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By Tony Valente Valente, who owns an XK8 Jaguar, is a long-time BEM customer who has helped Mark Singleton produce "Sonoma Classics" newsletters.. With Mark reaching several milestones, including BEM's 25th anniversary, his American citizenship and his 50th birthday, Tony thought it might be time to ask Mark what he's thinking about this holiday season.
Over the past few years, what developments at BEM stand out most in your mind? From a purely business standpoint, I’d have to say when we almost doubled the size of our shop back in the mid-90s, going from 3,500 square feet to nearly 9,000. We did it because our volume of work had outgrown our old space. Even so, we held our breath because we didn’t know if our work would expand to fill the new space. Thanks to our great customer base, it did. Speaking of your customers, what have they been like over the 25 years you’ve been in business? It took me years to see this, but maybe the best way to describe my customers is that they’re like a group of friends who move into and out of your life with great regularity. You miss them when they’re gone, and when they return it’s wonderful to catch up with them, and to resume the banter and the interaction we enjoyed before. Why do they leave? Usually it’s because they sell their British car and there’s no longer any reason to come here. Sometimes they’ll buy a new British car and while it’s under warranty, we won’t see them. But once the warranty runs out, they come back. And both they and us are happy they’re “back in the fold.” Why so happy? Aren’t we just talking about a commercial relationship? For me, it’s because I genuinely miss them. It gets to the point when you’ve known a customer for years that you become a part of one another’s lives. I know about their families and they about mine, and about the major events that are going on in them. When they sell their car, it’s like they’ve moved away and there’s a gap where they used to be. They feel it, too. I’ve had customers who weren’t doing any current business with us but would keep us on speed-dial just so they could call me to get advice on a car purchase. One man recently called me to ask about a Honda he was thinking of buying for his daughter in college. “I won’t buy it unless I get your opinion first,” he told me. That was very gratifying to hear. Why do your customers love British motor cars so much? The best way to describe them is that they are in an intense love-hate relationship. For them, if there’s no passion, no drama, no challenge, what’s the point? The design of the cars is so phenomenal—they’re sexy, sleek and timeless—that it’s hard not to fall in love with them. And that love comes down through the generations. We’re getting clients now whose fathers owned British cars, or whose earliest memories involve those cars, and they want to bring those memories to life. Yes, they want reliability, and are certainly getting more of it in the newer cars, but they also say to themselves, “If it’s not leaking oil, it’s not the real thing. Oh, and do they drive great!” How is BEM doing? Are there any major new developments on the horizon? For now, no. Like everybody else in this economy, we’re sticking to what we do best and doing it as efficiently as possible. We understand people’s struggles and see them doing as we are doing, hunkering down and working hard. I’d say it’s having some effect—things are looking better than they were six months ago, so we’re optimistic about 2010. Any parting thoughts? We genuinely expect better times, so we’re looking forward to renewing old friendships in the months ahead. In the meantime, we wish everybody, customers current and old, our heartfelt best. ■ |
ISSN 1538 - 8913
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