Part 2
Part 2 · 1 min read ·
“Morning, sir. We had a complaint. I’m going to have to ask you to move your truck. Visitor parking’s around the side.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Hi. Sorry. I’m the one who called security. She told me to, but I’m the one who called. I’m sorry.”
“You came all the way out here to say so. Most people wouldn’t.”
“It’s just from the break room. Are you okay?”
“Better than I was six years ago. Thanks, Emma.”
“Last year, our ambassador program pushed brand reach up 40%. Next quarter, we build on it.”
“Invitation-only test drives, private showroom nights, a waiting list for the flagship. We make Arden harder to get, and people will want it more.”
“Because people don’t buy a car. They buy the moment they pull up and everybody turns to look.”
“And the people who can’t afford that moment?”
[Clears throat]
“Customers who’ve driven our older models for twenty years?”
“With respect, then they’re not our customers.”
“Those customers kept this company alive for fifty years.”
“And we’re grateful, but we can’t build a brand around people who only come in for oil changes.”
“Security, this man is not supposed to be—”
“Lauren, sit down.”
“Philip, he was parked out front this morning.”
“Sit down.”
“I was invited.”
[Gasps]
“By who?”
“You’ll know in a minute.”
“Ms. Barrett, can I ask you a question about your plan?”
“Go ahead.”
“Say a man drives a forty-year-old truck. Rust on the doors. And he could pay cash for every car on your lot.”
“He walks into an Arden showroom. What happens?”
“Someone hands him a brochure and points him toward the used lot.”
“Why?”
“Because nostalgia isn’t a market. We sell to people who want to be seen.”
“And respect? Who gets that?”
“People who can pay for it. That’s not cruel. That’s a business model.”