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SAM WHITTAKER SALES DIRECTOR, MERCEDES-BENZ TRUCKS UK
Sam Whittaker’s first ‘official’ engagement since being appointed National Sales Director for Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK was a visit to Newtownabbey based dealers Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van NI just before the country went into lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Export & Freight caught up with him back then when this report was first compiled. His goal, he told us at the time, is to have an extensive network of trusted relationships with customers, suppliers, dealers and colleagues. “I have a big affinity with Ireland and with our customers here and am excited to continue
building on that relationship in my new role,” says Sam, who has been a regular visitor to Northern Ireland for the past 20 years or more. “But it is not all about me; it’s about the fantastic team we have - both at Mercedes-
Benz Trucks UK and in our hard-working dealerships around the country.” Sam joined Mercedes-Benz as a trainee in 1992 and since 1997 has worked for the truck business unit in a succession of increasingly senior management positions covering all aspects of vehicle sales, marketing, key account management and aftersales. His most recent role was that of Customer Service & Parts Director.
It’s been quite a journey, so what have you learned along the way? My very first contact with the MercedesBenz brand was with a local dealership during my school holidays, when I cleaned cars on the forecourt and delivered them back to their owners. So, you could say it has been a long and varied journey! Taking a long-term view, building trust in the brand and with customers, following through on what you promise, are all important. If you are loyal to your customers that loyalty will be reciprocated. I have learned, too, that you don’t need to shout to make your point heard; you can be genuine, authentic and be yourself and still demand a high performance from your team of people.
How different is your new role from your previous post? You don’t so much change roles as morph into another one. In my previous position I worked to create a ‘customer first’ culture within my team to provide a better speed of response and a more sales focused approach to customer service and parts, developing the business beyond purely fixing trucks and dealing with problems. In the last five years, we have increased our business by 50% which is a huge achievement going forward. My new role - and the role of my team - is to continue to engage with the big family firms, looking after the wider range of the business. We just don’t sell trucks - we form relationships and friendships and build trust. I think that customers appreciate that, and hopefully they remain loyal to the brand as a result. One of the things we have introduced is a
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