms of not having the right people on the bus and toomany of the wrong people. Once or twice I pointed the bus in the wrong direction, for example with salaries. I learned over the years that I mightn’t like somebody but they might have what the company needs. I tended to be too soft and only employed people I liked. “The great thing aboutmistakes is that you learn fromthem.
If there is an obstacle I ask can we go through it,over it,under it or blow it up.There is always an alternative.You have to contin- ually look at your strategy and be open to changing it completely andmaking adjustments so you adapt well to the circumstances you’re in. “One of the things I want to emphasise during Fingal Enter-
priseWeek [27 September to 1 October] is that people have to up their game. I’ll be asking themhowtheywillmake sure they’re the lastman standing.”
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VOL 3 ISSUE 4 2010 OWNER MANAGER 19
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