Zach Terrell knows what losing looks like. His first year as starting quarterback at Western Michigan, the team went 1-11. Worst team in the country. Worst quarterback in the country.
"I know what bad teams look like. And I know what bad execution looks like," Terrell told Daily Dealer Live hosts Sam D’Arc and Uli de’ Martino.
By his senior year, Western Michigan went 13-0—the best season in Mid-American Conference (MAC) history.
Terrell became the all-time leading passer in Western Michigan history with 12,104 yards, and he signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.\
But "the NFL, to me, stands for ‘not for long,’" Terrell said. "That's why I'm here."
A new start: Aaron Zeigler, owner of Zeigler Auto Group, recruited him into the auto retailing business.
"Aaron gave me a vision for what my future would look like,” said Terrell. “He told me, 'You stay here, you'll learn how to run a couple hundred million dollars worth of a business.' I was like, well, that sounds like a great idea."
Even though Terrell had never sold cars, he immediately felt comfortable in the environment.
"There are so many similarities between athletics and the car business," he said. "The competitive landscape, the accountability. The car business is the closest thing to a locker room that I've ever been a part of. When you leave athletics, that's the one thing you miss the most is the locker room, the camaraderie, the constant accountability, trying to achieve something that's never been done."
Over time, Terrell moved from salesperson to sales manager to general manager. Now, he oversees the group’s Kalamazoo campus, representing Chrysler, Lincoln, BMW, and Honda. More recently, he began managing a store in the Holland area that sells GMC, Nissan, Hyundai, and Kia vehicles.
His edge: Ask if you ask Terrell how he's doing, you'll likely get one answer: "Elite."
It started in college, and eventually became his operational philosophy.
"It's a throwaway question," he said. "When somebody asks me how I'm doing, I say 'Elite.' I can tell whether they're paying attention or not. If you know me, you expect that answer. And if you get something different, it means I'm not having a good day. For other people that don't know me, if they don't ask 'okay, what's up with the elite thing,' then I know they're not listening."
It's a cultural litmus test to see how folks handle both sides of the win-loss equation.
"We don't let circumstances dictate our behavior," Terrell said. "There are definitely some pressures out there from the market that are making it a little more challenging. But we look at it as an opportunity."
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The playbook: Terrell's daily routine starts with walking the campus. Every day. Every single person.
"It's a very simple activity. It helps me get my steps for one," he said. "And number two, it gets me in front of problems. It's amazing how much comes up by just visiting somebody at their office space. It can be very simple, just a hello, or can get even deeper. We're able to cut off issues immediately, not let them linger."
How it works:
Align the team on what everyone wants to achieve together, not just what the leader wants
Show the team you're in the trenches with them, willing to do whatever it takes
Maintain consistent messaging and consistent accountability
Keep recruiting people better than your current best—if you're always upgrading, you're always improving
Looking ahead: Terrell continues to lean on mentors inside and outside the industry like Coach PJ Fleck—the head coach during Western Michigan’s 13-0 season.
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