Earl McRae writes about Belanger in today’s Sun.

Hi there.

That article by Earl McRae of the Ottawa Sun is in today’s (Saturday’s) paper. You can’t miss it: the article is on page 2. Have a read and if you care to, we would love to hear your thoughts

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/columnists/earl_mcrae/2009/05/30/9621266-sun.html

Safe Driving,

Luc

Update regarding article in the Sun.

Hi folks.

Sorry, but I just noticed that the Ottawa Sun piece I originally referenced here wasn’t actually published today. It may still run, I’m  just not sure when.

No matter, we have plenty of automotive work to focus on, and we are working full speed ahead on our real  core business: you, our customers. There’s plenty happening and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s an unbelievable time to get  a deal from GM. We hope we see you soon.

Continued safe driving.

Luc

Back to business: A sale worth checking out!

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly for weeks, this truly is an amazing time to get yourself into a new GM vehicle. Our challenges with GM aside, it’s business as usual and we are still incredibly active in sales. Our current promotion, GM’s “Total Package Event” is unmatched for the value it brings to you, the buyer. Just to remind you, during this event, every new GM vehicle we sell includes 3 years of no-charge regularly scheduled Goodyear service and two years of no charge OnStar and XM satellite radio. Nothing else even comes close to the value GM is offering owners.

Well, we’re taking that deal one step further!

Beginning June 4, we’re holding a big Off-site Sale at Place D’Orleans.

On top of GM’s amazing Total Package Event bonuses, we’ve marked every vehicle with our absolute best savings of the year. The deals and selection are amazing, and since we’re now driving right into RV season, you’ll also get to see and save on our amazing RV’s and trailers, which will also be featured at this sale.

Our selection is great, and believe me when I say that today’s RV’s and trailers are setting new standards for comfort, design and best of all, value. 

The Marcel Belanger Big Off-Site Sale at Place D’Orleans, Thursday, June 4th through Sunday, June 7th. Please join us. We would love to shake your hand,  show you our vehicles, and save you a bunch of money on some beautiful cars, trucks and RV’s.

Safe driving,

Luc

The Belanger brand: created by us, defined by you.

We love being part of the GM family (or at least we did) and have always been proud to be associated with the Pontiac Buick GMC Dealer group. That being said, we always knew that to rely on anyone else’s brand and reputation (in this instance, GM’s) as the sole defining factor for your success (or failure) is pretty foolhardy.

GM manufactures vehicles, but dealers, like us, sell them. That’s an important distinction, because it means that our customers are actually buying GM products, but they are doing business directly with the Belanger family. That’s both a huge opportunity and responsibility.

Regardless of the brands any dealer sells, what they will be ultimately judged by is whether or not they take care of the people who chose to give them a chance to do business together. Customers put their personal trust in a dealership, and we’ve always known that trust is sacred. 

To paraphrase a recent blog comment: in the end, we are ultimately defined by the way we (our brand) make customers feel, rather than just by what we sell. The brand experience is a more personal relationship than simply a connection to a corporate nameplate. It’s the sum of all the little pieces of contact between us, and our customers. The Belanger brand, like any other brand, is defined by what customers think of it, and what a customer thinks and says about your brand is a thousand times more important than any advertisement in the world. I’m OK with that.

Safe driving,

Luc

Thank you et merci !

Folks, you really are amazing!

My inbox is filled and my phone is ringing off the wall. Your outpouring of support is truly humbling. Our story has been featured in both the Citizen and the Sun today, and I’ve just been interviewed by Radio-Canada/ RDI, Global TV, the A-Channel and CTV Ottawa. Our story seems to have touched a lot of people, so I thought I might also share a few of the kind emails we have received as well. The first one is directed to my father and comes all the way from Ireland! You’ll also find more kind comments in our comment section below yesterday’s “Caught in GM’s numbers game” posting. Enjoy!

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Hi Marcel. 


I was checking Google finance today when I saw your name on the same page. I just read the article about your news. I am so sorry, however, I know, and have known a lot of Operators (Car Dealers) in my day, and let me tell you that you are one of the most talented, brilliant, forward thinking sharpest man I know in the entire industry! And I say that with all sincerity! I am not worried for you, cause at the end of the day, all we all have is ourselves, our experience and our cast of characters that surround us in our day to day life.
 You have built a great team, you have one of the nicest facilities I have been in, you will have lots of great vehicles to sell, and whatever Gods plan is for you, you will look back someday and say, this all happened for the best.


With all my warmest regards,

 CW, Ireland

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Bonjour Luc et Marc.

Je vous souhaite, malgré les mauvaises nouvelles, que le soleil continue à briller pour vous, votre famille ainsi que tous vos employés.

Cordialement,

JC, Ottawa

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Luc:

So sorry to hear the news.  My thoughts are with you.  Show GM what kind of business you have; make it better than it was before (if that is even possible).

L, Ottawa

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Bonjour Luc,

Je ne peux pas en croire.  Pas de mot pour vrai dire.  C’est incroyable.

Toute les choses arrivent pour une raison, donc quelque chose de meilleur t’attend mon Luc.  Vous êtes une famille encré dans le domaine il y a longtemps. 

Garde la tête haute et reste positif.  ‘Its business, it’s all it is’. 

JS, Ottawa

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Hey Luc,

You and your whole family will pull through just fine – I sure hope so, because we plan to buy our next vehicle from you.

 Ps Nice blog!

 PL, Ottawa

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Luc,

I can only imagine how you are feeling. I just wanted you to know that my thoughts are with you, your family and your extended family at the dealership. You are in all our thoughts here at 87 George Street.

BM, Ottawa

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Well, it sure is nice to have friends during tough times. Merci et thank you to all, and again, we’ll keep you posted right here on our blog.

Safe driving,

Luc

Caught in GM’s numbers game.

It is with great regret that I have to inform you all that General Motors has decided to shut us down.

The Belanger Family is devastated by this decision and the fact that we have to share this sad news with our exceptional employees, our great customers, our friends and families. We have all dedicated our working lives to General Motors, and we could never have imagined a day like this could happen. Sadly, this decision is completely out of our control and has nothing to do with how we operate. This is a numbers game, pure and simple. One that we don’t have any say in, which is a tough pill to swallow.

We will be reviewing every detail associated with this decision by General Motors, and we will be considering all of our options, including the possibility of selling vehicles for another manufacturer, or focusing on excelling in the used vehicle market. We’ll keep you fully informed, right here on our blog.

We have all worked hard to build and maintain a reputation for taking great care of our customers while generating great income for General Motors. To restate what I shared with our exceptional employees this morning:

We have a fantastic management team and amazing employees who conduct business by doing things the right way. We value relationships over one-time sales, and that will never ever change. The news isn’t all bad: our new RV business is ahead of our expectations, despite the current economic mate, and we have until late 2010 to continue to serve our customers, so our plan is simple:

We will continue to take care of all existing and new customers with the same high level of client care we have always offered. The current GM promotions and government backed warranties are exceptional, so this really is an amazing time to grab a deal for yourself, and we’re here to make sure you get all the advantages available on your next vehicle.

Words can’t express how important our amazing and loyal generations of customers have been to us. It’s redundant to say it, but without you, there would be no Belanger Automotive Family. Please know that we are eternally grateful for your amazing support through all these years, and also know that we plan to stick around for a long while, so and hope you continue to join us.

One last thought: While General Motors may have decided to streamline their operations, please make no mistake: The Belanger brand is not disposable – not by a long shot!

Continued safe driving.

Luc, Marc and Marcel Belanger.

_______ 

C’est avec un grand désarroi que nous vous annonçons que GM a décidé de fermer notre concessionnaire.  La famille Bélanger est dévastée par cette nouvelle d’autant plus qu’elle a dû l’annoncer à son personnel si dévoué, à ses clients si fidèles et à ses familles respectives.

Nous avons consacré notre vie professionnelle à GM et nous étions loin de nous imaginer que nous serions l’une des victimes.  Malheureusement, cette décision est totalement hors de notre contrôle et n’a rien à voir avec notre façon de fonctionner.  Ceci est une question de nombres et nous avons été écartés de toutes discussions avec les autorités de GM.  Reste que cette décision est une bien mauvaise nouvelle pour nous tous.

Nous allons étudier  toutes les hypothèses à la suite de cette décision de GM.  Nous allons envisager différents scénarios incluant la possibilité de vendre des voitures d’un autre manufacturier ou encore en exploitant les voitures d’occasion.  Nous vous informerons dès qu’une décision sera prise.  Veuillez consulter notre blogue.

Notre famille a travaillé ardemment pour construire et maintenir une réputation auprès de notre clientèle et  de notre personnel durant les derniers 30 ans.  GM a largement reçu des bénéfices auprès de notre établissement au cours de ces années. 

En reprenant ce que j’ai dit à mon personnel, rassemblé dans le grand hall de l’établissement,  la famille Bélanger est une équipe fantastique qui dirige les affaires selon les règles de l’art.  Nous privilégions des relations personnalisées et soutenues et cette pratique ne changera pas.  Les ventes de notre commerce de VR sont en nette progression malgré la récession économique actuelle.  Nous avons jusqu’à l’automne 2010 pour nous réajuster à cette nouvelle donne.

Notre plan est simple :  Nous allons continuer de maintenir cette relation d’affaires avec notre clientèle actuelle et en créer de nouvelles avec nos futurs clients selon nos critères courants.  La promotion actuelle de GM, accompagnée des garanties exceptionnelles protégées par les gouvernements est une excellente occasion pour se procurer un véhicule.  Nous nous assurons que vous bénéficiez de tous les rabais et les garanties disponibles actuellement.

Les mots nous manquent pour exprimer notre gratitude à l’endroit de nos fidèles clients et clientes au cours des 30 dernières années.  Sans eux et sans elles, il n’y aurait pas cette grande famille Bélanger dans le paysage de la région de l’Est de l’Ontario et de l’Outaouais québécois.  Ainsi, nous serons toujours reconnaissants à l’endroit de notre clientèle pour toutes ces années de fidélité.  Notez bien que nous serons encore dans le paysage pour longtemps.

Une dernière remarque :  General Motors a décidé d’amincir sa structure et son fonctionnement en Amérique du Nord mais l’entreprise de Bélanger est loin d’être mise au rancart.   Loin de là.

Bonne route.

Luc, Marc et Marcel Bélanger

Sneak Peek: The beautiful 2010 Buick Allure

We’re incredibly excited about the all-new 2010 Buick Allure. It’s one of the most sophisticated, beautiful vehicles Buick has ever designed, and we thought you might appreciate getting a Belanger sneak preview of what’s going to surely category killer when it hits our floor later this summer. Have a look and judge for yourself. More details will follow shortly.

Luc

Pssst: Here’s a Pontiac insider update (part 2)

Q: What about my Pontiac Vehicle warranty?

A: Pontiac’s Vehicle Warranty is unchanged. Customers can continue to have their vehicles serviced with confidence at all Pontiac Buick GMC locations and with the Government of Canada’s assurances, the Pontiac Warranty is completely worry-free.

Q: Will parts continue to be available for my Pontiac product?

A: Yes, Pontiac parts will continue to be available for your vehicle, so no problem there.

Q: Can I still order a new Pontiac?

A: Yes, of course you can, and the complete Pontiac line remains one of the best-built, best-designed collection of vehicles on the road today.

Q: Will there be new deals announced, to clear out Pontiac inventory?

A: Actually, there’s never been a better time ever to buy a new Pontiac than right now! You’ll get award winning design, GM’s Total Confidence Package, which includes 3 years, no charge maintenance and 2 years of XM Satellite radio and OnStar, plus the best vehicle coverage in Canada. 

So, there you have it folks, our latest update.

Again, a big thank you to Chuck Novak for taking the time to come and speak to our entire team. The insights that Chuck shared will certainly help us all communicate more effectively with our customers.

I can’t speak for what GM’s final official plans will reveal on June 1, but I can tell you this: If I’m right in the way I’m reading these answers, I’m pretty excited about the opportunities that the next chapter in our story will bring us. We all love Pontiac, but above everything else, we love being in this business and serving so many great customers. If, in the end, the great driving and design spirit of Pontiac becomes a part of the heart of the expanded Buick and GMC offering, we’re all in for some wonderful driving ahead of us.

Drive safely,

Luc

Pssst: Here’s a Pontiac insider update (part 1)

Hi folks.

I get questions about GM’s restructuring from both customers and staff alike. It’s not really a surprise, as most people want to know what’s happening. While GM’s official plans will be announced on June 1st,  last week, my father Marcel Belanger, had a great idea: He invited Chuck Novak in to speak to our entire Belanger team and answer some questions (to the best of his ability). Chuck is GM’s had of dealer sales for eastern and northern Ontario. In other words, he’s responsible for overseeing dealer performance at a great number of Pontiac Buick GMC locations, so he’s an excellent resource to have access to when we have questions, as he is very well informed.

I’m going to share some of the key questions and answers from our recent session with Chuck. I’m also sharing some of my thoughts (not necessarily GM’s) on what some of the answers might mean for all of us. I hope you find this helpful and informative.

Q: Did GM announce that the Pontiac brand is dead?

A: Yes, due to a bunch of factors, GM will be focusing on 4 core brands moving forward: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. GM also plans to grow the product offerings of Buick and GMC to provide the right level of market coverage, competitive choices and dealer support. One example of this will be the new GMC Terrain, which will be replacing the popular Pontiac Torrent.

Luc: It’s just my opinion, but I think we’ll see some great Pontiac or Pontiac inspired products show up as part of these expanded Buick and GMC brands.

Q: Will GM be shutting down Pontiac Dealers?

A: Every Pontiac Dealer is also a Buick GMC dealer as well, and many even sell Chevrolet products as well. There will certainly be a transition process that will support an orderly phase out of Pontiac. GM’s strategy is to grow the product offering of both Buick and GMC and to provide appropriate market support, competitive products and improved dealer success.

Luc: Once again, I believe that Buick and GMC are going to be reshaped into a wonderfully robust and affordable luxury option, so this excites us.

— end of part 1