Automotive News Canada - September 2023 - 17

* SEPTEMBER 2023
17
At a young age, she had a talent to make people
laugh, and it eventually became her calling.
A family tragedy changed her focus and led to
rekindled joy, although on a different stage
From showbiz
to the showroom
By HARRY PEGG
CALGARY CORRESPONDENT
HOW DOES A STANDUP COMEDIAN
transition to a successful career running a
new-vehicle dealership?
For Carmen Stockton, general manager
of Mini Calgary, the stage prepared her
well for the showroom.
" What a training ground to get people to
pay attention, " Stockton said. " On a stage,
you have about 10 seconds
in a dimly lit room,
with people drinking
adult bevies, to capture
and hold their attention
or you bomb.
On a stage, you have
about 10 seconds in a
dimly lit room, with
people drinking adult
bevies, to capture and
hold their attention or
you bomb. That's not
much time and not
much longer when
you're selling a car. "
Carmen Stockton
General manager, Mini Calgary
" That's not much time and not much
longer when you're selling a car. "
Stockton, 52, was born in Hudson Bay,
Sask., 400 kilometres northeast of Regina.
She moved often with her family and they
eventually settled in Calgary in 1981. It
was earlier, at age 6, when she discovered
a knack for making people laugh.
" I learned a joke at school, and when we
went to visit my aunt and uncle, I told this
joke to them, " said Stockton. " I acted it out
with different voice inflections for characters
in the joke, and I vividly remember
how hard everyone was laughing. They
talked about it throughout the next day
and kept asking me to do parts of it, and
the laughing would start all over again.
" I was in heaven. "
During high school, " I did improv
[and] as many performances as possible. "
Stockton recalls the day her Grade11
teacher, Mrs. Harris, walked in as she
entertained the class as " Mrs. Harris. "
Shockingly, the teacher loved it.
" Every now and then she would look at
me during a class and suggest I take over, "
Stockton said. " She would sit at my desk,
and I would teach as Mrs. Harris while
she laughed along with everyone.
" A magical lady. "
That led Stockton to consider a comedy
career.
'I CAME TO LIFE'
" I was uncomfortable with people one on
one, but in front of any kind of audience, I
came to life, " she said.
In the early 1990s, Stockton launched
her career, performing in the United States
and Canada, including Yuks Yuk's in
Calgary and the Just For Laughs comedy
festival in Montreal.
" Those were great. But I've worked so
Stockton: " People are smart. They can tell when someone is fake or sincere.
I'm really sincere and genuine and people tend to gravitate to me. "
PHOTO: HARRY PEGG
many high-pressure places, really horrible
places. "
The worst? Sparwood, B.C., a mining
community about 250 kilometres southwest
of Calgary.
" I feared for my safety, " she said. " It
was a scary night where the emcee crudely
insulted a woman in the audience early
in his act. The rest of the night was highly
charged, and the audience was dangerously
unruly. "
Stockton drew her comedic inspiration
from family, friends, " my own idiosyncrasies
and human behaviour. " The pressure
to come up with fresh material was
intense, " especially for a comic like me,
who based her material on real life, not
daily observations or politics. "
After performing stints in Los Angeles,
Stockton decided to make it her home in
2001.
L.A. " is like a lottery ticket, " she said.
" There are nights you know someone is
there that could change your life, and it's
really harsh when it doesn't click. It's hard
to convince yourself to pursue the dream. "
In 2005, Stockton's mother died of cancer.
" I still performed and lived in L.A. a
year after she passed, " Stockton said, " but
I was not my usual joyful, playful self. "
GOING HOME, FINDING A HOME
Stockton returned to Calgary in
November 2007 " to regroup and heal, "
working at a beauty salon and getting
certified as a yoga instructor.
She subsequently purchased a Mini at
Crowchild Mini - which later became
Mini Calgary - and enjoyed the experience
so much, she applied for a sales job.
It was " a significant moment for me, "
Stockton said. " It felt like part of my journey
back to the joy and playfulness I had
lost touch with. "
Matt Jordan, then sales manager, said
he was impressed with Stockton.
" I saw a star in there somewhere, "
recalled Jordan, now the sales manager
at Stoney Trail Mazda in Calgary. " I
thought she would make a significant
contribution. Turns out I was right. "
Stockton soon discovered the similarities
in two male-dominated careers. Both
are performance-based and require dedication.
" They
are also both uncertain financially, "
she said. " Not a lot of security.
" After my standup days ... there was
nothing intimidating about sales at all. "
TO MAKE IT, DON'T FAKE IT
Stockton credits a genuine curiosity
about people, their psychology and life's
journey for much of her success selling
cars.
" People are smart. They can tell when
someone is fake or sincere. I'm really sincere
and genuine, and people tend to gravitate
to me. "
In early 2023, Stockton became general
manager of Mini Calgary, overseeing a
staff of 20.
Neither Stockton nor BMW would provide
sales or revenue figures since she
took over, although she said, " we are
doing quite well. "
As a manager, Stockton focused on creating
a fun workplace culture, including a
wide social media presence that involves
the entire staff.
She said it's a culture that helps the
dealership thrive.
" It has attracted buyers from
Saskatchewan and [British Columbia]
attracted by the idea that this might be
a fun place to deal with and we play to
that, " she said.
" I have an incredibly low staff turnover.
People like to come to work here. "
While Stockton sees herself as a supportive,
patient and calm manager, she
can be tough when necessary.
" I always try to be smarter than the
problem instead of letting it get the best of
me, " she said. " Not that I always win.
" If people aren't giving their best,
and there's no outside influence or tragedy
influencing that, I get a bit spicy.
Selfishness within a team will bring out
the Carmen spice, but it's rare. "
In work or comedy relationships, she
said, you " can't not speak up or they
would skin you alive. "
Carmen Stockton's visit to a Mini dealership in Calgary in 2007 to buy a car also brought about a career change. It was
" a significant moment for me. It felt like part of my journey back to the joy and playfulness I had lost touch with. "
PHOTO: HARRY PEGG
But life in the dealership has returned
the joy she experienced on the stage.
" I needed a sense of playfulness and
mischievousness back. Life had gotten so
serious, and I needed some levity, " she
said. - ANC

Automotive News Canada - September 2023

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