This is the single greatest honor in the motor vehicle industry, intended to honor a career and/or lifetime achievement. To become a "Hall of Famer" the nominee must be either retired or deceased. Recipients must have significantly impacted the development of the automobile or the motor vehicle industry. Typically, four to eight individuals are inducted each year.
Sold more retail automobiles on a one-to-one basis than anyone else in the world--sold individually, no wholesale, fleet sales or used cars included.
Joe Girard came a long way from his childhood days of shining shoes and selling newspapers.
After army service, he spent 13 years as a custom home builder before finding his calling in cars. He was fired from the first dealership because the salesmen complained Girard was too aggressive, but moved on to a Chevrolet dealership in Detroit and made his mark.
His record-setting selling spree began in 1963 and ended 15 years later with Girard in the Guinness Book of World Records. He holds the all-time record for car and truck sales in one year -- 1,420 vehicles! He sold more cars than anyone ever has in one day -- 18. His lifetime total of one-at-a-time selling was 13, 001 all retail sales. Only five percent of dealerships in the U.S. sold 1,000 cars a year. Girard was averaging that amount each year by himself! Audited by accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche.
In 1978 Girard stopped selling cars, became a motivational speaker and started writing books teaching others his selling techniques.
