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Fairlane Ford Sales Team Wins Metro Cup Challenge for Fifth Straight Year

6 January 1998

Fairlane Ford Sales Team Demonstrates Superior Product Knowledge; Wins Metro Cup Challenge for Fifth Straight Year

    DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 6 -- A team of three salespersons from
the Fairlane Ford auto dealership in Dearborn, Michigan have demonstrated
their superior product knowledge and won the Ford Motor Company
-sponsored Metro Cup Challenge trophy.  The Metro Cup pits sales teams from
all 31 Metro Detroit area Ford dealers against each other in a battle to see
which team has the greatest knowledge of Ford products and those of their
competitors.  This is the fifth straight year that the Fairlane Ford team has
won the cup.
    The Fairlane Ford team consists of Mike McDonald, a Dearborn resident, who
has been on the team all five years; Jim Flynn, a Dearborn resident in his
third year with the team; and Gary Turla, a Grosse Pointe resident, joining
the team for the first time this year.  Tom Blackwell is the Fairlane Ford
sales manager and the team trainer.  He says the competition in the Metro Cup
Challenge is fierce every year.
    In this jeopardy-like contest, salespersons answer the types of questions
customers might ask.  Customers, especially in the Detroit area, have become
very knowledgeable about vehicles, and ask some difficult questions.
Questions at the competition cover areas such as vehicle design and features,
safety features, new vehicles, product changes, options and restrictions and
towing and trailer usage.  They must also answer questions about competitors'
vehicles and how they compare to Ford products.
    "All of us at Fairlane Ford constantly strive to learn more about our
products and our industry," Blackwell said.  "We never stop learning.  That's
part of what makes this job challenging and rewarding."
    "Our customers have more automobile knowledge than ever," McDonald said.
"This sophisticated auto-buying public demands more from us.  If we don't know
about our product line and our competitors' lines, they are going to go
elsewhere.  Product knowledge and ability to compare it to other products are
two of the most important aspects of good customer service today.  This
contest is an important way to demonstrate what we do every day as the
backbone of our business."
    "We have some of the most well-informed customers in Metro Detroit,"
Blackwell said.  "We also have some of the most well-informed salespersons,
whose dedication to professionalism means that they are constantly learning
more.  Metro Detroit salespersons are all real pros, so it's an honor to win
this cup.  We're very proud.  It reflects our high-level of customer
commitment."
    Fairlane Ford is located at 14585 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan.
The dealership is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, having opened in
1923.  Fairlane Ford is annually recognized with the National Top 100 Ford
Dealer Award in sales and customer satisfaction.  Marv Walker, Fairlane Ford
president, maintains a large inventory of new cars and trucks and the
dealership prides itself on having salespersons and service technicians who
are well-educated in Ford products.
    A full-service dealership, Fairlane Ford features a state-of-the-art
service center as well as a large selection of cars and trucks.  Services
include advanced diagnostic equipment, custom body and paint repair and a down
draft paint oven.  The dealership also maintains one of the Midwest's largest
parts inventories.

SOURCE  Fairlane Ford