Meet the Sales Team at Diamond Trucks

DIAMOND TRUCKS: WHERE THE SALES TEAM PUT THE CUSTOMER FIRST

Many businesses thrive and succeed on the success of a fully focused sales team. In turn, that team can only be successful if it has a product portfolio or a service offering that customers need, value and appreciate. Newtownabbey based Renault Trucks dealer Diamond Trucks scores highly in all of those areas, as Export & Freight has been finding out.

Knowing what a busy operator needs in today’s fast moving business environment and being well placed to meet those requirements, with a vehicle range from 3.5 tonnes to 50 tonnes, the sales team at Diamond Trucks has been able to build an extensive and varied customer base. The team, led by Diamond Trucks’ Dealer Principal Iain Latimer, has a combined wealth of experience in the transport and logistics industry that gives the company a solid foundation to move forward, even in these unprecedented and challenging times. The team at Diamond Trucks have been deservedly rewarded in recent times for their efforts, winning the Renault Trucks Franchised Dealer Of The Year award, Service Market Dealer Of The Year, Renault Trucks Big Challenge Parts award, first semester ‘Dealer Quality Award’ (recognising dealer standards / MOT pass rates / breakdown response) and Export & Freight’s Fleet Truck Of The Year award with the Renault T High. Says Iain: “We are very fortunate that in Renault Trucks we have a vast and versatile range of high spec, quality vehicles, from vans to heavy duty trucks, and that is reflected in the diverse activities of our customers. “It is very much a relationship business in Northern Ireland, with customers opting for the personal approach. People buy off people to a large degree and our enthusiastic sales team have a proven product to offer which contributes to our successes in growing market share. “We are great believers in teamwork. We are honest, open and upfront in our approach to business, and customers appreciate that. We all have a common goal and that is to increase sales and serve our customers to the best of our abilities, to work along with them as we strive to establish long term relationships.”

Meet the Team

So, let’s meet the team. Sales Executive Matthew Keys joined the dealership almost three years ago and has been instrumental in further building the Renault Trucks brand which enjoys an increasingly healthy market share in Northern Ireland. From a farming background, Matthew knows the haulage business inside out. After leaving school, he completed his HGV Class 1+2 and began driving for one of our leading transport companies before taking on the role of Fleet Supervisor, responsible for over 400 trucks. His first introduction to the Renault Trucks brand came later when he joined Renault Trucks approved dealer Toal Truck Services at Middletown in County Armagh as Operations Manager, a role he held for two years. “I’m a truck driver and a lot of my customers realise that; having that affinity with them I can better appreciate their needs and requirements. I know what they expect from a truck, and the Renault Trucks brand is up there with the very best of them. “Of course, I realise there is more to just selling a truck; there needs to be strong and dependable after sales support, and we are here to serve the best interests of our customers. There is no such thing as ‘nine to five’ in the haulage industry, so if a customer needs to contact me at any time of the day or night, I will always be available.” As a Sales Executive, Matthew spends much of his working day meeting new and established customers around the Province. You’ll find him more often behind the wheel of a truck rather than an office desk. “I love what I do; I have a passion for people and am not interested in going anywhere else. I’m with Renault Trucks for the long term,” says Matthew, who was deservedly named as a Renault Trucks’ Brand Ambassador, an accolade awarded to an individual who essentially goes above and beyond his everyday duties on behalf of customers and the manufacturer. “Not bad for a young lad from Clogher!” quips Matthew.

Working Together

Teamwork, of course, plays a big part in Diamond Trucks’ continuing success. Working alongside Matthew is fellow Sales Executive George Crooks who only joined the company in February, just before lockdown! George has been in the industry for more than 20 years and over that time has built up a lot of business contacts and friendships. Like Matthew, he spends more time out on the road instead of at a desk, meeting new and established customers. “I’m a people person and I like being out and about seeing people face to face, albeit despite the challenges that the Covid pandemic has presented,” says George. “As a team we are not just interested in selling a truck or a van, we want to help our customers get the best out of our product range, so we work hard to match their

needs with a vehicle that is appropriate and fit for their particular purpose. “The Renault Trucks brand is well respected for its build quality, its comfort, its performance and reliability, so I have every confidence in recommending the brand when I out into the sales field.”

Sales Support

Support for those in that field is also a vital ingredient, and at Diamond Trucks that sales support is provided by Joanne Mercer, who joined the company about a year and a half ago, having previously worked elsewhere as an office manager. “It’s a totally different environment at Diamond Trucks, but I love it,” she says. Working closely with George and Matthew – and the customer – Joanne makes sure all the paperwork associated with a truck or van sale is completed and signed off to the satisfaction of everyone concerned. “It can be a challenging job, working within

The Diamond Trucks Sales Team.

set timeframes, liaising between customer and sales executive to ensure the purchasing process goes smoothly – from invoicing and financing to registration and delivery,” says Joanne. “We all pull together as a team to provide the best customer experience possible.”

Winning Package

Like we said at the beginning, the success of the sales team is very much dependent on the products and services being offered, and Diamond Trucks have a winning package. Take, for example, the long-haul Renault T High, voted Fleet Truck of the Year at the annual Export & Freight Transport & Logistics Awards. Designed for driver comfort and safety, the Renault T High 520 6x2 TML scored top marks for performance, reliability, fuel efficiency and equally important, aftersales support from the dealer network. Equally popular, especially with local quarry operators and construction contractors, has been the tough, robust and versatile Range C, and at the other end of the scale is the Range D for the distribution sector, complemented by the Renault Trucks Master light commercial range; fully electric D Z.E. and Master Z.E. versions of these are also available.

AfterSales Service

Renault Trucks also offer service packages, which can be tailored to a customer’s specific needs and range from standard support right up to full Repair & Maintenance which provides operators total peace of mind and helps them achieve maximum uptime of their fleet. It also offers Preventative and Driveline Maintenance contracts which cover unforeseen and costly repairs, all of which help operators stay safe and compliant. As part of the Renault Trucks network, Diamond Trucks also operates a round-the-clock breakdown service for all its customers through Renault Trucks 24/7, available throughout the island of Ireland and across Europe. Breakdown assistance vans aim to be with customers within one hour of a call and strive to make all repairs on the roadside within one hour.

Diamond Trucks www.diamondtrucks.co.uk