Sentry Wins 1999 Internet Consumers Choice Award

4 January 2000
Sentry Wins 1999 Internet Consumers Choice Award
    BOSTON, Jan. 4 -- The 1999 Internet Consumers Choice Award
was presented today by the editor of Ford News (http://www.fordnews.com) to Sentry
South Lincoln-Mercury, a member of the Sentry Auto Group (http://www.sentrycars.com).
    More than 200 different nominations were received during the three month
contest through the website http://www.fordnews.com, according to Ford News editor
and publisher Steve Blake (sblake@fordnews.com).  Sentry South alone received
almost half of the nominations, including over 20 unsolicited letters to
recognize one individual employee.
    The announcement by Ford News made specific mention of the contributions
by that employee, Bill Jenkins of the Sentry South Lincoln-Mercury parts
department.  According to editor Blake, Jenkins "has developed an online
loyalty unmatched by any other dealer regarding a parts department, and more
than likely surpasses the loyalty achieved by most sales departments. Bill
Jenkins has successfully marketed himself and the dealership that he is
employed at, thus expanding its marketing and sales reach nationally.  Bill
Jenkins is a perfect example of how building relationships online is not any
different than in real life."
    "We are very proud to receive this honor," said Chris Lemley, president of
the Sentry Auto Group (owners@sentryautogroup.com), "and also of the efforts
made by Bill Jenkins in putting in the hard work required to receive it.
Along with the hundreds of Internet customers each month who visit
sentrycars.com to do business with us, this award represents validation that
our Internet efforts are on the right track."
    Three dealerships other than Sentry South also were recognized with
awards.  The other winners, which all received the 1999 Internet Dealer
Operations Award, were Prestige Ford of Garland, Texas; Jerome Duncan Ford of
Sterling Heights, Michigan; and Koons Ford of Washington, DC.  The Internet
Dealer Operations Award was conceived by fordnews.com as a way to test the
responsiveness by dealership Internet operations to Internet inquiries; the
Internet Consumers Choice Award was added to recognize the overwhelmingly
positive Internet consumer reaction to the efforts of Sentry South Lincoln-
Mercury and Bill Jenkins.
    Sentry South Lincoln-Mercury is part of the Sentry Auto Group, the largest
volume retailer in metro Boston with both Ford and Lincoln-Mercury franchises.
Sentry operates a total of four retail locations both in Boston and in
Medford, MA in addition to its award-winning e-commerce site,
http://www.sentrycars.com.
    Through the sentrycars.com website, customers can buy accessories, reserve
a rental car, search new and used vehicle inventory, research vehicle
information, get financing, book service appointments, even provide a self-
diagnosis of their vehicle using the exclusive Repair Wizard(TM) feature.
Repair Wizard(TM) leads the customer through a series of diagnostic questions
designed to assist the technician in repairing the vehicle.  The software is
written with a business-rule methodology that simulates the process used by a
service advisor in a dealership.