Ford (F -0.19%) knows how to treat its long-term shareholders right. If you've owned at least 100 shares for six months, Ford gives you access to its Ford X-Plan, a special perk normally only available to its friends and business partners to get deals on new Fords. Read on to find out more about how you can get a big discount.
Warren Buffett has said that companies get the shareholders they deserve. And he's right. Managements that focus on beating Wall Street's quarterly expectations end up with short-term shareholders, and those that think about and invest for the future get rewarded with long-term shareholders. Ford takes its long-term thinking a step further by giving its shareholders extra incentive to stick around. The Ford X-Plan, otherwise known as the "Friends & Neighbors" Special Vehicle Pricing Privilege, helps ease the pain of shopping for a new car, and extending the plan to its committed shareholders is an acknowledgment that they're just as important as its business partners. That approach makes good business sense, considering that those who have direct ownership in a company have been found to shop more, spend more, and refer their friends more than do those with no ownership stake.
The Ford X-Plan serves up a cheap set price (which in practice is just above invoice pricing) and capped dealer fees. There are also sometimes extra incentives specifically for X-Plan members, and they still get all the current incentives and rebates the dealer might be offering regular consumers.
How do you qualify?
If you've owned at least 100 shares of Ford's stock for six months, get in touch with Ford Investor Relations for the required paperwork. Once you're done, you'll get a PIN that you can use at your local dealer to get your discount.
Ford recently announced its 2014 lineup of 16 new models, which are expected to eat into profits. The stock dropped in response, and Fool analyst John Rosevear thinks now is a good time to jump in and invest in Ford. So if you don't yet qualify for the Ford X-Plan, what are you waiting for?