I met this very nice lady several months ago while I was working on the show floor one Saturday afternoon. She had a lot of questions about leasing a C class, the pros and cons, if it was right for her or not. She had never leased before. We had a very good conversation and as she was leaving I mentioned an article I had recently written about leasing for the dave knows cars blog. We didn’t even test drive a car, she just asked some questions.

This past weekend the same lady came into the dealership asking for me. After more reasearch and after reading my follow up article to the original lease posting on the blog, she had decided a lease was right for her. The C class was right for her too, we just needed to find her the right car to replace her Saturn wagon, quite a change!

My colleague and experienced Mercedes-Benz Salesperson, David Ruben, showed her the car, took her on a test drive and they eventually helped her pick out the right car with the right options. At that point, the lease deal was easy, she had done enough reading to know exactly what she needed and wanted. The rest is history.

Here is a copy of the customer survey every customer gets from MBUSA via email after buying any new or pre owned Mercedes-Benz from our dealership that she completed. All questions are based on a scale of 1 – 10.

Her sales person, David Ruben did a wonderful job showing her the car and explaining all of its features, and I was glad to see that the information on the blog was helpful to her as well.

One of our Feldmann Imports new Nissan managers received this lengthy email from a very happy customer outlining her experience purchasing a new Nissan Maxima with the help of veteran Nissan sales associate, Paul Kunz.

I recently signed a lease on a new Maxima and I had such a great experience with Feldman Imports and specifically with Paul Kunz, the Sales Associate that I worked with, that I wanted to share with you my thoughts about the service I have received and my experiences working with your dealership.

I had my first experience with Feldman a number of years ago when I leased my first new car – a Nissan Sentra SE-R.  I was immediately impressed with the service and attention I received.  This was back when the Nissan and Mercedes dealerships were in one building and I was treated as if I was leasing a top of the line Mercedes.

I never forgot how much that meant to me and how that made the experience of getting my very first new car all that more special.  So, when my fiancé Alex needed a new car, I brought him to Feldman where he ended up leasing a Nissan Pathfinder.  He was also very impressed with your staff and the dealership.

Therefore, when I started looking for a new car at the end of March, Feldman was definitely at the top of our list of dealerships to visit.  I was looking at new cars because the lease on my Honda was coming to an end in June.  I had no intention of making a decision until late May but we decided to start early by researching our options.  On March 27th, we decided to spend a whole day looking at and test driving cars.  We visited 6 dealerships in one day and looked at Acura, BMW, Nissan, Lexus, Audi, and Volkswagen.

My main criteria for my new car was that I wanted a manual transmission.  I was unsure if the Maxima was available with a manual transmission but I knew that I liked the new Maxima body style and I also was hoping that I could get another car from Feldman.

Your dealership was the second place we visited on the 27th.  Paul greeted us when we walked into the dealership and my first comment to him was that I wanted a car with a manual transmission.  When he told me that the Maxima wasn’t available in a manual I was disappointed and not interested in test driving the car.  Paul asked if he could provide us with some pricing information since we were there and I agreed.  Paul obtained the information very quickly and this was something I came to really appreciate as the day ran on as we often had to wait 20 minutes for basic information at many of the dealerships we visited that day.

We were surprised at how affordable the Maxima was and Paul then took us out to the lot just to look at a model with the sport package.  He knew I was most interested in the driving experience based on the fact that I wanted a manual and he chose perfectly which car I would like and, to my surprise, it was the same model he had priced out for me.  It was immediately clear how knowledgeable Paul was.  He was able to answer all of our questions regarding the Maxima.  He pointed me right to a car he knew I would like and before I knew it I agreed to a test drive.  When he went in to get the keys I was still telling Alex how I didn’t know if I could ever give up driving a manual but that I would give the Maxima a try.

From the moment I drove the Maxima I knew it was a great car that I would have fun driving.  Paul was very patient with us and allowed both me and Alex to test drive it.  When we got back to the dealership, he asked what our plan was for the day and what dealerships we were planning to visit.  We explained that we had 4 more on the list and he never once pressured us to make an immediate decision (again this was very much appreciated).  He simply asked when he could follow-up with me.  I agreed to touch base with him on Monday to let him know my decision.

Throughout the day it became even more clear what great service we had received from Paul as we felt ignored, rushed, or pressured to make a decision (and then treated poorly when we were adamant that we were just looking) at the other dealerships we visited.  Despite the poor service I was able to find a car that was available in a manual that I was really interested in.  I told everyone who asked at each dealership that we visited that they could follow-up with me on Monday to discuss my decision.

However, when Monday came, Paul was the only person to contact me.  I told Paul my thoughts about the other car and he immediately responded to me with a deal that I could not say no to and that felt right for us.  If you had told me first thing on the 27th, only 2 days before, that I would be leasing an automatic I would not have believed it.  However, I was thrilled with my decision and never looked back.

When I came to pick up the car on March 31st, Paul spent a lot of time with me.  He synched my phone, showed me all of the options and answered all of my questions.  It was the last day of the month and your dealership was VERY busy but we never felt rushed.  Paul walked around the car a number of times to make sure everything was perfect.

Unfortunately, everything hasn’t been perfect with the Maxima.  There was a scratch on one of the parts and I have had issues with the sound system.  However, through these issues Paul has been incredibly responsive and has offered solutions that have repeatedly made me happy to work with Feldman.

Paul has contacted me numerous times to make sure everything was going OK and he also scheduled time with me to go over some of the options I was having trouble working.  He has time and again gone the extra mile to make sure that I am 100% happy with my Maxima.

The Maxima is an amazing car and I am very happy with my choice.  However, I drove a lot of great cars on March 27th.  And, while the Maxima certainly stood out, what really impressed us was the service we received from Paul and your staff at Feldman. I have since given Paul’s name to three people who I know are looking for a new car and I have told them that they won’t be disappointed at Feldman.

I think very often only complaints are communicated and I wanted to be sure to share the experience of a satisfied customer.  Alex’s lease will be up soon and, when it is, we will be back at Feldman asking for Paul.

Regards,

A.F.
Hopkins, MN

One of our fairly new hires in the Mercedes-Benz sales department, Adam Predovich, received this glowing testimonial after a Farmington couple purchased a Certified Pre Owned Mercedes-Benz C class sedan.

While new to the car business, Adam is no stranger to good communication skills or genuinely connecting with people on a personal level. He’s got solid product knowledge and is clearly a rising star on the Mercedes-Benz sales floor at Feldmann Imports. Nice work Adam!

Here is the customer satisfaction survey Adam’s customer sent back to us after the transaction:

Were you satisfied with your salesperson?
Yes, Adam was excellent.  He was sincere, open and honest and truly cared.  Through our conversations he shared that he was fairly new to the company, that didn’t concern me because of the humility he continually showed.  He may have not been the most experienced Mercedes Salesman but if he didn’t know the answer he said so and found out for us.  That speaks novels and showed us that he wanted to earn our business.  I respect that.  It’s not always about the experience, the knowledge, it’s about the person – Adam, husband and father of three…soon to be four. 

My husband and I had car shopped numerous dealership prior to walking into Feldmann, where we had received a less than pleasant experience at all of them until Feldmann.  I had not experienced that in the past when I had purchased a car, never.  I’ve purchased from Carousel Audi twice, and Maplewood Audi once.  I had great experiences there.  I’ve always been willing to go the extra mile just to get great service.  While in college, UW-Stout I drove to Golden Valley-Carousel Audi for oil changes.  It was about the service they provided me.

Wayzata BMW, Wayzata Nissan, MotorWorks, and Luther Volkswagen… No one exhibited any interest in building a relationship with us, or cared to sell us a car.  I was very taken back by that, considering we were driving from Farmington (home) to Wayzata to car shop!

How was your overall experience with the dealership?
Top-notch customer service, being genuine, and showing respect are values to live by and will result in loyalty.  Many say that you tell 10 friends/family members about a bad experience and 1 about a good experience.  My experience with Feldmann, specifically Adam, Angel, and even Patrick (typically you don’t know what you are going to get with the ‘Finance Guy’)! HaHa  Each one of them were excellent, people-friendly, and genuine.

Is there one thing that would keep you from doing business with us?
In the future – If you don’t have the right color combination of (white/tan) vehicle in stock when I need to trade in and purchase, that might be a deal-breaker.  But it all turned out it OUR favor, it was all meant to be!   Talk to Angel or Adam for the details on that one.  

All in all, we purchased with Adam because of him, your trade-in offer on my car, the current Mercedes financing, and the car being available in white/tan.  It was a package deal, one of those factors missing may have led us to look elsewhere as we were picky in what we wanted.  There are millions of people, dealerships, and online companies out there selling cars and we chose you!  Thank you for that experience, because of that I now hold car purchasing to an even higher standard.

Thank you,

G.W. and R.W.
Farmington, MN

Late last month a couple came into the dealership on Tuesday evening interested in a new C300 4matic sedan. The woman had just been in an accident in her mini van and decided she wanted a safe sedan as a replacement.

She came to the right place. She was also considering the Audi A4 and Lexus ES350. The value, safety, and quality of the driving experience in the C300 won out in the end. Here are some of the answers and comments she sent to our sales manager today with her completed customer satisfaction survey.

Dear Mr. Anderson,

I am responding to the survey I received after visiting your dealership last week.

Were you satisfied with your salesperson?
Yes, Dave Tobin was very explicit in answering all my questions and concerns.  He was very knowledgeable and had a sincere interest and passion for the Mercedes Benz cars.  When we were test driving the car, he was helpful in explaining unique aspects and features of the C300.  We thought the dealership closed at 9pm. and didn’t realize until after we returned from the test drive at 8pm, that you closed at 7:30pm.  Dave did not make us feel rushed or like we had imposed on his time.  He was very gracious. Nor did he try to force a decision on us but did ask what our for next step would be and how he could help.

How was your overall experience with the dealership?
We felt comfortable and at ease.  

Is there one thing that would keep you from doing business with us?
No, our decision was being weighted against other makes of cars not the experience at the dealership.  However, our positive experience at your dealership help sway the decision. We felt our experience at your dealership (because of our positive impression of Dave) was the best we have ever had while researching cars.

Enjoy your day,

K. B.
Chanhassen, MN

I got the following email from a customer who bought a 2006 Certified Pre Owned Mercedes-Benz ML350 several weeks ago. His wife already drives an ML SUV, this is their second ML. He came back for a couple of things and the service department at Feldmann Imports took good care of him.

Dave,
 
With the very reasonable understanding that I am on my own from here on out…your organization continued to stand behind the vehicle I purchased a few weeks ago.  Today they replaced an auxiliary battery and 2nd crankshaft sensor for no charge.
 
We will definitely call you next time we go shopping and would not hesitate to recommend Feldmann and yourself.
 
Scott Bordo
Burnsville, MN

These comments were added to the customer satisfaction survey I received from a customer who bought a car last Saturday. He was a great customer to work with, we were both, truly, working towards the same goal… getting him a great deal on a Certified Pre Owned Mercedes-Benz, we accomplished that goal together.

“Very nicely done. Dave is a sharp salesman that took an old car salesman that wasn’t going to buy until spring and made me an owner. I might be in the market again over the summer for an e class wagon 4matic if you see one. I sold for 14 years, high end euro cars (BMW & SAAB) as well as more mainstream lines (VW, Saturn, Dodge and Nissan) so I can be hard to impress, Dave closed the deal when he needed to and let me gather info when he needed to.”

E.S.
Lakeville, MN

2008 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Roadster shipped to Georgia.

I had the pleasure of working with a gentleman in Georgia on this Certified Pre Owned Mercedes-Benz SL550 transaction in December. Buying a $60,000 + vehicle sight unseen takes a particular amount of faith. I was flattered to read his thoughts regarding the transaction once he received the car via enclosed transport.

He wrote this in these kind words in the ‘comments’ area of the Mercedes-Benz customer satisfaction survey he received via email after the transaction had been completed.

“It must be noted that David Tobin was OUTSTANDING. I come from the Auto Industry with 45 years of not only dealership background but that of OEM Corp. When we put together the Saturn project and described what an outstanding sales person would be like, David fits the bill to a tee. If he lived closer I would most likely offer him a job within one of our companies. The car was just like David described it, the good and the bad points.

You run a very impressive dealership and you should be proud.”  

I have actually spoken with this customer several times since his car was delivered to his home, about the car business, cars in general, even this blog. A nice guy I hope to work with again.

One of our Mercedes-Benz service writers here at Feldmann Imports received these kind words in the “Comments” area of an online survey sent to this customer after he had been in for service.

This gentleman bought a 2007 Certified Pre Owned E350 4matic from me several months ago. He’s always a pleasure to work with.

“I think Chad, Jeff, Paul, & Doug are all exceptional at listening, getting the work done, and returning the vehicle. It’s is as if I am picking up a brand new car, each time my car has been in for repair.

Also, I have inspected the work. The service repair and appreciation for detail is evident. Thank you.

Dave Tobin has been the best salesman I have ever worked with (I have purchase over 10 cars in my life from dealerships). He is knowledgeable, courteous, and helpful for providing solutions while engaging other departments. I appreciate Client Fulfillment (follow through); Dave Tobin is exemplary at this in my humble opinion.

To the entire team, please keep up the great work, and the new dealership is truly one of a kind; a neat place to visit & spend time if needed.

Thanks for the great experience, as that is exactly why I enjoy being a Mercedes Benz owner.

Sincerely,

Troy M. DanDurand
St. Cloud, MN

This was a card I received from a recent pre owned S class customer. He’s a great guy, and quite a character. He references the gift certificate I sent him to a local salon / spa in this note.  Apparently his brother-in-law is looking for a new vehicle too. Referrals are king in the car business. It’s always fun to see him stop by the dealership.

This note was sent directly to the General Manager of Feldmann Imports by a customer I worked with on a new Mercedes-Benz C300 4matic sedan. It’s always nice to know your efforts are appreciated. As cliché as it sounds, all I do is treat customers as I would like to be treated.