I just got a nice card in the mail from Larry Miller Subaru here in Boise, reminding me that it was one year ago that I purchased LGM1:

I am glad that Larry Miller sent me the card because it reminded me that I needed to post on how to make a customer happy every time. Larry Miller did that with me because they made the car buying experience simple, they did not play games, they gave me exactly what I asked for - and they did it FAST.

When it was time to get a new car, I spent a lot of time surfing the Web, looking for what I wanted. Shane has a Subaru, so I thought I’d look into them. I really liked the idea of full-time all-wheel drive.

I went to the Subaru website, and they had a national sale on the Imprezas - nothing down and $209 a month - you just had to pay taxes, title, fees - that stuff. Looked like a good deal, but you know how car dealers can be.

Next, I visited the Larry Miller website. I sent the sales manager an e-mail asking how much I needed to bring in to get the car for $209 a month. About 10 minutes later, I got a phone call from Erin the Sales Manager, telling me that $700 would cover the taxes and what not, or if I preferred, I could do a no cash deal and my payment would be in the $240 a month ballpark. I told her I’d bring the cash and see her in 40 minutes.

I grabbed the dough and headed down there, still with a bit of dread. She greeted me and walked me over to a row of Imprezas and said, “which one do you want?” I selected the blue one.

We went back inside, I threw the $700 down. They already had the paperwork done, except for the VIN. They slapped the VIN# on the forms, and I signed the contract for $209.63 per month. I was in and out in minutes and got exactly what I asked for. It couldn’t have been easier.

So - car dealers or anyone else that has something to sell:

Make it easy. The web made shopping easy and fast. The staff at the dealership was knowledgeable. Good combination for someone looking to sell something.

Give customers what they want and don’t fool around. Car dealers too often want you to do the buying and selling. They screw around with the price, go to their manager, and basically do everything they can to not give you what you ask for. Larry Miller’s people made it easy and fast. I got exactly what I wanted. They moved a car, made some money, and got their sales person back on the lot in minutes so he could sell another car. Win-Win.

I also posted a review on my experience at Check a Biz - our friend J. Glerum’s site.

Good job Larry Miller Subaru. I am a happy customer.