By Staff
The sign in the break room at Jim Johnson Ford in Atmore reads, "Customers are not loyal to the company; the company has got to be loyal to the customers."
The Ford dealerships loyalty, honesty and integrity has earned them the most prestigious honor awarded to a dealership by Ford Motor Company by being named to the 2005 President's Award List.
"We're excited about it," owner Jim Johnson, who received a congratulatory letter from Ford last week, said. "It's an honor. You have to reach a certain sales volume, but more importantly you have to keep customer satisfaction indexes really high. It's a hard thing to accomplish."
This year marks the first in Johnson Ford's 16-year history to be selected to the President's Award List. The award is customer service driven, which Jim Johnson said is his staff's main goal.
"We've got to be loyal, we've got to do the things that go the extra mile; whatever it takes," Johnson said. "We recognize that our customers are to be treated fairly even in bad times. People will like you as long as you go the extra distance to let them know that you are doing everything humanly possible to help them."
Even though the award was given to the dealership, Jim Johnson said the staff is what made it possible.
"Obviously the staff won this for the company," Johnson said. "It's a customer-driven focus. It goes from the front to the back. Everyone does a good job of keeping the customers happy. A lot of our customers are repeat customers."
For being named to the President's Award List, Johnson Ford will receive a second Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 later this year when the specialized vehicle is unveiled. Only 7,000 of the 475 horsepower sports cars will be manufactured and distributed among nearly 4,000 Ford dealerships nationwide. The biggest dealership in Florida will receive only three, Johnson said.
As for the Jim Johnson family, it's continues to grow every time a car leaves the lot.
"We go the extra distance for our customers and they appreciate it," Johnson said. "We do what's right and treat our customers like family."