When sales consultant Leigh Coombes found himself the only member of a four-strong team not furloughed during lockdown, he knew the pressure was on.
Undaunted, however, he rose to the challenge at Hammond Nissan in Halesworth, Suffolk – and has now been recognised as one of three Nissan Dealer Ambassadors for the month of March.
The nomination for the award came from dealer principal Piers Capleton, who said Leigh had ‘‘thrived in extremely challenging circumstances’’ and had demonstrated an ‘‘upbeat attitude’’.
Piers explained: ‘‘One of the things that impressed me was how Leigh immediately set to work preparing and delivering the orders that had been sold by his colleagues prior to lockdown.
‘‘Without any fuss or complaining, he managed to successfully deliver every vehicle, on time and with 100 per cent CSI scores – not bad considering these were customers he was unfamiliar with.’’
Piers added that as the weeks went by, Leigh single-handedly surpassed the sales that could reasonably have been expected from a team of four – and helped the dealership far exceed its LEAF sales targets for quarter one.
Above and beyond
Piers concluded: ‘‘Leigh’s upbeat attitude and ability to adapt helped him to deliver a performance that was above and beyond anything I had expected when we re-entered lockdown in January.’’
Leigh was one of three high-achievers nominated for the March Dealer Ambassador Awards.
Also recognised were John Brack, service manager at J Edgar & Son, Rowrah, Cumbria; and Callum Hadrill, a sales consultant at Town & Country by Hawkins in Marazanvose, Cornwall.
John won praise for acting promptly when a customer experienced an issue after a service. The problem – a faulty seal – caused the customer’s vehicle to leak oil onto his driveway.
Engaging with the customer after-hours, John arranged for the car to be collected for remedial work the following morning while a clean-up team was dispatched to jet-wash the driveway and adjacent path.
His nomination said: ‘‘John’s prompt action in his own time turned a potentially negative customer experience into a very positive one.’’
Callum Hadrill was recognised for the hard work he put in after the highest-achieving sales executive at Town & Country left the business.
Callum worked hard to ensure customers of the departing staff member continued to enjoy excellent levels of service and provided them with a great end to the sales process.
He also asked his manager for additional jobs and duties to ensure the dealership could function as normal despite having lost a key member of staff.
The Dealer Ambassador of the Month Awards are open to everyone working in Nissan’s UK retail network and recognise the lengths staff members go to in order to make the lives of their colleagues and customers that little bit easier. As well as receiving official recognition, each winner is awarded 350 N-GAGE points.
The Awards continue throughout 2021. Senior staff are invited to nominate deserving team members through the Dealer Ambassador of the Month portal via N-GAGE.