TODAY, Nissan Insider talks to Jon Pollock, Nissan’s new corporate sales director.
Pollock, pictured, takes on responsibility for a team of 30 in the corporate sales organisation and will be tasked with growing the brand’s UK fleet profile and market share.
He joins from Toyota where he has held a number of sales, marketing, fleet and dealer network roles, most recently as general manager, sales operations. Jon answered a few questions for the Nissan Insider team.
Congratulations on your appointment. What attracted you back to Nissan after your spell away from the company?
Thank you. I had a great time at Toyota and learnt so much over the last 11 years. I’m very grateful to the organisation. But I’ve always kept a close eye on Nissan and been impressed with its success and how it has grown. I think it’s a great brand with some great new products coming and for me, the opportunity to take up a senior position with the company, particularly in the fleet arena (part of the business I’ve always loved) was just too good to ignore.
Are you looking forward to the challenge of your new job?
Of course! That’s why I’m here! The chance to manage real growth and continue to build on the momentum already being achieved is exciting. The challenge will be to ensure that we and our network grow profitably and maximise the volume and revenue opportunity (sales and aftersales) that the local and national fleet market can offer. The new products are a great opportunity to do this.
Nissan currently enjoys a market share of around five per cent in the UK corporate car market. Do you think this can be improved?
Yes I do. This can be achieved through a structured and managed approach to sales across all the fleet channels and segments. We’ve been very successful in many of these channels already (such as Motability) and we have to maintain this performance.
And we need to grow in the market segments where we do not realise the market share we should – such as the small to medium (SME) market and in the larger corporates where there is user chooser and restricted manufacturer supply opportunities. We had a record sales year in 2012 by focussing on these market channels. By launching the new products and delivering great service to our customers, we will be successful.
How closely will you be working with the dealer network in your new role?
The dealer network and the Business Centre network are the window for our brand to our fleet customers and the experience and service they provide is critical to our mutual success. So we must and will work together to deliver excellent customer service and our proposition to fleet customers. The Nissan Business Centre programme has to support this and at the moment it could improve. We’ve set up a dealer network working group to help us ensure that the programme meets customer needs, is commercially viable to the network and delivers the Nissan fleet proposition. We’re going to work closely with our network to try to deliver against these objectives. It’s a key focus for 2013.
Do you have a message for Nissan’s dealers in the UK?
We have a joint responsibility to grow our fleet volume and share profitably. We will work hard to ensure that the Business Centre programme lives up to this and we need the network to engage as well. We cannot continue to grow and be successful if we don’t work together.
Any particular initiatives you will be looking to introduce in 2013?
There is a lot of work going on to ensure we have the tools to do the job. You’ll see more about this as the year develops. Innovation is key so we’ll be taking this approach in the tools we develop and the way we approach the fleet market.
How has Nissan changed in the 10 or so years you have been away?
If I had £1 for everyone who asked me this I could pay my tax bill! Seriously, it’s an odd one because so much is familiar – the place, fixtures and fittings and many of the people. Having said that, so much is new – the way the company works and of course how it has grown and its success! Really my point of reference is Toyota, and actually there are a lot of similarities between the two brands.
Do you think the future is bright for Nissan?
Very.
Any final thoughts?
It’s good to be back.