Dealer Principal: Arbury, PEUGEOT, Fiat & Abarth in Walsall
I am the Dealer Principal of our Walsall dealership. The most important part of my role is to look after our people, whether that be members of the team or customers. I also review performance, and develop skills and processes, so together we can deliver excellent service through an expert team.
I joined the team 22 years ago – it was my first managerial role. Over the years, I’ve worked at several of our sites in various roles, including bodyshop management, service management and sales management, and then in 2009 I was delighted to be asked to run our Lichfield business, which I enjoyed for 11 years before moving on to look after one of our largest sites at Walsall.
I found Arbury through a local newspaper advert while waiting for an Indian takeaway! After meeting with the then Managing Director, David Stenning, I decided to take on the fresh challenge, and I’ve never looked back.
The motor trade is complex and evolves at pace. My goal is to help us be the best we can possibly be. I want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to do business with us and, at the end of the transaction, for them to be blown away by the service they’ve received. We have to stand out through quality of service – if I can help that happen and see real results from positive change, then that gives me a great sense of satisfaction and worth.
I’m very lucky in that no two days are the same. Fresh tasks present themselves all of the time, which keeps the job interesting.
Arbury prides itself on doing business the right way – honesty and integrity matter. We embed these principles within the team and it shines through. Problems will always present themselves, and you know when you’ve got it right when team members work to find solutions together. It sounds clichéd but when you work with a dedicated, highly skilled team, it makes everybody’s time at work more enjoyable.
Rewarding!