Ford Mossel Bay: An award-winning dealership

Advertorial

BUSINESS NEWS - Somebody once said that when looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy.

Those are certainly the three qualities that owner of Ford Mossel Bay, Gideon Knoetze, ensures his team portrays at the car dealership in Voorbaai.

And this shows in the top award the dealership won for the second year in a row.

It's been a tough two years for the car industry in South Africa due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

But, this did not kill the passion and manner in which Knoetze and his dynamic team drive their industry forward.

Ford Mossel Bay earned top national accolades in 2020 and for 2021.

Top honours were bestowed on parts manager Johan Smit in 2020 for both best parts manager and outstanding parts management performance in their dealer category.

In 2021, Smit walked away as the winner: parts manager of the year.

Smit, once a sport coach, knows how to drive a team and has a special work ethic. "Everything is about energy," he says. "We make sure that we drive energy into our team."

Secret to success
Asked about the secret of his success, he replies, "It's a combination of a lot of things. We have some great customers and we do a really good job. Fact is, we believe in our product and we don't look around to see what our competitors are doing. We focus on what we are doing and what we are working with."

Smit believes in the product and is of the opinion that it is the best in South Africa.

Knoetze earned the faith of employees at Ford Mossel Bay when he acquired the franchise in 2019 and successfully turned it around. Staff were facing an uncertain future, but Knoetze made it his task and mission to set the wheels in motion.

Talking about his team Knoetze says, "They all pull together, work as one, are enthusiastic and love coming to work energised as much as they can. In this industry and with the change in the world, long-term for us is the next hour. How did we get here? We have team spirit and we think outside of the box. It's the toughest challenge in the history of time and we are learning something new every day."

Group general manager at Ford Mossel Bay, Riaan Stander, says the award is based on scoring top marks in 24 criteria. "This is truly a credit to the staff and their ability to work as a cohesive team."

The dealership has also consistently scored above national average in customer experience satisfaction levels, reflecting the great service offered at both sales and aftersales.

Visit Ford Mossel Bay on the corner of Louis Fourie Road and Via Appie Street, or dial 087 086 5150.

Howard Hendricks and Johan Smit celebrate the achievement.