The used truck department has made two significant changes this month, with the appointment of a fourth used vehicle salesperson, and also securing a new Contract Return Administrator, a task that hasn’t required attention for over twenty years.
The Used Vehicle sales team is an award-winning, tight-knit, and carefully hand-picked group that has witnessed a complete global overhaul to the way we buy and sell trucks. Thanks to an ever-increasing demand for variety and skill sets, the department introduced a new face to this crack team.
Vicki Buckley held the title of Used Truck Administrator for two years and, during this time, proved on numerous occasions that she was primed for a challenge. With a background in customer service and a passion for people-pleasing, Vicki’s future was always destined for the world of sales.
Speaking to Vicki about this career shift, she appeared confident and ready for what’s to come; ‘I’m always up for a bigger challenge and like to learn new things’. Switching jobs can be a daunting prospect, especially when moving into something you have little experience in, but, Vicki is looking at the positives; ‘I’m a people person, I like meeting new people and learning about them, what they’re into and who they are, what motivates them and if I can help. It’s something I gained from my previous employer and I think it’ll help me when working with future customers.’
The future looks bright for both Vicki and the Used Truck sales team and we are all very excited to see what impact Vicki will have on the landscape that is used trucks; ‘I’m very grateful for this opportunity and want to thank the sales team for always supporting and encouraging me. I want to develop and grow Vicki Buckley as a brand that people will want to work with and I’ll only achieve this by establishing myself as an asset to the sales team.’
Someone else who is eager to make a name for themselves throughout the haulage sector is Mark Jones, who is set to replace Dennis Roberts as Contract Returns Coordinator. Mark worked in our Middlewich Parts department for nine years and during this time was responsible for a variety of roles and responsibilities, such as inventory management, warranty returns, workshop support, and was also stationed at the front counter on occasion. A familiar face to all who visited Middlewich and one that people could trust, a fundamental aspect of the Contract Returns Coordinator role.
Dennis Roberts has manned the Contract Returns post for over 20 years and is somewhat of a Thomas Hardie Commercials legend. A dependable and professional individual who has represented the business flawlessly over the years. Respectfully, Dennis has decided to hand over the reigns this year to someone new due to retirement plans, and those reigns are not handed out lightly. The role requires someone committed, professional, dedicated, and passionate about what they do, traits that Dennis has mastered over the years and what Mark understands and is keen to develop; ‘I want to test myself and with Dennis doing the job so well for so long, I felt it must be a great job to get involved in. It also still heavily involves Parts and Service which are two departments I’m confident working with and keen to continue supporting.’
Whilst Mark’s new role does involve parts pricing and workshop bookings, Mark also recognises that it’s not all paperwork and cost pricing; ‘Working with people face-to-face and having strong customer rapport is something I’ve always felt confident with and although this role involves me working with a more varied selection of customers, it’s still a crucial aspect that needs to be done right.’
With any well-established career, understanding every intricate detail of a role is not possible overnight, and Mark appreciates this more than most; ‘With a job that’s got this much to it, you can’t learn it all straight away. I’m constantly learning and listening to Dennis to understand the job as best I can. I’m taking in as much as I can every single day and it’s just a case of continuous learning with everything that I do. With me being only two weeks in, there’s no point Dennis doing it all and just showing me what he’s done afterwards, I need to do it all myself, as best I can to learn what’s going on. Plus, there’s only Dennis doing this job, so I only really have him to turn to for advice. So once Dennis leaves, I need to be as best prepared as I can be.’
Mark has a lot going on, and it’s encouraging to hear him so passionate and committed to being his best version. Mark concluded with; ‘I’d like to thank the parts departments and especially Jordan Plimmer and John Price for always having my back and always pushing me to do the right thing. I’d like to thank Jonathan Bownes for offering me this opportunity and having that trust in me that I’ll do a good job, especially with how well Dennis has done over the years. I’d also like to mention how excited I am to be working with a wider range of customers and staff. Working in parts you don’t really get the opportunity to speak to other salespeople and depots, but with this job, it’s so important to have strong relations and this is something that I am keen to work on. Ultimately, If I can get anywhere close to as good as Dennis has done over the years, I’ll be happy.’
Someone who had a fundamental part to play in Mark and Vicki taking on new responsibilities is Used Truck & Marketing Manager, Jonathan Bownes, who has a strong history of seeing the potential in people. ‘Vicki has only worked with us for a short time, but thanks to a few small selling opportunities that we provided to test the waters, there’s was no denying her capabilities as a salesperson. The business is so passionate about promoting from within and finding talent that sometimes the individual isn’t even aware of themselves. We want to make the best possible versions of our employees and Vicki displayed an eagerness to better herself which is great to witness and experience.’ While discussing Mark and his recent success, Jonathan only had positive words to offer: ‘Mark has been such a strong, solid, and dependable member of the parts department over the years and wields all the hallmark signs of a perfect contracts coordinator. Reliable, confident and passionate about everything he does, it’s truly exciting to see how he takes the role forward and makes it his own.’
A huge congratulations to both Mark and Vicki on their latest accomplishments and we are so excited to see what the future has in store for them both.