ISUZU TEAM ELITE: CREAM OF THE CROP

Keeping a step ahead of the competition is a process Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) has become very familiar with during their 31 consecutive years of truck market leadership in Australia. An achievement of this scale wouldn’t be possible, however, without the exceptional sales professionalism and support from Isuzu’s national dealer network—the largest in the country. In supporting Isuzu’s approach to sales excellence, the Isuzu Trucks Team Elite sales award, which has run for over 20 years, encourages, strengthens and showcases the specialist knowledge of the brand’s salespeople. An incentive, points-based competition, Isuzu’s Team Elite program is the original truck sales excellence program. Following its runaway success in cultivating the cream of the Australian truck sales crop, many of Isuzu’s competitors have replicated the model to varying degrees of success. From its inception, the Elite program has been carefully designed to complement Isuzu’s unsurpassed product quality, matching industry-leading transport products with some of the country’s most highly skilled truck sales specialists. Identifying the best: National Champion The Team Elite sales award for 2019 concluded with the National Champion Sales Consultant competition, which was recently held at the IAL head office in Truganina, Melbourne. Each year, three leading sales competitors are selected to participate, stringently chosen from across the 70-strong Isuzu dealer network.

From left to right: Jason Pinneri, Shane Hilder, Peter Wyer

This year, Jason Pinneri from North East Isuzu, Shane Hilder from Webster Trucks and Peter Wyer from Canberra Isuzu were handpicked to take part in the prestigious competition. They were tested on three integral truck sales elements—product knowledge, brand knowledge and truck model–specific knowledge. The participants are the best of the best; their selection was based on their outstanding performance against sales volume targets and dedication to overall customer satisfaction. A test of skill Not content with resting on their laurels, the Isuzu Team Elite program illustrates the brand’s commitment to training and rewarding the next generation of Isuzu sales performers, who are focused on the building of genuine relationships with Australian businesses. Mr Pinneri, Mr Hilder and Mr Wyer were tested on their general product knowledge, their knowledge of IAL more broadly and also model-specific familiarity; the participants undertook a series of written and practical examinations, including simulated sales scenarios. The competition is designed to evaluate not only the competitor’s product knowledge, but also their understanding of the company’s approach to customer relations management (CRM) and their broader commitment to the whole-of-life offering Isuzu has become famous for. Winners are grinners IAL National Sales Manager Les Spaltman commented on the competition and the participants’ performance. “The three participants all performed outstandingly. “Their product knowledge, approach to understanding customers’ individual needs, and method of building the appropriate Isuzu solution aligned with the level of excellence we’ve come to expect from our dealers,” said Mr Spaltman. However, there can be only one winner. Mr Spaltman said, “We are pleased to announce that Shane Hilder has, yet again, taken out the top award as National Champion in this year’s Team Elite.” Shane Hilder is no stranger to the crown. A true top performer, Shane had won the title in 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2014. “This has been a very humbling experience,” Mr Hilder said. “I am proud to call the passionate and committed people at Webster my team… Most have been around for over 20 years, and with them there’s great rapport, consistency and product knowledge.” When asked of the secret to his achievements, Mr Hilder said, “At the end of the day, it all comes back to hard work and the willingness to go the extra mile. “At Webster we aim to go beyond just the sales transaction. “We fully embrace the suite of products provided by Isuzu Trucks that enable us to fully support our clients over the full life cycle of the truck.” Mr Spaltman concluded and said, “Our Team Elite champions embody what we have come to expect from the best in the truck selling business and Shane is no exception. We are very proud to have such an outstanding winner this year. “His commitment to Isuzu’s high standards of customer satisfaction shines through, and his professional knowledge base saw him excel in all three tested categories.”