photo by steed media service

After working for the Ford Motor Company for 15 years, Cornelius Willingham became a Ford Lincoln Mercury dealer in May 1998. Willingham’s dealership, Town Square Ford Lincoln Mercury serves the Lincolnton, N.C., area offering a selection of new and pre-owned vehicles.

To Willingham, a successful dealer can never feel above doing any job. “All the dealers I know who are successful do whatever task they need to do to further the business,” he says. “It’s not unusual for someone to walk into the service department and I happen to be behind the service counter … [if] they need something, you go into the mode of fixing it,” he says. “They may never know what I do at the dealership, all they know is that they came in, they needed something done, and I got the task done quickly and efficiently.”

Being attuned to the customer’s needs is an area that Willingham emphasizes. “You have to walk around and try to look at the dealership the way customers would look at a dealership … you have to make sure that things are clean, appealing and inviting to the customer,” he says.

Having a competent, accessible and attentive staff is also vital in order for a dealership to be successful. “Your staff [members] are the people who are going to interact with customers, and therefore it’s important [that] you find the right people,” says Willingham. “You’re not [likely] to be right as often as you think you are, so you really need to listen to other people, you have to get input.” -dewayne rogers

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