On the Frontlines

Anderson/Dubinsky/Mehta, Personal Selling, Second Edition 1

Chapter 4: Prospecting and Qualifying: Filling the Salesperson’s “Pot of Gold”

on the frontlines

Prospecting by Doing Good Deeds

Bob Tasca is a master at prospecting for new customers—individuals and companies—by doing good deeds and satisfying customers. He owns one of the most successful Ford and Mercury dealerships in the United States. Founded in 1953, his company mission is to “satisfy customers” no matter what it takes. As a result, his dealership in the tiny state of Rhode Island sells more than five thousand new and used cars annually, generating more than $130 million in business!

His organization’s selling practices focus on fully satisfying the customer, even when a customer is not his. In fact, some people who have bought different brand cars from other dealerships have called him when their cars have broken down by the side of the road. Tasca, unlike many other car dealers, never says, “You’re not one of my customers . . . call the dealership where you bought your car.” Instead, he invariably says, “One of my associates will come out promptly to pick you up and bring your car back for repair.” By doing so, Tasca continually brings in new prospects without spending a dime on advertising or sales promotion. Once back at the dealership, Tasca treats these new prospects with as much care as he does his long-time customers . . . and many become new Tasca customers who recommend his dealership to others.

Rather than focusing on short-run profitability, Tasca focuses on generating long-term revenues by building customer relationships. He believes that saying “yes” to drivers with car problems can yield customers for life. Tasca also sets one price for a vehicle, rather than negotiating with customers (which can lead to price gouging). His salespeople earn commissions on how well they satisfy their customers, not on how many cars they sell.

Tasca gives his customers added value by innovative programs. For example, he has established a Pre-Trade-in Plan, which allows customers—whether companies or individuals—to buy new cars every two years at a mutually satisfactory price. In addition, he anticipates customer wants and needs by requesting Ford to put new features on his stable of cars before the features have even become popular (i.e., he “bets” on the future). He was adding antilock brakes and air bags as standard options on his cars well ahead of his competitors. Why? Because he was confident that his customers would want them!

Tasca’s efforts add up to a bevy of customers who return to his showroom again and again (oftentimes with their friends, neighbors, and business associates) to buy from the man who has made customer satisfaction his life’s business mission. As a testament to Tasca’s work, a phenomenal 97 percent of his customers return to the dealership when looking for a new car, and 65 percent of them buy from his dealership.

Source: Adapted from Bob Tasca with Peter Caldwell, You Will Be Satisfied (New York: Harper Collins, 1996); Ken Liebskind, “Satisfaction is Job One,” Selling Power web site archives, 1999–2001.