Topic for Discussion: How does this fact give Pamela and advantage over her competitors?

Answer: Pamela is the customer. Men can try to understand women but a woman has a better chance understanding a women than does a man.

Topic for Discussion: What do you see in this episode that makes the dealership female-friendly?

Answer: There is a play area for children. Women may have to wait for their car repairs to be done and may have children to care for so Pamela makes it easier for the Moms by providing a place for children to be happy. I know from being there that the entire place is squeaky clean. The rest rooms shine as do the floors and the massive windows.

Life is hard so when any of us have a chance to make people smile and feel good, take it. To make her customers smile, Pamela hired a theater set designer to create a fun environment for the service department. Rather than the clean, crisp walls we see in the rest of the dealership, the customer section of the service department is so remarkable it has become what Pamela considers to be one of her best business decisions.

Topic for discussion: Ms. Rodger's Neighborhood is metaphor and the artwork, a daily, visible reminder about the fun side of automobiles. In your mind's eye, paint over the walls and eliminate the awnings and windows, and you have a typical car dealer's entry area to the service and collision centers. What does this artwork do? Why are aesthetics important?

Answer: This artwork changes our mood; it is an attitude adjuster. It tells us about the owner and the people of Rodgers Chevrolet. It sends a warm message without words. Customers feel they are in good hands and that the people they are dealing with are their good neighbors. Awnings painted above the parts department counter telegraph a small town feeling on the edge of one of America's largest cities, Detroit.

You think about it: Do you have a deep understanding of your customer? What can you do to make your customers more comfortable with every step of your selling and servicing process?