Relationship building is key to this business Steve Finlay's April column on selling to those in the know hit the nail on the head regarding dot-com business.
If dealers and dealer employees would really learn what the Internet is and how it can affect their business, they would make it work much better for themselves.
Interestingly enough, not all the companies starting the auto dot-com businesses really understand it very well either. What is incredible is the amount of money they have been able to put together to launch these sites. I smell a real disaster in the making. It may have already started.
I'm a consultant/trainer, former dealer, former employee of the factory and former consultant/trainer with NADA. I have learned through the years that relationship development is the key to success, whether it starts on the lot, over the phone, through the mail or off the net. It still has to travel the same path.
Enjoyed the column, and look forward to each issue of the magazine.
Ron Schonscheck Conifer, CO
Where are vouchers for repeat Ford customers? We had always purchased reliable imports before our Ford "A" plan opportunity. The purchase was consummated and a new 1989 Ford Eddie Bauer extended van was driven home. It found a good home, one with loyalty!
Eighty-four thousand miles later, we still have the van! The heavy-duty components on the Eddie Bauer have served us well over the years.
My husband has been looking for a 4x4 SUV, and his first choice was...you guessed it...a Ford! The sad part of the story is although we have been loyal, Ford does not offer any vouchers or other incentives for the repeat buyer. We no longer have the "A" plan option, and the dealer still seems committed to a large profit.
Another manufacturer of a vehicle we own offers a voucher for repeat customers. We may miss Ford, but Ford may miss our money! Good-bye Eddie Bauer Expedition. Our home could have offered you a comfortable and clean domicile well into your golden years! You would have been loved at our house.
Angie Terrazas
PS: My husband and his siblings won't go near a Dodge. My in-laws got burned 30 years ago and no one in the family has ever forgotten it! Several generations of potential revenue stream elusive and gone with the wind.
