No complaints for me: when I pick up a book, even a business book, it is my absolute pleasure.

Whether establishing a custom thank you campaign to personally reach out to each and every customer who comes into Key Hyundai of Manchester and Milford, sponsoring to community events for Key Hyundai Milford and Key Hyundai Vernon, responding and negating Key Hyundai | Jill Merriam FTC complaints to ensure every customer is taken care of, and building a community culture that breeds caring solution providers, I’ve found success in books.

Through reading, I’ve learned to solve customer complaints with speed and success at Key Hyundai Milford and Vernon, and create a tribe of loyal customers that rely on Key Hyundai to find a solution to whatever their automotive need may be. Through books I build a culture of problem solvers and team leaders at Key Hyundai of Manchester and Key Hyundai Milford that are solution providers, and darn good at what they do.

Which is something I had to convince my son Brady recently, when he felt bad that I was “reading for work.” Here, take a listen of how I explained reading for work is FUN, and I do deserve it!

Have you read a great book lately? I’d love to hear all about it!

Want to know exactly what that car dealer is going to do with that trade?

How he is going to value it?

How he or she will come up with the magic price?

It’s not rocket science guys, it’s really quite simple: if you head to a reputable dealer, we all treat trade-ins exactly the same way.

Here’s exactly how car dealers value the car you bring in to trade.

I’m Jill Merriam, Dealer For The People®, and today I’m spilling the beans on exactly how car dealers decide the value of the car you want to trade in when car shopping.

Take a listen here, and then you’ll know exactly what that dealer is thinking and doing when evaluating your trade-in. And if you have any questions, I’d love the chance to answer them!  Like us on Facebook or Twitter, because I love to connect!

I AM SO EXCITED!

The CCSU School of Business honored me and my work at Key Hyundai and more importantly, in our local Connecticut community. The 2012 Women in Business Excellence award is described as:

The Purpose of the School of Business Hall of Honor is to encourage, recognize, and reward individual initiative and collaboration in achieving excellence in an endeavor that creates long-lasting value and has a significant impact on the larger community.

One of the best parts about winning this award was being interviewed by my very own 6 year old, Carly, when I had her tag along to a quick meeting on a very busy Saturday.

I am proud to represent Connecticut business, proud of Key Hyundai and our work to be solution providers, proud of the CCSU award, and even prouder of this girl right here! (Isn’t she the best??)

I’m Jill Merriam, and if you are even thinking about buying a car with a Low Price Guarantee to get you in the door, stop and listen to what I have to say about that.

Here’s why you should run away, not walk, when you hear promises of a Low Price Guarantee when shopping for a new or used car at any car dealership. In this video, I’ll tell you why Low Price Guarantee is more often than not a bait and switch scam-a-roo.

“LOW PRICE GUARANTEE!”

Promises, promises!

You hear about car dealers hawking Low Price Guarantee all the time: on the radio, in the papers, on tv – car dealers making promises they can’t keep: I know it, they know it, and now you’ll know it too!

There are plenty of reputable, fine, fine car dealer folks, but Low Price Guarantee is not part of that group, and here’s why:

My Nicer, Newer News with Jill Merriam Video will show you exactly why the low price ends up costing you a whole lot more.

Has this ever happened to you? If it does, don’t be afraid to walk away! Take the offer and go to a reputable dealer to get your nicer, newer car!

Jill Merriam and family

Customer service is expected for all industries, but I am committed to making it the be all and end all at Key Hyundai.

I travel a lot for work, but recently had the chance for a little R&R with my husband and two gorgeous kids in Boston. A small snafu happened while we tried to juggle overtired kids and equally exhausted parents, is exactly the kind of customer service that makes customers (even overworked, tired travel veterans like myself) stand up and say WOW! You did that for me?

Here’s what happened on our trip to Boston, and it’s exactly why I am committed to above and beyond customer service at every opportunity at Key Hyundai.

Have you ever experienced a WOW customer service moment? What happened and where? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Women in Business Excellence from CCSU School of Business! (not an emmy, but almost!)

“And I’d like to thank my incredible husband, my great kids, my brother Jeff, and of course, the Key Hyundai employees and customers…”

Thank you thank you thank you Central Connecticut State University for choosing little ol’ me, Jill Merriam from Hyundai of Milford and Key Hyundai of Manchester as the 2012 Hall of Honor Women in Business Excellence Award. No complaints, just fantastic news that reflects on my entire hardworking staff and the Key Hyundai customers, and is no way mine alone. But still?

Woot! I am wicked excited!

Back in December, I visited with the incredible Dr. Shiamack Shojai, Dean of School of Business at CCSU. I really want to reach out to local colleges and universities and share what I’m learning on the streets of small business America with the students about to enter the workforce.

Let me just tell you, CCSU is doing a topnotch job with their business students. These kids are getting book smart and street smart, and Dr. Shojai and his team are making sure Connecticut is ready to work. Unbeknownst to me, not long after that meeting, my marketing do-gooder, Kate, nominated me for the School of Business Hall of Honor, and this week, I got the good news.

Here’s what CCSU School of Business has to say about the Hall of Honor:

The Central Connecticut State University School of Business recognized community leaders in four different categories including:  Distinguished Graduate Excellence Award, Women, Minority or Disadvantaged Business Excellence Award, Entrepreneurship Excellence Award, and Corporate Partner.  The Purpose of the School of Business Hall of Honor is to encourage, recognize, and reward individual initiative and collaboration in achieving excellence in an endeavor that creates long-lasting value and has a significant impact on the larger community.

But seriously? This is a team effort and I am nothing without Key Hyundai employees willing to climb on board and lead where no automotive dealer has gone before: to stop pushing cars and start providing transportation solutions to match the customer needs.

On May 6, I’m honored to be part of the CCSU recognition awards dinner with fellow Connecticut businesses: United Technologies Inc. – Corporate Partner; Brian Newman of JH Cohen – Distinguished Graduate; and Dan Siracusa of Siracusa Moving and Storage – Entrepreneurship Excellence for their fine work in Connecticut. I am humbled to be part of this group.

Wow. Okay, enough bragging about my team. Time to get back to work!

A mission at Connecticut's Key Hyundai in Milford and Vernon

My whole life I’ve heard I was too nice for business, especially the car dealership business. But for over 10 years as the Dealer For The People at Key Hyundai, I have made it my mission to provide the very best automotive solutions to Connecticut car buyers, and do what I can to get people into nicer, newer cars they can afford to drive.

By creating relationships with the community I serve, whether online or face-to-face, I’ve proven it can be done. You can be nice, civil, kind, and empathetic and grow your business!

In fact, it’s the only way I know how, and I love that my employees and customers take a liking to this philosophy, and prove nice guys don’t have to finish last!

Learning to swim and buying a car have a lot in common!

No Key Hyundai FTC customer complaints about buying a car at Hyundai of Milford and Key Hyundai of Vernon!

Instead, this CT car dealer is committed to inventing a whole new way to celebrate a nicer, newer car purchase so you can experience the pride and satisfaction of this lifetime event.

Okay. Let me explain.

I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time and watched my little nephew learn to swim for the very first time. IT WAS EXTRAORDINARY! His pride of accomplishment, his satisfaction, his hardwork rewarded!!

It got me thinking…buying a new car (or used car, leased, whatever!) at Connecticut’s Key Hyundai should give every customer that same sense of accomplishment.

Here, watch this. I say it better on video!

William and Yvonne, Vernon Connecticut Key Hyundai customers know differently about Jill Merriam and Key Hyundai customer service. Bill was very vocal with a Key Hyundai customer service snafu that left him UNSATISFIED. But after a series of Facebook posts, emails, phone calls, and a face-to-face with Jill Merriam, he found out exactly why Jill is the Dealer For The People.

Here’s what happened at Key Hyundai Vernon, and how an unhappy customer left with a new car and new friend in the Dealer For The People.

Jill Merriam, owner of Key Hyundai of  Milford and Key Hyundai of Manchester, and one of the most honest, reputable automotive dealers in the business (says hundreds of customers, peers, vendors, employees,and automotive specialists), responds with a strategic, educational plan.

The FTC claims car customers are not knowledgeable enough about negative equity, credit, and all the financial knowledge necessary to purchase, trade in, or finance a nicer, newer car, and Jill Merriam plans to do something about it immediately, with a series of how-to videos: