Use Gentle Professionalism to Build Strong Relationships With Your Customers

In my book, 4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations, I make the point that high performing organizations and the people who lead have four things in common.

• Successful businesses and the people who lead them develop and communicate a clarity or purpose and direction.
• Successful businesses and the people who lead them engage the full commitment of everyone in the organization.
• Successful businesses and the people who lead them skillfully execute the things that matter.
• Successful businesses and the people who lead them build strong, lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with important outside constituencies.

Today, I’d like to discuss how one company does an excellent job of managing its relationships with its customers – a very important constituency; and how another does a terrible job.  Both are car dealerships here in Denver.

Cathy had an old car.  It was a 1994 BMW 530i.  After 13 years, we both thought that it was time for a new one.  We decided to buy another BMW.  This time, we bought their small SUV the X3.  We’ve had it for three weeks today.  It’s a great car; fun to drive, easy to maneuver, and with a lot of storage capacity.

We bought it at Murray Motor Imports in Denver.  They sell BMWs and Mercedes.  We’ve dealt with the Murray Service folks for quite a while.  They’ve serviced Cathy’s 530 for years. 

In the three weeks since we’ve had the car, we’ve received a letter from Mark Murray, the owner of the dealership; a letter from Ron Yontz, our salesman; and a call from the finance department.  They all wanted to know if we were satisfied with our new car; and if we weren’t please bring it in so they could fix any problem we’ve encountered.  That’s service!  The Murray folks didn’t just sell us the car, they want to make sure that we are completely happy with it.

The automotive service department is even better.  Cathy always said that the service reps treated her with respect, unlike a lot of other dealerships where she has felt belittled as a woman.  She says that when she was driving a 13 year old car, they treated her as well as they treated their customers with brand new cars.

The Murray website says, “Being a professional, being a gentleman or a gentlewoman may not be in vogue at the present time. But learning a craft, developing and maintaining the skills to perform at significantly above market standard, acting trustworthy, taking other people’s concerns seriously, knowing how to work effectively in a team, and producing customer satisfaction will give you a huge competitive advantage in the marketplace. That’s what we do here. Vogue is weak. Gentle professionalism is valued.”

I really like the term “gentle professionalism” – and it captures the Murray way of doing business. 

You can contrast this with the service I received recently at Lithia Colorado Chrysler Jeep, the dealership where I bought my Jeep.  I had my car in for some service.  When I went to pay, I pulled out my American Express Business card.  I use the Jeep almost exclusively for business, and I like to use the Amex card because it makes it easy for me to capture my business expenses at tax time.

The cashier said “we don’t take American Express.”  When I asked if she were sure, because I recalled paying with the Amex card there in the past, she said, “I have to get it approved by a manager.”  That confused me. 

Then it got even more bizarre.  She tried to reach two managers, and when neither returned her call, she processed the charge on my American Express.  I said, “I thought you told me you don’t accept American Express.”  She said, “We don’t”.  I said, “Then how could you process the card?”  We discussed the matter for a few minutes.  Finally, I asked to speak with a manager to clear up the situation.

She introduced me to Jeff Jennerjohn, the General Manager who cleared things up quickly.  He said, “We accept American Express, but we don’t like to use them.  We want you to give us another card if you have one.”

When I informed Mr. Jennerjohn that I had other credit cards but preferred to use American Express for the reasons I mentioned above, he said, “We don’t like to use American Express.”  When I informed him that I was the customer and I prefer American Express for these types of transactions, he looked at me as if I was from Mars.  He couldn’t seem to comprehend the fact that my preference, as a customer, should outweigh the dealership’s.

I was pretty frustrated by both exchanges so I sent Mr. Jennerjohn a letter.  In that letter I told him that I was unhappy with the way I was treated.  I also mentioned that Cathy and I were in the market for a new car for her and were considering a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but now we would not be buying a car from his dealership – we ended up with the BMW.  I also pointed out that I will begin to use another dealership for my future service and maintenance needs, and that the next Jeep I buy will not be from his dealership.

I did not receive a response to this letter.  If my conversation with Mr. Jennerjohn was any indication of his lack of caring about customer service, I probably shouldn’t have expected to receive one.

So there you have it, a tale of two dealerships.  I realize that BMWs are more expensive and upscale than Jeeps.  However, I expect a reasonable amount of clarity and empathy from anybody with whom I do business.  Lithia Colorado Chrysler Jeep failed me on both counts.   

The common sense point here is simple.  No matter what your price point, if you’re in business, treat your customers with “gentle professionalism”.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.SuccessCommonSense.com for common sense advice on becoming the career and life success you are meant to be and to get a copy of my new ebook Star Power: Common Sense Ideas for Career and Life Success.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.

Comments

[used hybrid cars]

Since the fat cats over in the Big Oil industry helped to rape the American public out of tens of billions of dollars when fuel was selling for almost 5 a gallon, and since many of them did all they could to kill the first electric car (GM’ s EV- 1), perhaps Wagoner, Nardelli and Mullally should go knocking on the doors of their“ crude” friends.