It's Up To You Now

By Willby Evans

As the automotive business comes to terms with the new market realities, it becomes clear that Ford Motor Company has distinguished itself in its restructuring to survive and eventually prosper in the 21st century marketplace. It’s not out of the woods yet, but you have to admire a company that has been restructuring itself since before this current recession. Ford and its CEO had the vision to set a plan in motion to revamp its car line-up, stream line its operations worldwide and arrange for financing ahead of the credit market collapse. In other words, when other manufacturers’ recovery plans were basically to tell the government “show us the money”, Ford already had a plan and financing (non-bailout, bailout) in place to turn the iconic manufacturer into a true competitor in the new millennium.

There is certainly plenty that I can write about (and, I will soon) as to details about the different things Ford is doing right. Ford certainly has a responsibility to you (the consumer) to produce a variety of vehicles of good quality and innovative design and technology now and in the future, and I believe we are doing so. I wanted to address the ultimate referee in all of this. It’s you, the consumer. You are the ones that ultimately will decide Ford’s future and, by extension, the dealership I work at, Don Chalmers Ford. Ultimately, you vote and by that I mean with your wallet.

We don’t expect you to spend your hard-earned money with us without returning a value to you in the form of a top notch product line and how we treat you at our dealership. It will only be if you decide that our turn-around plan meets with your approval that we can have a future. We are not asking for government assistance to survive. Instead, we are trying to earn your assistance in the form of your patronage.

At Don Chalmers Ford, we have a mission statement that is more than just a poster on the wall: “Growth through customer loyalty”. We expect to earn your loyalty, and Alan Mulally and Ford Motor Company expect to earn it, as well. We are not afraid of that challenge and will continue to move forward and constantly seek to improve on and maintain a high standard. I ask you to consider joining us on that journey. Take the time to look at what Ford is doing with its product line and manufacturing innovation. Consider how we have taken responsibility for ourselves and are not using your tax dollars that can be put to better uses.

I’m proud to be a part of what I feel is something historic. I’m proud to be a part of Don Chalmers Ford. But that won’t be enough, because without our customers, it won’t matter. We look forward to seeing you here in the dealership, or hearing from you by phone or e-mail.

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