Jack Madden: A Ford Dealer’s Success Story
Jack Madden Ford can trace its roots back to October 1954, when Jack’s father opened a Ford dealership in downtown Norwood on Washington Street. Today, the dealership is a fixture on Norwood’s Automile and features an average inventory of around 400 new cars and 200 used cars, employs 85 people, and moves well over 2,000 cars per year.
In a market with a large number of multibrand dealerships, Madden remains solely focused on Ford, maintaining steady growth and keeping the warm, welcoming approach to customer service that has made the company a success and one of the most enduring dealerships in a competitive area.
Madden was just 10 years old when his father started selling Fords, so he literally grew up in the business. When he was done with his education at Bentley College, both his head and his heart led him to stay on at the dealership. “Opportunities were just best here,’’ he says. “After I was done with school, I was selling cars only part time and making more money than my fellow grads. It didn’t take a whole lot of thinking to realize I wanted to stay right where I was because in addition to the money I just love cars and especially interacting with the public.’’
Madden didn’t just sell cars, though. The dealership was a family business, and he learned all aspects of running the company. “I went through every facet, from changing oil to pumping gas, so I basically grew up in the business. I’ve always worked here.’’
Today, Route 1 in Norwood is peppered with dealerships, but at one time it was mostly farmland. In 1962, Madden’s dealership actually became only the second to relocate to what would become the new Automile. Eventually, Madden would add another Ford store in Franklin.
Through thick and thin, Madden has also stuck with Ford, and only Ford. “There have been good times and bad times, but we’ve always been Ford people. I just like the product. I think they’ve got impressive design qualities and technically they’ve been right on the edge of the curve for a while now. Other American manufacturers have started to do this, but especially Ford has realized they have to combine an impressive design with high quality,’’ he says. “They’ve also been really attuned to what the customer needs are and responsive to changes in the market, so it really is a pleasure to be a Ford dealer today.’’
There was one exception to Madden’s focus on Ford. “My father did a brief stint with Renault, but that didn’t last long at all because the cars just kept falling apart. Eventually he just said, ‘I’ve had enough of these things. I’ll just stick with Ford.’ And we kept it that way,’’ Madden recalls.
The good times and bad times, Madden says, are usually caused by outside forces, like the oil crisis in the 1970s or the economic downturn in 2008. “You just have to adjust, never get complacent, and always be ready for these big changes in the marketplace that may or may not be in your control.’’
Big changes in the marketplace are a reality of the car business, and the biggest by far, according to Madden, has been the internet. “A dealer has to be knowledgeable about search engine optimization and marketing as well as have an awareness of what opportunities are out there for him as well as his competitors. And I have plenty of competitors,’’ he says.
There are four other Ford dealers within an 11-mile radius of Jack Madden Ford. “All the dealers pay the same thing for the cars, so everybody starts with the same costs,’’ Madden explains. “You do what you can to get the customer in the door, but so does every other dealer.’’
One thing that Madden strives for is a warm, familiar atmosphere. It’s a multigenerational family business and Jack still has a brother and sister who work for the dealership. He also tries to remain as approachable as possible. “I have no problem giving out my cell number. Nobody calls me Mr. Madden. They call me Jack, and I’m happy to take calls myself from customers if they are having issues.’’
It’s partly because of this approachability that Jack Madden Ford has a significant amount of repeat business, almost half of their customers. “We have one guy who runs a small plumbing company, and from stuff for his business to family cars we’ve sold him 57 vehicles over the years,’’ Madden says.
From Jack’s 1957 Thunderbird prominently displayed in the showroom to the latest hybrids, the six-decades-old tradition of selling Fords and sticking to what works is apparent at Jack Madden Ford. Likewise, Madden’s friendly and genuine approach to customer service has clearly trickled down to his employees, so it’s easy to believe him when he says, “I love the cars and I love the people.’’
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