Joe Stempien
Part Time Sales Specialist
The former general manager of a local Vauxhall Dealership, Joe has been a sales specialist with Southdowns since October 2006.Q What are your key responsibilities?
I am responsible for selling across all our franchises, dealing with customers as they come through the door and matching their requirements with the right motorhome.
Q Briefly describe your average working day
A Every day is different.
Q What attracted you to work for Southdowns?
A I thought I had retired from the motor trade and had a lovely summer off, playing cricket, golfing and fishing. Then the weather turned cold and I got bored so I decided I needed a new challenge.
Q What is the best thing about working for the company?
A I enjoy the family aspect of the business and feel very involved in growing the business. It is a healthy working environment in that the sales team aren’t fighting each other for commission on every sale - there isn’t the dog-eat-dog attitude that you can find in a car dealership. Also I like the fact that we have a strong focus on customer care so we send people away happy and they come back to us for their next motorhome. We are in the business of building relationships with our customers and generating an atmosphere of trust.
Q Does working with motorhomes hold an appeal for you?
A We have an excellent, high quality product which I am happy to sell but I’m not an aspiring owner myself. I am a keen fisherman so I am happy to spend a week at a time sleeping in a bivouac on the side of a river but when I travel I prefer to stay in a hotel!
Q Finally, if you could fulfil one ambition, what would it be?
A I’d like to catch a salmon in Scotland and a king salmon in the Keyni Peninsula in Alaska.
Joe is a keen sportsman and says he is naturally competitive - good news for those sales targets!
Joe was interviewed in March 2007.
