Car dealers, sales and service. Is this a way to build loyalty?

Last night, for the second time this week, I've heard from two different salesman from the local Ford dealership--both of whom I'll refer to as, "Bob".

These calls start off with a comment about a need for late model vans in the local market and Bob thought I'd be interested in trading since he could give a good trade in value, and there were some great rebates going on.

"I can tell by your service record you take care of your van," Bob said.

"What?," I asked, "Are you mining the service records for leads?"

Bob stammered and reluctantly let go of a guttural acknowledgment. This, my friends, is a problem. Especially if this approach to lead generation becomes widespread.

While I don't begrudge Bob the opportunity to make a living, I'm livid that my service data would be used for sales prospecting. There's no place in my service agreement where I grant permission for a salesman to call me to pitch a new vehicle. I had no idea it would happen.

Bob, his sales manager, the service manager, and the Ford dealership GM had all overstepped the bounds and assumed a relationship would exist. They assumed because I had a Ford and had it serviced at the dealership, I was a loyal customer (to either the dealership or Ford products). They were wrong, and have damaged the relationship I had with their service department.

What they did not know is that I purchased the van from a friend in FL who was a salesman for a Ford Dealership. They did not know that I chose the van because at the time it had superior safety ratings, and the dealership gave me a heck of a deal. All of which factored into my decision to purchase a Ford van. They also did not know that I get it serviced at the dealership because it's convenient to home and because I just moved to the area a year ago, I didn't know any other local mechanics at the time. So you can see, my purchase of a Ford van and the use of the local dealership for service really have nothing to do with loyalty.

I know, this is simply using the database to cross sell. However, I should have the opportunity to opt-out of sales communications. If they're going to use their service database in this manner, customers should be alerted to the fact, and give the opt-out opportunity. Not doing so is a lousy way to build loyalty.

My van is pushing 85,000 miles and I'll soon be looking for another one. It probably won't be a Ford.

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