The last thing any business owner wants to do is waste time when looking to buy or lease a company vehicle.

Dewey Ford sales representatives understand this. The haggling over the price of an automobile can take away from any business work day, and in today’s world they understand the theory that time is money.

“Customers want a vehicle and want a fair price,” says Rick Pattison, Dewey Ford commercial sales manager. “We are very customer-oriented. Customers will get a straight answer up front.”

It’s more than putting customers behind the wheel of their new company vehicle at Dewey. Dewey stresses the importance of customer satisfaction and building long-lasting relationships with small- and medium-business owners  and governmental bodies. It was because of this thinking that the downtown dealership created its commercial sales division four years ago.

With a fleet department already in existence, Dewey, which is Polk County’s oldest Ford dealer, knew the smaller businesses were being neglected so it began its commercial sales division to compliment the fleet department. And it has proven very beneficial to both a growing customer base and the dealership, who has received Ford distinction for its customer satisfaction.

In order to meet fleet qualifications, the customer must be using five current model year vehicles or 15 automobiles overall. Since many service-oriented businesses don’t meet those guidelines, Ford has stepped up its efforts to meet these companies’ needs.

Dewey Ford also goes the extra mile for its customers. Pattison and Darrell Stickel, fleet manager, will help companies establish a line of credit, provide a needs assessment and even deliver quotes and vehicles on site to  businesses.

“It’s our job to make purchasing or leasing an automobile or truck as simple as possible,” Pattison says.

As the commercial department continues to grow, the dealership has its site set on becoming an important part of the business community in the coming years. Dewey Ford knows commercial customers’ needs.

In order to sustain more growth, the company is having to move. Dewey Ford will have a new home in 2002 when its moves to Ankeny. But dealership officials stress they will maintain their downtown presence with a service center to meet their existing customers’ needs.

Pattison says the move will create new opportunities for the dealership and become even more beneficial to commercial customers. There will be a new service writer who will specialize and focus only on commercial customers.

Dewey Ford is a Ford certified professional fleet dealer; a Ford Blue Oval Certified dealership; and a member of the Ford Business Preferred Network.

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