BORDER="0"> W. St. Rt. 51 (in Genoa Ohio) 419-855-8366
| "When you develop a good, honest rapport with people, they come back," says Terry Paul, president and owner of Genoa Ford. That seems to be a simple philosophy, doesn't it? Maintain a good relationship with your customers, and you'll see repeat business. As evidence of the rapport the folks at Genoa Ford strive to maintain with their customers, Mr. Paul refers to the President's Award, which states: "Presented by Ford Motor Company to Genoa Motors in recognition of outstanding customer satisfaction through progressive management, dedicated employees, and high standards of operational excellence." "We've made the President's awards three out of the last four years. I'm not aware of any other dealer in northwest Ohio who has made the award with that frequency," Mr. Paul states. Mr. Paul credits longevity and honesty from his employees for the trust and confidence he receives from his customers. Many of his salespeople have been on the job for 15 to 30 years, a length of service that is unusual in many car dealerships. "They under-promise and over-deliver," Mr. Paul says with a laugh, "but it's true!" A fine example of this is Russ Bower, who has been there 52 years and is one of the original owners of the dealership. Experience is a great teacher. | "Russ built the foundation of Genoa Ford," says Mr. Paul. "He's the first one in, in the morning, and the last to leave at night. We value his wisdom and work ethic." A unique feature of Genoa Ford, which many customers may not be aware of, is the company's willingness to go above and beyond for customers. "We order everything that we can get and I ask for more vehicles when the factory representative is here from Ford Motor Company. You've got to have them to sell them, and we've increased our inventory," Mr. Paul asserts. "If we don't have it, we don't try to push people into what we've got. We'll go out of town to get people the vehicle they want. We believe in selection, selection, selection. "If someone has something to trade, we'll consider it," he says. "Right now, we've got a 1931 Model A in the showroom. We've even taken boats and motorcycles on trade." All this has paid off for the dealership, which has increased its sales 35% in the last five years. Mr. Paul says that, although he started in the business in 1976 at bigger dealerships, he found he liked the atmosphere best at Genoa Ford. "We'll probably live longer," he says. "The customers are wonderful out here. It's more of a relaxed atmosphere for our employees and customers. At Genoa Ford, it's more comfortable than the hustle and bustle of city dealerships." | ||
First Published January 30, 2002, 7:24 p.m.
