"We try to treat people like honored guests," says John Sisson.

Ask Dealer Principal John Sisson how his dealership earned Nissan's highest global honor, and the answer is inspired in its simplicity: treat customers the way you’d like to be treated, and always try to do the right thing.

The Washington, Pennsylvania, dealership was one of only two in the United States to earn the honor, which celebrates outstanding results in customer satisfaction and overall sales and service quality.

“It can sound a little clichéd to say we try to treat customers the way we’d like to be treated,” Sisson says. “But that’s really what we do. We try to treat people like honored guests. We look at things from the customer perspective.”

Do the Right Thing

The philosophy to “do the right thing” guides all business practices. “When issues come up, we ask ‘What would you want if you were the customer? What can we do to make it right?’” Sisson says. “We meet as a team and decide what’s best for the customer.”

Ray Holmes, general sales manager, says the customer perspective is considered throughout sales meetings. “Everyone is trained to ask, ‘What’s the right thing to do here?’ We set egos aside and stay focused on doing the right thing for customers. If there is a gray area, we side with the customer.”

Fifteen team members have been at John Sisson Nissan for 10 years or more. ‘Customers enjoy seeing people they know and buying from the same person.’

Treating people well yields more than satisfied customers and awards. It also results in happy personnel and low turnover. Fifteen team members have been at John Sisson Nissan for 10 years or more. “Customers enjoy seeing people they know and buying from the same person. It’s like family here,” Sisson says.

Customer-Friendly Processes

Sales consultants are fully trained in Nissan products and processes, and the dealership works to adapt and enhance them. For example, the customer needs assessment doesn’t take place at a desk or near new vehicles. Instead, sales consultants talk with customers beside their current vehicle.

“This is a good springboard for customers to say what they liked best or least about the vehicle, what equipment they used or would like, and what they are looking for,” Holmes says.

From there, the sales consultant turns in a quick appraisal form and takes the customer directly to a suitable vehicle. As the demo drive is being conducted, the trade-in numbers are calculated.

“When customers return, they are all excited about the vehicle and there’s really no wait to discuss numbers,” Holmes says. The goal is to keep things moving easily and comfortably, and provide a non-confrontational closing process. “We never try to force a sale.”

A strong sales process is critical to success, Holmes says. “If you have a great sales process, people will remember that. They will be satisfied and ready to refer people because of the good experience.”

John Sisson (left) with Midwest Region Vice-President Walter Burchfield (right).

Maintaining Respect

Aligning with the Golden Rule and doing the right thing start with hiring good people and continue with training them. In addition to product knowledge training, the dealership invests in workplace training.

“Three or four times a year, we have an outside firm train our personnel on a variety of issues,” Sisson says. Topics include what’s appropriate or not in the workplace, legal issues, and other human resource issues.

The training creates a foundation of professionalism and respect throughout the dealership. “When people are treated fairly, it fosters a good environment. There’s a great deal of mutual respect here,” Sisson says.

Any personnel issues that need to be addressed are done so quickly and privately. “We close the door, sit down, talk, and work things out,” Sisson says. “People realize that even if an issue comes up, they aren’t going to be embarrassed in front of others. They are coached privately.”

In addition to the personnel training, the dealership uses mystery shoppers to help identify areas of improvement.

Friends in Service

The sales and service departments work together in an easy partnership. “We’re not adversarial,” Holmes says. “I recognize what they do for us; we respect each other. I’ve been here for 25 years and the service manager, Tom McRory, has been here for 18 years. Each of us knows how the other works, and we get along well. Tom sometimes thinks of things for me before I do!”

Maintaining the sales-service partnership stems from respect. “Our managers know each other’s perspectives,” Sisson says. “There is mutual respect. Both recognize that sales needs service, and service needs sales.”

Extra Mile for Extra Smiles

John Sisson Nissan uses customer service practices consistent with those offered by luxury automotive brands. Among the practices are pickup and delivery of vehicles needing service and the availability of loaner cars. “We’re about 25 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, in a small community that’s not on the way for people going to work. When customers need service, we offer them pickup and delivery at no charge. They really appreciate it,” Sisson says.

Thoughtful practices are sometimes a little more impromptu — or even edible. “During the Cash for Clunkers campaign, customers experienced really long waits — sometimes three or four hours,” Holmes says. “We told people it was going to be a long time, and bought them sandwiches. We gave free oil changes and sent out for pizza. We did what we could to make them comfortable and to thank them for being gracious during the long waits.”

Selling to multiple generations or entire families — that’s rewarding. That’s our real award.

The dealership also uses a business development center to support sales and service. The center handles Internet leads, calling customers with expiring leases, making follow-up calls for sales and service, and getting to the heart of why prospective customers didn’t purchase.

“Sometimes it’s something very simple, like we didn’t have the right color vehicle,” Holmes says. “In a case like that, we’d work to get them the right color.”

High Honors

“The Nissan Sales and Service Way Award was a real surprise and quite an honor,” Sisson says. “It’s not the kind of thing you can expect or set out to earn points for. I’m really proud of the team here — everyone earned it. Everyone here maintains a high level of performance whether or not there is an award.”

And while the 2009 NSSW Award is a prestigious distinction, Sisson notes that one of the greatest rewards is seeing generations of satisfied customers. “Selling to multiple generations or entire families — that’s rewarding. That’s our real award.”