Ramsay's Honda Auto Sales

For Lisa Ramsay, doing a good job isn’t good enough. When it comes to supporting family, and the community, nothing less than a great job will do. 

That’s what drives the co-owner of Ramsay’s Auto Sales Ltd., in Sydney. “As a family business, we take personal pride in our strong reputation for customer service,” says Ramsay.
 
“As members of the community,” she adds, “we take pride in our efforts to support the local community both through financial contributions and an effort to procure goods and services locally.”
 
The Ramsay family has been doing both since 1981 when Lisa’s father, Woody, and her uncle opened a Honda dealership in Sydney. Fifteen years later, the torch was passed to Lisa and her siblings: John, David and Michelle.
 
“Today,” notes Ramsay, “we employ 28 people and sell several hundred new and used cars each year.
 
“We’ve doubled our lot size,” she adds, “and we still don’t have enough space.”
 
Building for the future of the business has included two major renovations in the last 10 years. One of those initiatives was part of a national program launched by Honda Canada to ensure a consistent image for dealers across the country.
 
In 2007, notes Ramsay, four additional bays were added to the service centre to make for faster, more convenient oil changes, wheel alignments and other automotive work.
 
“We hired more staff as well,” she says. “We knew business was going to grow. Honda is in demand, and here at home, we are an established business.”
 
The business’s reputation for fast, dependable service began when Woody Ramsay was running his own service station. The company’s philosophy has not changed in the decades since. “We try to give the best service we can. We try to be proactive instead of reactive,” says Lisa. 
 
“Our father’s belief in service,” she adds, “continues in us.”
 
So does his commitment to community. “We are a big supporter of the local hospital and children,” notes Lisa. “We also like to help out as many charities as we can by giving auction items. Every little bit helps.”
 
Especially now. Generally speaking, 2009 has not been a good year for the automotive industry. Thanks to their established reputation and the Honda brand, Ramsay’s Auto Sales Ltd. is not being hard hit by the economic downturn. “There was a slower start to the year, but then March arrived and it was back to normal,” says Lisa. “April was good. May was extraordinary. Knock on wood.”
 
Part of the reason for their success is their community touch and commitment to customers. “We try to do more than the ordinary,” says Lisa. “We’ve had staff come to the rescue of customers on a Sunday morning when they’ve locked the keys in the trunk.”
 
Part of that customer service ethic is ingrained. “We try to get staff to answer the question, ‘How would you feel if it was you?’” says Lisa.
 
The family owners of Ramsay’s Auto Sales Ltd. ask themselves the same question. As a result, they’ve tried to create an atmosphere for customers and staff alike that is friendly and inviting.
 
“Customers sometimes say our waiting area is nicer than their living room,” she laughs. “It feels like home.”
 
That easy access and genuine sense of welcome is complemented by high-tech innovation. “It’s one of the advantages of being a Honda dealer,” notes Lisa. “We’re on the cutting edge of many new developments in the automotive industry.”
 
Many of those developments are designed to make the environment healthier for future drivers. This year the Honda FCX Clarity was declared the 2009 "World Green Car" from an entry list of 22 contenders nominated by 59 jurors from 25 countries around the world.  
 
The FCX Clarity is a sleekly-styled, hydrogen fuel-cell-poweredsedan. It is currently available on a limited lease-basis and powered by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated by an on-board fuel cell stack. The vehicle's only emission is water, and its fuel efficiency is up to three times that of a modern gasoline-powered automobile and two times that of a gasoline-powered hybrid vehicle.
 
“Honda recognizes that the industry is changing, and as a leader, it must be at the forefront of those changes,” says Lisa. “Innovation doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s important to take the steps today for a better tomorrow.”
 
Certainly that is what Lisa and her family are doing. “We want to carry on our father’s tradition of commitment to service, to customers, and to community. We’re also putting our own stamp on the business.”
 
Balance is one of the important considerations. “We need to have a life outside the business,” says Lisa.
 
“We also need to have time as a team to get together to have fun. That’s when business can wait until tomorrow,” she adds. At least four times a year, the staff of Ramsay’s Auto get together to unwind and celebrate their success.
 
“We know how to have fun together,” says Lisa, “and we know how to work well together.”
 
The result is great service and happy customers.