MARKET LEADER REWARDS TOP DEALER

[image_gallery][/image_gallery] 28 years of market domination in Australia has been hard-won for Isuzu Trucks and their high achieving national dealer network, so selecting a single dealership to wear the National Dealer of the Year crown for 2016 was never going to be an easy feat. The coveted award was announced on Wednesday night in Sydney at the 2017 Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) national dealer meeting. Isuzu Truck dealers from all over Australia converged on Sydney to hear about IAL’s vision for 2017, and to find out which dealership would walk away with the prize that recognises excellent performance across every aspect of an Isuzu dealership’s operation. This year’s IAL National Dealer of the Year award was presented to Ballarat Isuzu and Dealer Principal Ian Deacon. This prestigious honour is the latest highlight for a locally-owned dealership that has consistently demonstrated excellence in selling and servicing new and used vehicles to the Ballarat region for more than 25 years. Mr Deacon said there was no secret to Ballarat Isuzu’s success, “just a lot of hard work.” “It’s just making sure that if something needs to be done, then it’s done, and done in a timely manner. “We’re all focussed on the one thing, which is making sure our customers are happy. There’s nothing big or overly exciting that is involved in that, it’s just making sure every little touchpoint the customer has is covered well,” he said. To win the coveted prize, the Ballarat Isuzu team beat out tough competition from Gold Coast Isuzu and reigning back-to-back winner, Townsville’s Tony Ireland Isuzu. Mr Deacon said the outstanding calibre of competition in the running for the National Dealer of the Year made Ballarat Isuzu’s win a “really exciting” surprise. “We never really thought we’d be a chance to win it so it was always about what’s the best thing for our business and making sure we focus on the right thing for the business, which is making sure all our customers are happy and looked after,” Mr Deacon said. IAL Business Planning Manager and Company Secretary, Paul Evans, said the award served to underscore the many hours put in by dealerships. The evaluation criteria included areas such as presentation standards, customer care, training attendance, inventory management and activity-based KPI measurements. “To win this award, the team must excel in every area, no matter their size or sales volume, and Ian and his team are great exponents of these values,” Mr Evans said. Other award recipients include, Webster Trucks in Tasmania who took out the Best Sales Dealer, Suttons Motors Arncliffe for Best Service Dealer and Peel Valley Isuzu in Tamworth claimed the title of Best Parts Dealer. “Customer service is a fundamental component of Isuzu’s success in the broader industry and with these awards, we encourage dealerships to better their services, so that the customers can really benefit.” “We congratulate the team at Ballarat Isuzu and all the award recipients on another great year and look forward to seeing them back in contention in 2017.” ends For further information, please contact:                Jeff Birdseye                                                           Isuzu Australia Limited                                             Phone: 03 9644 6666                                             For Isuzu Truck Releases and Photos: Arkajon Communications Phone: 03 9867 5611 Email: isuzu@arkajon.com.au