FROM HOLDEN TO HINO
Chris began his career at Holden. Being a bit of a Commodore nut, he was devastated when the company closed up shop. In 2018, after a friend suggested Chris try his hand in truck sales, he applied for a role at Adtrans Hino and started the very next week as an assistant manager. When COVID hit in 2020, he decided to move into the sales department, realising that what he enjoyed the most was being able to look after customers.
Since then, he hasn’t looked back. “It’s the people I love at Adtrans Hino,” he says, “I have a great team that I work with. From the mechanics on the floor through to sales, we are one big family.”
MORE THAN JUST A SALES JOB
So, what’s a day in the life of the Sales team look like? Chris tells us how busy it is and how this was a shock going from cars to trucks. He continues, “In the truck world, you are everything. From start to finish, you follow up the build. This means meeting the customer and builder to discuss body requirements, engineer drawing to make sure it works, and moving the truck to different suppliers. When you have 30 on the go at once, it keeps you busy!”.
SECRET TO SUCCESS
When we asked Chris what makes a great salesperson, he told us it’s all about relationships. “For me, I have a lot of repeat business where the customers have become friends. The moment something goes pear-shaped at the manufacturer, there is no hesitation to call and keep them up to date. The biggest difficulty these days is delays, so it’s important to be transparent about this with customers”.
AWARD-WINNING ADVICE
For first-time truck buyers, finding the right truck to suit your needs is all about being equipped with the right information. For Chris, this boils down to asking yourself a few key questions:
“What type of work will you be doing? This is important because it’s all about payload and looking at what you need the truck to be able to carry. What is the terrain you will be travelling on? Is it just metro? Or will you be coming up and down mountains everyday? If this is the case, then horsepower will be important”.
Ironing out those details is essential. “Do it right and don’t settle for something that isn’t right”. He explains, “I have so many customers say, ‘oh that truck will do’, even when it doesn’t tick all their boxes. If you are investing in equipment for your business, you should do it right. So, if you are going to wait, you might as well build the right truck that works for you and your business… it will always be better in the long run.”
WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT HINO?
“Hino trucks, with the new model line-up, have some great style to them. But the biggest thing is, they’re so comfortable that when you’re sitting inside, you feel like you’re in a car, not a truck. The competition still have dated cabs and interiors, so this sets Hino apart from competitors, and is something that our customers really love.”
On top of this, “Hino has a great reputation for being reliable, which explains the massive following and support for the brand. It’s like the Toyota Hilux of trucks.”
Chris goes on to explain that a lot of the time when he has customers comparing brands, it’s always the Hino Advantage and the promise of quality, durability and reliability that wins them over. He also mentions that Hino Connect is a big selling point for Hino trucks, with customers loving the innovative telematics support. And “with such a big network, people have peace of mind owning a Hino because they know we have dealerships Australia wide”.
Chris says this was the case with Hydraulink. “They were buying other branded trucks, until one day they were referred to me from the builder doing the bodies on their Utes. We set them up with the Hino Connect Fleet Management System and completely streamlined their admin. They now have Hino 300 Series trucks with service bodies, which allows them to carry more equipment.”
2023 NATIONAL SKILLS CONTEST
We couldn’t leave without asking Chris how it felt to win Sales champion of the year in our most recent National Skills Contest. “I first entered the Hino National Skills Contest in 2022 and didn’t even place. When the qualifiers this year came out, I just wanted to give it a red-hot go. I have two girls, aged nine and six, who love that I work for Hino. My eldest asked if I was doing the contest again and I told her, ‘Yes, and daddy is going to try and win the Piston Cup from the Cars movie!’”.
On the day, Chris battled it out against some of Australia’s best truck salespeople. Competitors had to navigate their way through two challenging sales scenarios, with the intention of testing their ability to help customers design and find the right truck for them.
At the end of the day, Chris came out on top. “I was beside myself on the night, especially with the competition being so fierce from the other dealers. And it was great to be able to send my girls the photo of me on the night holding the trophy”.
And for those of you reading this and considering a career in truck sales, Chris says: “This industry is very rewarding. Even now, five years on, I’m still learning. So always have an open mind, and come join the team!”