StarSul, the official concessionary and garage for Mercedes in the south of Portugal, is based in Faro, Portimão, Beja, and is due to open a new showroom in Évora, and at the helm of the business is Henrique Champalimaud.
“Last year was a fantastic year for us despite the investment we made in Évora,” explains Champalimaud who saw sales increase last year to 17,000 vehicles. However he makes it clear that it is far more than just the brand and the product that has been the key to success for the business, it is the continuous service that the company offers that sets them apart.
“The Mercedes brand is the same throughout the world and it is a very clear brand, what makes the real difference is the level of service we provide, this is my goal within the company,” says Champalimaud who prides himself in always being available and even publishing his personal mobile phone number on the company website.
“30 percent of our sales come through leads for StarSul and the difference is that it is not about the product but the service that we provide – people make the real difference.”
A life-long fan of Beethoven, a passion he inherited from his father, Henrique Champalimaud considers the running of a company to being akin to conducting an orchestra: “Everybody hears the 7th symphony differently, my job is to bring together all the elements of the orchestra, recognising that it is not just the strings that are important, every element is important, from the woodwinds to the percussion.”
“When I joined the company the first thing that I did was speak to everyone who was working here, to understand who they are as people because if you don’t know the people who you are working with then you cannot be a good manager.
“You need to be able to give people the opportunity to think in business, after all two plus two can equal four but in a company there are always people between the numbers,” said Champalimaud. “I am able to recognise the skills in other people so that I can push them to then get them to then push themselves. If members of staff don’t know how to act then they are miserable, you have to be able to give people the means to be able to move ahead themselves and this in turn moves the company forward”.
By investing in his team Champalimaud has been able to successfully create a level of service that is second to none, where the cars speak for themselves and the service provides the added value.
Originally from the UK, Daisy has been living and working in Portugal for more than 20 years. She has worked in PR, marketing and journalism, and has been the editor of The Portugal News since 2019. Jornalista 7920
That's a joke isn't it? The service is appaling. I've used Portimao and Faro and in both cases there's nowhere for customers to sit as they wait to drop their car off for service. That involves a wait of some time and mounds of paperwork. Courtesy cars are unheard of and staff numbers are not enough to process the volume. Go to other countries and Mercedes (or Lexus) dealerships give far superior service and at least make you feel like you're a valued customer. Not in Portugal though.
By BD Condell from Algarve on 02 Oct 2020, 06:55
Thank you for your helpful comments and for taking the time to point out options to improve our customer services. This is exactly the kind of input we need to better serve our customer. Please feel free to submit any reasonable suggestion directly to my email address: joao.painco@starsul.pt or phone: +351969764225. João Dinis Painço - After Sales Manager at StarSul
By João Dinis Painço from Algarve on 06 Oct 2020, 19:38
What twaddle. This guy says one thing but the reality is another. I've never experienced such terrible service. You buy an 80k car and when it breaks there is never a courtesy car. You get treated like a second rate citizen. These guys also own Jap in Faro and my experience with VW is the same. This guy needs to go as a secret shopper to Northern Europe and buy an 80k vehicle and see the difference himself. Maybe if he took some time out from listening to Beethoven he could truly make the experience of buying a luxury car the experience it should be. The trouble with conducting an orchestra is your back is turned away from the audience. That's my cheap analogy done with. I'll just get my coat.
By Richard from Lisbon on 30 Sep 2021, 20:22