A tale of excellent service

The other night my neighbor said he was thinking about buying a car, but this was the wrong time of year to drive to Montana.

Since there are plenty of car dealerships a lot closer than Montana, we asked him what Montana had to do with it. And he told us the story about the Montana salesman...

Many years ago he bought a pickup. Being a person who is careful with his money, he had shopped around and so knew that the price he paid for that pickup was more than fair. By the time he wanted another new pickup he had moved to a new town, about 6 or 8 hour's drive away, so he went shopping close to home.

But he kept thinking about that salesman in Montana who sent him a birthday card every year. And so, knowing exactly what he wanted and the going price for that make with those features, he called Montana.

The salesman was glad to hear from him, and listened to his list of make, model, features, etc. Then he gave our friend a price, which was in the same ballpark with the others. But, he added, since you have a long drive to get here, I'll give you back $200 for gasoline, put you up in a nice motel, and buy your dinner.

Of course he said yes.

The salesman had assured him that the pickup would be ready when he arrived - and it was. The extra features had been installed, the truck was washed and waxed, and the tank was full of gas. The paperwork was even completed, so taking delivery of his new pickup took minutes, rather than the hours most dealerships impose on customers.

And so, our friend will probably shop around and learn what is or isn't available on the car he wants. He'll find out the going price, too. And then he'll call Montana, because that salesman did two important things:

He gave unforgettable service, AND he stayed in touch, year after year, in spite of the fact that his customer had moved away.

Do YOU stay in touch with customers if they leave your neighborhood?