NISSAN Insider recently chatted to Robert Lujan, who this week began a new role with the company as Aftersales Director.
Lujan has been in the automotive industry for a little over 21 years. His first 16-and-a-half years were spent at Toyota in the States, working in all operational areas: sales, marketing, aftersales, strategy and customer quality.
His time at Nissan has been relatively short, but as he says, action-packed. He has been with Nissan for almost five years and was originally hired directly from Toyota’s headquarters in California to work at Nissan’s European HQ in France.
During his time in France, Lujan held the position of General Manager, Sales Operations with responsibility for distribution, production and sales planning for all European markets.
He joined Nissan GB in June 2010 as Network Development and Quality Director. And now, after 19 months, it’s time for a new challenge. He takes over the aftersales directorship from Dave Murfitt, as Nissan Insider has previously reported… and Dave Murfitt assumes the network development role Lujan held until January 31.
Lujan kindly answered a few questions put to him by Nissan Insider.
Congratulations on your appointment. What new challenges lie ahead?
My major focus will be improving customer retention. Our customers are the lifeblood of our business. We must do a better job keeping them in the Nissan family. The brand has made significant improvements in this area over the last few years, but I believe there is more we can do.
We shouldn’t be complacent in our efforts.
How important do you think aftersales is to Nissan’s success in the UK?
It’s probably the most important factor in determining our future success in the UK. Aftersales is where we build relationships with our customers; where customer retention is cultivated. Continuous improvement in the way we interact with our customers is vital.
From a financial perspective, aftersales drives the performance of the network. A robust aftersales department serves as a strong foundation to maintain the financial health of our dealers.
How has the recession affected aftersales?
The economy has had a large impact on aftersales. Customers are more reluctant to invest in the extended maintenance of their vehicles. Cost of ownership is the main consideration for our customers these days – probably our greatest challenge. Ultimately, we need to provide value for their purchase.
The introduction of You+Nissan CARE has gone a long way to address this issue with customers. Collectively, we are giving the customer a reason to return to the Nissan franchise for his/her servicing needs.
What do you think is the secret of Nissan’s success?
Nissan is a company driven by performance at all levels – from manufacturing to dealer franchises. Recent results have validated this approach. We definitely have a ‘challenger’ attitude in everything we do.
We’re all working towards a common goal – an aspirational and dynamic brand, a strong and profitable network and a loyal customer base. Aftersales will play a large part in delivering all three.